ISB Safeguarding Policy

Status: Adopted
Version: v1.1
Applies to: All ISB activities (online and in person)
Approved by Trustees: 11th May 2026
Next Review: Annual
Contact: info@istandbeside.life

0. Relationship to Other Documents

This is ISB’s core safeguarding policy. It sets principles, scope, roles, and escalation boundaries.

It is supported by:

  • ISB Safeguarding Governance Guidelines (Operational): operational processes, contact sheets, incident records, escalation routes, and facilitator guidance
  • ISB Community Code of Conduct, Membership Terms and Website Terms: behaviour rules for users and participants

This policy defines what ISB must do. The trustee version records what trustees decide and accept. The governance guidelines explain how safeguarding is carried out in practice.

ISB will ensure that all three documents are consistent, regularly reviewed, and understood by those responsible for safeguarding.

1. Purpose

ISB is committed to protecting the safety, dignity and wellbeing of:

  • children (under 18)
  • adults at risk
  • anyone affected by ISB activities, including emotional or psychological harm

Safeguarding applies to both child and adult harm and includes physical, emotional, psychological, financial, safeguarding-related behavioural and online harm.

ISB will act proportionately and refer to statutory authorities where required.

2. Scope

This policy applies to all ISB activity, including:

  • online platform use and member interactions
  • workshops, education sessions, assemblies and partnerships
  • theatre, festivals, exhibitions and immersive events
  • research activities and collaborations
  • any setting where ISB is represented

It applies to trustees, staff, facilitators, volunteers, contractors, moderators and partners acting on ISB’s behalf.

Where ISB works with schools, universities, festivals or other partners, ISB will follow the stricter applicable safeguarding standard.

ISB recognises that vulnerability can be situational and fluid.

3. Principles

ISB safeguards through:

  • zero tolerance of abuse or exploitation
  • consent and autonomy
  • psychological safety
  • transparency and accountability
  • minimising power imbalances
  • trauma-informed practice
  • respect for diversity and access needs

ISB recognises that its work may evoke strong emotional responses and plans accordingly.

4. Duty of Care

ISB’s duty of care includes:

  • creating psychologically safer environments
  • anticipating emotional impact and providing appropriate framing
  • training facilitators to recognise and respond to distress
  • signposting to external support where needed

ISB is not a therapeutic provider and does not offer counselling, diagnosis or clinical care unless delivered by appropriately qualified professionals in that role.

ISB is not an emergency service.

5. Roles and Responsibilities

Trustees

  • hold overall safeguarding oversight and governance responsibility
  • ensure appropriate policies and procedures are in place and followed
  • ensure safeguarding risks are identified, recorded and managed
  • approve and review this policy
  • confirm safeguarding model, risk appetite, and key decisions through the trustee version

Safeguarding Lead (SL)

  • receives and assesses concerns
  • coordinates immediate action
  • decides or oversees referrals
  • maintains records and reports to trustees

Safeguarding Deputy

  • supports and substitutes for the SL

All representatives

  • follow this policy and the governance guidelines
  • maintain boundaries
  • report concerns promptly

6. Safer Recruitment

Where roles involve contact with children or adults at risk, ISB will apply proportionate measures including:

  • DBS checks where appropriate and eligible
  • references and identity verification
  • role-specific safeguarding expectations
  • consideration of role-specific risk where DBS checks are not available or not appropriate

ISB will avoid lone working with minors wherever possible.

7. Under-18 Participation

ISB may work with under-18s in structured settings with appropriate supervision and consent.

ISB will:

  • use age-appropriate consent processes
  • ensure presence of responsible adults in formal settings
  • minimise identification and protect identity in online contexts
  • employ a Code of Conduct signed by all participants


In the current platform version, ISB does not rely on age verification and instead uses rules, design constraints, automoderation, reporting routes, and human review.

8. Online Safeguarding

ISB operates a proportionate, report-led model:

  • automoderation of text and images
  • user reporting routes
  • human review of reported content

ISB does not provide continuous or real-time human moderation.

ISB is not an emergency service.

ISB may remove content, restrict access, or take other proportionate action to protect users, uphold its rules, or comply with law.

ISB will manage online safeguarding through attention to content, contact, conduct, privacy, reporting routes, and age-appropriate safeguards.

