Weeton Village Hall Policies
Safeguarding Policy
- Purpose
Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and adults at risk from abuse or neglect. This policy defines how Weeton Village Hall operates to safeguard children, young people, and adults at risk of abuse or neglect. We have a duty of care and are committed to the protection and safety of everyone who enters our premises including children, young people and adults at risk involved as visitors and/or as participants in all activities and events. We also have a duty to safeguard and support our trustees, volunteers, and staff.
- Definitions
Children and young people are defined as those persons aged under 18 years old. This policy will apply to all staff, contractors and volunteers and will be used to support their work. Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children is defined as:
- protecting children from maltreatment
- preventing impairment of children’s health and development
- ensuring that children grow up in circumstances consistent with the provision of safe and effective care
- taking action to enable all children to have the best outcomes.
Adult at risk of abuse or neglect. For the purposes of this policy, adult at risk refers to someone over 18 years old who, according to Section 42 of the Care Act 2014:
- has care and support needs
- is experiencing, or is at risk of, abuse or neglect
- as a result of their care and support needs is unable to protect himself or herself against the abuse or neglect or the risk of it.
If someone has care and support needs but is not currently receiving care or support from a health or care service, they may still be an adult at risk.
Persons affected
- All trustees, volunteers, and staff.
- All those attending any activity or service that is being delivered from the village hall charity property.
- All visitors and contractors.
- Policy principles
There can be no excuses for not taking all reasonable action to protect children and adults at risk from abuse or neglect. All citizens of the United Kingdom have their rights enshrined within the Human Rights Act 1998. People who are eligible to receive health and community care services may be additionally vulnerable to the violation of these rights by reason of disability, impairment, age, or illness.
Weeton Village Hall charity has a zero-tolerance approach to abuse.
Weeton Village Hall charity recognises that under the Care Act 2014, it has a duty for the care and protection of adults who are at risk of abuse. It also recognises its responsibilities for the safety and care of children under the Children Act 1989 and 2004.
Weeton Village Hall charity is committed to promoting wellbeing, harm prevention and to responding effectively if concerns are raised.
Weeton Village Hall charity is aware of the work of their local safeguarding Board/Partnership and other support organisations on the development and implementation of procedures for the protection of children and adults at risk. The policy is about stopping abuse where it is happening and preventing abuse where there is a risk that it may occur.
Weeton Village Hall Committee is committed to the following principles:
- The welfare of the child, young person or adult at risk is paramount.
- All children, young people and adults at risk have the right to protection from abuse.
- Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility: for services to be effective each professional and organisation should play their full part; and
- All suspicions and allegations of abuse must be properly reported to the relevant internal and external authorities and dealt with swiftly and appropriately.
- Procedures
- All members of the committee will sign the Declaration of Acceptance of Office for trustees which includes a declaration that they have no convictions in relation to abuse.
- All members of the committee will familiarise themselves with safeguarding responsibilities, undertake training where appropriate on safeguarding issues including whistleblowing where it is available and offered by their local safeguarding board/partnership or other local support organisation and ensure that they understand the principles set out in this policy at 3 above.
- All members of the committee will work together to promote a culture that enables issues about safeguarding and promoting welfare to be addressed.
- All members of the committee, helpers or other volunteers will not have unsupervised access to children or adults at risk unless appropriately vetted.
- The hall committee will follow safe recruitment practices.
- A member of the committee will be appointed to be responsible for child and adult at risk safeguarding matters. This person will have responsibility for reporting concerns that arise, as a matter of urgency, to the relevant safeguarding agency.
- The named person is Caron Berry, current Chair
- All suspicions or allegations of abuse against a child or adult at risk will be taken seriously and dealt with speedily and appropriately. The appointed person will know who to contact and where to go for support and advice in relation to an allegation, a concern about the quality of care or practice or a complaint. An allegation may relate to a person who works with children or adults at risk who has:
- Behaved in a way that has harmed a child or adult at risk or may have harmed a child or adult at risk.
- Possibly committed a criminal offence against, or related to, a child or adult at risk; or
- Behaved towards a child (or children) or adult at risk in a way that indicates they may pose a risk of harm to children or adults at risk.
- The hall committee will ensure that all hirers of the hall have signed a hiring agreement. This will require all hirers who wish to use the hall for activities which include children and adults at risk, other than for hire for private parties arranged for invited friends and family, to either produce a copy of their Safeguarding Policy and evidence that they have carried out relevant checks through the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) when requested to do so or, confirm that they have understood and will adhere to the hall’s principles and procedures with regard to safeguarding.
