Privacy Policy
Safeguarding Policy
Purpose
The purpose of this policy is to protect people, particularly children, at risk adults and beneficiaries of assistance, from any harm that may be caused due to their coming into contact with Barnes Film Festival. This includes harm arising from:
- The conduct of volunteers or personnel associated with Barnes Film Festival
- The design and implementation of Barnes Film Festival’s programmes and activities
The policy lays out the commitments made by Barnes Film Festival, and informs volunteers and associated personnel of their responsibilities in relation to safeguarding.
This policy does not cover:
- Sexual harassment in the workplace
- Safeguarding concerns in the wider community not perpetrated by Barnes Film Festival or associated personnel
What Is Safeguarding?
In the UK, safeguarding means protecting peoples’ health, wellbeing and human rights, and enabling them to live free from harm, abuse and neglect.
In our sector, we understand it to mean protecting people, including children and vulnerable adults who volunteer with our organization, or who attend any of our events.
Further definitions relating to safeguarding are provided in the glossary below.
Scope
- All Barnes Film Festival volunteers
- Associated personnel whilst engaged with Barnes Film Festival, including but not limited to the following: consultants, contractors, celebrities and politicians
Policy Statement
Barnes Film Festival believes that everyone we come into contact with, regardless of age, gender identity disability, sexual orientation or ethnic origin has the right to be protected from all forms of harm, abuse, neglect and exploitation. Barnes Film Festival will not tolerate
abuse and exploitation volunteers or associated personnel.
This policy will address the following areas of safeguarding: child safeguarding, adult safeguarding, and protection from sexual exploitation and abuse.
Barnes Film Festival commits to addressing safeguarding throughout its work, through the three pillars of prevention, reporting and response.
Prevention
Barnes Film Festival responsibilities
Barnes Film Festival will:
- Ensure all volunteers have access to and know their responsibilities within this policy
- Design and undertake all its programmes and activities in a way that protects people from any risk of harm that may arise from their coming into contact with Barnes Film Festival.
This includes the way in which information about individuals in our programmes is gathered and communicated
- Ensure staff receive training on safeguarding
- Follow up on reports of safeguarding concerns promptly and according to due process
Child safeguarding
Barnes Film Festival volunteers and associated personnel must not:
- Engage in sexual activity with anyone under the age of 18
- Sexually abuse or exploit children
- Subject a child to physical, emotional or psychological abuse, or neglect
- Engage in any commercially exploitative activities with children including child labour or trafficking
Adult safeguarding
Barnes Film Festival staff and associated personnel must not:
- Sexually abuse or exploit vulnerable adults
- Subject a vulnerable adult to physical, emotional or psychological abuse, or neglect
Protection from sexual exploitation and abuse
Barnes Film Festival staff and associated personnel must not:
- Exchange money, employment, goods or services for sexual activity
- Engage in any sexual relationships with beneficiaries of assistance, since they are based on inherently unequal power dynamics
Additionally, Barnes Film Festival volunteers and associated personnel must:
- Contribute to creating and maintaining an environment that prevents safeguarding violations and promotes the implementation of the Safeguarding Policy
- Report any concerns or suspicions regarding safeguarding violations by a Barnes Film Festival volunteer or associated personnel to the Director
Enabling reports
Barnes Film Festival will ensure that safe, appropriate, accessible means of reporting safeguarding concerns are made available to all volunteers.
Any volunteer reporting concerns or complaints through formal whistleblowing channels (or if they request it) will be protected by Barnes Film Festival’s Whistleblowing Policy.
Barnes Film Festival will also accept complaints from external sources such as members of the public, partners and official bodies.
How to report a safeguarding concern
Volunteers who have a concern relating to safeguarding should report it immediately to the Director. If the volunteer does not feel comfortable reporting to the Director (for example if
they feel that the report will not be taken seriously, or if that person is implicated in the concern) they may report to any other senior volunteer.
Director: Sam Cullis
Leigh Jenkins
Response
Barnes Film Festival will follow up safeguarding reports and concerns according to policy and procedure, and legal and statutory obligations (see Procedures for reporting and response to safeguarding concerns in Associated Policies).
Barnes Film Festival will apply appropriate disciplinary measures to volunteers found in breach of this policy.
Barnes Film Festival will offer support to survivors of harm caused by volunteers or associated personnel, regardless of whether a formal internal response is carried out (such as an internal investigation).
Decisions regarding support will be led by the survivor.
Confidentiality
It is essential that confidentiality in maintained at all stages of the process when dealing with safeguarding concerns. Information relating to the concern and subsequent case management should be shared on a need to know basis only, and should be kept secure at all
times.
Glossary Of Terms
Child
A person below the age of 18
Harm
Psychological, physical and any other infringement of an individual’s rights
Psychological harm
Emotional or psychological abuse, including (but not limited to) humiliating and degrading treatment such as bad name calling, constant criticism, belittling, persistent shaming, solitary confinement and isolation
Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA)
The term used by the humanitarian and development community to refer to the prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse of affected populations by staff or associated personnel. The term derives from the United Nations Secretary General’s Bulletin on Special Measures for Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (ST/SGB/2003/13)
Safeguarding
In the UK, safeguarding means protecting peoples’ health, wellbeing and human rights, and enabling them to live free from harm, abuse and neglect.
We understand safeguarding to mean protecting people, including children and vulnerable adults, from harm that arises from coming into contact with our volunteers or programmes.
This definition draws from our values and principles and shapes our culture. It pays specific attention to preventing and responding to harm from any potential, actual or attempted abuse of power, trust, or vulnerability, especially for sexual purposes.
Safeguarding applies consistently and without exception across our programme. It requires proactively identifying, preventing and guarding against all risks of harm, exploitation and abuse and having mature, accountable and transparent systems for response, reporting and learning when risks materialise.
Sexual abuse
The term ‘sexual abuse’ means the actual or threatened physical intrusion of a sexual nature, whether by force or under unequal or coercive conditions.
Sexual exploitation
The term ‘sexual exploitation’ means any actual or attempted abuse of a position of vulnerability, differential power, or trust, for sexual purposes, including, but not limited to, profiting monetarily, socially or politically from the sexual exploitation of another. This definition incudes human trafficking and modern slavery.
Survivor
The person who has been abused or exploited
Vulnerable adult
A person who is or may be in need of care by reason of mental or other disability, age or illness; and who is or may be unable to take care of him or herself, or unable to protect him or herself against significant harm or exploitation.