A future where every family has a positive maternity experience where they feel informed, heard and respected.
We support all maternity service users to navigate the system as it exists, and campaign for a system that truly meets the needs of all.
The purpose of this policy is to outline AIMS’ commitment to safeguarding. It sets out the arrangements for protecting from harm people who access our Helpline or who come into contact with the charity in other ways, as well safeguarding and protecting our employees, volunteers and contractors from abuse.
The policy lays out the commitments made by AIMS and informs employees and volunteers of their responsibilities in relation to 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 relation to the work of AIMS we understand it to mean acting on concerns about the wellbeing of individuals who contact our Helpline or engage with the charity in other ways and protecting our employees, contractors and volunteers from harm or abuse.
AIMS 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.
Safeguarding is everybody’s business and everyone within AIMS shares the responsibility of ensuring that everybody who engages with us is safe and protected. This includes anyone who contacts our Helpline, as well as our staff, volunteers and contractors.
AIMS commits to addressing safeguarding throughout its work, through the three pillars of prevention, reporting and response. We are registered with and regulated by the Charity Commission.
AIMS will:
Ensure all volunteers have access to, are familiar with, and know their responsibilities within this policy
Follow up on reports of safeguarding concerns promptly and according to due process
AIMS volunteers must not:
Subject anyone to emotional or psychological abuse
Additionally, AIMS volunteers are obliged to:
Adhere to the standards set out in our Volunteer Agreement including behaving in accordance with the AIMS values towards fellow volunteers and others and carrying out their work in line with the charity’s policies, procedures and guidelines.
Contribute to creating and maintaining an environment that prevents safeguarding violations and promotes the implementation of the Safeguarding Policy
Report any safeguarding concerns whether about a member of the public, AIMS employee, contractor or a fellow volunteer to the appropriate contact.
If in their judgement a volunteer believes that a vulnerable adult or a child is in immediate danger, and they are able to obtain information about the individual’s location, they should make a telephone call to the emergency service number 999. This might be the case if it appears that an enquirer is at risk of harm and unable to help themselves (for example, if they have a medical condition which is worsening), or where they have told us that they or a child is at risk of being hurt by someone else.
We note that our Helpline is a confidential service so we will only have information about their location if an enquirer is willing to disclose it, and we would not report a safeguarding concern without telling the person what we were doing.
Otherwise, volunteers who have a complaint or concern relating to safeguarding, whether it relates to a member of the public, or to an AIMS volunteer, employee or contractor, should report it immediately to the Designated Safeguarding Lead or to their Team lead. If the volunteer does not feel comfortable reporting to the Designated Safeguarding Lead or Team lead (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 another member of the Management Team, their team’s link trustee or another trustee.
Designated Safeguarding Lead: Nadia Higson nadia.higson@aims.org.uk
AIMS will follow up safeguarding reports and concerns according to our policies and procedure, and legal and statutory obligations. This will include contacting the relevant police force or social services department where appropriate.
It is essential that confidentiality is 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. This will be through the use of a Google Docs folder with restricted access.
The Designated Safeguarding Lead will maintain a log of safeguarding concerns. Any new concerns will be reviewed by the trustees at their next meeting and actions put in place to address any areas for improvement.
The trustees will review this Safeguarding policy and associated policies annually to determine whether any changes are required.
The trustees will include a section on Safeguarding in the Trustees Annual Report.
Data protection and privacy policy
Helpline data protection and privacy policy
Equality, Diversity and Inclusivity policy
Personal Harassment policy
Next review date 27th March 2027