SLC Full Policy Booklet - September 2014

8/11/2019 SLC Full Policy Booklet - September 2014

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Policy Booklet

2013/2014


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2 ORGANISATIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES

2.1 BOARD RESPONSIBILITIES

The Board of Directors and trustees has overall responsibility for health and safety, and inparticular for:

Ensuring that adequate resources are available to implement the Health and Safety Policy;

Ensuring health and safety performance is regularly reviewed;

Monitoring the effectiveness of the Health and Safety Policy;

Reviewing the Policy as appropriate.

Identifying and prioritising safety issues;

Identifying training requirements for employees;

Reviewing safety records, including accidents and incidents;

Agreeing changes in working practices if required;

Reviewing the implications of any changes in health and safety legislation and making

changes where required.

2.2 CHIEF EXECUTIVE RESPONSIBILITIES

The Chief Executive is responsible for:

Supporting the implementation of South London Cares Health and Safety Policy;

Co-operating at all times with the board and other employees for the implementation of, and

adherence to, the Health and Safety Policy and procedures;


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Supporting other employees by ensuring that all members of staff are aware of their

responsibilities and have received appropriate training to undertake their work safely;

Documenting accidents where they occur and investigating them further where necessary;

Ensuring that safe systems of work are implemented;

Monitoring premises and work equipment, reporting faults where necessary;

Ensuring that hazards and risk are investigated and plans to mitigate those risks and hazards

implemented;

Completing a full Risk Assessment, to be reviewed annually;

The chief executive is also responsible for coordinating health and safety activities and acting

as the primary source of health and safety advice within South London Cares. They play a

fundamental role in all day-to-day aspects of health and safety. These responsibilities

specifically include:

Coordinating South London Cares Risk Assessment;

Administrating the accident investigation and reporting procedure, including by recording all

accidents in the Accident Book.

Liaising with the board, South London Cares insurers and other external bodies including

lawyers where necessary;

Identifying health and safety training needs including for Emergency First Aid;

Providing or sourcing health and safety training;

Providing Health and Safety Induction training to new staff and keeping records;


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Identifying any changes in legislation or HSE guidance, updating and implementing as

necessary;

Identifying equipment which requires maintenance and applying resources to ensure safety

where necessary;

Assessing risks from all substances hazardous to health;

Monitoring and reviewing this Health and Safety Policy;

Sourcing additional specialist health and safety assistance when necessary;

Sharing with all employees the following:

- Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 Poster;

- A copy of South London Cares Health and Safety Policy Statement of Intent;

- Health and Safety responsibility chart and fire and accident reporting procedure;

Ensuring all sites South London Cares works on, including the central office, have adequate

fire procedures and trained first aid officers present at all times and being responsible for fire

evacuation and emergency procedures;

Managing the condition of floors and walking routes, including by ensuring:

- Every floor and surface is suitable for the purpose for which it is used;

- Surfaces are checked regularly to prevent slips, trips and falls (obstructions must be cleared

immediately);

- Health and Safety responsibility chart and fire and accident reporting procedure;


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2.3 EMPLOYEE RESPONSIBILITIES

All employees have a legal duty to take care of their own health and safety and that of others that

may be affected by their acts or omissions and to co-operate with management to achieve a healthy

and safe workplace and environment for older neighbours and young volunteers to participate

safely. In particular employees will:

Co-operate with the chief executive on all health and safety matters;

Take reasonable care for their own safety and for the safety of others;

Not intentionally or recklessly interfere with, or misuse, anything provided to safeguard their

health and safety;

Report all health and safety concerns to the chief executive and advise the chief executive of

any safety hazards and deficiencies in the safety arrangements;

Assist with the completion of the Risk Assessment and reviews as required;

Make use of all safety equipment provided;

Ensure a clean and tidy workplace is maintained.

2.4 HEALTH

Alongside his or her general responsibilities the Chief Executive is also responsible for:

Complying with RIDDOR (Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences

Regulations 1995) regulations and keeping records regarding ill health at work and

monitoring;

Monitoring the effectiveness of measures to address stress complying with Management of

Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999;


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Processing and monitoring fatigue or stress if identified under the Health and Safety (Display

Screen Equipment) Regulations 1992;

2.5 FIRE

The Chief Executive is also responsible for ensuring fire safety. Responsibilities include:

Undertaking and recording the details of regular fire drills in premises used regularly by South

London Cares employees and participants;

Ensuring that all staff, participants and visitors vacate the premises in an orderly manner and

assemble at the designated assembly point(s);

Taking temporary control of any fire evacuation situation until relieved of their task by an

incident controller of the Fire Brigade;

Ensuring that in the event of fire, their prime responsibility is for the safety of human life

including their own.

2.6 FIRST AID

All staff must have emergency first aid training, and are responsible for:

Ensuring that a first aid box is available to hand at every South London Cares hosted event

for which they are responsible, and is appropriately stocked and maintained in a clean and

tidy condition;

Recording all treatments for which they are responsible in the Accident Book - this will

include specific details of the injury or other reason for treatment;

3. ARRANGEMENTS (SYSTEMS & PROCEDURES)

This part of the policy deals with the practical arrangements by which this Health and Safety Policy

will be implemented.


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1. Overall and final responsibility for health and safety is that of the Board of Directors and

Trustees .

2. Day-to-day responsibility for ensuring the policy is put into practice is the Chief Executives .

3. All employees must:

Co-operate with managers on health and safety matters; Not interfere with anything provided to safeguard their health and safety; Take reasonable care of their own health and safety; Report all health and safety concerns to an appropriate person (as detailed in this policy

statement).

Arrangements Health and safety risks arising from work activities: Risk assessments will be undertaken by the Chief Executive.

Arrangements Consultation with employees

Consultation with employees is provided by the Chief Executive.

