A. Introduction

B. Scope of the Policy

C. Contributions

The purpose of this policy is to:

D. Policy Statement

1. 1.  EPIC-Africa is determined to ensure that anyone who is involved in or connected to its work, particularly children, is safe from harm. This policy encompasses measures to protect everyone who comes into contact with EPIC-Africa or any of its work, including our own staff.
   2. EPIC-Africa has established a Safeguarding Policy Framework, endorsed by the leadership team, to provide an open and transparent organizational culture: to ensure prevention of all forms of abuse, exploitation, and harassment. This framework is in harmony with international human rights instruments and legislation.
   3. Safeguarding those at risk of harm and the prevention of abuse is EPIC-Africa’s highest priority and takes precedence over all other considerations. Our safeguarding duty includes action where a concern relates to incidents of abuse that occurred sometime ago, there is no time limit to our accountability to children or vulnerable people.
   4. EPIC-Africa operates in a way that prevents abuse and harm and therefore safeguards individuals from all forms of abuse, including Sexual Exploitation and Harassment. Safeguarding the welfare of the vulnerable is our first priority and, to this end, all stakeholders and representatives must promote the safety and welfare of the vulnerable at all times.
   5. EPIC-Africa recognizes that some adults (those aged over 18) are vulnerable and require additional protection. Vulnerability may occur for a variety of reasons and change over a period of time.
   6. Creating a safe environment at EPIC-Africa, for people who participate in all our activities, people with whom we work/engage and our staff and representatives, is everyone’s responsibility.
   7. EPIC-Africa recognizes children may be subjected to multiple types of abuse: physical abuse, emotional abuse, neglect, sexual abuse and exploitation. Some adults may have additional vulnerabilities and may experience domestic abuse, emotional abuse, financial abuse, psychological abuse, sexual abuse, sexual exploitation and sexual harassment.
   8. It is the duty and the responsibility of all stakeholders and representatives to report any allegations, concerns or inappropriate behavior and breaches of this policy. While stakeholders and representatives are obligated to report safeguarding concerns, nothing in this policy should be read as compelling or requiring a victim/survivor of abuse to disclose their own experiences of abuse or exploitation against their wishes.
   9. EPIC-Africa takes very seriously its obligation to all types of partners and will endeavor to ensure that all necessary safeguarding due diligence is carried out to satisfy governance and accountability requirements.

THE SAFEGUARDING POLICY PRINCIPLES

This Safeguarding policy focuses on the below main areas in order to prevent, address and/or resolve cases of abuse and misconduct:

1. 1. Prevention: This includes training, communications and information to create awareness and prevent risk of harm and abuse, a revision of staff screening processes, risk assessment and an evaluation of staff capacity to perform the work.
   2. Protection: EPIC-Africa ensures to provide a safe environment and take action to protect all individuals from harm and abuse.
   3. Reporting: EPIC-Africa encourages the prompt reporting of safeguarding concerns and provisions of easily accessible and user-friendly channels to do so.
   4. Support and care: This entails providing resources to support and care for those who have experienced harassment of any nature, abuse and/or violence. It also includes ensuring that staff have access to specialized training and real-life experience simulations.
   5. Response: This involves responding promptly and appropriately to safeguarding concerns. EPIC-Africa is committed to ensuring the strengthening and harmonizing current policies and procedures and ensuring that these are clear and accessible to all. EPIC-Africa aims to cultivate an environment where information is shared, and people are held accountable for their actions and decisions.

This policy demands that confidentiality is maintained at all stages of the process when dealing with safeguarding concerns. Information relating to the concern and subsequent incident management will be shared on a need-to-know basis only and should be kept secure at all times. A breach of confidentiality related to a safeguarding incident or complaint may result in disciplinary action.

We recognize that some individuals, adults, and children (anyone under the age of 18) may be vulnerable. Additional requirements are needed to support those who lack capacity, are disenfranchised, or face additional barriers to their own safety and interests either through a mental, physical, circumstantial cause or due to their own experiences of being harmed or exploited.
We also recognize that reporting can be challenging and difficult for those who have been subject to abuse, neglect or exploitation.

EPIC-Africa will seek to ensure that the reporting of safeguarding incidents is a process that should not create additional distress for victims/survivors. While staff and representatives are obligated to report safeguarding concerns, nothing in this policy should be read as compelling or requiring a victim/survivor of abuse to disclose their own experiences of abuse or exploitation against their wishes.

