Safeguarding Policy

The Ability Foundation website is NOT an emergency-response service. Messages and case updates are not monitored around the clock.

If someone is in immediate danger or experiencing a medical emergency, seek immediate appropriate assistance, for example by contacting local emergency services or going to the nearest emergency facility.

We want everyone who deals with the Foundation to be safe and treated with dignity. This policy states our intentions. It does not promise safeguarding services or response capabilities that the Foundation does not yet have; the Foundation is not a statutory child-protection or adult-protection agency.

Children have particular rights to protection. Anyone who believes a child may be at risk of harm should act promptly and seek help from the appropriate authorities. We may need to escalate concerns about a child.

Some adults, including persons living with disabilities, may be more vulnerable to harm because of their circumstances or because they rely on others. Being at risk does not remove a person's right to make their own decisions, and we aim to respect their wishes wherever it is safe to do so.

Concerns may include:

• Abuse: physical, emotional, sexual or psychological harm
• Neglect: failure to meet basic needs such as food, care, medication or safety
• Exploitation, including financial exploitation such as taking or controlling someone's money, benefits or property

Caregivers can be under great strain. If a caregiver is struggling, or a concern involves a caregiver, we aim to respond with care and, where needed, point to appropriate support, while keeping the safety of the person receiving care first.

Foundation staff are expected to treat members with respect, never to exploit their position, and never to harm, abuse, or take advantage of any person. Conduct that falls short can be reported under the Complaints & Appeals Policy.

Volunteers are held to the same standards of conduct and confidentiality as staff, and should not be left in unsupervised, one-to-one roles with at-risk people unless appropriate checks and arrangements are in place.

You may raise a safeguarding concern with us through the Contact page. Please state that it is a safeguarding concern and give only the minimum detail needed to begin; we will ask for more through an appropriate route. Reports are handled confidentially and shared only with those who need to know.

Do not use this website to report an emergency. Contact emergency services or seek urgent local help first. You can tell us afterwards.

Safeguarding information may sometimes need to be passed on without the person's agreement, according to the law, safety obligations or the appropriate authorities. Where it is safe and lawful to do so, we will aim to tell the person first. Because the Foundation's safeguarding processes are still developing, we will review and strengthen this policy over time.