Safeguarding

Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland is committed to safeguarding everyone involved in our activities.

This means providing a safe environment which actively prevents harm, respecting the wishes of individuals and responding promptly and effectively to incidents.

Keeping our people safe and well is not only a statutory obligation, it is central to our ethos and values as a charity. The understanding and knowledge of the importance of safeguarding is growing and the trust and confidence that the public and our stakeholders have in us is something we value and respect.

The steps we take to prevent harm

In order to create a safeguarding culture and environment, Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland (CHSS) is committed to:

Building an open an honest culture.
Providing training to our volunteers and employees.
Encouraging people to report concerns.
Having clear policies and procedures in place.
Respecting the wishes of individuals.
Responding promptly and effectively to incidents.
Providing support to all parties involved in an incident.
Following safe recruitment practices

What to do if you have a concern

Safeguarding concerns can come in many different forms, they may come to light instantly, or be recognised gradually over time. It is never too late to report a safeguarding concern.

If anyone is in immediate danger, you should phone the Police or emergency social worker/agency, as appropriate.

You should inform the Designated Safeguarding Lead or the Safeguarding Coordinator as soon as possible, using the contact details below.

It is important that safeguarding concerns and incidents are recorded securely and appropriately. When a safeguarding concern is raised, a Reporting Safeguarding Concern Form should be completed. This can be completed by the individual raising the concern, or by somebody else on their behalf.

Our full reporting concern process for CHSS employees and volunteers can be found in our Safeguarding Policy.