- The village hall management committee will carry out an annual review of this policy
Complaint's Policy
This document aims to help you understand the complaints procedure managed by: Weeton Village Hall Committee.
What can you complain about?
If you think we have failed to provide a satisfactory standard of service, please let us know.
- Your complaint may be about the quality of the facilities, safety of the users, the handling of a particular situation or issue or any other matter.
- We are committed to equal opportunities and take complaints about discrimination very seriously.
Who will deal with your complaint?
- All complaints should be sent to info@weetonvillagehall.co.uk where a member of the committee will address the issue and respond.
- If you are not happy with the response, then you will be invited to address your complaint to the whole committee, who will listen to your concerns, consider the issues and whether the follow-up actions were appropriate.
- The committee will then decide on any further actions.
- We will take every complaint seriously and we will treat everyone who complains with respect and courtesy.
When will you hear from us?
We will let you know that we have received your complaint within ten working days. We will write to you or telephone you. In most cases, you will receive a full written response to your complaint within twenty working days.
If we cannot give a full reply in this time, we will write to you and let you know why and how we are dealing with your complaint. If the complaint is complex, we aim to let you have a full reply within twenty-five working days.
Any safety concerns that would endanger a Village Hall user would be dealt with immediately after notice is received.
Anti-bullying & Harassment Policy
Please read our policy.
- Statement of intent
Weeton Village Hall Committee is committed to encouraging all users of the village hall to maintain good relations, and not use words or deeds that may harm the wellbeing of others.
Everyone has the right to be treated with consideration, fairness, dignity and respect and this contributes to an environment in which individuals feel safe to participate and to work or volunteer.
The Village Hall Committee will take seriously and investigate any allegations of bullying or harassment.
- Why we have a policy
To create a climate in which all types of bullying and harassment are regarded as unacceptable
To promote an environment free from threat, harassment and any type of bullying behaviour
To take positive action to prevent bullying and harassment from occurring
To show commitment to overcome bullying and harassment by practising zero tolerance
To ensure staff and volunteers can work in a respectful environment
- Definition of harassment and bullying
Harassment and bullying can be summarised as any behaviour that is unwanted by the person to whom it is directed. It is the impact of the behaviour rather than the intent of the perpetrator that determines whether harassment or bullying has occurred.
Harassment may be defined as any conduct which is:
Unwanted by the recipient
Is considered objectionable
Causes humiliation, offence, distress or other detrimental effect
Harassment may be an isolated incident or repetitive; or occur against one or more individuals. Harassment may be, but is not limited to:
Physical contact – ranging from touching to serious assault, gestures, intimidation, aggressive behaviour
Verbal – unwelcome remarks, suggestions and propositions, malicious gossip, jokes and banter, offensive language
Non-verbal – offensive literature or pictures, graffiti and computer imagery, isolation and exclusion from social activities
Bullying is unlikely to be a single or isolated instance. It is usually, but not exclusively repeated
and persistent behaviour which includes:
Conduct which is intimidating, physically abusive or threatening
Conduct which denigrates, ridicules or humiliates an individual, especially in front of others
Conduct which is malicious or insulting
Targeting on one person when there is a common problem
Shouting at an individual to get things done
- What to do if you think you are being harassed or bullied
Please report any concerns regarding bullying or harassment to the village hall chairman or a member of the Village Hall Committee.
- What will the Village Hall Committee do?
Treat all incidents fairly, sensitively and in the strictest confidence
Listen to all parties involved in the incident
Investigate as fully as possible
Take appropriate action. This may involve asking people to leave the premises and preventing future bookings or attendance at the hall for a fixed period of time or indefinitely
Record all incidents of bullying
Promote the use of strategies which challenge bullying behaviour
Social Media Policy
A guide for staff on using social media to promote the work of [Weeton Village Hall] and in a personal capacity
This policy will be reviewed on an ongoing basis, at least once a year. Weeton Village Hall will amend this policy, following consultation, where appropriate.
Date of last review:
Social media is the term given to web-based tools and applications which enable users to create and share content (words, images and video content), and network with each other through the sharing of information, opinions, knowledge and common interests. Examples of social media include Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram.
Social media is essential to the success of communicating Weeton Village Hall’s work. It is important for some staff to participate in social media to engage with our audience, participate in relevant conversations and raise the profile of Weeton Village Hall’s work.
Why do we need a social media policy?
The difference between a personal and professional opinion can be blurred on social media, particularly if you’re discussing issues relating to Weeton Village Hall’s work. While we encourage the use of social media, we have certain standards, outlined in this policy, which we require everyone to observe. Publication and commentary on social media carries similar obligations to any other kind of publication or commentary in the public domain.