Arrangements Safe handling and use of substances

The Chief Executive is responsible for identifying substances in need of COSHH assessment.

Arrangements information, instruction and supervision Health and safety advice is available from the Chief Executive. The Health and Safety Law

poster is shared and stored in the South London Cares shared drive.

Arrangements Supervision of young workers/trainees The Chief Executive will offer support, training and advice.

Arrangements Competency for tasks and training The Chief Executive is responsible for induction training for all employees.

Arrangements Accidents, first aid and work-related ill health

The Chief Executive is responsible for investigating work-related absences, and for

monitoring and recording accidents and emergencies.

Arrangements Emergency procedures: fire and evacuation

The Chief Executive is responsible for ensuring the fire risk assessment is undertaken and

implemented correctly.

CHIEF EXECUTIVE, DECEMBER 2013

Review Date: December 2014


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Employee Safeguarding1. INTRODUCTION

South London Cares is a community organisation which aims to tackle the enduring social problems

connected to isolation, elderliness, loneliness and disadvantage within the London boroughs of

Camden and Islington. We do this by harnessing the untapped time, energy and goodwill of local

young professionals, who may themselves feel disconnected from their communities. Our purpose is

to broker the type of lasting human relationships and social connections that might not naturally

occur, but which make a real difference to peoples lives.

We have developed this safeguarding policy in order to ensure that all individuals and groups

working with or through South London Cares are protected from any circumstances that may cause

emotional, physical, psychological or any other type of harm, and to ensure everyone who interacts

with South London Cares, particularly our clients and volunteers, is cared for in a responsible and

sensitive manner. More information on how volunteers should interact can be found in the Volunteer

Handbook, which will be provided electronically to all new volunteers from autumn 2013.

The policy has been developed to reflect the values and procedures in the Pan-London

safeguarding adults policy.

2. GOALS

Our objective with this policy is to ensure we provide and promote a happy, social, fun, safe, secure

and welcoming environment for all, while also balancing the need for our volunteering opportunities

to remain short, fun, easy and accessible for those who wish to take part. We understand we are

dealing with a range of complex personal situations, and that the issues we are seeking to tackle are

sensitive. Every step in our various procedures is therefore designed to ensure the safety and

security of all participants, while also removing possible barriers to participation such as bureaucracyand burdensome time commitments, or other unappealing requirements.

Our volunteers and older neighbours are likely to come into contact with one another in a range of

different ways as they build relationships. The most common forms of interaction, and ways our

volunteers and neighbours should behave, are to be found below . In case of emergency,

Organisers should call 999 as soon as possible .

SITUATION APPROPRIATE BEHAVIOURSocial Clubs This is the most easily controlled type of


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interaction South London Cares delivers.

Volunteers are expected to participate in

supervised community centres or other

such locations as cafes, shops and

parks, spending time with and getting to

know their older neighbours. Each of

these activities is led by a member of

South London Cares staff or by an SLC

Organiser. These representatives will

always be trained, monitored and DBS

checked with regular reviews of

suitability and capability undertaken.

Regular volunteers who are not trained

as SLC Organisers and who are not

themselves hosting an event will always

be monitored by the South London Cares

representative in the room. These

activities involve large groups of people

both volunteers and older people and

individuals are not left in one-to-one

situations. Emergency exit routes are

noted in case of fire.

Love Your Neighbour Often, our volunteers will enter the

homes of vulnerable people. In the first

instance, this will always happen with a

trained employee of the SLC team, but

after some time, interviews and DBS

checking, the volunteer will be allowed to

build his or her own relationship with the

older neighbour independently. These

interactions may include conversations

about sensitive issues, physical support

in getting out of the house, or discretion

in dealing with a vulnerable older person.

South London Cares does everything in

its power to ensure that all parties are


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protected from any type of harm.

Specifically, we assess the older people

gaining this type of support and make

decisions on whether they are suitable

and trustworthy be visited by the

volunteer(s). We do not place difficult

emotional or physical burdens on

volunteers. In return, we never allow a

relationship brokered by SLC to occur

unless we are confident that both

individuals will benefit from it, and that

neither is at risk. Volunteers who are

DBS checked and engaging in regular

one-to-one interactions with our older

neighbours will be allowed to request a

panic button alarm, which if deemed

appropriate will be paid for by the

charity. After some initial introductory

sessions, monitored in person by a South

London Cares employee, we allow the

relationship between the volunteer and

older person to float i.e. we will no

longer require a South London Cares

monitor to be present. Once this is the

case, we ask volunteers to send a text

message or email each time they have

visited their older neighbour, with details

on arrival and departure time and anupdate on the neighbours health and

wellbeing. This will be logged in South

London Cares systems and also allow

South London Cares to tweet about the

interaction for public record. After one

year of such a relationship, we will

interview the volunteer and the olderperson separately to see how the


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relationship is going. If all parties agree,

we will sign a lifelong friendship

agreement between South London

Cares, the volunteer and the older

neighbour. This will set out terms for a

less formal relationship; it will absolve

South London Cares of formal duties to

the volunteer and older person and it will

ensure both remaining parties are aware

of their responsibilities to the other.

Concert Trips and other outings As with the Social Club activities, group

trips out such as to concerts, shopping,

the cinema, etc may involve risks.These risks are minimised during the

planning process, and mitigated by South

London Cares staff. However, volunteers

and older neighbours participating in trips

are briefed by SLC employees on public

safety ahead of any trip. In particular,

special care is taken by the employee toensure road safety. Trips are planned

carefully to avoid dangerous crossings,

areas of high foot traffic where older

people may be frightened, and areas of

known high crime levels.

