Safeguarding Children & Vulnerable Adults

The Linnean Society is committed to safeguarding the welfare and wellbeing of children and vulnerable adults – we require all individuals associated with the Linnean Society to share this commitment, and to work together to help achieve the best possible outcomes and to protect their right to live in safety, free from abuse and neglect.

All individuals have the right to protection from abuse regardless of their age, gender, race, disability, sexual orientation, faith, belief.

Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility and anyone who has a concern over the welfare of a child or vulnerable adult has a duty to report this without delay. The Linnean Society confirms that all concerns and allegations of abuse and/or neglect will be taken seriously and responded to swiftly and appropriately.

Our Trustees have overall responsibility for safeguarding even if certain aspects of the work are delegated to staff.

• For the purposes of safeguarding, a child is a person under the age of 18 years
• For the purposes of safeguarding, a vulnerable adult is a person over the age of 18 years at risk of abuse or neglect because of their needs for care and or support.
• Safeguarding children is defined as:
  • protecting children from maltreatment;
  • preventing impairment of children's health or development;
  • ensuring that children are growing up in circumstances consistent with the provision of safe and effective care; and
  • taking action to enable all children to have the best life chances.
• Safeguarding vulnerable adults is defined as:
  • protecting vulnerable adults from maltreatment;
  • supporting individuals in making choices and having control in how they choose to live their life; and
  • taking action to promote the best experience possible for vulnerable adults.

The aim of the Linnean Society's Safeguarding policy is to enable all those who are associated with the Linnean Society to safeguard the welfare of children and vulnerable adults, promote their wellbeing, help achieve the best possible outcomes for them, and ensure that they are protected from harm as much as possible. The Linnean Society recognises that good safeguarding policies and practice are of benefit to everyone associated with the Society, as they can help to protect them from erroneous or malicious allegations.

The following principles underpin the Linnean Society's approach to safeguarding children and vulnerable adults:

• the welfare of the individual (child / vulnerable adult) is, and must always be, paramount;
• the safeguarding practices of the Society for children and adults is different, and the integrity and right to self-determination of an adult is paramount;
• all individuals have the right to protection from abuse regardless of their age, gender, race, disability, sexual orientation, faith or belief;
• all concerns and allegations of abuse and/or neglect will be taken seriously and responded to swiftly and appropriately;
• working in partnership with those connected with the individual is essential (e.g. carers, support workers and other organisations); and
• where someone is over 18 but still receiving children’s services and a safeguarding issue is raised, the matter should be dealt with using the Society’s adult safeguarding procedures

Our Safeguarding policy is underpinned by the following:

• Working Together To Safeguard Children (Department for Education, 2020)
• Safeguarding and protecting people for charities and trustees (Charity Commission, 2021)
• Online Abuse and Bullying (NSPCC, 2021)
• Safeguarding Adults (NHS, 2017)
• The Care Act (2014)
• The Equality Act (2010)
• The Human Rights Act (1998)
• The Mental Capacity Act (2005)