Safe Guarding Policy
Definition of Safeguarding
"Protecting people's health, wellbeing and human rights, and enabling them to live free from harm, abuse and neglect".
L-W-O Community has a non-medical support group and supports adults and families living with Lymphoedema. We believe everyone has the right to be protected from harm or abuse and treated with respect regardless of:
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age
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disability
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gender
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race
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religious belief
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sexual orientation or identity
Working online is challenging and we have no control over much of what is said. Therefore, we need to be careful of the answers we give. Better to refrain from posting until you have time to think through your answer. We will not tolerate any form of verbal abuse, foul language, or harassment across our community or social media platforms and any member who does not adhere to this policy will be removed or blocked.
Writing in capital letters on social media is a form of shouting and therefore deemed to be aggressive and will not be tolerated in our group. Although we operate mostly online, we do work out in the community offering information at events we are invited to: Admin, Volunteers, Members, Followers, and Supporters need to follow these simple rules.
Code of Conduct
Do:
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Treat everyone with respect
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Treat everyone the same way that you would like to be treated
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Respect everyone’s personal privacy
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Listen to people's concerns and signpost them towards help
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Be understanding about sensitive issues
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Ask for advice if you are not sure about anything
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Look after yourself
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If you feel affected by any issues, ask for help
Don't:
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Make physical or verbal contact that might upset anyone
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Standby if you see anyone being bullied or mistreated
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Make unpleasant or sexual remarks or gestures
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Jump to conclusions about people before checking the facts
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Exaggerate or make light of concerns
Private Message Abuse scroll down to see details.
Source used for writing these guidelines comes from NCVO Safeguarding
FAMILIES AND CHILDREN
L-W-O Community does not engage directly with children across our community. We engage with the families whose children live with paediatric, primary lymphoedema and lymphatic malformations.
PHOTOGRAPHS
The photographs/pictures that are used on our websites are either stock library pictures from our hosting package or graphic packages used under licence as part of those subscriptions. L-W-O community will use a photograph supplied by a parent when permission has been granted. Wherever possible we will not identify a child’s face unless it is a stock library photograph/picture or if we have written permission from the parent.
Parents reserve the right to ask us to remove pictures/photographs of their children. Photographs shared by members, followers or supporters are their responsibility and L-W-O Community accepts no liability for their inclusion on our social media platforms or websites.
Private Message Abuse
One of the most annoying factors of social media is when people send you messages via Messenger or What's App whether it is images to pass on or warnings that something is fake. So please respect everyone's privacy. Here is a brief list of what constitutes private message abuse.
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Sending candles, poppies, or any other such images to pass on to family and friends
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Warnings not to click on certain posts because you might be hacked - often this is Fake News
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Send unsolicited messages to promote your business or sell your products
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Contact group members who have asked you not to contact them
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Contact and verbally abuse members because you do not agree with their views
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Contact members to encourage them to follow your lifestyle choices
The L-W-O Community promotes tolerance and respect.
This Safeguarding Policy was created by Gaynor Leech 18th June 2018
Page last updated 27th May 2024
Planned review May 2025