Summer Sessions Activities during the summer may include

participating in very light physical

exercise, such as Old Boys Walking

Football, or use of equipment such as

cooking facilities or electrical equipment.

All participants are briefed on the

dangers associated with such activities,

with precautions against harm taken (see

Risk Assessment, 2014). Activitiesinvolving physical risk should only be led


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by a First Aid trained member of South

London Cares' staff, and not a volunteer.

Discussion Groups Discussion groups can be an enjoyable

way to enable volunteers and older

neighbours to get to know one another in

an informal way. To ensure this is always

the case, discussion topics are chosen

with care, and facilitated in a way that

avoids emotional challenges. Although

our aim is to promote frank and lively

debate, discussions involving politics,

religion or other contentious areas are

carefully managed to avoid offence orupset.

*NOTE:

Where and when appropriate for example in the floating of individual relationships where at least

one party may be considered vulnerable South London Cares will always seek to comply with

government recommendations for CRB/DBS checking procedures.

4. SAFEGUARDING PROCESS

South London Cares has a duty of care to all the people who take part in our activities. Although we

know we can never fully protect every individual we work with from risk, we take very seriously our

responsibility to do everything in our power to avoid physical, emotional, psychological or other

distress.

In many cases, we will broker interactions between complete strangers in groups. These interactions

may occur on a doorstep, on the phone, in public spaces such as community centres or cafes, or

through other organised institutions such as care homes or other partner organisations. In such

instances, a fully Criminal Records Bureau-checked and trusted South London Cares lead will aim to

ensure the wellbeing of all participants, the monitoring of the interactions between clients and

volunteers and the ensuring of probity.

Under our Love Your Neighbour scheme, South London Cares volunteers will be entering the homesof their older neighbours to, for example, clean windows, to move furniture, or just to have a


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conversation to help tackle loneliness. In those instances, where there is interaction between clients

and volunteers in a private location, without the monitoring of a fully-Criminal Records Bureau

checked member of staff, volunteers must themselves be fully and appropriately Criminal Records

Bureau-checked to help ensure probity at all times. Where appropriate, South London Cares will

support applications for Criminal Records Bureau checks through our partner organisation, Care

Check.

South London Cares guarantee is that we will never recruit or mobilise individuals or groups likely to

abuse or cause any harm to our clients, and we always take due care to ensure such potentially

harmful interactions are avoided at all times, through various additional reference checks as well as

by building trusting relationships with stakeholders over time. In addition, South London Cares will

make appropriate assessments on volunteers personal and professional ability to work with the

individuals with whom they are placed. We will use the time necessary to match volunteers to

individuals or group events to assess applicants judgement in various situations, and apply their

skills and time accordingly and appropriately to relevant situations. We reserve the right to reject an

application to volunteer with South London Cares based on these assessments. The process by

which we recruit, mobilise and monitor all our participants is as follows:

4.1 VOLUNTEERS

New volunteers undergo various stages of interviewing and background checking before they are

allowed to participate in our programmes:

1 When a volunteer signs up through South London Cares website to get involved in our

programmes, our central staff will respond with a welcome email, requesting a short telephone

interview with the volunteer as soon as possible thereafter.

2 During this interview, our staff will seek to get a clearer idea about the background of the

volunteer and his or her motivations. The volunteer will be asked about his or her job, whythey want to get involved with South London Cares, where they live, how they first found out

about South London Cares and some other general informal questions. If the volunteer

appears fit to participate in our activities, the staff member will begin to talk about when they

might be able to join an event.

3 At this point, volunteers who seem positively motivated, reliable, chatty and genuinely

motivated by the work of South London Cares will advance to the Digital Safeguarding andScreening process (see p.9, below).


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As with our employees is equally important to South London Cares that we train and safeguard our

Super Volunteers to a standard under which they feel and remain safe, secure, happy and supported

in discharging their 5 activities each per year. To ensure that we can deliver on this pledge we will:

Require Super Volunteers to sign an agreement committing them to hosting 5 events each per

year and to handling and administering any data, buildings or other content which belongs to

South London Cares or our partners securely and sensitively.

Guarantee all Super Volunteers 2 full training sessions before they run an event for South

London Cares without supervision, and another review session after they have delivered 2 of

their 5 events.

Develop individually tailored timetables for all volunteers to deliver events within agreed

timeframes.

Require all Super Volunteers to text us their arrival and departure times at all activity venues,

as well as a one paragraph report on the quality of the event and any problems or issues

which may have arisen within 24 hours, along with a photograph.

Volunteers may only apply to become Super Volunteers after they have attended at least 3

regular South London Cares activities.

4.3 OLDER NEIGHBOURS

As well as ensuring our older neighbours are protected from the risks associated with close

interaction with a volunteer whom they may never previously have met, South London Cares aims to

protect our young professional volunteers from emotional, psychological, physical or other harm that

they may be exposed to by interacting with their older neighbours. In addition, therefore, to applying

the above processes to the recruitment of new volunteers at all times, South London Cares also

works hard to ensure our older neighbours are not putting our volunteers at risk. In particular, this is

done by always meeting and holding a conversation with the older neighbour, ideally in that persons

home, to ensure they are not threatening or unstable, before suggesting a match with a younger

volunteer. If South London Cares or our employees feel there is the potential for danger by matching

a volunteer to an individual, we reserve the right not to deal with that individual older neighbour.


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4.4 DIGITAL SAFEGUARDNG AND SCREENING POLICY

South London Cares applies a unique digital safeguarding and screening policy to every

volunteer as a standard part of our recruitment process. This policy has been specifically designed to

open access to volunteering to young professionals who may previously have found getting involved

in volunteering projects overly bureaucratic. Camden Council, as part of its Innovation and

Development funding, has backed this policy. It compels South London Cares to ensure volunteers

are appropriate to work with vulnerable adults by undertaking the following:

1 To the extent possible, checking the accuracy and validity of employment email addresses for

all new volunteers by Googling all contact details provided.

