Safeguarding Policy

This policy was last reviewed in September 2025.

The purpose of this Policy is:

To define how The Pituitary Foundation operates to safeguard adults at risk of abuse or neglect in order to protect them from harm and:

To provide service users, staff and volunteers with the overarching principles that guide our approach to safeguarding in the organisation.
Make sure service users, staff and volunteers can take appropriate action to protect and prevent further harm and abuse.
To protect staff, volunteers and service users from harm or maltreatment or exploitation.

This Policy applies to anyone working on behalf of The Pituitary Foundation, including senior managers and the board of trustees, paid staff, volunteers, sessional workers, agency staff and students.

Definitions

Adult at risk of abuse or neglect defined by the Care Act 2014 as;
someone over 18 years old who,

has care and support needs
is experiencing, or is at risk of, abuse or neglect
as a result of their care and support needs is unable to protect himself or herself against the abuse or neglect or the risk of it.

If someone has care and support needs but is not currently receiving care or support from a health or care service they may still be an adult at risk

Types of abuse and neglect include:

The Social care institute for excellence provides more information here.

Related policies and procedures

This Policy should be read alongside our organisational policies and procedures, including:

Safeguarding Procedures

Data protection & confidentiality
Code of conduct for staff and volunteers
Managing complaints
Health and Safety
Induction, training, supervision and support
IT Policy
Helplines Safeguarding Procedures
Equal Opportunities Policy
Volunteer Handbook

We are committed to keeping people safe

We recognise that some of our service users may be particularly vulnerable. In our work with children / young people / adults who may be at risk due to age, illness or disability, we will endeavour at all times to provide services and activities which are safe for children*, young people or adults at risk to participate in.
Everyone, regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex, or sexual orientation has a right to equal protection from all types of harm or abuse.
We aim to protect our service users, staff and volunteers from harm or maltreatment or exploitation.

*Please note: As of May 2025, we have a separate Safeguarding policy for children, and families

Keeping adults safe

The majority of interaction of the charity is with adult patients. Examples of our services include our helpline (telephone, and email), support groups, information we post online on social media that people engage with, and events.

Every person who engages with or participates in any service, event, or meeting hosted by The Pituitary Foundation or by volunteers in its name, should be able to take part in an enjoyable and safe environment and be protected from abuse. This is the responsibility of everyone involved in the work of The Pituitary Foundation.

The Pituitary Foundation recognises its responsibility to safeguard vulnerable adults by protecting them from physical, sexual or emotional harm and from neglect or bullying including online. It is determined to meet its obligation to ensure that opportunities which exist in the name of The Pituitary Foundation it is done so to the highest standard.

The Pituitary Foundation will exclude anyone who has a previous criminal conviction or caution for offences related to the abuse of adults, violence or any sexual offences from working with The Pituitary Foundation where they may come into contact with vulnerable adults. This position is re-enforced by UK legislation and guidance.

Our aim is to keep our service users, volunteers and staff safe by:

listening to and respecting them.
appointing a Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL).
adopting safeguarding best practice through our policies, procedures and code of conduct for staff and volunteers.
seeking to recruit all paid staff and volunteers using appropriate procedures, safeguards and checks. We will determine which roles are in regulated activity and so subject to a barring list check, which roles are eligible for enhanced DBS checks only, and take up references for all posts and volunteer roles.
reviewing our recruitment procedures in response to changes in legislation and systems external to our organisation e.g., the Disclosure and Barring Service.
providing effective management for staff and volunteers through supervision, support and training.
recording and storing information professionally and securely.
using our safeguarding procedures to share concerns and relevant information with agencies who need to know, and involving children, young people, and at-risk adults appropriately.
ensuring that we have effective complaints measures in place.

Designated Safeguarding Officer

Our Designated Safeguarding Lead is Pat McBride, Head of Support Services and supported by Emma Cooper, CEO, as deputy. Our named trustee dedicated to safeguarding issues is Debbie Cooper

They will be available to all staff, volunteers and service users to speak to when they have any concerns, issues or complaints regarding the safety, well-being or conduct of service users, volunteers and staff.

The Designated Safeguarding Lead and deputy will have access to appropriate training to support them in these roles.

They will liaise with appropriate local and national agencies, contribute to appropriate policies, maintain records and keep confidentiality, adhere to and promote this policy within the organisation, and support or provide access to support for individuals suffering harm or abuse.

Awareness of harm and abuse in our organisation

Harm is caused by accidents, deliberate abuse (physical, sexual, emotional, financial), neglect (deliberate or not) or factors such as bullying, prejudicial attitudes or a failure to enable a person to participate in activities that are open to most of their peers.

All incidents of harm to anyone involved in our service will require an appropriate response to safeguard the individual (s), to reduce risks and improve our service.

