Policy Commitments

Acceptable Conduct

The partnership of organisations delivering the Building Bridges Programmes are committed to providing a safe, positive, fair and honest environment in which to provide a high quality and efficient service to our participants.

We are continually seeking to adapt and improve our delivery to better meet our participants’ needs. 

Within this context, it is important to set out acceptable standards of conduct for everyone involved in the programmes, including staff, participants, potential participants, referrers, those providing support and suppliers.

This Statement relates to all forms of communication, including face to face meetings, telephone conversations, text messages, email, social media and letters.

We will not condone any form of unacceptable conduct in the delivery of the programme. If an individual repeatedly fails to comply with the requirements outlined in this document and/or fails to respond to requests to address poor conduct, then we reserve the right to remove them from the programme. 

We recognise that individual organisations within the partnership delivering the programmes may have their own acceptable conduct policies and this Statement is intended to operate in conjunction with these in matters relating to the delivery of the Building Bridges Programmes. 

The programmes also have separate policies covering feedback and complaints, whistleblowing and fraud prevention.

In addition, each partner organisation has their own safeguarding policy.

Feedback and Complaints

The partner organisations involved in the delivery of the Building Bridges Programmes are committed to providing a high-quality and efficient service to our participants and are continually seeking to adapt and improve our delivery to better meet their needs.

We actively welcome feedback, good or bad, from participants, carers, family members, referrers and other stakeholders on the quality of the service we are providing – please tell us what you think.

Privacy Notice

The Building Bridges Programmes treat the information we hold about our programme participants very seriously and we will comply with the requirements of the Data Protection Act 2018 (DPA 2018), and the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR).

The Building Bridges Programmes are delivered by a partnership of organisations, led by Community First, working collaboratively under a legal Partnership Agreement.

Please click the headings below to download the Privacy Notice for each of the Programmes.

Safeguarding Children and Young People

Community First holds as one of its highest priorities the health, safety and welfare of all children and young people.

Community First and its staff, including contractors, have a collective and individual duty of care to ensure that its staff fulfil their responsibilities to prevent the abuse of children or young people, to refer any abuse discovered or suspected and to prevent children and young people from being drawn into terrorism.

This Safeguarding of Children and Young People Policy and Procedure will be made available to all parent/carers who will be advised that cases may be referred to the investigative agencies in the interests of the child or young person.

Community First will advise children and young people about the standards of behaviour and conduct they can expect from staff, volunteers, and Trustees and of what to do if they experience or suspect abuse.

Community First will work with appropriate agencies, and all relevant Local Authority Child Protection Teams, Safeguarding Boards, Social Service and Local Prevent Partnership Boards to ensure that children and young people are safeguarded through the effective operation of our Safeguarding children and young people’s procedures. We adopt in totality the Safer Recruitment Consortium’s “Guidance for safer working practice for those working with children and young people in education settings” (October 2015).

A consultative approach will be adopted with all relevant Local Authority Safeguarding Officers, Child Abuse Investigation Teams (CAIT) and the Local Prevent Partnership Board to ensure good practice and the best outcomes for children and young people.

Community First recognises that any child or young person can be subject to abuse or radicalisation and all allegations of abuse or concerns about radicalisation will be taken seriously and treated in accordance with our procedures.

Community First recognises that it is the responsibility of all staff to act upon any concern, no matter how small or trivial it may seem.

Community First recognises its responsibility to implement, maintain and regularly review Safeguarding procedures.

We are committed to supporting, resourcing, and training those who work with or who come into contact with, children and young people and to providing appropriate supervision.

We require all staff to follow our Code of Conduct which is appended to this policy document, and will draw the attention of staff to it and the relevant procedures in induction and on-going training.

All staff working with children or young people will undertake training to equip them to carry out their responsibilities for Safeguarding including the PREVENT strategy. They will be kept up to date by refresher training at a maximum of three-year intervals. Our Designated Safeguarding Officers will undertake refresher training every two years to keep their knowledge and skills up to date. There is a designated trustee responsible for Safeguarding and PREVENT and it is our policy that all existing, and newly recruited, trustees undergo an enhanced DBS check and social media audit.

Community First has appointed Designated Safeguarding Officers who are responsible for co-ordinating action within the organisation and liaising with other agencies. Contact details can be found in Appendix C.

Community First operates safer recruitment procedures and ensures that all appropriate checks are carried out on new staff, volunteers and Trustees who will work or come into contact with children and young people including enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks, Proceeds of Criminal Act (POCA) and list 99.

Any deficiencies or weaknesses about the safeguarding of children and young people’s arrangements will be brought to the attention of the Chief Executive and will be remedied without delay.

Safeguarding Adults

This policy is to make sure that Community First has all the right controls in place to protect and safeguard adults.

Community First believes in protecting an adult’s right to live in safety, free from abuse and neglect. This policy sets out the roles and responsibilities of Community First to work together to promote the welfare of adults and to safeguard them from abuse and neglect. Employees, trustees and volunteers should be made aware of how this policy can be accessed.

This policy and related procedures are applicable to the Chief Executive Officer, trustees, employees and volunteers of Community First. Failure to comply with the policy and related procedures will be addressed without delay and may ultimately result in dismissal/exclusion from the organisation.

It relates to any person who is aged 18 years or over and is experiencing or is at risk of experiencing abuse or neglect because of their needs for care and or support as an adult.