2 Checking the social media profiles of all new volunteers, including, where applicable,

Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or other platforms to ensure volunteers are who they say they

are and are appropriate and referenced to get involved.

3 Cross-referencing all social media presences to ensure new volunteers have a consistent

social media profile.

4 Speaking on the telephone with each new volunteer before they participate, to find out as

much information as possible, including about their motivations for getting involved in South

London Cares projects, and making a judgement on their appropriateness for participation.

Each of these stages should be recorded in a checklist document as they are completed in order to

provide extra protection for South London Cares in case of emergency or crisis for instance

Facebook profile checked; Email checked; Linkedin Checked; name Googled, etc. This information

should be stored in the main volunteer database alongside the names and other details of individual

volunteers.

5. FURTHER TRAINING

Individuals who are interested in volunteering on a regular basis will be offered the opportunity to

attend training sessions, and will be supported with references and professional development

support, as well as social opportunities and free Criminal Records Bureau checks where required or

appropriate.

6. DATA PROTECTION All data obtained by South London Cares staff and volunteers is subject to the Data Protection Act.

No data will be shared with any organisation unless there is express written permission to do so.


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7. OTHER REQUIREMENTS

Where South London Cares works with children, the elderly or other vulnerable people, volunteers

will be informed of various additional responsibilities and requirements, including: Health and Safety

procedures; best practice guidelines; recognising signs of abuse or neglect and the means by which

those can be properly recorded or reported; equal opportunities; and building and maintaining trust,

etc. This will be included in the Volunteer Handbook.

8. INSURANCE

South London Cares has obtained full public liabilities insurance for the above work, and for events

concerned with that work, through a major national insurance provider specialising in charities and

social enterprise insurance.

9. PROCESSES AND POLICY

The following policy has been devised in consultation with volunteers, employees and the board and

chief executive of the South London Cares board to ensure the effective, efficient and complete

advertised service is provided by South London Cares to its older neighbours, volunteers, funders

and other partners.

1) When a new referral is received, a member of South London Cares team will immediately

enter the neighbours details into Charity Log . As much relevant detail should be entered as

possible.

2) A telephone conversation with the older neighbour will be made by a member of the South

London Cares team to establish exactly what type of help they need and to arrange a time for

an initial assessment visit.

3) Any new or relevant information on the neighbour will be recorded in the Love Your

Neighbour spreadsheet stored in the shared folders, including as much detail as possible on

the neighbours specific needs.

4) An assessment visit to the older neighbour by a member of South London Cares staff will be

arranged and completed as soon as possible within two weeks. If required and to safeguard

employees, two members of staff may visit at the same time.


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5) During the assessment visit the South London Cares employee will ensure that the older

neighbour understands what South London Cares is, what to expect from interactions, and

that they are comfortable with any likely future arrangement that may transpire. Time will also

be taken to talk to the older person to find out their interests, needs, and the sort of volunteer

they might like to be matched with. Details such as whether the neighbour would prefer a

male or female volunteer, for example, will be recorded. This helps when considering whichvolunteer might be most suitable.

6) Specifically, the South London Cares employee will make sure that the older neighbour, and

the organisation which has made the referral, understand that South London Cares

interactions are based on voluntary arrangements and that volunteers have limitations on

their time, and that as a small organisation South London Cares cannot guarantee that we will

meet their requirements. The employee will also explain that it may take a little time to find asuitable volunteer. Regular updates will be provided to the neighbour while South London

Cares seeks a suitable volunteer.

7) The South London Cares employee will then agree a mutually convenient time to introduce a

volunteer to the older person. To ensure as much safety and security as possible volunteers

will already have been through the South London Cares digital safeguarding and screening

process; in addition they will also ideally have experience of South London Cares, and SouthLondon Cares will have built trust over time, as a result of several engagements and

interactions through our Social Clubs project. In the first instance a South London Cares

employee will accompany the volunteer on as many visits as is necessary to ensure that all

parties are comfortable with a prospective befriending arrangement, familiar with each

others needs and happy to go ahead unsupported.

8) When those guarantees have been given by all parties concerned, a DBS check on thevolunteer must be carried out and returned clear before any volunteer is permitted to meet

with an older person unaccompanied.

9) Each new relationship brokered by South London Cares will be reviewed after 6 weeks. If

both the volunteer and the older neighbour are happy with the person they have been

matched with and the arrangement agreed, they will be encouraged to continue to meet and

to develop a friendship through routinely timed interactions, without the accompaniment of a

South London Cares volunteer. Volunteers are required to inform a South London Cares


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employee before each visit they make to their older neighbour for a further 12 weeks (16

weeks in total).

10) If South London Cares has made an introduction but it later transpires that the older person,

for whatever reason, cannot or will not be supported by South London Cares methods, a

new referral will be made to a relevant third party, for example to local authority Adult SocialServices, Age UK or Mind, who are in a better position to offer long term support. Love Your

Neighbour records will be kept updated at all times. It is the role of the South London Cares

employee to make a judgement on this: if a referred older neighbours has needs which South

London Cares volunteers are unable to support, it is not fair on either party to try to force a

relationship where another organisation may be better equipped to help. If this course of

action is taken, a full explanation is to be added to the Love Your Neighbour database.

11) Relationships and interactions brokered by South London Cares will be reviewed after 6

weeks, 12 weeks, 26 weeks and 52 weeks. After one year of a successful relationship, and an

informal review has been completed by South London Cares taking into account the updated

needs of both parties, the volunteer and older neighbour may become lifelong friends, and

are free to visit one another without further management from South London Cares.