Detailed moderation procedures sit in the operational governance guidelines and relevant Code / Terms.

9. Behavioural Boundaries

ISB representatives must:

  • maintain professional boundaries
  • act transparently
  • avoid favouritism and coercion

They must not:

  • engage in sexualised or boundary-blurring behaviour
  • communicate privately with minors outside approved channels
  • pressure disclosure or participation
  • claim therapeutic authority

ISB will act on behaviour that undermines safety, including intimidation, domination, shaming, or coercive conduct.

10. Emotional and Psychological Safety

ISB recognises that activities may evoke distress, grief or strong emotions.

ISB will:

  • provide opt-out and pause options
  • train facilitators to respond appropriately
  • avoid therapeutic claims
  • signpost support services where needed

11. Reporting and Escalation

ISB will:

  • receive, record and assess concerns
  • take protective action where required
  • refer to relevant statutory authorities when thresholds are met

Safeguarding concerns may be raised via info@istandbeside.life or platform reporting tools (including the report button available on all pages) and will be reviewed as soon as reasonably practicable.

ISB does not conduct full safeguarding investigations.

Detailed reporting, assessment, escalation pathways, and referral procedures are set out in the ISB Safeguarding Governance Guidelines (Operational).

12. Data Protection

Safeguarding records will be:

  • factual and proportionate
  • stored securely
  • accessed on a need-to-know basis

Personal data will be handled in line with UK GDPR.

13. Governance and Review

  • Safeguarding is a standing governance responsibility
  • This policy is reviewed annually
  • Incidents and learning inform updates
  • Material changes to this policy require trustee approval

Trustees confirm acceptance of the safeguarding model and associated risks through the ISB Safeguarding Policy (Trustee Version v1.1).

Operational implementation is set out in the ISB Safeguarding Governance Guidelines (Operational).

14. Raising Concerns and Whistleblowing

ISB will ensure that:

  • everyone knows how to raise safeguarding concerns
  • concerns can be raised safely without fear of retaliation
  • whistleblowing routes are available where normal reporting is not appropriate

Concerns can be raised via info@istandbeside.life or platform reporting tools (including the report button available on all pages).

ISB maintains a culture in which people feel able to speak up and be heard.

15. Handling Allegations and Incidents

ISB will:

  • handle and record concerns securely and responsibly
  • act quickly to minimise harm
  • follow this policy and operational procedures
  • report to relevant agencies and regulators where required
  • review incidents to identify learning and prevent recurrence

Where appropriate, ISB will submit Serious Incident Reports to the Charity Commission.

16. Risk Management

ISB will:

  • identify safeguarding risks across all activities, including online and in-person
  • record and review these risks as part of organisational risk management and risk registers
  • update safeguarding measures in response to new or emerging risks

Safeguarding risk is a standing governance consideration and will be reviewed regularly.

Our Risk Register is a Googledoc HERE:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Kdhb4uwMyJis-YNFRgFhc2TZhEf4n1AlNRNGth3rEBI/edit?usp=sharing

17. Training and Awareness

ISB will ensure that:

  • trustees, staff and volunteers understand their safeguarding responsibilities
  • appropriate training is provided and refreshed regularly
  • safeguarding is embedded in induction and ongoing practice
  • people are aware of how to recognise and report concerns

18. Additional Policies and Safeguards

ISB recognises that safeguarding is supported by related policies and systems, including:

  • Code of Conduct
  • whistleblowing procedures
  • complaints processes
  • health and safety arrangements
  • first aid and event safety arrangements
  • data protection and privacy
  • digital safety and platform rules

ISB will ensure these are in place, understood, and aligned.

19. Insurance and Resourcing

ISB will ensure that:

  • appropriate insurance is in place for its activities and people
  • sufficient resources are allocated to safeguarding, including trained personnel

20. Legal and Good Practice Alignment

This policy aligns with Charity Commission expectations and relevant UK law and guidance.

ISB will:

  • comply with statutory safeguarding guidance and legislation
  • follow local authority safeguarding procedures where applicable
  • ensure policies are reviewed at least annually and after serious incidents

Trustees retain ultimate responsibility for safeguarding and must take reasonable steps to protect people from harm, including ensuring that concerns are identified, handled appropriately, and referred to relevant agencies where necessary.

End of Core Policy