Introduction
One Love Sisters Brief Intro of the organization What is Safeguarding? For OLS safeguarding means promoting and protecting people's health, well-being, and human rights, and enabling them to live free of harm, exploitation, and abuse. A safeguarding approach means identifying and minimizing the risk of harm to children and (vulnerable) adults such as disabled people and LGBT+, from staff, representatives, and partners. In addition, safeguarding is increasingly becoming best practice to think about how we always safeguard everyone in our organization itself, including protecting staff from inappropriate behavior such as bullying and harassment. Safeguarding entails for us a wide potential range of policies, procedures and activities seeking to address the welfare of staff, partner organizations and those we encounter such as children and (vulnerable) adults. It focuses on developing standards and mitigation measures to target and reduce residual risk. Scope of Policy This Safeguarding Policy is intended to inform all OLS activities, and the actions and behavior of all associated with the organization - including staff, partners, representatives, beneficiaries, third parties and the communities OLS engages. As such, the key audiences (or, indeed, 'owners') for this strategy are OLS's Advisory Board, management, staff, and volunteers. It is the collective responsibility of these stakeholders to put the strategy into practice - as an active document, to prevent and report on any physical, economic, sexual, emotional abuse or neglect of any actor within the organization's community engagement. All those that are engaged, commissioned, or contracted to work with or on behalf of OLS will need to have a clear understanding of the required standards set out in this policy, and what to do if they have any concerns. This policy should be read alongside other organizational documents and polices including the:
- Human Resource Manual
Safeguarding Commitments
Policy statement
One Love Sisters Ghana is committed to delivering on its duty of care towards all those it encounters as a result of its work, regardless of their gender, age, race, ethnicity, political orientation, religious belief, spatial location, class, sexuality or ability or other identities. The organization will take measures to protect the rights of its constituents, including beneficiaries, communities, volunteers, and all other associates, including third parties. The organization will not tolerate any form of abuse, and/or violations, and will take necessary actions, as required within this policy, to respond quickly and appropriately to all reports of abuse, and/or violations against any person working for or representing the organization. The organization's commitment to safeguarding aims to engage individuals and groups safely and meaningfully from diverse backgrounds and of varying identities. The organization have a zero-tolerance approach to all forms of physical, sexual, social, and verbal/emotional violence and abuse, including bullying and harassment, and to all actions resulting in or contributing to the violation or denial of the rights of any individual or group. Underlying principles OLS has agreed on a set of principles that underpin safeguarding. These have been drawn from key international, regional and national instruments such as the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, the Core Humanitarian Standards, the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women, and the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (2005); and national policy and legislation in Ghana such as, including the Children's Act (1998), Human Trafficking Act (2005), Persons with Disabilities Act (2006), Domestic Violence Act (2007), Mental Health Act (2012), Child and Family Welfare Policy (2014), National Gender Policy (2015), National Social Protection Policy (2015). OLS will work to ensure that;
i. all individuals are treated equally regardless of their background and identity.
ii. everyone is aware of the Safeguarding Policy and has responsibility for
safeguarding, including the advisory board, staff, volunteers, consultants, and partners of the organization.
iii. concerns or allegations shall be taken seriously, investigated, and acted on as
appropriate.
iv. our feedback mechanisms and reporting channels are clear, transparent, and
accessible to all.
v. actions and activities are taken in the best interests of the child/adult at risk.
vi. survivors of abuse are supported, and alleged perpetrators are held to account.
vii. recruitment practices are robust enough to stop the recruitment of anyone who
poses a known risk.
Safeguarding Measures
Prevention OLS is committed to ensuring a rigorous recruitment process to prevent the recruitment of a person who poses a known risk. This includes:
- A person who has been convicted of or has received a formal police caution
concerning an offence against children or vulnerable adults.
- A person who has been convicted of or has received a formal police caution
concerning sexual offences against any individual.
- A person who is repeat offender, including offences concerning sexual offences
against children and vulnerable adults.
- A person who has been flagged to the organization as a safeguarding concern
by a former employer or a creditable whistle-blower. The organization is committed to ensuring that all staff and representatives are appointed and supervised in accordance with our recruitment policy and other relevant policies, which are in line with national labor laws and best practice. This includes:
- Adding questions about safeguarding in job interviews
- Having a written job description for the post that includes a commitment to
safeguarding.
- Ensuring all new staff complete a self-declaration disclosure.