CHIEF EXECUTIVE, DECEMBER 2013


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GovernanceSouth London Cares is a company limited by guarantee (no. 07737818) and a registered charity (no.

1153137). We therefore have numerous statutory responsibilities as regulated by Companies House

and The Charity Commission. Our board of Directors/Trustees are responsible for ensuring that

those duties are met.

As well as ensuring that all South London Cares legal responsibilities are met, the board, in

partnership with the chief executive, is tasked with devising and agreeing the strategies and plans

that will help us meet our overall mission as a company and a charity. It is vital, therefore, that the

board, and any sub-committees or secondary boards, adhere to certain guidelines in their

establishment, composition, conduct and practice. These guidelines are set out below.

1. GOVERNANCE BOARD

South London Cares board of Directors/Trustees consists of a number of professionals with a

breadth of experience relevant to meeting South London Cares objectives and legal responsibilities.

Board members will serve as both directors of the company limited by guarantee and trustees of the

charity simultaneously, ensuring all relevant rules as set by the regulators are adhered to.

For a balance of efficiency and accountability, the board shall comprise no fewer than 3

directors/trustees at any time; to ensure efficiency it shall comprise not more than 7. These board

members shall all serve in a voluntary capacity, and agree to meet the Director Responsibilities set

out below, in addition to those required by the national regulators.

At all times the board shall consist of a balance of personal and professional skills, experience andexpertise in order to help South London Cares meet its objectives. Those may include:

Charity delivery; Business development and management consultancy; Strategy; Finance and accounting (which topic must always appear on meeting agendas);

Legal; Fundraising; Local expertise and contacts;


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Adult Social Care; Local government and procurement.

Board members shall meet at least four times a year to agree the direction and work to be

undertaken by South London Cares. At any time a quorum of 50% of the total current size of the

board must be present to agree actions. If a quorum cannot be convened the board may still meetbut may not make major strategic, delivery or fundraising decisions and may not vote to agree

decisions unless authorised by the remainder of the board to do so. The board may choose to meet

more regularly than quarterly, depending on the priorities and requirements of the organisation.

Minutes must be taken at each standard and extraordinary meeting of the board and stored in South

London Cares registered office.

At any time the board may agree to increase or reduce its size, so long as it remains within therange above. In appointing new members to the Board of Directors/Trustees there must be

unanimous agreement among present board members that the proposed candidate is appropriate

and will bring value to South London Cares. Relative strengths and weaknesses should be

discussed, and the appointment should be voted for and agreed by the board. Where possible, all

board members should meet the proposed candidate in person before the appointment is made. In

addition, where possible, candidates for the Board of Directors/Trustees be involved in the Advisory

Board before being appointed to the Governance Board.

As of August 31 st 2013 the Board of Directors/Trustees consists of:

Josie Cluer (Chair) Nick Wigmore David Easton

David Hayman

1.1 Director Responsibilities

South London Cares is an ambitious organisation seeking to create high quality support networks

and social connections for older and isolated people in Lambeth and Southwark, by recruiting

young professionals to offer a little extra time, practical help and companionship. In addition to the

statutory responsibilities that all company directors in the UK should meet, directors/trustees of

South London Cares Limited should also pledge to a number of additional tasks to help the


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organisation deliver the highest quality in a safe and trusted environment, to obtain sustainable

funding, and to grow and improve the work we do over time.

As stipulated by the UK government, all South London Cares Limited directors must:

Try to make the company a success, using their skills, experience and judgment;

Follow the companys rules, as shown in its articles of association;

Make decisions for the benefit of the company as a whole, not any individuals benefit;

Tell other directors if any company activity may bring personal gain or financial benefit;

Keep company records and, as a board and working with the Chief Executive, report any

changes to Companies House and HM Revenue & Customs;

Make sure the companys accounts, submitted annually, are a true and fair view of the

business finances;

Register for Self Assessment and send a personal Self Assessment tax return every year toHM Revenue & Customs;

Day to day, the Chief Executive of South Cares Limited, working with our nominated accountant,

funders and partners, is responsible for each of these activities. Directors will not be asked to take a

hands-on role in the delivery of these actions.

However, the legal responsibility for South Cares Limiteds proper regulation lies ultimately with the

directors of the company. Consequently, directors will be consulted on all major decisions, and

advice will be sought on various smaller and strategic questions.

Directors of South Cares Limited will also be asked to fulfil various other roles to help the company

to achieve its vision. Directors of South Cares Limited should therefore also:

Attend Board meetings every three months wherever possible;


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Consider the views of the Chief Executive, Volunteer Programme Coordinator and other staff

and Board members when making decisions;

Support the work of the Chief Executive, Volunteer Programme Coordinator and other staff

and Board members by making themselves as available as possible;

Promote South London Cares through private conversations, social media activity, and

through any other actions where appropriate;

Represent the board and the company in a manner befitting its growing reputation for ideas,

delivery, trustworthiness and opportunity.

2. ADVISORY BOARD

In addition to the governance board, which is responsible for South London Cares reputation and

legal duties, an advisory board shall assist with the creation and delivery of various strategies, plans,

projects and work streams. This advisory board does not carry any legal responsibility; rather, it is

intended to be a support mechanism through which the charity can improve its expertise,

reputation, networks and public relations.

