Safeguarding Policy

Shropshire Family History Society Safeguarding Statement

Shropshire Family History Society (SFHS) is committed to ensuring the safety and well-being of all volunteers, members and attendees across all our activities.

This Safeguarding Statement outlines our responsibilities and procedures to ensure a safe and enjoyable environment for everyone involved.

We are committed to:

Creating a safe and inclusive environment free from harm, abuse, neglect, or exploitation.

Preventing the risk of harm through appropriate guidance for our volunteers.

Responding swiftly and appropriately to all concerns and allegations that come to the notice of the SFHS Committee.

Handling any safeguarding concerns with sensitivity, shared only on a need-to-know basis with the Designated Safeguarding Lead Person and any relevant authorities.

Karen Hunter (Chair) acts as the Designated Safeguarding Lead Person for the Society and all concerns brought to her attention will be dealt with by her in the first instance and shared with Committee members as appropriate. Any important decision making will be discussed with the appropriate committee members.

All complaints, allegations or suspicions are taken very seriously. Any suspicion, allegation or incident of abuse should be reported to the designated person as soon as possible. If a person’s life is in immediate danger, the police will be contacted.

In the event of an incident or allegation being made, it is important that the person subjected to the concern is not questioned in depth and only to establish facts. A full record of the incident will be made as soon as possible, and this will include the nature of the incident/allegation and any other relevant information. The record will be stored securely within the SFHS Committee documents.

SFHS has a code of conduct (below) that all volunteers involved in the Society are expected to adhere to.

Code of conduct

SFHS strives to be a welcoming, inclusive and safe environment where people of all backgrounds are respected. This encompasses (and is not restricted to) members of any sexual orientation, gender, race, ethnicity, nationality, socio-economic class, religious belief, and mental and physical abilities, as well as children, young people and vulnerable adults. We work alongside people from a wide range of life experiences and want everyone to feel valued and appreciated. Everyone has a role to play in creating an inclusive culture and we set out the following expectations with respect to events and activities organised by SFHS.

We value inclusivity, appreciate difference, welcome learning from others, and consider people equal without prejudice or favour. We will work to the best of our ability to ensure everybody is treated according to these beliefs and we will not tolerate any behaviour that does not answer to these values, including bullying or harassment in any form. Our aim is always to promote our activities in an environment where everyone is treated with dignity and respect and should be able to attend safely, free of harassment, intimidation and anti-social or abusive behaviour.

Harassment includes, but is not limited to – stalking, verbal or physical intimidation, offensive verbal comments, physical assault, harassing or non-consensual photography or recording, inappropriate/unwanted physical contact or unwelcome attention.

In the event of behaviour by any person that we consider harassing or abusive, or goes against this policy, we reserve the right to take any action we deem necessary and appropriate, including eviction from the specific activity, future activities/events and/or exclusion from membership of the Society, and reporting the matter to the relevant authorities.

Approved by SFHS Committee 4 November 2025