Safeguarding policy

This policy, developed by the Public Interest Research Centre (PIRC), sets out a safeguarding framework applicable to all staff, trustees, freelancers, volunteers, and visitors. It defines safeguarding as proactive protection from abuse, neglect, and harm, and explicitly challenges punitive or police-centred approaches by prioritising the wants, needs, and confidentiality of the person at risk. The policy covers key concepts including adult self-determination, mental capacity, the roles of the Designated Safeguarding Person and Staff Safeguarding Lead, step-by-step guidance on responding to disclosures, documentation, confidentiality, and when confidentiality must be broken. It is written to reflect anti-oppressive, equitable, and non-hierarchical organisational values, and sits alongside complementary policies on anti-oppression, bullying and harassment, and grievance.