Village Hall

Gittisham Parish Hall – Safeguarding Policy

Introduction

Safeguarding is the action taken to promote the welfare of children or other vulnerable groups and protect them from harm.

Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility.

This policy promotes good practise in safe guarding for those using Gittisham Parish Hall facilities. The committee will review the policy annually.

1. Purpose 

• Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and adults at risk from abuse or neglect. 
• This policy defines how Gittisham Parish Hall operates to safeguard children, young people, and adults at risk of abuse or neglect.  
• We have a duty of care and are committed to the protection and safety of everyone who enters our premises including children, young people and adults at risk involved as visitors and/or as participants in all activities and events. We also have a duty to safeguard and support our trustees, volunteers, and staff. 

2. Definitions 

Children and young people are defined as those persons aged under 18 years old. This policy will apply to all staff, contractors and volunteers and will be used to support their work.  

Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children is defined as:  

• protecting children from maltreatment 
• preventing impairment of children’s health and development 
• ensuring that children grow up in circumstances consistent with the provision of safe and effective care  
• taking action to enable all children to have the best outcomes.

Adult at risk of abuse or neglect  

For the purposes of this policy, adult at risk refers to someone over 18 years old who, 

according to Section 42 of the Care Act 2014: 

• 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. 

Persons affected 

• All trustees, volunteers, and staff. 
• All those attending any activity or service that is being delivered from the village hall charity property. 
• All visitors and contractors. 

3. Policy principles 

There can be no excuses for not taking all reasonable action to protect children and adults 

at risk from abuse or neglect. All citizens of the United Kingdom have their rights enshrined 

within the Human Rights Act 1998. People who are eligible to receive health and community 

care services may be additionally vulnerable to the violation of these rights by reason of 

disability, impairment, age, or illness. 

• Gittisham Parish Hall charity has a zero-tolerance approach to abuse.  
• Gittisham Parish Hall charity recognises that under the Care Act 2014, it has a 

duty for the care and protection of adults who are at risk of abuse. It also recognises its responsibilities for the safety and care of children under the Children Act 1989 and 2004.

• Gittisham Parish Hall charity is committed to promoting wellbeing, harm 

prevention and to responding effectively if concerns are raised.  

• Gittisham Parish Hall charity is aware of the work of their local safeguarding Board/Partnership and other support organisations on the development and implementation of procedures for the protection of children and adults at risk. The policy is about stopping abuse where it is happening and preventing abuse where there is a risk that it may occur. 

Gittisham Parish Hall Committee is committed to the following principles:  

• The welfare of the child, young person or adult at risk is paramount. 
• All children, young people and adults at risk have the right to protection from abuse. 
• Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility: for services to be effective each professional and organisation should play their full part; and  
• All suspicions and allegations of abuse must be properly reported to the relevant internal and external authorities and dealt with swiftly and appropriately. 

4. Procedures 

1. All members of the committee will sign the Declaration of Acceptance of Office for 

trustees which includes a declaration that they have no convictions in relation to abuse. 

2. All members of the committee will familiarise themselves with safeguarding responsibilities, undertake training where appropriate on safeguarding issues including whistleblowing where it is available and offered by their local safeguarding board/partnership or other local support organisation and ensure that they understand the principles set out in this policy at 3 above. 

3. All members of the committee will work together to promote a culture that enables issues about safeguarding and promoting welfare to be addressed.  

4. All members of the committee, helpers or other volunteers will not have unsupervised

access to children or adults at risk unless appropriately vetted. 

5. The hall committee will follow safe recruitment practices. 

6. A member of the committee will be appointed to be responsible for child and adult at risk safeguarding matters. This person will have responsibility for reporting concerns that arise, as a matter of urgency, to the relevant safeguarding agency. 

7. The named person is Stella Adamson until  May 2026   

8. All suspicions or allegations of abuse against a child or adult at risk will be taken seriously and dealt with speedily and appropriately. The appointed person will know who to contact and where to go for support and advice in relation to an allegation, a concern about the quality of care or practice or a complaint. An allegation may relate to a person who works with children or adults at risk who has:  

• Behaved in a way that has harmed a child or adult at risk or may have harmed a child or adult at risk. 