PERSONNEL RESPONSIBLE FOR IMPLEMENTING THE POLICY

The CEO has overall responsibility for the effective implementation of this policy and for ensuring compliance. The day-to-day responsibility for operating and applying the policy, including ensuring its maintenance, revisions and updates is delegated to the Head of Operations.

Line managers have a specific responsibility to ensure the fair application of this Policy, and all stakeholders are responsible for supporting colleagues and ensuring its effective implementation.

EPIC-Africa believes that vulnerable people should never experience abuse of any kind.
EPIC-Africa has a responsibility to generally promote the welfare of vulnerable people and ensure the safety of those with whom they engage. We recognize that all vulnerable people, regardless of age, disability, religious belief, sexual orientation or identity have a right to protection from all types of abuse and we are committed to working and engaging in a way that ensures their protection.

THE POLICY FRAMEWORK

IMPLEMENTATION OF THE POLICY

EPIC-Africa commits to ensuring the safety and comfort of vulnerable people by:

1. Valuing them, listening to and respecting them.
2. Assess potential risks to safeguarding within EPIC-Africa work and business activities.
3. Adopting appropriate practices through procedures and codes of conduct for stakeholders.
4. Developing and implementing an effective safeguarding reporting procedure.
5. Providing effective management for stakeholders through supervision support and training on safeguarding principles and practices.
6. Conduct thorough investigations into reported safeguarding concerns.
7. Recruiting stakeholders carefully by ensuring that all necessary background checks are made.
8. Scrutinizing the Safeguarding policies of sub-contracting partners and organizations before entering into contracts with them.
9. Adopting a zero-tolerance approach to breaches of the codes of conduct made pursuant to this policy.
10. Sharing concerns with relevant agencies as/when needed and required; and
11. Involving vulnerable people appropriately in decision making.

EPIC-Africa is committed to reviewing its Safeguarding Policy and Safeguarding Principles every 3 (three) years or as and when warranted.

ANONYMOUS REPORTING

SAFEGUARDING POLICY MANDATORY PROCEDURES

1. The recruitment of all staff and volunteers must follow safer recruitment principles including, but not limited to, obtaining suitable references, providing evidence of identity and the successful completion of pre- engagement/ appointment checks prior to joining, which include criminal records checks appropriate to the level of contact with children or vulnerable people in an individual’s role.
2. All staff (and volunteers, where appropriate) will have their criminal record check renewed every three years and/or when they change roles to one which carries a new Safeguarding Level. Failure to do so could limit our ability to safeguard those with whom we work and could, therefore, result in disciplinary action.
3. EPIC-Africa’s recruitment processes must take robust steps to prevent any perpetrators of exploitation and abuse from being engaged or re-engaged by EPIC-Africa or other organizations working with vulnerable people. This will include a commitment to procuring and providing accurate references and reporting cases to statutory agencies.
4. During the performance appraisal cycle process with stakeholders and representatives where applicable, line managers must demonstrate they have discussed their report’s contribution to improve Safeguarding culture within EPIC-Africa.
5. Staff who manage any formal/contractual relationships between EPIC-Africa and partners, individuals, groups or organizations which bring the latter into contact with people with whom we work (including holding data and/or working with images of people with whom we work, in particular children) must ensure that the contract includes an obligation on the part of the partner to maintain robust and effective safeguarding arrangements, which accord with this policy.
6. EPIC-Africa chooses to only work with partners, individuals, groups’, or organizations who adopt similar principles to prevent exploitation and abuse in their own polices. These must include clear obligations requiring their staff and representatives to be suitable to work with EPIC-Africa, demonstration of their commitment to maintain safeguarding compliance and to act robustly when reports of breaches are received. Where partners, individuals, groups or organizations do not have their own written policies, or do not meet EPIC-Africa’s standard, they must formally agree and implement the standards in EPIC-Africa’s policy.
7. All partnership agreements must include terms that allow for any failure of the Partner to do all they can to prevent, report and respond appropriately to allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse, to constitute grounds for EPIC-Africa to terminate their partnership.
8. If there are any concerns about any partner’s compliance with or observance of any of the agreed standards, the person with responsibility for any partnership agreement should contact the EPIC-Africa Safeguarding Team as a matter of urgency.

COMPLIANCE TO THE POLICY

Any breach of this policy should be reported immediately using either the grievance procedures laid out in EPIC-Africa’s Human Resources Manual or the Whistleblowers Policy.
EPIC-Africa commits to engage with/and all relevant parties and to act swiftly to conclude all cases. However, the timeline may vary depending on the nature and complexity of the complaint.