The advisory board is therefore an informal and non-constituted group, which will meet from time to

time and whenever it is required, rather than at regular intervals. It will consist of friends of the

organisation with additional skills who can help us meet our mission. Currently, that advisory group

consists of:

Samuel Coates Digital Communications Professional Maya Wolfe-Robinson Human Rights Journalist Donata Huggins Third Sector Professional and Writer Olver Hypolite-Bishop Policy & Public Affairs Professional Andreia Rola Charity Fundraising Professional Fash Sawwyer Investment Strategy Professional Sam Hyde Fundraising Professional


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Volunteering1. INTRODUCTION

This policy sets out the broad principles for voluntary involvement through South London Cares and

serves as a guide for everyone within the organisation staff, board members, partners and

volunteers. The policy is endorsed by the board and will be reviewed annually to ensure that it

remains appropriate to the needs of South London Cares, our volunteers, our funders, and the

neighbours and partners we collectively support. The policy is summarised alongside specific tips

and pointers for volunteers in our Volunteer Handbook, which is available to all volunteers and

through our website, and which is reviewed every year.

2. COMMITMENT

South London Cares is a volunteer organisation. We can only do the work we do if local people are

willing to give their time, energy, professionalism and personal skills for the benefit of our

neighbours. As an organisation, we therefore hugely value and admire the contribution our

volunteers make and, in return, we seek to provide as welcoming, professional and relevant an

experience as we can.

Our intention is to expand the number of people participating in our communities in Lambeth and

Southwark to bridge communities and support older and isolated people in need of support. Our

commitment to volunteers is therefore to making community participation as accessible, fun, social,

personal and rewarding as possible. We hope that everyone who participates in South London

Cares projects will enjoy the experience, make new friends, and return on a regular basis.

3. PURPOSE

Our volunteers participate through various projects, programmes and campaigns to support ourneighbours in need of a little extra support, time or companionship. South London Cares has

developed these programmes of activity specifically and strategically to help build trust and

understanding in our neighbourhoods, and to facilitate interactions and relationships across

communities that might not otherwise occur. We want our volunteers to leave feeling they have

learned something new about their neighbours. This means our projects are small, personal and

relational.


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4. RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION

South London Cares is taking a new approach to volunteer engagement: all our people are recruited

through social, digital and corporate networks, rather than through street front presence. By working

this way, we hope to harness the power of the existing human trust and peer-to-peer

recommendations that are so important in our networked age.

Volunteers are invited to take on as much or as little as they can whether that is supporting our

staff to run projects, attending events twice every week, or just participating once a year. The

imperative to get involved will always come from the volunteer. While we do not ask for a specific

long-term commitment in order to make participation as accessible as possible, we hope that in

providing a positive experience volunteers will return to participate as often they like.

To encourage this retention, South London Cares participants will always be mobilised throughinformal but professional communications with our employees, who aim to speak the language and

use the networks and tools our volunteers prefer. Volunteers are eligible for references at the

discretion of South London Cares and will also be invited to regular social events where they can

meet other like-minded people and discuss their involvement and other areas of shared interest.

5. VOLUNTEER BACKGROUND

Although volunteering through South London Cares is open to all, our specific mission is to recruityoung professionals people under 40 and normally without children, working in the media, law,

finance, communications, fashion, retail and marketing sectors, as well as students.

There are many reasons why we target those groups. Many are graduates from all over the country

seeking roots in south London. Others want to get involved in their communities but find it difficult

to do so. Some of our people are extremely highly regarded professionally but would like to develop

their personal confidence or local networks.

Our aim is to encourage that class of young professional to do more to participate in their local

communities. We want to bridge the gap between the reality of those busy professional lives and

the needs of the local community. We will therefore never judge their motivations for getting

involved, which may be many and varied.


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enthusiastic volunteers, who have often sought to offer more time and commitment. They will be

trained to host events under the South London Cares banner themselves, to run parts of the

volunteer database themselves, to manage, invite and inspire other volunteers to support their

events, to create digital media content, to work with partners and to ensure safety, security and

successful activities five times a year. We have received funding from the Bulldog Trust to

complete this work over three years, and will train and manage 60 volunteers during that time.

In order to ensure our data protection responsibilities are met, we will ask all Super Volunteers to

sign a Non Disclosure Agreement stipulating that all shared data is the property of South London

Cares and must not be shared with any other individual or organisation by the volunteer.

8. RESPONSIBILITIES AND EXPECTATIONS

While the confidence of people South London Cares supports may often vary, it is imperative thatvolunteers appreciate that the organisation works with some very isolated and vulnerable

individuals. Our objective is to connect these isolated people to local volunteers who are friendly,

compassionate, understanding, patient, honest and responsive to the needs of all the individuals

they encounter through our programmes. We therefore expect our volunteers to be sensitive to the

needs of the people we support, and to act in an appropriate fashion and all volunteers are briefed

and supported to act accordingly.

9. EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES

South London Cares is diligent in promoting equal opportunities for our neighbours and for our

volunteers and we have developed a full policy to support the promotion of otherwise

disadvantaged and disconnected people. Please see the full Equal Opportunities policy for more

information.

10. INSURANCESouth London Cares insurance is provided by Tennyson Insurance Ltd, which is a subsidiary of

Zurich Insurance PLC. Our insurance covers public and products liability, environmental clean up

and our various public events, which are licensed where required. South London Cares and South

Cares Ltd have been assessed as fit for service, and for this insurance policy, by the provider. We

will review the insurance annually at the time of renewal.


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11. HEALTH AND SAFETY

South London Cares has a comprehensive Health and Safety policy and we carry out regular risk

assessments on our various projects. All our employees are CRB-checked to ensure total probity at

all times. Volunteers are never left alone with individual older or isolated neighbours until we can

trust that they will do so in an appropriate fashion.

In addition, South London Cares screens all volunteers before they are allowed to participate in our

programmes. Much of this screening is done through digital and social media networks including

by searching email addresses, LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter profiles, and making a judgement on

whether that individual is appropriate to participate in our projects. Please see our full safeguarding

policy for details.

South London Cares employees are also Emergency First Aid trained, having completed a full dayslearning through the British Red Cross.