• Possibly committed a criminal offence against, or related to, a child or adult at risk; or

• Behaved towards a child (or children) or adult at risk in a way that indicates they may pose a risk of harm to children or adults at risk.  

9. The hall committee will ensure that all hirers of the hall have signed a hiring agreement or agreed with the terms and conditions of hiring. This will require all hirers who wish to use the hall for activities which include children and adults at risk, other than for hire for private parties arranged for invited friends and family, to either produce a copy of their Safeguarding Policy and evidence that they have carried out relevant checks through the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) when requested to do so or, confirm that they have understood and will adhere to the hall’s principles and procedures with regard to safeguarding.  

10. The village hall management committee will carry out an annual review of this policy.

Gittisham Parish Hall

Procurement policy

Registered Charity: 308107

1. OVERVIEW

1.1 Gittisham Parish Hall was established to meet the needs of local people in Gittisham and the surrounding area.  We hold land and buildings to benefit the community and have a responsibility to manage our finances and assets effectively and transparently.

1.2 The procedures laid out in this document establish standards and guidelines for the procurement of supplies, equipment, construction and services, through open and competitive processes, and for managing contracts using good administrative practices and sound business judgement.

2. CODE OF CONDUCT
   1. The code of conduct set out below governs performance, behaviour and actions of Gittisham Parish Hall, including trustees, employees, volunteers and agents who are engaged in any aspect of procurement including, but not limited to, the purchase of goods and services, the awarding of contracts, or the administration and supervision of contracts.  
   2. No trustee, employee, volunteer and agent acting on behalf of Gittisham Parish Hall shall participate in the selection, award or administration of a bid or contract if there is a conflict of interest, real or apparent to a reasonable person. Conflicts of interest may arise when any board member, employee, volunteer and agent acting on behalf of Gittisham Parish Hall has a financial, family or any other beneficial interest in a firm considered or selected. 
   3. No trustee, employee, volunteer and agent acting on behalf of Gittisham Parish Hall shall do business with, award contracts to, or show favouritism toward a member of their immediate family, spouse’s family, or to any company or concern that employs or has any relationship to a family member. We have adopted the definition of related parties set out in the Statement of Recommended Practice for Charities (FRS 102)
   4. No trustee, employee, volunteer and agent acting on behalf of Gittisham Parish Hall shall solicit, accept gratuities, gifts, consulting fees, trips, or financial favours from a company, an employee or an individual seeking to do business with us, or from members of their family or from any party with a sub-agreement or ancillary contract.
   5. As permitted by law, Gittisham Parish Hall shall pursue appropriate legal, administrative or disciplinary action against any trustee, employee, volunteer and agent acting on behalf of Gittisham Parish Hall, who is alleged to have committed or has been convicted of a procurement related infraction.

3. SOLICITATION AND COMPETITION
   1. All procurement transactions should deliver value for money.
   2. Gittisham Parish Hall must identify and clearly specify standards for the goods and services it requires.
   3. The procurement requirements for different levels of expenditure are set out in the table below.

AMOUNT	PROCUREMENT – MINIMUM PROCEDURE
£0 – £2,499	A direct award can be made
£2,500 – £24,999	Three written quotes or prices must be obtained from relevant suppliers of goods, works and/or services
£25,000 or over	A formal tender process is required

4. There may be situations where a more formal bidding process is required for goods or services at values below £25,000. This should take into account the balance between the process and the size of contract and should not be onerous or complex.
5. Decisions will not be solely based on cost but will take account of quality and service. Examples of criteria other than cost include:

• Quality of the goods or service
• Quality of customer service
• Use of local labour 
• Sustainability
• Equality and diversity
• Affirmative efforts to utilise local companies and small businesses
• Guarantees, warranties and insurance cover

6. In relation to procurements of £2,500-£24,999, the procurement files will include copies of the three quotes and a brief written rationale for contractor selection. 
7. For procurement of £25,000 and above, selection will be through a tender process based on a written specification of the goods and/or services required. Where appropriate, we will use a pre-qualification questionnaire (PQQ). Selection criteria will be agreed in advance and made explicit to prospective suppliers. Criteria may be absolute hurdles or given as a weighting. The balance between cost and other criteria will be decided in advance. Examples of criteria other than cost are set out in 3.6. Clarification may be sought from prospective suppliers where a PQQ is incomplete, or a tender may be disregarded if the PQQ is substantially incomplete.
8. In relation to tenders, procurement files will include:

• A written record of the basis for contractor selection

• Justification for lack of competition if competitive bids could not be obtained
• Copies of the tender documentation and bids received. 