This policy is intended for all volunteers and trustees and applies to content posted on both Weeton Village Hall device and a personal device. Before engaging in work-related social media activity, staff must read this policy.
Setting out the social media policy
This policy sets out guidelines on how social media should be used to support the delivery and promotion of Weeton Village Hall, and the use of social media by staff in both a professional and personal capacity. It sets out what you need to be aware of when interacting in these spaces and is designed to help staff support and expand our official social media channels, while protecting the charity and its reputation and preventing any legal issues.
Point of contact for social media
Isabel is responsible for the day-to-day publishing, monitoring and management of our social media channel. If you have specific questions about any aspect of this channel, speak to Isabel. No other staff member can post content on Weeton Village Hall’s official channel.
Which social media channels do we use?
Weeton Village Hall uses the following social media channels:
Facebook : Weeton Village Hall
Weeton Village Hall has a Facebook account which it uses to share news with followers about upcoming events at the hall
Using Weeton Village Hall ‘s social media channel — appropriate conduct
- Isabel is responsible for setting up and managing Weeton Village Hall ‘s social media channel. Only those authorised to do so by the committee will have access to these accounts.
- Be an ambassador for our brand. Volunteers should ensure they reflect Weeton Village Hall values in what they post and use our tone of voice. Our brand guidelines set out our tone of voice that all staff should refer to when posting content on Weeton Village Hall social media channel.
- Make sure that all social media content has a purpose and a benefit for Weeton Village Hall and accurately reflects Weeton Village Hall ‘s agreed position.
- Bring value to our audience(s). Answer their questions, help and engage with them
- Take care with the presentation of content. Make sure that there are no typos, misspellings or grammatical errors. Also check the quality of images.
- Always pause and think before posting. That said, reply to comments in a timely manner, when a response is appropriate.
- Volunteers or trustees shouldn’t post content about supporters or service users without their express permission. If volunteers or trustees are sharing information about supporters, service users or third party organisations, this content should be clearly labelled so our audiences know it has not come directly from Weeton Village Hall. If using interviews, videos or photos that clearly identify a child or young person, staff must ensure they have the consent of a parent or guardian before using them on social media.
- Always check facts. We should not automatically assume that material is accurate and should take reasonable steps where necessary to seek verification, for example, by checking data/statistics and being wary of photo manipulation.
- Be honest. Say what you know to be true or have a good source for. If you’ve made a mistake, don’t be afraid to admit it.
- We should refrain from offering personal opinions via Weeton Village Hall’s social media account, either directly by commenting or indirectly by ‘liking’, ‘sharing’ or ‘retweeting’. If you are in doubt about Weeton Village Hall’s position on a particular issue, please speak to the committee
- It is vital that Weeton Village Hall does not encourage others to risk their personal safety or that of others, to gather materials. For example, a video of a stunt.
- We should not encourage people to break the law to supply material for social media, such as using unauthorised video footage. All relevant rights for usage must be obtained before publishing material.
- We should not set up other Facebook groups or pages, Twitter accounts or any other social media channels on behalf of Weeton Village Hall. This could confuse messaging and brand awareness. By having official social media accounts in place, the committee can ensure consistency of the brand and focus on building a strong following.
- Weeton Village Hall is not a political organisation and does not hold a view on party politics or have any affiliation with or links to political parties. We have every right to express views on policy, including the policies of parties, but we can’t tell people how to vote.
- If a complaint is made on Weeton Village Hall’s social media channel, we should seek advice from the committee before responding. If they are not available, then speak to the trustees.
- Sometimes issues can arise on social media which can escalate into a crisis situation because they are sensitive or risk serious damage to the charity’s reputation. The nature of social media means that complaints are visible and can escalate quickly. Not acting can be detrimental to the charity.
The Committee regularly monitors our social media spaces for mentions of Weeton Village Hall so we can catch any issues or problems early. If there is an issue that could develop or has already developed into a crisis situation, the committee will do the following: see Complaints Policy
If anyone outside of the committee becomes aware of any comments online that they think have the potential to escalate into a crisis, whether on Weeton Village Hall’s social media channels or elsewhere, they should speak to the committee immediately.
Use of personal social media accounts — appropriate conduct
This policy does not intend to inhibit personal use of social media but instead flags up those areas in which conflicts might arise. Weeton Village Hall volunteers are expected to behave appropriately, and in ways that are consistent with Weeton Village Hall ‘s values and policies, both online and in real life.
- Be aware that any information you make public could affect how people perceive Weeton Village Hall. You must make it clear when you are speaking for yourself and not on behalf of Weeton Village Hall. If you are using your personal social media accounts to promote and talk about Weeton Village Hall’s work, you must use a disclaimer such as: “The views expressed on this site are my own and don’t necessarily represent Weeton Village Hall’s positions, policies or opinions.”
