1. Policy Statement

Being Commons Ltd ("Being") is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all children, young people and adults at risk who take part in our programmes and events. Everyone who engages with us has the right to be treated with respect and to be protected from harm, abuse, neglect and exploitation. Safeguarding is a priority for the whole organisation; the Board of Directors accepts overall responsibility for ensuring this policy is implemented, resourced and kept up to date. We recognise that the welfare of the child is paramount, that all children regardless of age, disability, gender, racial or ethnic origin, religious belief, sexual identity or nationality have an equal right to protection, and that safeguarding is everyone's responsibility.

2. Scope

This policy applies to all directors, employees, volunteers, facilitators, contractors and any other person acting on behalf of Being, in all settings where children or adults at risk may be present, including:

• The Great Learning At Home (学以为家), our multi-day UK-based family learning programme, in which minors always participate accompanied by a parent or legal guardian;
• Supper Club dining events, Brew & Being gatherings, salons, workshops and pop-up community events at which families or under-18s may be present;
• Any online interaction, communication or content-sharing connected with these activities.

Being's programmes are designed so that a parent or legal guardian normally remains present with, and responsible for, their own child. The exception is a small number of designated salon sessions for young people aged 11 to 17, which are led by Being without parents present in the room. These sessions are run only under the safeguards set out in section 7A, with prior written parental consent, and are led by a person holding an appropriate Enhanced DBS check. Being does not otherwise take sole care of, accommodate, or supervise unaccompanied minors, and never provides overnight care.

3. Legal and Guidance Framework

This policy has regard to the Children Act 1989 and 2004; Working Together to Safeguard Children; the Care Act 2014; the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006 and DBS requirements; the Data Protection Act 2018 and UK GDPR; and Charity Commission safeguarding guidance together with good-practice standards from the NSPCC and NCVO.

4. Key Definitions

• Safeguarding — protecting people's health, wellbeing and human rights, and enabling them to live free from harm, abuse and neglect.
• Child / young person — anyone who has not yet reached their 18th birthday.
• Adult at risk — any person aged 18 or over who may be unable to protect themselves from harm or exploitation by reason of age, illness, disability or other circumstance.
• Abuse — may take many forms, including physical, emotional and sexual abuse, neglect, financial abuse, discriminatory abuse, bullying (including online) and exploitation. Abuse can be a single act or repeated, and can be committed by an adult or another child.

5. Roles and Responsibilities

The Board of Directors approves this policy and reviews it at least annually, ensures adequate resources, training and safer-recruitment practices are in place, and appoints and supports the Designated Safeguarding Lead.

The Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) is the first point of contact for any safeguarding concern. The DSL receives, records and acts on concerns and allegations; makes referrals to children's social care, the police or other statutory agencies where necessary; liaises with the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) where an allegation is made against a member of staff or volunteer; keeps safeguarding records securely; and ensures staff and volunteers are aware of this policy and appropriately trained.

All staff, volunteers and facilitators must read, understand and comply with this policy and the code of conduct; must report any concern to the DSL without delay; must never promise to keep a disclosure secret; and must record what they see or hear factually.

6. Safer Recruitment and DBS Checks

Being takes reasonable steps to ensure that people engaged in its activities are suitable to work with children and adults at risk. Our measures include: obtaining an enhanced DBS check for the Designated Safeguarding Lead and for any person whose role meets the eligibility criteria for a regulated activity with children; taking up references and confirming identity before a person takes on a safeguarding-relevant role; asking those in relevant roles to complete a self-declaration of suitability; and providing an induction that covers this policy and how to raise concerns.

7. Code of Conduct

• Treat all children, young people and adults with respect and dignity;
• Maintain appropriate professional boundaries and avoid being alone and unobserved with a child who is not their own;
• Never use language, or engage in behaviour, that is inappropriate, intimidating, discriminatory or sexual in nature;
• Do not share personal contact details or communicate privately online with a minor outside the agreed programme channels;
• Follow the photography and media consent arrangements set out in section 10;
• Report, not ignore, any concern, however minor it may appear.

