Wissey U3A Safeguarding Policy and Procedure
1 What is Safeguarding
Safeguarding means protecting someone’s health, well-being and human rights enabling
them to live free from harm, abuse and neglect.
Over the last 20 years there have been a number of high-profile distressing cases of the
abuse of children, vulnerable people and elderly adults. These have led to national reviews
of how such cases can be prevented and spotted early.
The Government introduced new legislation - including the Care Act 2014 - to improve
working between various agencies such as the Police, Social Services, the Health Service and
other health and social care providers. Statutory Safeguarding Boards were established and
formal case review processes introduced.
Whilst primary statutory responsibility for safeguarding rests with these bodies,
Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility. We all have a responsibility to look out for each
other, especially those who are vulnerable because of their age, sex, ethnicity, religion or
beliefs, physical and mental health capacity or financial circumstances.
Such individuals can become easy targets for abuse, bullying , discrimination and coercive
behaviour by others thus preventing them from taking part in everyday life , making their
own decisions or having access to what they need.
2 Safeguarding Policy and role of the Safeguarding Officer
As an organisation, the Wissey U3A is committed to promoting good learning, laughing and
living amongst its members. Above all, it’s about having fun, enjoying life and making
friends. We welcome everyone irrespective of their social background, age, religion or
beliefs, ethnicity, physical and mental ability, sexual orientation, past or pending
convictions. We expect everyone to treat each other with dignity and respect and we will
not accept or condone any actions that undermine these principles or show discriminatory
behaviour.
Many of our members are older adults and some will have disabilities and personal
circumstances that could make them become vulnerable over time.
In this policy we set out the key Safeguarding principles that we will aim to follow:
Empowerment - to focus on the individual being able to make their own decisions
Prevention - to take steps to avoid matters escalating
Proportionality - responding in a way that’s proportionate to the situation
Protection - keeping members safe and protection for those at risk
Partnership - liaising with the statutory bodies and liaising with the National U3A for advice
Accountability - recording information of incidents and reporting them as required to
Statutory bodies
The Wissey U3A has a duty of care to its members in relation to Safeguarding but it does not
have any statutory authority. However, in accordance with good practice set down by
National U3A, we have appointed a Safeguarding Officer.
The role of the Safeguarding Officer is to act as the point of contact for all Safeguarding
matters. They will take all Safeguarding concerns seriously and deal with them with the
utmost tact and discretion. They are also the point of contact for liaison with the Norfolk
County Council Safeguarding team and National U3A safeguarding adviser
3 Safeguarding Procedure
Instances and concerns about potential abuse and discriminatory behaviour are varied and
may arise in different ways within the Wissey U3A membership. Our members may be
perpetrators of abuse or victims of abuse. Issues can arise face-to-face, on-line in emails or
on social media. For example, members may fall out about their behaviour and treatment of
each other. Some may be the victim of gossip and malicious rumour. Other members might
witness inappropriate behaviour and act as a whistleblower. Others may have concerns that
a vulnerable member may be experiencing abuse in their life outside of the Wissey U3A.
Some members may not be aware their behaviour is causing offence and distress, and
others may not be aware of their rights or are too afraid to raise their concerns
Incidents will vary from matters of mild concern without any further risk to individuals to
potentially criminal instances such as violence, deliberate harm, sexual offences and fraud
where there is significant risk to individuals, the wider membership and even the local
community. For these reasons it’s important that issues are dealt with fairly, promptly and
proportionately.
All concerns and incidents about potential abuse and inappropriate behaviour should be
made known to the Safeguarding Officer. They will notify the Chairman immediately that a
matter has been raised and a case file will be opened.
The Safeguarding Officer will speak to the individuals reporting their concerns to understand
fully what these are. The Safeguarding Officer will also speak to other individuals such as
witnesses and the potential perpetrator or victim to understand what has occurred.
All information will be recorded on a case template to gather the facts without judgement.
It is important to understand this is a fact-finding process not an investigation All
information gathered will be stored in accordance with Data Protection Regulations
In all cases, the Safeguarding Officer will listen to both sides carefully and be impartial.