- Use common sense and good judgement. Be aware of your association with Weeton Village Hall and ensure your profile and related content is consistent with how you wish to present yourself to the general public, colleagues, and funders.
- If a staff member is contacted by the press about their social media posts that relate to Weeton Village Hall, they should talk to the committee immediately and under no circumstances respond directly.
- Weeton Village Hall is not a political organisation and does not hold a view on party politics or have any affiliation with or links to political parties. When representing Weeton Village Hall trustees are expected to hold Weeton Village Hall’s position of neutrality. Staff who are politically active in their spare time need to be clear in separating their personal political identity from Weeton Village Hall, and understand and avoid potential conflicts of interest.
- Never use Weeton Village Hall’s logos or trademarks unless approved to do so. Permission to use logos should be requested from the committee
- Always protect yourself and the charity. Be careful with your privacy online and be cautious when sharing personal information. What you publish is widely accessible and will be around for a long time, so do consider the content carefully. When you are using social media sites at work, it is important that you do so safely.
- Think about your reputation as well as the charity’s. Express your opinions and deal with differences of opinion respectfully. Don’t insult people or treat them badly. Passionate discussions and debates are fine, but you should always be respectful of others and their opinions. Be polite and the first to correct your own mistakes.
- We encourage volunteers to share posts that we have issued. When online in a personal capacity, you might also see opportunities to comment on or support Weeton Village Hall and the work we do. Where appropriate and using the guidelines within this policy, we encourage trustees to do this as it provides a human voice and raises our profile. However, if the content is controversial or misrepresented, please highlight this to the committee who will respond as appropriate.
Further guidelines
Libel is when a false written statement that is damaging to a person’s reputation is published online or in print. Whether trustees are posting content on social media as part of their job or in a personal capacity, they should not bring Weeton Village Hall into disrepute by making defamatory comments about individuals or other organisations or groups.
It is critical that all trustees abide by the laws governing copyright, under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. Never use or adapt someone else’s images or written content without permission. Failing to acknowledge the source/author/resource citation, where permission has been given to reproduce content, is also considered a breach of copyright.
Any communications that trustees make in a personal capacity must not breach confidentiality.
Staff should not post content that could be considered discriminatory against, or bullying or harassment of, any individual, on either an official Weeton Village Hall social media channel or a personal account. For example:
- making offensive or derogatory comments relating to sex, gender, race, disability, sexual orientation, age, religion or belief
- using social media to bully another individual
- posting images that are discriminatory or offensive or links to such content
Charities are legally allowed to campaign to bring about a change in policy or law to further their organisational purpose. In most cases, spending on charity campaigns that are in accordance with charity law will not be regulated under electoral law. However, the Lobbying Act, which was passed in January 2014, states that during national elections (known as regulated periods) spending on campaigning activities may be regulated.
Charities which spend more than £20,000 in England or £10,000 in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland, during the regulated period, need to register with the Electoral Commission. To abide by the Lobbying Act, campaigning activities on social media must not be seen as intending to influence people’s voting choice.
The responsibility for measures of protection and intervention lies first with the social networking site itself. Different social networking sites offer different models of interventions in different areas. For more information, refer to the guidance available on the social networking site itself. For example, Facebook. However, if a staff member considers that a person/people is/are at risk of harm, they should report this to the committee immediately.
Under 18s and vulnerable people
Young and vulnerable people face risks when using social networking sites. They may be at risk of being bullied, publishing sensitive and personal information on their profiles, or from becoming targets for online grooming.
Where known, when communicating with young people under 18-years-old via social media, staff should ensure the online relationship with Weeton Village Hall follows the same rules as the offline ‘real-life’ relationship. Staff should ensure that young people have been made aware of the risks of communicating and sharing information online, and given guidance on security/privacy settings as necessary. Staff should also ensure that the site itself is suitable for the young person and Weeton Village Hall content and other content is appropriate for them. Please refer to our Safeguarding policy.
Responsibilities and beach of policy
Everyone is responsible for their own compliance with this policy. Participation in social media on behalf of Weeton Village Hall is not a right but an opportunity, so it must be treated seriously and with respect. Trustees who are unsure about whether something they propose to do on social media might breach this policy, should seek advice from the committee.
Under the Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998, if a staff member releases information through Weeton Village Hall’s social media channels that is considered to be in the interest of the public, Weeton Village Hall’s [policy name i.e. Whistleblowing Policy] must be initiated before any further action is taken.