Deliberate acts of harm (sexual, physical, emotional, financial), exploitation and neglect are abuses against the person and will incur disciplinary proceedings and require reports and referrals to social services, the police, other professional bodies and the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) where appropriate.

Everyone involved in our organisation should understand that safeguarding is everybody’s business. We recognise that while it is the responsibility of the relevant statutory agencies to determine whether or not abuse has taken place, it is everyone’s responsibility to report any concerns and all staff, volunteers, trustees and contractors will know how to recognise and report safeguarding concerns.

Risk of harm

Where there is risk of harm to our service users, volunteers or staff, the Designated Safeguarding Lead and deputy are empowered to act accordingly.

to log all conversations regarding the issue.
to sign and request signatures on reports and statements.
to seek advice from expert sources.
to share concerns (with consent where required and appropriate) internally with senior staff / Chair of the Board.
to share concerns and make referrals to external agencies such as Social Services, the Police or NSPCC as appropriate to the circumstances.
to make a referral to the Disclosure and Barring Service regarding staff or volunteers in regulated activity whose conduct is harmful to service users and when they are removed from regulated activity.

Confidentiality and Data Protection

All reports and logs (including personnel records) will be kept securely and confidential according to our data protection policy and confidentiality statement, until or unless it is necessary to share this material with the agencies named above. Information will be shared on a “need-to-know” basis only.

Data Protection is not a barrier to sharing concerns about a child or an individual at risk. You should make a note in the safeguarding report of any express wish not to share the information but not let this prevent you from sharing. For guidance on information sharing, see: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/721581/Information_sharing_advice_practitioners_safeguarding_services.pdf

Lawful Basis:

When a safeguarding incident takes place, it may be difficult to gather consent because the priority is to ensure safety of the individuals. If there’s a risk of harm to a child or vulnerable adult, their safety takes priority over confidentiality.

In the circumstances described above, and to fulfil our duty of care and safeguarding responsibilities, we may process information that raises safeguarding concerns. This information may be shared with the relevant authorities, when necessary, based on the lawful basis of Vital Interest or Legitimate Interest, in conjunction with Substantial Public Interest conditions as outlined in the legislation (e.g. safeguarding of children and individuals at risk, or safeguarding the economic well-being of certain individuals).

Data Subjects Rights:

Data subjects’ rights and other UK GDPR provisions may be restricted when personal data is processed in connection with safeguarding incidents. Certain exemptions may apply in these circumstances, as defined under the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018. Examples include exemptions related to crime and taxation, the rights of others, and child abuse data, which allow organisations to limit or withhold information where disclosure could prejudice safeguarding efforts or compromise public interest objectives.

Communication and reporting concerns

We will communicate this Policy to all staff, volunteers, service users and their families / carers, using appropriate methods, so that our message is understood by all.

We support and encourage all service users, volunteers and staff to speak up where they have

a concern - a worry, issue or doubt about practice or treatment of a service user or colleague, or their circumstances,
a disclosure - information about a person at risk of or suffering from significant harm),
an allegation - the possibility that a volunteer or staff member could cause harm to a person in their care.

Always seek consent to share information from the person at risk unless doing so would:

Place them at increased risk of significant harm
Prejudice the prevention, detection or
prosecution of a crime
Lead to unjustified delay in making enquiries about harm
They are unable to consent
It’s just not practicable

…and to report to our named Designated Safeguarding Lead or deputy.

We have a Safeguarding Consent Form which the DSL or deputy will complete if you contact us regarding a concern you have.

Whistle blowing (disclosure in the public interest)

We encourage staff or volunteers to report things that aren’t right, are illegal or if anyone at work is neglecting their duties, putting someone’s health and safety in danger or covering up wrongdoing.

In the first instance they should speak with the Designated Safeguarding Lead, their deputy or the trustee with appropriate responsibility.

Though we would prefer our members and personnel to use internal processes whenever possible to make a report as above, this does not prevent them from making a report or referral to e.g. Social Services, in their own right as a private individual.

Retention Periods

We will retain information about safeguarding issues only for as long as necessary. These periods are outlined below. For a full list of retention periods and further information on how we handle an individual’s data, please refer to the privacy policy on our website: www.pituitary.org.uk/privacy-policy/

Category of Record	rETENTION PERIOD	nOTES/Legal basis
Safeguarding – Adults	6 years after the case is closed	Based on Limitation Act 1980 (timeframe for legal claims). Longer if ongoing risk.
Safeguarding – Children	Until a child reaches the age of 25 (7 years after reaching 18)	ICO guidance & NSPCC best practice. If the child was in care, keep until age 75.

Contact details

Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL)

Name: Pat McBride

Phone/email: 0117 370 1315 / [email protected]

Deputy DSL

Name: Emma Cooper

Phone/email: 0117 370 1318 / [email protected]

We are committed to reviewing our Policy and good practice annually.