12. GRIEVANCE PROCEDURES

South London Cares has never received a complaint about our service, or the experience of our

volunteers, in two years. Many have commented in surveys that they have felt closer to their

neighbours and more connected to the community as a result of their participation. However, should

we receive a complaint, we will treat it with all due seriousness. Any formally expressed complaintwill be fully investigated and assessed by the chief executive, or governance board, and apologies

made where appropriate. Please see the full complaints procedure below as well as our website for

more details.

13. CONFIDENTIALITY

To match people to volunteering opportunities through South London Cares networks, we may

record any publicly available contact and social media details from our participants. Under the DataProtection Act 1998 we guarantee never to share personal details with any third party, commercial

or otherwise unless we have the individuals written consent.

We reserve the right to refer to volunteers by name or social media username in our digital

recruitment work, and to publish photographs through our digital channels of all participants who

attend our events. However, we will not refer to any of our volunteers by their full name, either in

digital or traditional media, without the express prior consent of that volunteer.


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14. SMOKING, ALCOHOL AND SUBSTANCE ABUSE

South London Cares, our partners and stakeholders, will not tolerate smoking, consumption of

alcohol or substance abuse during our programmes, projects, volunteering opportunities or any

other aspect of our professional work. We ask that volunteers refrain from smoking for the duration

of their volunteering session, though short breaks may be provided at the discretion of staff.

Volunteers who arrive to a project intoxicated will be asked to leave immediately. These measuresare to protect our service users and other volunteers, and to ensure we provide as professional an

experience for others as possible.

15. EXPENSES

South London Cares does not meet volunteer expenses except in exceptional circumstances.

Unfortunately, we are therefore unable to reimburse volunteers for travel costs, food, refreshments,

clothing, petrol or other expenses, in relation to work with South London Cares or otherwise.

If volunteers would like to support South London Cares' central administration by supporting office

employees, we will cover all direct organisational costs they may incur such as for postage,

packaging, office supplies, equipment, etc. However, we are unable to cover lunch, travel or any

other personal costs, even in those circumstances.

CHIEF EXECUTIVE, NOVEMBER 2013


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Quality AssuranceGiven South London Cares mission of connecting potentially vulnerable people with professional

volunteers with high expectations, we have a special duty to provide a high quality of service to all

our neighbours; and a high quality, enjoyable volunteer experience for everybody who gives up their

time to participate with the organisation. We are committed to continuous organisational

improvement and we have established a Quality Management System that offers a framework for

measuring and improving our performance.

That system requires:

Regular gathering and evaluation of volunteer and neighbour feedback (including evaluation

of delivery programmes, events and interactions, as well as a regular surveys of all users);

Real time processing of evaluation forms, feedback opportunities and complaints;

Training and development for our employees and, where possible or expedient, our

volunteers;

A commitment to processing and settling complaints (see Complaints policy) within a

maximum of ten working days;

A commitment to processing all sign ups, enquiries, bookings, referrals and enrolments a

maximum of within three working days.

These procedures may be reviewed regularly in consultation with volunteers, neighbours, funders,

partners and all other stakeholders. Though the Chief Executive, reporting to the Board, has ultimate

responsibility for quality, all employees have a responsibility and contractual obligation within their

own areas of work to ensure that quality is embedded within the culture of the organisation, handed

down to all volunteer participants.



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Equal OpportunitiesSouth London Cares is committed to supporting and encouraging diversity and equal opportunity

for all through every aspect of our work. Within the parameters of our mission of recruiting young

professionals to work with their older neighbours, we will therefore make no consideration,

prejudice or judgement whatsoever, in any area of our work, based on gender, ethnicity, race,

sexual orientation, social background, religion, belief or disability.

We will adhere to this commitment through every aspect of our work from how we support people

in communities through our core programmes and delivery of work, to recruiting and mobilising

volunteers. We will also apply these values to our dealings with third party organisations and the

process of decision-making through which we hire and manage employees.

South London Cares will make every effort to ensure that all relationships are administered with

respect, decency and impartiality wherever required. Reflecting the central values of South London

Cares we will seek to open access and opportunities through employment to people for whom they

may previously have been limited.

CHIEF EXEUCITVE, NOVEMBER 2013


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Finance & Value for Money South London Cares is committed to financial sustainability and obtaining the best value for money

for the organisation, our partners, funders and the people who participate in our programmes. Our

guarantee to all stakeholders is to be as financially prudent and efficient as we can. To ensure we

uphold those responsibilities we are committed to the following procedures:

Running a balanced budget every year South London Cares is committed to generating

at least as much income as it spends every year. We will never run a deficit unless it becomes

an organisational imperative to do so.

Adhering to a strategic reserves policy South London Cares is committed to growth and

financial sustainability but in case of unanticipated shocks beyond our control we will seek to

hold reserves of three months projected or agreed expenditure in the bank at all times. This

will ensure that, in case of crisis or wind-up, all South London Cares commitments to

employees and creditors can be met. At the time of agreeing this policy this figure is 21,000.

Maximising growth potential South London Cares is committed to growing in the short

term to ensure we support as many people in the communities we serve as possible. Allmajor growth decisions will be agreed by the board and based on sound financial projections

and guaranteed income streams.

Quality of service We are committed to obtaining and providing the best quality service we

can without undue expenditure and will make cost benefit analyses on all major spending.

It is the responsibility of the board, chief executive and all employees of the organisation to takeconsideration of the above commitments for all major financial decision-making, and to consider

prudence at all stages. We will apply the same policy to engagements in employment, services,

contracts, subscriptions and all other expenditures. Repeated failure by employees to adhere to this

policy will result in disciplinary action in accordance with the charity disciplinary policy.



