Our commitment to protecting every child and vulnerable adult connected with our work.
Medaria Aid is committed to the safety and wellbeing of every child and vulnerable adult we come into contact with through our work. Safeguarding is the responsibility of every person associated with Medaria Aid - not just those in designated roles. The welfare of the child or vulnerable adult is always the primary consideration.
We believe that:
This policy applies to all trustees, staff, volunteers, contractors and partner organisations acting on behalf of Medaria Aid.
Interim arrangement: Until a Designated Safeguarding Lead is formally appointed, safeguarding responsibility is held collectively by the Trustees of Medaria Aid. Appointing a named individual remains a priority action and will be reviewed at the next trustee meeting.
All safeguarding concerns must be directed to the Trustees at medariaaid@gmail.com, marked clearly as SAFEGUARDING CONCERN. All Trustees will be copied and the matter will be escalated to the full Trustee board immediately.
The Trustees, collectively acting as Designated Safeguarding Lead, are responsible for:
This policy covers the safeguarding of:
Medaria Aid recognises the following categories of harm, consistent with UK statutory guidance:
Causing physical harm to a child or vulnerable adult, including in conflict or humanitarian contexts.
Persistent emotional harm including humiliation, threats, or exploitation of vulnerability.
Any sexual activity involving a child or adult who has not or cannot consent.
Failing to meet the basic physical, emotional or developmental needs of a child or vulnerable adult in our care or connected with our work.
Taking advantage of a person's vulnerability, including for financial, sexual or political purposes. This includes exploitation by aid workers, volunteers or partner organisations.
Harm caused by the culture, practices or systems of an organisation, including charities operating in humanitarian settings.
All trustees, staff, volunteers and representatives of Medaria Aid must:
All Medaria Aid representatives visiting or working with orphanages or children's settings in Ukraine must comply with this policy in full. Partner organisations facilitating access to children on our behalf are expected to have their own safeguarding policies, and we will make reasonable enquiries to confirm this.
Any volunteer travelling to or operating in Ukraine on behalf of Medaria Aid must be briefed on this policy before deployment. Where a volunteer will have direct contact with children, a safeguarding check appropriate to the jurisdiction must be completed before deployment.
No photograph or video featuring a child beneficiary may be used in any Medaria Aid communication, including social media, fundraising materials or press, without documented consent. Where consent cannot be obtained, images must not show identifying features.
Medaria Aid will include safeguarding expectations in any formal agreement with partner organisations operating in Ukraine or elsewhere. We will not knowingly work with organisations that do not take safeguarding seriously.
Ukraine - Emergency Services
UK - Emergency Services
101 for non-emergency police
Australia - Emergency Services
For all safeguarding concerns that are not immediate emergencies:
Email the Trustees with the subject line SAFEGUARDING CONCERN
All Trustees will be notified and the matter escalated to the full board immediately.
The Trustees will assess the concern and decide whether to:
This is not optional. The Charity Commission requires charities to report serious incidents, which includes safeguarding concerns involving significant harm or risk to beneficiaries. Failure to report a serious incident is itself a regulatory breach. The Trustees are responsible for making this determination and submitting a Serious Incident Report where required.
Safeguarding information will be handled confidentially and shared only with those who need to know in order to protect the individual concerned. Confidentiality is not the same as secrecy. Where there is a risk of harm, the duty to protect the individual overrides the duty of confidentiality.
All safeguarding records will be stored securely and separately from general records.
If a child or vulnerable adult discloses harm or abuse to you:
All safeguarding concerns, disclosures and actions taken will be recorded securely. Records will include:
Records are retained for a minimum of ten years, or until the child concerned reaches the age of 25, whichever is later.
If a safeguarding concern involves the conduct of a trustee, staff member or volunteer, it must be reported directly to the remaining Trustees not implicated in the concern.
If all Trustees are implicated, the concern must be reported directly to the Charity Commission at gov.uk/contact-charity-commission. No person who is the subject of a safeguarding allegation should be involved in the investigation or response to that allegation.
All trustees, staff and volunteers will be made aware of this policy before undertaking any work on behalf of Medaria Aid. Those with regular contact with children or vulnerable adults are expected to complete appropriate safeguarding training.
Trustees collectively holding safeguarding responsibility are expected to maintain up-to-date safeguarding knowledge relevant to the jurisdictions in which Medaria Aid operates, including Ukraine, the UK and Australia.
This policy will be reviewed annually by the Trustees, or sooner if there is a significant change in our operations or following any safeguarding incident. The policy review date is May 2027.