Policy statement

Safeguarding applies consistently and without exception across all activities of the Churchill Fellowship and embraces Fellows and those who come into contact with them, Trustees, Advisory Council members, staff and knowledge / funding partners with whom relationships are entered into.

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. Those systems must be centered around the Churchill Fellowship’s activities and those engaged or affected by them.

The Churchill Fellowship’s values are:

• Equality
• Respect
• Integrity
• Fairness
• Diversity
• Universality
• Excellence
• Accountability

Who this policy applies to

This policy sets out the Churchill Fellowship’s commitment and guidance on safeguarding and protecting Children and Adults at Risk. This policy applies to all UK based projects funded by the Churchill Fellowship. Our grant agreement makes it clear that by signing a grant agreement, grantees agree to the commitments set out in this policy. If we have good cause to believe that you have not complied with your obligations under this guidance, we may suspend or terminate your funding.

Meaning of terms used in our grant agreements

Child: ‘A child is defined as any young person under the age of 18, regardless of the age of majority in the country where the child is, or his or her country of origin.’ – UN 1989

Adults at Risk: Someone over the age of 18 who may be in need of community care services by reason of mental or other disability, age or illness; and who is or may be unable to take care of, or protect themself against significant harm or exploitation.

Grantee: A recipient of funding from the Churchill Fellowship.

Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS): The Disclosure and Barring Service helps employers make safer recruitment decisions each year by processing and issuing DBS checks for England, Wales, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man. DBS also maintains the adults' and children's Barred Lists and makes considered decisions as to whether an individual should be included on one or both of these lists and barred from engaging in regulated activity.

Regulated activity: Regulated activity can be broadly broken down into six categories: Providing Health Care; Providing Personal Care; Providing Social Work; Assistance with General Household Matters; Assistance in the Conduct of a Person’s Own Affairs; Conveying.

For further details and illustrative examples of each of these categories, please see the full guidance provided by the Department for Health.

Protecting Vulnerable Groups scheme (PVG): The Protecting Vulnerable Groups scheme is managed and delivered by Disclosure Scotland. It helps ensure people whose behaviour makes them unsuitable to work with children and protected adults cannot do regulated work with these groups.

What we require of grantees

We require all grantees to:

1. Be committed to a proactive approach safeguarding, understanding your own obligations regarding the safety and wellbeing of any beneficiaries.
2. Inform the Churchill Fellowship of any concerns, disclosures or incidents relating to the safeguarding of Children and Adults at Risk as soon as possible and no later than within three working days of any potentially serious concern or incident.
3. Ensure that any third parties appointed by you to perform any part of your project, where working with Children and Adults at Risk, have their own, appropriate safeguarding policies and procedures in place.