Policies

Financial policy

Invoices

From 01 January 2022, all invoices must be addressed to ‘The Audley Foundation’.

All invoices must be signed off by two trustees. Invoices will only be processed for payment once approval has been received.

Expenditure

Up to £250 may be spent by one trustee without approval by another member of the Board.

Amounts between £250 and £4,999 require approval by one other trustee.

Amounts of £5,000 or over must be discussed by the trustees and agreed.

Payment runs

Once approved, the payment of invoices will be paid monthly.

Financial reporting

Donations, other income and expenses will be reported at monthly Board meetings. A spreadsheet showing the current financial state against the budget will also be provided. Cashflow forecast will also be included as part of financial reporting.

Annual accounts

At the end of the Foundation’s first year of operation, the annual accounts should record the number of hours donated by AGL staff and trustees.

Gift Aid

Gift Aid will be claimed monthly.

Timesheet

Audley Group Ltd’s employees are provided with a timesheet on which they can log the hours that they spend working for The Audley Foundation. These will be used in the annual report to assign a monetary value to the resources provided by Audley Group Ltd.

Reserves

The Audley Foundation at any point in time operates a policy of maintaining reserves which would amount to 25% of operating costs of the Audley Foundation.

Last reviewed: June 2022

Safeguarding policy

1. Aims of this policy

The purpose of this policy is to protect people, particularly at risk adults, but also beneficiaries of assistance, from any harm that may be caused due to their coming into contact with trustees, contractors or volunteers of The Audley Foundation (‘the Foundation’), or any of its programmes and/or activities.

This policy sets out the commitments made by the Foundation and informs its trustees, contractors and volunteers of their responsibilities in relation to safeguarding.

2. What is safeguarding?

Safeguarding is a term used to describe the protection of a person’s right to live in safety, free from abuse and harm of any kind. It is about embedding practices throughout an organisation to ensure the protection of at risk adults and children wherever possible, and responding appropriately to circumstances that arise.

Any adult may experience abuse or harm. However, certain people are considered to be at greater risk so are given more protection by law.

An adult at risk is anyone aged 18 or over who:

• has needs for care and/or support
• as a result of care and/or support needs is unable to protect themselves from abuse
• is currently experiencing or is at risk of abuse.

3. Scope

The policy and procedures cover all trustees, contractors and volunteers, as well as all of its programmes and/or activities.

4. Policy statement

The Foundation believes that everyone we come into contact with, regardless of age, gender, identity, disability, sexual orientation or ethnic origin has the right to be protected from all forms of harm, abuse, neglect and exploitation. The Foundation will not tolerate abuse and exploitation by trustees, contractors, volunteers or associated individuals.
The Foundation is committed to addressing safeguarding throughout its work and through the three areas of prevention, reporting and breaches of policy.

5. Prevention

The Foundation will:

• Ensure all trustees, contractors, volunteers and associated individuals have access to, are familiar with, and know their responsibilities within this policy as part of their induction or initial training.
• Design and undertake all its programmes and activities in a way that protects people from any risk of harm that may arise from their coming into contact with the Foundation, its trustees, contractors, volunteers or associated individuals. This includes the way in which information about individuals in our programmes is gathered and communicated.
• Put sensible, workable measures in place to prevent abuse, including the use of safe recruitment practices, promoting safe working environments and raising awareness of safeguarding.
• Ensure trustees, contractors, volunteers and associated individuals receive training on safeguarding at a level commensurate with their role in the organisation.
• Follow up on reports of safeguarding concerns promptly and according to due process.

6. Trustee responsibilities

Protecting people and safeguarding responsibilities are a fundamental part of operating as a charity for the public benefit.

Foundation trustees, contractors, volunteers and associated individuals must not:

• Sexually abuse or exploit at-risk adults.
• Subject an at risk adult to physical, emotional or psychological abuse, or neglect.
• Exchange money, employment, goods or services for sexual activity.

Additionally, trustees, contractors and associated individuals are obliged to:

• Report any concerns or suspicions regarding safeguarding violations by a Foundation Trustee, volunteers or associated individuals to the Foundation Administrator, or the Chair of Trustees.
  • All new Audley Foundation trustees will be DBS checked (standard criminal disclosure level) prior to being confirmed as a trustee.

7. DBS checks

DBS checks will be reviewed every three years. A list will be kept on file, indicating when checks have been undertaken and when the next ones are due. The Foundation Administrator will have responsibility for this role.

8. Reporting

The Foundation will ensure that safe, appropriate, accessible means of reporting safeguarding concerns are made available to Trustees, contractors, volunteers, associated individuals and the communities we work with.

The Foundation will also accept complaints from external sources such as members of the public, family members and official bodies. Further information on this can be found in the Foundation’s Complaints Policy.

How to report a safeguarding concern

Individuals who have a complaint or concern relating to safeguarding should report it immediately to the Foundation Administrator.

If the individual does not feel comfortable reporting to the Foundation Administrator they may report it to a member of the Trustee Board.

• Foundation Administrator: Carole Wanless carole.wanless@audleyfoundation.org.uk
• Chair of Trustees: John Nettleton john.Nettleton@audleygroup.com

9. Breaches of policy

The Foundation will follow up safeguarding reports and concerns according to policy and procedure, legal and statutory obligations.

Failure to comply with The Audley Foundation’s safeguarding policy may be managed in a number of ways, depending on the nature and consequences of any incident. In some cases a combination of responses may be required:

• Disciplinary process – where there are concerns regarding misconduct or competence.
• Police-led investigation – where the actions or inactions of a trustee, contractor, volunteer or associated individual appear to be criminal in nature.
• Serious incident reporting to the Charity Commission.
• Additional or repeat training – where the concern does not meet the threshold for the processes outlined above, but does indicate a need for further development of safeguarding competence.

10. Confidentiality

It is essential that confidentiality is maintained at all stages of the process when dealing with safeguarding concerns. Information relating to the concern and subsequent case management should be shared on a need to know basis only, and should be kept secure at all times.

11. Glossary of terms

Beneficiary of Assistance

Someone who directly receives goods or services from the Foundation’s programme. Note that misuse of power can also apply to the wider community that the Foundation serves, and can include exploitation by giving the perception of being in a position of power.

Harm

Psychological, physical and any other infringement of an individual’s rights.

Psychological harm

Emotional or psychological abuse, including (but not limited to) humiliating and degrading treatment such as constant criticism, belittling and persistent shaming.

At-risk adult

Sometimes referred to as a ‘vulnerable adult’. A person who is or may be in need of care by reason of mental or other disability, age or illness; and who is or may be unable to take care of him or herself, or unable to protect him or herself against significant harm or exploitation.

Last reviewed: July 2022