Keeping people safe

Our commitment

Everyone who comes to Be Empowered Network — for a circle, a programme, a grant or a conversation — has the right to be safe, to be treated with dignity, and to be believed when they raise a concern. Safeguarding is everyone’s job here, not one person’s.

Who this covers

• Adults at risk — anyone who, because of distress, illness, bereavement, disability or circumstance, may be less able to protect themselves. Much of our work is with people in exactly that position.
• Children and young people under 18, who we meet through school and campus programmes.
• Widows and their children in the Support A Widow Initiative.
• Our own volunteers and staff, who also have the right to be safe at work.

What we are, and what we are not

Our facilitators are trained volunteers with lived experience. They are not therapists, counsellors, doctors or social workers, and they do not pretend to be. They listen, they hold the space, and they help people find the right professional door. Being honest about that boundary is part of keeping people safe.

Confidentiality, and where it ends

What you say in a circle, in a message or on a call stays with the person you said it to. We will not pass it on, and we will not forward your message to anyone without asking you first.

There is one exception, and we would rather you heard it from us now than were surprised by it later. We may act without your consent if we believe there is a real and immediate risk of serious harm — to you, to a child, or to someone else. That could mean contacting emergency services or, where a child is involved, the school or the authorities.

If that happens:

• We share the minimum necessary, with the people who need it, and no one else.
• We tell you what we are doing and why, unless telling you would increase the danger.
• We write down what we did and the reason for it.

Anyone can mention a concern anonymously, and we will still look into it.

Raising a concern

If you are worried about someone’s safety, about a volunteer, about a service in our directory, or about how we have behaved:

Email hello@beempowerednetwork.org with “Safeguarding concern” in the subject. It goes to a trustee. We aim to acknowledge within one working day and to tell you what we have decided within ten.

You will never be penalised for raising a concern in good faith, even if it turns out to be mistaken. If your concern is about a trustee, say so and it will be handled by someone else on the board. You can also go straight to the police or to the Nigeria Police 112 emergency line without involving us at all.

Working in schools

• Programmes are arranged with the school, under the school’s own safeguarding policy and duty of care.
• Participation needs parental or guardian consent, obtained by the school.
• A member of school staff stays present. Our facilitators are never alone with a pupil.
• We do not collect pupils’ personal details through this website, and we do not take contact details from pupils.
• Any disclosure a pupil makes is passed to the school’s designated safeguarding lead the same day.

Our volunteers

• Volunteers are interviewed and referenced before they facilitate anything.
• Everyone completes safeguarding and boundaries training before their first circle, and a refresher each year.
• Facilitators have a named person to go to, and are expected to escalate rather than manage a crisis alone.
• Volunteers do not give out personal phone numbers, do not meet participants privately, and do not offer clinical advice.

Photographs, video and telling people’s stories

We publish pictures and stories from our programmes because they help people understand the work. The person in the picture decides, not us.

• We ask for consent before taking an image, and again before publishing it. Saying no costs nobody anything — it never affects the support or grant someone receives.
• We explain where an image will appear, including that a public website can be seen by anyone and copied.
• We do not photograph children without written consent from a parent or guardian, and we do not publish a child’s name.
• We remove location and camera data from every photograph before publishing.
• We do not pair someone’s face with details of their diagnosis, bereavement or finances unless they have specifically agreed to it.
• Consent can be withdrawn at any time. Email us and the image comes down, no explanation needed.

Money and power

Where we hand out grants, goods or school fees, the imbalance of power is obvious and we take it seriously. Fees are paid directly to the school, not in cash. Decisions about who receives support are made by more than one person. No volunteer may ask a participant for money, favours, or anything in return for support.

Reviewing this policy

The trustees review this policy annually, and after any serious incident. If you think something here is missing or wrong, we would genuinely like to hear it: hello@beempowerednetwork.org.