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ComplaintsSouth London Cares always seeks to impress and enthuse all our neighbours, volunteers, partner

organisations, funders and other stakeholders with a professional, sensitive, trusted and deliverable

programme of activities and interactions. We understand that without the support of those many

stakeholders we cannot achieve our mission of connecting people and building communities, and

therefore endeavour to be the best in everything we do.

However, we appreciate that there may be times when we do not meet our own high standards. It is

therefore imperative that we have a formal process by which members of the public, funders,

partners or other stakeholders can express their concerns and record complaints to the

organisation. More details about where to send complaints can be found on our website at

http://www.southlondoncares.org.uk/complaints.

South London Cares takes all complaints very seriously and treats them as an opportunity to

improve our work. We will therefore always listen to and thank individuals or groups who may

complain about our work. We will respond fully and conclusively to any complaints made to us

about our work as soon as possible, and always within seven days of the complaint being made. We

will respond appropriately and accordingly to complaints made in writing, in person, by e-mail, by

telephone or by social and digital media.

Our procedure will be to first apologise to the complainant, and then to seek to gather all the

relevant information and evidence regarding the complaint, from whichever parties may have been

present. Where possible, we will hold a telephone or face-to-face conversation with the complainant

in order to establish the facts and offer to make amends. We will not seek to engage in lengthy

debates about the causes of a particular complaint. Rather, we will seek to understand the situationwith empathy and sensitivity, in order to come to an acceptable resolution.

Any complaint made directly about an employee or Board member of South London Cares will be

taken very seriously. If this occurs, disciplinary procedures contained in contracts of employment

and in our disciplinary policy will be applied, and the relevant course taken with the discretion of the

chief executive and Board where required.


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Complaints about volunteers will be taken seriously and investigated appropriately by a member of

South London Cares staff, including the chief executive where appropriate. These complaints may

take various forms:

Informal or off the cuff comments will be acknowledged conversationally and dealt with by

a member of staff if required, with justifications or explanations provided.

Private and direct complaints will be heard fully by a member of staff, with due consideration

for the complaint made and justifications, explanations and informal apologies given if

necessary. No further action shall be taken.

Telephone or written complaints will be investigated formally, with a short report written and

presented to the board if the issue is decided by the chief executive to be sufficiently serious.Participants making this type of complaints will receive an answer within 10 working days,

and a full apology if necessary.

If there is sufficient evidence that a volunteer has acted inappropriately, that individual will be struck

off the South London Cares volunteer database immediately and without warning, and will not be

eligible to participate in future South London Cares programmes.

Complaints made by volunteers about the neighbours they spend time with will be investigated in

the same way. Where evidence is presented to suggest that a neighbour has acted inappropriately,

that neighbour will not be invited to return to South London Cares events in future, nor will they be

permitted to receive support from South London Cares centrally or from our volunteers. The reasons

for this will be explained in full.

There may be discretionary circumstances in which South London Cares does not choose torespond to a complaint at all. These circumstances may include:

When someone pursues a complaint that we have already responded to reasonably;

When a complaint is obviously abusive, prejudiced or unfounded;

When a complainant is harassing a South London Cares employee, volunteer or neighbour;


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When a complainant is incoherent, illegible or aggressive;

When a complainant is not specific or has clearly been sent to complain to other

organisations simultaneously as part of a coordinated campaign; or

When a complaint is anonymous or unsubstantiated.

If a complaint is made by any party and subsequently dropped, we will do all we can to move on

from the situation without further investigation, action or residual feeling. However, it is our priority

to protect all South London Cares stakeholders according to our safeguarding policy and to ensure

they are receiving a safe and enjoyable experience from our work. Discretion will therefore be

applied, and the decision of the Chief Executive and Board is final.

CHIEF EXEUCITVE, NOVEMBER 2013


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DisciplinarySouth London Cares most valuable asset is its people, particularly our valued employees, who are

the heart and soul of the organisation. Our goal is to ensure employees are made to feel welcome,

valued, included, supported and encouraged to succeed. We will always seek to communicate

openly and effectively with employees. The chief executive and the board will in the first instance

manage any issues that may arise informally, before considering disciplinary procedures. However,

in some circumstances, it may become necessary to enter formal disciplinary actions in the best

interests of South London Cares.

A formal disciplinary action may be applied at any time during an employees employment with

South London Cares. It must always take one of the following forms:

A verbal warning to the employee, including a clear explanation of the reasons for that

warning. This action will take place in response to minor offences, including but not exclusive

to: failure to complete designated work; repeated lateness for work or events; rudeness to

volunteers, neighbours or colleagues; misuse of equipment, resources or the internet; breach

of confidence; breach of trust; inappropriate language or appearance; repeated misuse of

funds; etc. It must be made clear that the verbal warning will be recorded and constitutes a

formal disciplinary action.

A first written warning to the employee, setting out the reasons for that formal warning. This

action will take place in response to a first serious offence or repeated minor offences,

including but not exclusive to: failure to complete designated work; repeated lateness for

work or events; rudeness to volunteers, neighbours or colleagues; misuse of equipment,

resources or the internet; breach of confidence; breach of trust; inappropriate language or

appearance; repeated misuse of funds; etc. It must be made clear that the first writtenwarning will be recorded and constitutes a formal disciplinary action.

A second written warning to the employee, again setting out reasons for that formal

warning. This action will take place in response to a second serious offence or repeated

minor offences, including but not exclusive to: failure to complete designated work; repeated

lateness for work or events; rudeness to volunteers, neighbours or colleagues; misuse of

equipment, resources or the internet; breach of confidence; breach of trust; inappropriate

language or appearance; repeated misuse of funds; etc. It must be made clear that the

second written warning will be recorded and constitutes a formal disciplinary action.


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SLC Full Policy Booklet - September 2014

Documents

Transcript of SLC Full Policy Booklet - September 2014