Cases will be handled on a strictly need to know basis and the wishes of victims respected
regarding any further action. However, in serious cases it may be necessary to override
matters of confidentiality, Data Protection and the wishes of victims particularly where it is
felt that they were at risk to either themselves or to others, and share information/report
matters to the statutory authorities
Once the Safeguarding Officer has gathered all necessary information, they will report it to
the Chairman to consider the matter and determine next steps. They will carry out a risk
assessment to determine the level of harm and risk to the individual concerned, the wider
membership, the reputation of the Wissey U3A and the local community. This risk
assessment will be recorded and advice sought from National U3A and Statutory bodies if
necessary on any next steps. The risk assessment and next steps decision template will then
be reported to the Wissey U3A committee for discussion and formal agreement
In terms of next steps, this might range from having an informal word with individuals about
behaviours, suspending a member from a group or the Wissey U3A as a whole, (although
this will only be done in full consultation with National U3A), requiring a member to be
accompanied by a carer in future, or signposting a member to other sources of help and
support. In serious cases, matters may need to be referred for formal investigation by the
statutory authorities.
The outcome - not the detail - of cases and any action taken will be made known to the
individuals concerned. In some situations, it may be necessary to pursue the incident
through the Wissey U3A complaints disciplinary and grievance procedure. In this situation,
this will be handled by a committee member not previously involved in the original case
4 Governance
This policy and procedure will be reviewed annually in the light of experience of dealing with
such cases and to take account of new legal requirements and best practice
The Safeguarding Officer will raise awareness of their role amongst the wider membership
and Group Leaders. They will keep up to date with changes to Safeguarding legislation and
National U3A Safeguarding requirements. They will maintain contact with the Norfolk
County Council Safeguarding Team and undertake training and attend meetings as required
All committee members and Group Leaders will undergo training on Safeguarding
matters as required
Policy approved by Wissey U3A committee October 2024
Review date October 2024
Case information template
Case Risk Assessment template and Next steps decision template
1 What is Safeguarding
Safeguarding means protecting someone’s health, well-being and human rights enabling
them to live free from harm, abuse and neglect.
Over the last 20 years there have been a number of high-profile distressing cases of the
abuse of children, vulnerable people and elderly adults. These have led to national reviews
of how such cases can be prevented and spotted early.
The Government introduced new legislation - including the Care Act 2014 - to improve
working between various agencies such as the Police, Social Services, the Health Service and
other health and social care providers. Statutory Safeguarding Boards were established and
formal case review processes introduced.
Whilst primary statutory responsibility for safeguarding rests with these bodies,
Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility. We all have a responsibility to look out for each
other, especially those who are vulnerable because of their age, sex, ethnicity, religion or
beliefs, physical and mental health capacity or financial circumstances.
Such individuals can become easy targets for abuse, bullying , discrimination and coercive
behaviour by others thus preventing them from taking part in everyday life , making their
own decisions or having access to what they need.
2 Safeguarding Policy and role of the Safeguarding Officer
As an organisation, the Wissey U3A is committed to promoting good learning, laughing and
living amongst its members. Above all, it’s about having fun, enjoying life and making
friends. We welcome everyone irrespective of their social background, age, religion or
beliefs, ethnicity, physical and mental ability, sexual orientation, past or pending
convictions. We expect everyone to treat each other with dignity and respect and we will
not accept or condone any actions that undermine these principles or show discriminatory
behaviour.
Many of our members are older adults and some will have disabilities and personal
circumstances that could make them become vulnerable over time.
In this policy we set out the key Safeguarding principles that we will aim to follow:
Empowerment - to focus on the individual being able to make their own decisions
Prevention - to take steps to avoid matters escalating
Proportionality - responding in a way that’s proportionate to the situation
Protection - keeping members safe and protection for those at risk
Partnership - liaising with the statutory bodies and liaising with the National U3A for advice
Accountability - recording information of incidents and reporting them as required to
Statutory bodies
The Wissey U3A has a duty of care to its members in relation to Safeguarding but it does not
have any statutory authority. However, in accordance with good practice set down by
National U3A, we have appointed a Safeguarding Officer.