- Obtaining references including one from a most recent employer
- Verifying qualifications where relevant
- Sharing the safeguarding policy including the code of conduct with all new staff
- Ensuring that new staff sign the code of conduct, and a signed copy is safely
stored for future reference. The organization has developed a mandatory Code of Conduct that sets out clear expectations of behaviors - inside and outside the workplace. This is designed to ensure the safety of all associated with OLS, whether as a staff member, volunteer or an advisory board member, or a target beneficiary. All staff, volunteers, consultants, will be required to sign the code of conduct and will be provided with training as part of their induction requirements.
Awareness and Capacity building The organization is committed to providing inductions and training to all staff, governing council, volunteers, contractors, consultants, and partners to raise awareness of safeguarding. The organization recognizes the importance of building the capacity of all those working in or for, and an understanding of the safeguarding commitments. It is also important that everyone is aware of the process for raising a concern or a complaint, for the safeguarding policy to be effective and properly implemented. Whistle blowing or the process of escalating concerns is a key element of operationalizing the policy. To do this, OLS will:
- Disseminate relevant organizational policies, including the Safeguarding Policy
and Code of Conduct, to all staff, volunteers, and other associates. Policies will be shared in hard copy and via links to relevant pages on the Foundation website, and discussed in relevant meetings with staff, volunteers, and associates.
- Build safeguarding awareness and whistleblowing into all new staff inductions.
- Conduct regular internal team trainings and monitoring on safeguarding.
- Collaborate with relevant institutions to promote a culture of safeguarding
across the civil society sector in Ghana.
- Create awareness on a reporting and redress mechanism within the organization;
its availability and working.
Reporting
The organization is committed to responding effectively, sensitively, and swiftly to all allegations and suspicions of violence and harassment. Actual, potential, or suspected incidents should be reported immediately. The organization places a mandatory obligation and responsibility on all staff, volunteers, consultants to report concerns, allegations, and incidents in a confidential manner and with the appropriate people. Under no circumstances should any individual attempt to deal with the problem
directly. Failure to report safeguarding concerns is grounds for disciplinary procedures. The organization will respond to allegations and suspicions of violence and harassment in accordance with relevant national instruments and laws. The following channels have been set up and maintained so that safeguarding concerns can be channeled through a clear, accessible, and confidential reporting process. A list of contact details for all safeguarding focal persons, and all those who have access to safeguarding concerns, will be kept and updated regularly. Reporting via email: Safeguarding Focal Person email: The safeguarding email account is only accessible to the safeguarding focal person who has been trained on the requirement to keep information confidential. Reporting via phone: Safeguarding Focal Person phone: Reporting in person: Safeguarding Focal Person Responding Allegations concerning OLS staff, advisory board members, volunteers, consultants, or partners will be investigated by through its Safeguarding Committee. Investigations may also be referred to relevant local or national law enforcement institutions, or relevant national commissions, such as the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice. Confidentiality must be maintained at all stages when dealing with a safeguarding concern. Information given should be written in a report as soon as possible after the concern is raised (within 24 hours if possible). All information relating to a report, or a concern and subsequent case management should be shared on a need-to-know basis only, and all related information securely stored (in a secure, locked location or a confidential electronic folder).
Governance And Oversight
Position Responsibility Safeguarding and security Committee - Reports to the Advisory Board on implementation of safeguarding policy
- Advises the management on policy
implementation.
- Recommends actions on safeguarding
concerns to the Advisory Board Executive Director - Oversight for staff/volunteer induction on safeguarding policy and code of conduct
- Ensures staff have signed code of
conduct and uphold it.
- Ensures associates of OLS have endorsed
policy.
- Reviews safeguarding register regularly
and supervises implementation of mitigation strategies.
- Files reports on safeguarding register to
the Advisory board and donors. Safeguarding Focal Person - Ensures staff have undergone induction on safeguarding policy.
- Ensures staff have signed code of
conduct and uphold it.
- Ensures that clear investigation and
disciplinary procedures are used when allegations and complaints are made.
- Receives all complaints / allegations on
safeguarding and leads on case management.
- Records cases and is responsible for
updating and managing the safeguarding register.
- Reports on a quarterly basis to the
management
- Communicates to the programme team
around safeguarding concerns.
- Initiates swift action in collaboration with
relevant stakeholders/actors regarding safeguarding concerns.
Implementation And Monitoring
- Annual re-signing of the code of conduct by staff/volunteers
- Review of organizational assessment tools to reflect safeguarding.
- Annual review of relevant policies
- Training for staff on safeguarding
- Monitor partners' implementation of their safeguarding policies and code of
conduct.
Declaration And Consent
I have read carefully and understand One Love Sister's Safeguarding Policy. I hereby agree to abide by its requirements and commit to upholding the standards required. I undertake to discharge my duties and to regulate my conduct in accordance with the requirements of the policy. Name: __________________________________________________________ Signature: _______________________________________________________ Date: ___________________________________________________________