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Hike2HealRecovery CIC

Safeguarding Policy

Children and adults at risk · Version 1 · Next review due March 2026 · Owner: CEO, Hike2Heal Recovery CIC

This policy sets out the Hike2Heal Recovery CIC approach to safeguarding for volunteers, members, staff, supporters, and anyone who attends our events or activities. It applies to staff, volunteers, members, trustees, supporters, consultants, and contractors.

Policy statement

Hike2Heal Recovery CIC is committed to following good practice and this includes having clear, consistent policies, procedures, and processes for everyone to follow. We take our responsibilities for safeguarding extremely seriously. We have a duty of care to our staff, members, volunteers, supporters, and members of the public. We are committed to creating and maintaining a safe and positive environment and accept our responsibility to safeguard the welfare of anyone who attends and participates in our events and activities, in accordance with current legislation.

Aims and scope

This policy aims to provide everyone involved with Hike2Heal Recovery CIC with the fundamental values that guide our approach to safeguarding. It aims to be proportionate and appropriate to the level of risk involved. This policy applies to all individuals involved in delivering our charitable aims and goals — volunteers, members, supporters, trustees, board members, staff, consultants, and contractors in England, Scotland, and Wales. We will only work with partner organisations who adopt and demonstrate their commitment to the principles and practice of safeguarding as set out in this policy.

Our policy commitments

Hike2Heal Recovery CIC has a zero-tolerance approach to any form of mistreatment or abuse. We operate across the three jurisdictions of England, Wales, and Scotland and therefore operate under three different sets of legislation and guidance in respect of safeguarding. The working principle is that all Hike2Heal Recovery CIC staff, volunteers, and participants must report any safeguarding concern in accordance with the safeguarding reporting process. It is the responsibility of the Volunteering Development and Safeguarding Lead to decide if an additional statutory organisation must also be informed.

Anyone who works to deliver services on behalf of Hike2Heal Recovery CIC is expected to do this in a manner which respects the individuality of each person using the service and treats them, and members of Hike2Heal Recovery CIC, respectfully, regardless of protected characteristics.

We are committed to ensuring continual improvement in safeguarding practice and, to support this, we have endorsed six policy commitments:

1. Promoting a safe and trusted culture that prioritises safeguarding

All Hike2Heal Recovery CIC staff, volunteers, members, participants, trustees, independent advisors, and partner organisations will respect children and adults at risk and promote their well-being first. We will promote a fair, open, and positive culture and ensure all involved feel able to, and have the knowledge to, report concerns and allegations, confident that they will be heard and responded to. This will be achieved by:

  • appropriate staff and volunteer training,
  • effective communication,
  • review and learning,
  • monitoring through effectively implemented quality assurance arrangements that ensure consistency and compliance throughout the organisation.

We will ensure staff, members and volunteers challenge poor practice and report all safeguarding concerns and abuse in accordance with our reporting procedures.

2. Responding promptly and appropriately to every concern or allegation

  • We will respond appropriately and ensure that the person at risk and/or their representative is involved from the start of the process, empowering people to make their own decisions around safeguarding.
  • All adults, including adults at risk, have a right to make unwise decisions — including the choice not to take action to protect themselves.
  • Anyone who reports any safeguarding concerns or allegations to us will be treated with respect.
  • All safeguarding concerns and allegations will be dealt with in accordance with statutory child and adult safeguarding guidance and our Safeguarding Procedure.
  • All staff, members and volunteers will cooperate fully with the statutory authorities.

3. Treating victims with respect, care, and dignity

  • Whenever a safeguarding concern, poor practice issue or allegation of abuse is raised, we will offer support to all those affected as appropriate.
  • People will receive a compassionate response, be listened to and be taken seriously.
  • We will respond to any disclosure in accordance with our policy and procedure, in collaboration with the relevant statutory agencies where appropriate.

4. Treating people subject to concerns or allegations with respect

  • We will endeavour to respect the rights under criminal and civil law of an accused person. A presumption of innocence will be maintained during any process.
  • We will take responsibility for ensuring steps are taken to protect people when any person is considered a risk to others, through a mitigation process.
  • In some circumstances we may suspend an individual who is subject to a concern. Where this is done it is a neutral act and lasts only as long as it takes for the process to run its course.
  • We recognise people subject to safeguarding concerns are vulnerable during any process, and we will take all reasonable steps to support them.

5. Encouraging a culture of learning

We commit to doing the right thing every time for all the people involved in a safeguarding concern. We recognise that processes and outcomes can and must be improved, and commit to being transparent about learning from these situations through a robust quality assurance system and compliance process, checked through independent scrutiny.

Good practice, poor practice, and abuse

The following definitions apply to both adult and child safeguarding in England, Wales, and Scotland.

  • A safeguarding concern is a concern about the safety or well-being of a child or adult arising from something seen, heard or reported, involving people not in a position of responsibility with Hike2Heal Recovery CIC.
  • A safeguarding allegation is an allegation against someone who works for, is a member of, or volunteers with Hike2Heal Recovery CIC, or staff/participants from a partner organisation.
  • Poor practice is where a member of staff, member or volunteer breaks a code of conduct or rule which does not itself amount to a criminal offence, but if not stopped will allow the person of concern to go on to commit harm.
  • A person subject of the concern is the victim of the safeguarding concern or allegation.
  • A person of concern is the person alleged to have committed the safeguarding concern or allegation.

Training

Everyone at Hike2Heal Recovery CIC will have access to the Safeguarding policy and Safeguarding procedure and is expected to follow them. All staff and volunteers will undertake mandatory safeguarding awareness training as part of their induction. Staff, volunteers, and trustees who require more in-depth knowledge of their safeguarding responsibilities will receive appropriate and role-focused training.

Roles and responsibilities

Safeguarding responsibilities are held across the following roles:

  • Trustees
  • Lead Safeguarding Trustee
  • Chief Executive
  • People and Culture Committee
  • Volunteering Development and Safeguarding Lead
  • Nation Safeguarding Manager
  • All staff and volunteers

All staff and volunteers, regardless of their level or role, have the responsibility to recognise and report any safeguarding concerns through our reporting procedure, to report where they are concerned that a staff member, volunteer, or member is at risk, to attend safeguarding training, and to work within our values.

Legislation

The practices and procedures within this policy are based on the relevant GB legislation and government guidance, including the Care Act 2014, the Children’s Acts 1989 and 2004, the Children and Social Work Act 2017, the Mental Capacity Act 2005, the Equality Act 2010, the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006, the Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014, the Adult Support and Protection (Scotland) Act 2007, and the UK GDPR / Data Protection Act 2018, among others.

Review cycle

This policy is due for review by the People and Culture Committee every 12 months or following any legislative changes, whichever comes first.

Raise a concern

If you’re worried about someone on a hike, or about something that happened on a hike, please use the safeguarding topic on our contact form, or email info@hike2heal.org.uk directly. We answer safeguarding messages within 24 hours, every day of the week.