The role of the Safeguarding Officer is to act as the point of contact for all Safeguarding
matters. They will take all Safeguarding concerns seriously and deal with them with the
utmost tact and discretion. They are also the point of contact for liaison with the Norfolk
County Council Safeguarding team and National U3A safeguarding adviser
3 Safeguarding Procedure
Instances and concerns about potential abuse and discriminatory behaviour are varied and
may arise in different ways within the Wissey U3A membership. Our members may be
perpetrators of abuse or victims of abuse. Issues can arise face-to-face, on-line in emails or
on social media. For example, members may fall out about their behaviour and treatment of
each other. Some may be the victim of gossip and malicious rumour. Other members might
witness inappropriate behaviour and act as a whistleblower. Others may have concerns that
a vulnerable member may be experiencing abuse in their life outside of the Wissey U3A.
Some members may not be aware their behaviour is causing offence and distress, and
others may not be aware of their rights or are too afraid to raise their concerns
Incidents will vary from matters of mild concern without any further risk to individuals to
potentially criminal instances such as violence, deliberate harm, sexual offences and fraud
where there is significant risk to individuals, the wider membership and even the local
community. For these reasons it’s important that issues are dealt with fairly, promptly and
proportionately.
All concerns and incidents about potential abuse and inappropriate behaviour should be
made known to the Safeguarding Officer. They will notify the Chairman immediately that a
matter has been raised and a case file will be opened.
The Safeguarding Officer will speak to the individuals reporting their concerns to understand
fully what these are. The Safeguarding Officer will also speak to other individuals such as
witnesses and the potential perpetrator or victim to understand what has occurred.
All information will be recorded on a case template to gather the facts without judgement.
It is important to understand this is a fact-finding process not an investigation All
information gathered will be stored in accordance with Data Protection Regulations
In all cases, the Safeguarding Officer will listen to both sides carefully and be impartial.
Cases will be handled on a strictly need to know basis and the wishes of victims respected
regarding any further action. However, in serious cases it may be necessary to override
matters of confidentiality, Data Protection and the wishes of victims particularly where it is
felt that they were at risk to either themselves or to others, and share information/report
matters to the statutory authorities
Once the Safeguarding Officer has gathered all necessary information, they will report it to
the Chairman to consider the matter and determine next steps. They will carry out a risk
assessment to determine the level of harm and risk to the individual concerned, the wider
membership, the reputation of the Wissey U3A and the local community. This risk
assessment will be recorded and advice sought from National U3A and Statutory bodies if
necessary on any next steps. The risk assessment and next steps decision template will then
be reported to the Wissey U3A committee for discussion and formal agreement
In terms of next steps, this might range from having an informal word with individuals about
behaviours, suspending a member from a group or the Wissey U3A as a whole, (although
this will only be done in full consultation with National U3A), requiring a member to be
accompanied by a carer in future, or signposting a member to other sources of help and
support. In serious cases, matters may need to be referred for formal investigation by the
statutory authorities.
The outcome - not the detail - of cases and any action taken will be made known to the
individuals concerned. In some situations, it may be necessary to pursue the incident
through the Wissey U3A complaints disciplinary and grievance procedure. In this situation,
this will be handled by a committee member not previously involved in the original case
4 Governance
This policy and procedure will be reviewed annually in the light of experience of dealing with
such cases and to take account of new legal requirements and best practice
The Safeguarding Officer will raise awareness of their role amongst the wider membership
and Group Leaders. They will keep up to date with changes to Safeguarding legislation and
National U3A Safeguarding requirements. They will maintain contact with the Norfolk
County Council Safeguarding Team and undertake training and attend meetings as required
All committee members and Group Leaders will undergo training on Safeguarding
matters as required
Policy approved by Wissey U3A committee October 2024
Review date October 2024
Case information template
Case Risk Assessment template and Next steps decision template