Safeguarding 

1. Policy Purpose 

Edinburgh Women’s Fiction Festival’s charitable activities can include working with vulnerable people.  The purpose of this safeguarding policy is to protect children and vulnerable adults and provide stakeholders and the public with the overarching principles that guide our approach in doing so. 

1. Safeguarding Principles 

We believe that: 

• Nobody who is involved in our work should ever experience abuse, harm, neglect, or exploitation. 

• We all have a responsibility to promote the welfare of all of our beneficiaries, staff, and volunteers, to keep them safe and to work in a way that protects them. 

• We all have a collective responsibility for creating a culture in which our people not only feel safe, but also able to speak up if they have any concerns. 

1. Safeguarding Policy Applicability 

This safeguarding policy applies to anyone working on our behalf, including our charity trustees and other volunteers. 

1. Types of Abuse 

Abuse can take many forms, such as physical, psychological or emotional, financial, sexual, or institutional abuse, including neglect and exploitation.   

1. Safeguarding and Fundraising 

We will ensure that: 

• We comply with the Code of Fundraising Practice.

• Staff and volunteers are made aware of the Institute of Fundraising guidance on keeping fundraising safe and the NCVO Guidance on vulnerable people and fundraising. 

• Our fundraising material is accessible, clear, and ethical, including not placing any undue pressure on individuals to donate. 

• We do not either solicit nor accept donations from anyone whom we know or think may not be competent to make their own decisions. 

• We are sensitive to any particular need that a donor may have. 

1. Online Safeguarding Procedures 

We will identify and manage online risks by ensuring: 

• Volunteers, staff and trustees understand how to keep themselves safe online. Protect people’s personal data and follow GDPR legislation. 

• We will inform our panel audiences that we intend to video from behind the audience and also take photographs for social media and marketing. Anyone who wishes to be excluded from this should make themselves known to our photographer.

Committee responsibilities

This safeguarding policy will be reviewed and approved by the committee annually. 

Committee members are aware of and will comply with OSCR guidance on safeguarding. A lead trustee will be given responsibility for the oversight of safeguarding and adherence to the policy and principles.

This will include: 

• Creating a culture of respect, in which everyone feels safe and able to speak up. 

• An annual review during our Trustee Reporting process with recommendations to the full committee. 

• Providing oversight of any lapses in safeguarding. 

• Ensuring that any issues are properly investigated and dealt with quickly, fairly and sensitively, and any reporting to the police/statutory authorities is carried out. 

• Ensuring safeguarding risk assessments are carried out and appropriate action taken to minimise these risks, as part of our risk management processes. 

• Listening and engaging, beneficiaries, staff, volunteers, and others and involving them as appropriate. 

• Responding to any concerns sensitively and acting quickly to address these. 

• Ensuring that personal data is stored and managed in a safe way that is compliant with data protection regulations, including valid consent to use any imagery or video. 

• Making staff, volunteers, and others aware of: 

• Our safeguarding procedures and their specific safeguarding responsibilities on induction, with regular updates/reminders, as necessary. 

• The signs of potential abuse and how to report these. 

Everyone: To be aware of our procedures, undertake any necessary training, be aware of the risks and signs of potential abuse and, if you have concerns, to report these immediately (see above). 

Reporting Safeguarding Concerns 

If a crime is in progress, or an individual in immediate danger, call the police, as you would in any other circumstances. 

If you are a beneficiary or member of the public, make your concerns known to a member of our team, who will alert a senior member of the charity. 

For members of the charity, make your concerns known to your supervisor.  If you feel unable to do so, speak to a trustee. 

The trustees are mindful of their reporting obligations to OSCR in respect of Serious Incident Reporting They are aware of the Government guidance on handling safeguarding allegations.