Safeguarding policy

Who decides

A risk of harm to an adult or a child always goes to a trained safeguarding lead, never only to a moderator.

Difability has a safeguarding lead and a deputy. Both are trained in adult safeguarding and refresh their training every year. The deputy takes over when the lead is away, or when the lead knows the people involved.

Only the safeguarding leads can open and read a safeguarding case. Moderators see only that a case exists.

How to reach the safeguarding lead

• In the Community, use Report on what worries you and choose “Someone may be at risk of harm”. What you report is hidden at once and the safeguarding lead is alerted.
• Email ashraf@hajimail.com and put “Safeguarding” in the subject.
• If your organisation works with a Difability Coordinator, tell them. They pass it to the safeguarding lead.

You can raise a concern about someone who is not a member in the same way.

The safeguarding lead responds within 1 staffed hour. Staffed hours are 09:00 to 17:00 UK time, Monday to Friday, except bank holidays. Outside them, the safeguarding lead on call is emailed at once, and moderators check reports every day at 10:00 and 18:00.

What happens next

1. The post, reply or message is hidden, and the safeguarding lead opens a case with a reference such as DFB-SGC-000001.
2. The lead works out who is at risk, from what, how soon, and what is known about where they are.
3. The lead acts and records why. What they do depends on the risk, as set out below.
4. The lead reviews every open case after 7 days and closes it with the outcome. If you ask for help again, the case opens again. You do not need to report it again.

Danger to life now, and we know where the person is

We call 999.

Abuse, neglect or exploitation

We tell the local council’s adult or children’s social care, or the police on 101.

Fraud

We report it to Report Fraud, or to Police Scotland on 101.

Distress without immediate danger

We contact the member and tell them where to find support.

No safeguarding concern

We close the case and record why. A moderator then deals with the post under the Community rules.

Sharing information

We share information with the emergency services, a local council or the police only to protect someone at risk, and only as much as they need. The Data Protection Act 2018, Schedule 1, paragraph 18, allows this. Every share is recorded: who we shared with, when, and why.

We keep a safeguarding case for 6 years after it closes, then delete it. The privacy notice says more about what we keep.