Overview
The Cybersmile Foundation acknowledges our duty to safeguard the welfare of all service users and personnel with appropriate provisions for children, young people, and vulnerable adults while ensuring that all Cybersmile services are delivered in ways that uphold the dignity of individuals, whatever their circumstances, and without prejudice or favor.
Purpose of Safeguarding Policy
- To ensure that all Cybersmile service users and those connected to service users do not experience any abuse, discrimination, harassment, harm, or any other infringement of their rights as a result of their engagement with Cybersmile services.
- To ensure that Cybersmile personnel and volunteers do not experience harassment, abuse, discrimination, harm, or any other infringement of their rights while acting in their role for The Cybersmile Foundation.
- To ensure that members of the general public do not experience any abuse, discrimination, harassment, harm, or any other infringement of their rights as a result of cybersmile activities.
Policy Statements
Our recruitment and selection of staff and volunteers includes proper scrutiny of applicants' suitability and readiness to work with our client groups.
All our staff and volunteers are trained in safeguarding children, young people, and vulnerable adults. This training is updated annually.
No Cybersmile personnel, including all volunteers or representatives, have unsupervised access to children, young people, or vulnerable adults.
All Cybersmile advisory support services are facilitated through secure email correspondence.
The safeguarding officer at The Cybersmile Foundation is the chief operating officer.
The board of directors acts as the safeguarding trustee where required.
It is The Cybersmile Foundation's policy to intervene (or facilitate appropriate intervention by a third party) whenever we are notified of, or become aware of, the potential for imminent danger to life.
When working in other establishments, including events, we will work within their safeguarding procedures without compromise.
This policy applies to all Cybersmile personnel or anyone acting on behalf of The Cybersmile Foundation in any capacity, including (and not limited to) employees, volunteers, Trustees, and advisory services personnel.
We recognize our duty to safeguard all personnel and service users, and we are committed to fulfilling our responsibility to:
- Ensure all personnel and volunteers understand how to implement good safeguarding practices in their role and undergo the appropriate training for their role.
- Ensure all personnel know how to respond appropriately where concerns arise about specific children, vulnerable adults, or other personnel and how to report any such occurrences.
- Ensure personnel know how to report any incidents or occurrences that may present a risk to their own wellbeing or have caused them harm in any way.
- Provide clarity about the process that will be followed when this policy is breached.
- Ensure appropriate action is taken in the event of safeguarding concerns and that support is provided to the individual or individuals who raise or disclose the concern.
- Ensure all personnel understand their roles and responsibilities with respect to safeguarding and are provided with appropriate learning opportunities to identify and respond to signs of abuse, neglect, and other safeguarding concerns relating to children, young people, and vulnerable adults.
- Ensure all personnel understand their duties and responsibilities regarding the reporting of any occurrences or concerns to the designated Cybersmile supervisors or Cybersmile Safeguarding Officer.
- Ensure that confidential, detailed, and accurate records of all safeguarding concerns are maintained and securely stored, and log any possible or suspected safeguarding concerns.
Safeguarding Measures
Digital Safeguarding
The Cybersmile Foundation recognizes that the main users of our digital services are internet users. We have implemented a number of measures to ensure that young and vulnerable service users are not exposed to upsetting or inappropriate content or any communications that could put them at risk.
Social Media
- Ensure that all Cybersmile content is appropriate and considers the wellbeing of all users.
- Utilize all available community tools to ensure user-generated content is appropriate and to filter out unwanted or potentially harmful content or communications.
- Provide access points to Cybersmile support services on all social media channels.
Cybersmile Assistant
- Ensure that Cybersmile Assistant detects and responds automatically to user interactions that indicate a need for crisis support.
- Ensure that Cybersmile Assistant has an up-to-date and extensive range of crisis support resources that are delivered instantly to users based on their individual needs.
- Ensure that Cybersmile Assistant automatically directs users to crisis support when interactions become unreliable or indistinct, providing a robust safeguarding default position.
Fundraising Activities
- Ensure all personnel and volunteers understand and observe safeguarding measures for events and activities where vulnerable people may be present.
- Ensure all venues, third-party event organizers, and official fundraising partners implement appropriate safeguarding measures and follow all safeguarding procedures without compromise.
- Ensure all online promotional fundraising content is appropriate and considers the wellbeing of all users.
- Ensure all content and promotional messaging adheres to all relevant media and editorial guidelines related to safeguarding vulnerable people.
Global Support Service
- Ensure Cybersmile support advisors go through verification processes for suitability, including police checks for any personnel whose role requires contact with vulnerable children or adults.
- Ensure all Cybersmile support advisors undertake the appropriate induction and training program and are aware of all safeguarding responsibilities and procedures.
- Ensure user access to crisis support organizations and services, and facilitate appropriate intervention by third-party services and organizations whenever necessary.
Website Content
- Ensure all Cybersmile website content is appropriate and considers the wellbeing of all users.
- Provide access points to crisis support and other appropriate verified support organizations.
- Ensure all content and messaging adheres to all relevant media and editorial guidelines related to safeguarding vulnerable people.
Campaign Activities
- Ensure that all campaign content, including co-created content for partnerships, is appropriate and considers the wellbeing and safety of all users.
- Ensure that all campaign content, including co-created content, adheres to relevant media and editorial guidelines related to safeguarding vulnerable people.
- Ensure that access to appropriate crisis support is integrated into campaigns related to issues that may affect vulnerable people.
Monitoring and Review
- This policy is reviewed annually by Cybersmile management and our board of directors, or when there are changes in legislation or as a result of any other significant change or event, whichever is most recent.
- The responsibility for the updating and approval of this policy is assigned to the Chief Operating Officer, who is the designated Cybersmile Safeguarding Officer.