Safeguarding Policy

Safeguarding Policy

 

1. Policy Statement

Charge My Street Ltd (CMS) is committed to protecting the health, wellbeing, and human rights of all individuals who interact with our organisation, including our staff, volunteers, members, contractors, and the public. We recognise that we have a duty of care to safeguard Children (under 18 years old) and Adults at Risk (as defined by the Care Act 2014) from abuse, exploitation, neglect, and harm.

CMS operates a zero-tolerance approach to any form of abuse or neglect. The welfare of the child or adult at risk is paramount.

2. Scope and Applicability

This policy applies to all Directors, employees, and volunteers of Charge My Street Ltd.

Given the nature of CMS's core business (the installation and management of Electric Vehicle charge points), direct, frequent, and unsupervised contact with children or adults at risk is not expected as a routine part of any role. However, all personnel must be aware of their general duty to be vigilant and know how to report a concern.

3. Definitions and Principles

  • Child: Anyone under the age of 18.
  • Adult at Risk: An individual aged 18 or over who has needs for care and support, is experiencing or is at risk of abuse or neglect, and as a result of those needs is unable to protect themselves from the abuse or neglect or the risk of it.
  • Six Key Safeguarding Principles (UK statutory guidance):
    1. Empowerment: People being supported and encouraged to make their own decisions.
    2. Prevention: Taking action before harm occurs.
    3. Proportionality: The least intrusive response appropriate to the risk presented.
    4. Protection: Support and representation for those in greatest need.
    5. Partnership: Local solutions through working together.
    6. Accountability: Ensuring transparency and accountability in delivering safeguarding.

4. Responsibilities and Reporting Procedure

The Board of Directors has overall responsibility for ensuring the company complies with its statutory and regulatory safeguarding duties.

Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL):

Daniel Heery - Director (daniel.heery@chargemystreet.co.uk)

Safeguarding Officer:

Eamonn Hennessy - Project manager (eamonn.hennessy@chargemystreet.co.uk) 

 

Reporting a Concern

  1. Immediate Danger: If a person is in immediate danger or an emergency, call the Police and/or Emergency Services (999) immediately.
  2. Non-Urgent Concern: If the concern is not an emergency, any member of staff or volunteer who receives a disclosure or has a concern must:
    • Listen calmly without judgement.
    • Not promise confidentiality and explain that the information must be shared to keep people safe.
    • Report the concern immediately to the Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) or Deputy DSL.
    • Record accurately what was seen, heard, and done, using the words of the person wherever possible.

The DSL is responsible for:

  • Managing and recording reported concerns.
  • Making a referral to the appropriate statutory services (e.g., Local Authority Social Services/Safeguarding Team or Police) as required.

5. Training and Awareness

All CMS staff and volunteers will receive regular safeguarding awareness training appropriate to their level of contact with the public and their role within the organisation. Training will cover how to recognise, respond to, and report concerns.

6. Safer Recruitment and Management

CMS is committed to promoting a safer culture. For roles that involve regulated activity (as defined by the Disclosure and Barring Service - DBS) or a higher degree of public contact, we will implement:

  • Robust recruitment procedures, including requesting DBS checks where legally required and taking up appropriate references.
  • Clear Codes of Conduct and professional boundaries.

7. Policy Review

This policy will be formally reviewed by the Board of Directors at least annually, or whenever there is a significant change in legislation, company activities, or a major incident.

 

Director: Daniel Heery

Charge My Street Limited is A Charge My Street registered with the FCA number 7704.  Tel 01524 881227  E-mail hello@chargemystreet.co.uk Twitter / Facebook: chargemystreet