4. ROLLING CONTRACTS
   1. Service providers will be selected using the procurement principles outlined. Each contract will be different and will be considered against the following guidelines:

• An ideal contract period for many services is three years. This allows partnership working to blossom and gives the contractor a level of security when tendering, particularly if the service has up-front costs
• Costs may be fixed over the three years or may be varied annually, with an opt-out clause if costs increase by greater than inflation.
• The contract should be reviewed bi-annually, and may be extended, should both parties be in agreement
• The contract should be regularly retendered, at least every five years.

5. CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION
   1. Gittisham Parish Hall Village Hall has a system of contract administration to ensure the proper oversight and management or procurement activities.
   2. Gittisham Parish Hall is responsible for evaluating contractor performance and documenting, as appropriate, whether contractors have met the terms, conditions and specifications of the contract. This may include progress inspections, interim products, inspection of goods delivered, and any other methods, suitably documented, that provide assurance that the goods and services are being delivered within the scope of the contract.
   3. Gittisham Parish Halls contract administration system will ensure that the method of procurement is documented, and records maintained for five years after final payment is made.

Policy		Procurement Policy
Adopted		*********2025
Date Reviewed		********* 2025
Next Review Date		********* 2026

Gittisham Parish Hall – Equality Opportunities Policy

The Gittisham Parish Hall Committee acknowledges that the United Kingdom is diverse in culture, race beliefs and religion and believes that no individual or group of people should receive less favourable treatment on the grounds of gender, age, colour, race, nationality, racial or national origins, cultural heritage, disability, marital status, social background, sexual orientation or geographical location.  The committee acknowledges that members of these groups are often under-represented, exposed to prejudice and stereotyping, and suffer various disadvantages within our society.

Purpose 

The purpose of this statement is to set out clearly and fully the positive action that Gittisham Parish Hall Committee intends to take to combat direct and indirect discrimination in employment policy, management of the organisation, relationships with other bodies, and the services it provides to the community, community organisations and individuals.

Gittisham Parish Hall Committee is committed to providing equality of opportunity in all areas of its work. It aims to overcome discrimination on the grounds mentioned above. 

The Equal Opportunities Policy will be implemented ensuring equality of provision in representation, service provision, appointment of staff and their conditions of service and access.

 The Aims of the Committee

Our aims are to ensure that all hirers and volunteers are given equal opportunity and that our organisation is representative of our society. We will also ensure that we become aware of discrimination and the problem it causes.

Gittisham Parish Hall Committee will challenge practices, legislation and institutions, which seek to discriminate against or deny the rights of individuals or groups in any form.

Gittisham Parish Hall Committee will seek to take positive action to address the inequalities in our society.

Gittisham Parish Hall Committee is committed to the equal opportunities policy set out in this document and will work to develop, improve and monitor it.

The Equal Opportunities Policy and Code of Practice

Gittisham Parish Hall Committee acknowledges the definitions of various groups of people who are vulnerable to discrimination as set out in the Equality Act 2010. 

The committee will support and implement the legislation and will work to ensure that no person protected by the legislation is discriminated against unlawfully, and that any positive obligations and duties are performed.

 The committee gives the following specific commitments.

The Gittisham Parish Hall Committee will:

 • where reasonably practical widen accessibility by removing barriers which make it difficult for people with disabilities to use the hall.

 • provide facilities for people with disabilities to enable them to participate in activities e.g. the installation of an induction loop.

 • ensure that the design of publicity and information take account of the needs of people with disabilities e.g. language used, print size.

 • deal with any complaints of discrimination promptly, impartially, thoroughly and confidentially.