7A. Designated Sessions Without Parents Present

A limited number of salon sessions within our programmes are designed for young people aged 11 to 17 to take part without their parents in the room. These sessions are permitted only under all of the following safeguards:

• Prior written consent from a parent or legal guardian for each cohort (Unaccompanied Session Consent Form), setting out session times, location and collection arrangements;
• At least three adults present in the room at all times; no one-to-one situations between an adult and a young person;
• The session leader holds an appropriate Enhanced DBS check (with a barred-list check where the role amounts to regulated activity); assisting volunteers have signed the Volunteer Agreement and Self-Declaration of Suitability, received the safeguarding briefing, and work under the leader's direct supervision;
• An attendance register is kept, and parents are informed of start and finish times and collection arrangements;
• Sessions take place in open or visible spaces with doors unlocked;
• Any concern or incident is reported to the DSL the same day and recorded in line with section 8.

8. Recognising and Responding to Concerns

A concern may arise from something you see, something you are told, or a disclosure made directly to you. If a child tells you about abuse or harm: stay calm and listen carefully; take it seriously; do not ask leading questions; reassure them they were right to tell you; do not promise confidentiality; and record what was said in the child's own words as soon as possible.

• If a child is in immediate danger or needs urgent medical help, call 999 without delay.
• Otherwise, report the concern to the DSL as soon as possible and on the same day.
• Make a written record of what you saw or were told, including dates, times and facts, and pass it to the DSL.
• The DSL will take the appropriate next step, which may include contacting local authority children's social care, the police, or the NSPCC.
• If the concern is about the DSL, or you feel it has not been acted upon, report directly to the Board of Directors or use the external contacts in section 13.

Any allegation that a director, employee or volunteer has harmed, or may pose a risk to, a child will be taken seriously and referred to the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) in the relevant area, and to the police where a criminal offence may have been committed.

9. Records, Confidentiality and Serious Incidents

Safeguarding records are kept factual, accurate and secure, and are shared only on a need-to-know basis and in line with the Data Protection Act 2018 and UK GDPR. Information is shared with statutory agencies where necessary to protect a person from harm. Being treats any safeguarding incident as a serious matter requiring prompt escalation to the appropriate statutory agency.

10. Photography, Media and Data Consent

Before the programme, each family signs a Community Participation Agreement, a Participation Information Form (collecting health, allergy and emergency-contact information) and a Photography & Media Consent Form, which includes parental consent options in respect of minors. Images of children are only captured and used where consent has been given, and are stored securely. See also our Privacy Notice.

11. Training and Awareness

The DSL undertakes safeguarding training appropriate to the role and refreshes it periodically. All staff and volunteers receive a safeguarding briefing covering this policy, the signs of abuse, and how to raise a concern, as part of their induction and before each programme. This policy is made available to all families before the programme begins.

12. Related Policies

This policy should be read alongside our related policies and templates, including the Volunteer Agreement, Event Risk Assessment, Data Protection / Privacy Policy, Health & Safety arrangements, and Complaints and Whistleblowing procedures.

13. Key Contacts

• Designated Safeguarding Lead: Angel Ruonan Yu — angel@beinghome.uk / +44 (0)7882 254134
• Emergency (child in immediate danger): Police — 999 (non-emergency: 101)
• H&F Initial Consultation and Advice Team (ICAT), children's social care: 020 8753 6600 (advice line 020 8753 6610) — familyservices@lbhf.gov.uk — out of hours 020 8748 8588
• H&F Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO): LADO@lbhf.gov.uk (Mon–Fri, 9am–5pm)
• NSPCC Helpline (adults worried about a child): 0808 800 5000 — help@nspcc.org.uk
• Childline (for children and young people): 0800 1111

The local-authority contacts above are for the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham, where Being's programme activities are usually held. For activities held in another borough, the equivalent local contacts apply.