Safeguarding Policy
How Power Lens protects children and adults at risk, in its work and among its team.
Our work brings us into contact with people who may be at risk, including children, survivors of abuse and people who have been detained or threatened. We have a duty not to add to their harm, and to protect them.
Who this applies to
Everyone who works with Power Lens: staff, volunteers, contributors, interns, fellows, board members, advisors and partners acting on our behalf.
Our principles
- The welfare and dignity of children and adults at risk come first.
- Everyone has the right to be safe from abuse, exploitation and harassment.
- We treat every concern seriously and act on it.
- We act with the person's consent wherever we can, and we protect their identity.
In our reporting and research
- Children. We interview a child only with the consent of a parent or guardian, unless that would put the child at risk, and only when it is clearly in their interest and the public interest. We do not identify children who are victims of abuse or who are in legal proceedings.
- Adults at risk. We make sure people understand what they are agreeing to, and that they can stop at any time. We take care not to identify or endanger them.
- Trauma. We interview with care, we do not press for details, and we offer information about support services where we can.
- We weigh the public interest against the risk of harm before we publish, as set out in our editorial standards.
Standards of conduct
Everyone must treat others with respect. We do not tolerate abuse, exploitation, harassment, discrimination or retaliation, including towards colleagues, sources and members of the public.
Raising a concern
If you are worried about someone's safety, or about the conduct of someone working with Power Lens, contact [TO ADD: the designated safeguarding lead and contact details]. You can also use our complaints policy.
If someone is in immediate danger, contact the emergency services: [TO ADD: local emergency numbers].
What we do when we hear a concern
We take it seriously, we act quickly to protect people, we keep the matter confidential and share it only with those who need to know, and we refer it to the authorities or support services when necessary. We do not punish anyone for raising a concern in good faith.
Recruitment and training
[TO ADD: how you check people who work with us, and what training you give]
Review
We review this policy regularly and after any serious incident.