 • ensure all staff, hirers and committee members are aware of the hall’s policy on equality.

 • ensure that the equal opportunities policy is monitored and reviewed annually.

 • challenge racism in any form and encourage its users to do the same.

 • challenge sexist policies, practices and attitudes (including policies, practices and attitudes which may relate to sexual orientation and gender re-assignment) and encourage users to do the same.

 • challenge age discrimination in policies, procedures and attitudes

 • endorse the right of each individual to his or her own religious belief or the absence of a belief.

 • encourage people from under-represented groups to attend and participate in the activities of the hall.

 The Code of Conduct

1. People will be treated with dignity and respect regardless of the group to which they belong.

2. People’s feelings and views will be valued and respected.  Language or humour that people find offensive will not be used or tolerated, e.g. racist jokes or derogatory terminology.

 3. No one will be harassed, abused or intimidated on the grounds that they belong to a vulnerable group. Incidents of harassment will be taken seriously and the committee will undertake investigations of any complaints quickly, impartially, thoroughly and confidentially.

Gittisham Parish Hall – Environmental  Policy 

Gittisham Parish Hall (GPH) committee is committed to protecting and actively promoting the improvement of the local environment.

GPH committee will ensure that environmental priorities are integrated into the decisions it takes on all its services and will seek to:

1. Make the most efficient use of energy.  It will endeavour to use the minimum quantities of energy possible in accordance with the safe and efficient operation of its heating, lighting, plant, and machinery.  It will from time to time review its energy sources, energy using appliances and energy efficiency with a view to causing the least environmental impact.  It will monitor consumption and eliminate excessive or unnecessary use.  It will encourage hall users, volunteers and staff to use and operate the building correctly to conserve energy, and communicate to them how they can do this e.g. closing doors.

2. Encourage hall users, volunteers and staff to walk, cycle and use public or communal transport as alternatives to the private car.  It will seek to provide safe cycle/buggy storage and information about public transport on publicity materials.

3. Minimise and where possible eliminate all forms of pollution, using biodegradable chemicals where possible, and minimising use of solvents and lead-based paints.  Hall users, volunteers, and staff will be encouraged to avoid creating noise and light pollution, especially at night.

4. Use the minimum quantities of water possible in accordance with its activities and ensure that the water it uses is both supplied and disposed of, in the purest condition possible, meeting statutory requirements.  It will reduce leakage and eliminate excessive or unnecessary use, e.g. through avoiding unnecessary flushing of urinals when the hall is not in use.  It will communicate to hall users, volunteers, and staff the need to conserve water e.g. turning taps off after use.

5. Avoid waste and encourage the appropriate conservation, re-use, and recycling of resources.  It will re-use and recycle materials as far as possible and, if this is impractical, disposal by a means which will have the least impact on the environment and conforms to statutory requirements.  It will encourage hall users, volunteers, and staff to minimise waste, including the provision of separate disposal facilities for recycling glass, plastic, tins, and cardboard/paper.

6. Avoid the use of single use plastics at the hall and ensure the ban and restrictions on certain items provided by the hall is met. It will encourage hall users, volunteers, and staff to think about the resources they use and avoid single use plastics and food waste.

7. Promote a sense of responsibility and understanding for the environment and participation in environmental issues, by raising awareness of hall users, volunteers, and staff, by information provision and open consultation with the local community.

8. Ensure that the potential environmental impact of any building projects will be assessed and minimised.  This will include, where possible, methods of construction which make best use of resources; designs which result in low maintenance and high energy efficiency; and the use of building materials from sustainable sources such as timber.

9. Seek, where possible, to purchase from local or regional suppliers, to maximise input to the local community and minimise carbon emissions from transport.

10. Work to enhance its outside space where feasible to improve biodiversity e.g. planting trees/flowers/shrubs to provide pollen/berries/fruit for wildlife; providing bird boxes/hedging for nesting birds; giving a small area over to run wild; and log piles for bugs.

11. Protect the health and well-being of all hall users, volunteers and staff and improve and safeguard the quality of Gittisham Parish Hall.

12. Monitor, review and where possible improve performance each year with positive action on any areas of non-compliance.