Safeguarding policy

Our safeguarding policy.

Target Ovarian Cancer works to improve early diagnosis, fund life-saving research, and provide much-needed support to women with ovarian cancer. We raise money to fund this work. In doing so the charity takes seriously the welfare of everyone who is involved in its activities.

  • We recognise that it is the responsibility of each one of our employees, volunteers and trustees to prevent the neglect, physical, sexual or emotional abuse of adults and children and to report any abuse discovered.
  • We recognise our responsibility to implement, maintain and regularly review procedures, which are designed to prevent and to alert the organisation such abuse should it occur.
  • We are committed to supporting, resourcing and training those who work with members of the public and to providing ongoing supervision to ensure their activities are appropriate.
  • We are committed to treating donors fairly. Target Ovarian Cancer complies with the Institute of Fundraising guidance set out in Treating Donors Fairly: Fundraising with people in vulnerable circumstances [PDF]. The charity also complies with all relevant codes of practice issued by the Fundraising Regulator.
  • We recognise that we have a duty of care to ensure that the standard of care that we provide meets reasonable expectations, and that our safeguarding policies and procedures are compliant with relevant legislation.
  • We deliver induction training and ongoing training appropriate to the type and level of contact with vulnerable groups.  

Identifying safeguarding concerns

It is the responsibility of each employee, volunteer or trustee to recognise the signs of potential abuse and to take action if they suspect that someone is being abused.

We will ensure that everyone across the charity receives training in safeguarding which is appropriate to the role they are undertaking and that they are clear about the process to follow if they are concerned about the welfare of a service user/beneficiary.

Preventing and identifying abuse by employees, volunteers and trustees

We work to ensure the safety of everyone that we come into contact with in the course of our business. We have rigorous procedures in place to ensure that the individuals who are recruited into posts are fit and suitable for those posts and we have robust policies which enable us to quickly follow-up any allegations about the conduct of our employees, volunteers and trustees.

Recruitment and pre-appointment checks

During the recruitment process, Target Ovarian Cancer always checks an individual’s suitability for working with us.

At this stage, we analyse application forms and CVs to assess that the individual has the appropriate skills, knowledge and background to undertake the duties of the post they are applying for.

When an offer of employment is made, we check the individual’s suitability for the post though occupational reference checking. Individuals have to provide two referees, one of whom must be their last employer. Where any information is falsely submitted or where information is provided which gives cause for concern we may withdraw any conditional offer of employment if considered necessary.

The nurses employed on the support line are registered with the Nursing and Midwifery Council and details of their registration are kept by Target Ovarian Cancer.

Criminal record checks

There are legal restrictions under safeguarding legislation on who can be involved in working with children and adults at risk. We have a responsibility to:

  • make sure that trustees, employees and volunteers are suitable to work with children and adults at risk
  • request appropriate checks from the Disclosure and Barring Service where the role is eligible
  • check that the individuals are legally able to act in the position to which they are appointed.

Setting clear expectations of employee, volunteer, and trustee behaviour

We set clear expectations about acceptable behaviour and communicates these through:

  • employment contracts
  • volunteer policy and agreement
  • IT/digital policy
  • providing guidance on responsible fundraising
  • providing guidelines for supporters raising money in aid of Target Ovarian Cancer
  • providing training on safeguarding and acceptable conduct when working with adults at risk and children.

Supporting the identification and reporting of abuse

We will seek to ensure that volunteers, members of the public, children and young people, parents, carers and our employees have ready access to us if they have concerns about the conduct of our employees, volunteers and trustees or those undertaking work on our behalf.

  • A complaint about the conduct of an employee of Target Ovarian Cancer may come through various routes. These include:
    • through referrals or notifications
    • through our formal complaints procedure
    • through other correspondence from the public
    • through our support line
    • through an employee making a complaint about the conduct of another employee.
  • The Chief Executive will work to ensure that any safeguarding concern relating to a staff member is dealt with quickly and appropriately.
  • Target Ovarian Cancer will ensure that all complaints are treated with due care and attention, considering the expectations of the public and also the fair treatment of our employees.
  • Where the complaint involves a safeguarding issue, this should immediately be referred to the Designated Safeguarding Officer (DSO), who will take the appropriate action. If this involves an allegation about a Target Ovarian Cancer employee, they will immediately refer this to the Chief Executive or, if the complaint involves the Chief Executive, the Director of Finance and Corporate Services who will inform the Chair of Trustees immediately.
  • Target Ovarian Cancer will always make it clear to members of the public that there is no restriction on them reporting an incident to a relevant body such as the police, the NSPCC, or the Charity Commission if they do not feel comfortable making a complaint to Target Ovarian Cancer.

For more information, please email [email protected].