Safeguarding
Safeguarding is a key priority for Sevenoaks Welcomes Refugees (SWR). All the refugees (adults and children) are classified as vulnerable, and all volunteers having direct contact with the families (family teams, language sessions, lifts) must have a DBS (enhanced) certification.
Our safeguarding policy is here.
As an organisation committed to helping vulnerable refugees, we will do all that we can to ensure their experience of our organisation is one that is free from any form of exploitation or abuse and that they feel respected and safe. We also have a safeguarding responsibility for all our volunteers.
Safeguarding is a collective responsibility across SWR and all volunteers are each accountable for our collective performance. Trustees have appointed a Safeguarding Steering Group to:
Advise the Trustee Board on the most appropriate policy and operational framework for safeguarding within SWR
To be the primary group within SWR for the handling of a safeguarding incident or concern, keeping the Trustee Board updated as appropriate
Advise the Trustee Board on the most appropriate policy and operational framework for safeguarding within SWR
Ensure that safeguarding children and vulnerable adults is embedded into all SWR activities
In all our public communications we will respect the personal confidentiality of the refugees we are helping to support. This will include not using actual names.
The members of the Safeguarding Steering Group are Margherita Lori, Donald Fleming, Sue Baxter, Julie McBride and Nicky McBride.
Margherita Lori is the Designated Safeguarding Officer.
If you have a safeguarding concern or question please contact a member of the Safeguarding Steering Group at info@sevenoakswelcomesrefugees.org
If you raise a concern and you do not feel that it has been adequately dealt with, raise it again with somebody else.