Watlington House Trust is committed to:
Promoting a safer environment and culture for users of its house and Garden Hall.
Safely recruiting and supporting all those with any responsibility related to children, young people and vulnerable adults on our premises, be they business tenants of the house or hirers (regular or occasional) of the Garden Hall.
Responding promptly to every safeguarding concern or allegation.
Responding to those that may pose a present risk to others.
The members of the Watlington House Trust will:
Create a safe and caring place for all.
Have a named Safeguarding Trustee to work with the Chairman ( the lead SO) and the other Trustees and tenants to implement policy and procedures.
To support all those using our premises with any responsibility for children, young people and adults to have the confidence and skills to recognise and respond to abuse.
Display in Watlington House premises, and on the website, the details of who to contact if there are safeguarding concerns or support needs.
Listen to and take seriously all those who disclose abuse.
Take steps to protect children and adults when a safeguarding concern of any kind arises.
Offer support and guidance to victims/survivors of abuse regardless of the type of abuse, when or where it occurred.
Ensure that health and safety policy, procedures and risk assessments are in place and that these are reviewed annually.
This policy will be reviewed within 3 months and implementation of the Safeguarding Policy, Procedures and Practices will be reviewed at least annually.
Each member of the Watlington House Trust will agree to abide by this policy, including its regular contractor who provides support to maintain the house and takes bookings for the Hall.
The Safeguarding Trustee is Richard Bennett (Hon Sec) and the Lead Safeguarding Officer is Canon Brian Shenton.
The context of Watlington House.
We have no employees and no volunteers. There are 7 Trustees. In addition the Maintenance / Facilities Manager is on contract hire who arranges the hire of the hall with potential users
There are 5 longstanding tenants of the House, their business and Safeguarding status is below;
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Berkshire Youth |
Team works with Youth Across Berkshire. Also has premises in Newbury. | Has its own Safeguarding Policy |
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The Mills Archive |
A team of staff and volunteers who come to the house to undertake research |
Has its own Safeguarding Policy |
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Weston Architects |
An experienced, young, professional and design-led studio with a rapidly growing portfolio of clients and projects. |
Does not have a Safeguarding Policy (12/10/21) |
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Total Security Corps Ltd tscltd.co.uk |
Small company which provides Training in the Security Industry to young people |
To be verified. |
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Reserve Forces Employment Association
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RFEA exists to provide life-long, life changing support, jobs and training opportunities to service leavers and veterans, irrespective of circumstances, rank, length of service, or reason for leaving. |
Safeguarding Policy as part of the overall RFEA Charity |
Users of the Garden Hall
In pre-Covid times we had a number of regular users of the Garden Hall for short periods of time. These included;
Readifolk Readifolk – Reading’s Folk Club
Alcoholics Anonymous. If this is part of the national organisation it will be subject to national Safeguarding Policy. To be verified.
Yoga Groups and exercise groups
Local Societies (such as Reading Civic Society) occasionally hire the hall for meetings of their members.
Occasionally family groups, from all cultures, hire the hall for parties to celebrate birthdays and weddings
Occasional Businesses hire of the hall and the small meeting room for recruitment, presentations, and small meetings.
Whilst the Vaccination Hub is working again (through to December) we are gradually starting to take bookings again.
We will ask our regular users to provide us with details of their Safeguarding Policies and where they don’t exist press them to have one.
Events organised by Trustees in which they engage directly with members of the public of all ages
Heritage Open Days (we open for a day September each year ) An explanation of the history of the house and the Garden is led by 2-3 Trustees.
Visitors usually have the opportunity to visit some of the rooms in the house to visit activities run by a couple of the tenants
Opening of the Garden for the National Garden Scheme for a single day in July – first to be held in 2022.
Updated 15 October 2021