Safeguarding Policy

Last updated: 4th November 2025

Introduction

The 24 Hour Run Against Homelessness is a UK-based Charitable Trust, with a nationwide remit organising free-to-attend events that aim to raise funds for local charities that support people experiencing homelessness. The mass participation, non-competitive relay events invite participants to walk, jog or run 5 km laps of respective city centres supported by the event's volunteers. The events have a core team which manage the city-specific organisation.

What is Safeguarding?

Safeguarding relates to actions taken to promote the welfare of children and vulnerable adults or adults at risk, and protect them from abuse or neglect. Safeguarding is the responsibility of everyone, however some people have greater responsibility than others in each specific situation.

A vulnerable adult or adult at risk is defined as anyone 18 years or over at risk of abuse or neglect because of their need for care and/or support. An adult can be "at risk" in one circumstance and "not at risk" in another depending on the associated external factors.

The protection of children is specifically defined in Article 19 of the UN convention on the Rights of the Child as “the protection of children (under 18) from violence, exploitation, abuse and neglect”. For the purposes of this Policy, The 24 Hour Run Against Homelessness defines a child as anyone yet to reach their 18th birthday.

Overarching Safeguarding Policy Statement

At The 24 Hour Run Against Homelessness, we believe that everyone should be able to participate in our events, either in a volunteer capacity or as an attendee, and be safeguarded from harm through a duty of care.

The 24 Hour Run Against Homelessness recognises that children and some adults can be particularly vulnerable to abuse. Throughout our events we accept responsibility to take reasonable and appropriate steps to ensure their safety and welfare. As an organisation we acknowledge our duty of care to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and adults at risk; we are committed to working with law enforcement, social services, relevant local services and any other agency if deemed appropriate, in accordance with their policies and procedures to ensure the protection of all our event participants.

The Safeguarding Policy of the 24 Hour Run Against Homelessness ensures that the welfare and interests of its participants, especially children and adults at risk, are essential in all circumstances. The Policy aims to guarantee that regardless of age, ability or disability, gender, race, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation, socio-economic background, everyone has a safe environment in which to participate in our events, and are protected from abuse whilst in attendance at our events.

The 24 Hour Run Against Homelessness, through this Safeguarding Policy will:

1. promote and prioritise the safety and wellbeing of its participants, especially when considering children and vulnerable adults.
2. ensure that appropriate actions are taken in the event of any incident of, or concerns of abuse.
3. treat any allegation of abuse sensitively and seriously.
4. respond to any allegation appropriately and in a timely manner.
5. provide support to those who raise or disclose a safeguarding concern.
6. ensure that confidentiality is appropriately maintained, but the safety and welfare of the individual/s will be the overriding consideration when deciding if information sharing is required.
7. ensure that confidential and accurate records of all safeguarding concerns are maintained and securely.
8. continue to review how we as an event organiser can further minimise risk and improve safeguarding procedure.
9. support everyone involved in delivering and supporting The 24 Hour Run Against Homelessness events to understand their roles/responsibilities for safeguarding; to be aware and understand best practice in the event that they identify or are informed of any safeguarding concern.

The guidance laid out in this Policy is mandatory for everyone involved in The 24 Hour Run Against Homelessness, we ask that all trustees and volunteers familiarise themselves with this Safeguarding Policy to ensure all The 24 Hour Run Against Homelessness events prioritise the safeguarding of all participants.

The Safeguarding Policy is reviewed annually in order to maintain best practice.

The 24 Hour Against Homelessness Safeguarding Team

Within the 24 Hour Run Against Homelessness the Welfare Officer (Amelia Pagett) is directly responsible for the development, implementation and monitoring of safeguarding policies, procedures and guidance, and from whom support can be provided. It is important to note that safeguarding remains the responsibility of everyone, whatever their role within The 24 Hour Run Against Homelessness events.

The 24 Hour Against Homelessness Safeguarding Team consists of the Welfare Officer, Trustees, and Event Coordinators. The Welfare Officer can be contacted viasafeguarding.the24hourrun@gmail.com. The Welfare Officer will review any report of a safeguarding incident in a timely manner. Annually all safeguarding reports will be reviewed holistically by the Safeguarding Team, the outcomes of such a review will inform the policies and procedures of all future events.

What is Abuse and How Might it Appear at The 24 Hour Run Against Homelessness

Abuse is any action that causes harm to another person; it can be intentional or unintentional, it can be a one-off event but often happens over a period of time, someone may experience one type of abuse but often will experience more than one type. Abuse is not always obvious, or easy to identify.

There are many types of abuse, including but not limited to:

1. Physical abuse
2. Emotional, mental or psychological abuse
3. Sexual abuse and child sexual exploitation
4. Neglect and self-neglect
5. Self-harm
6. Domestic abuse
7. Bullying

Below are some examples of how the different types of abuse might occur or manifest in the setting of The 24 Hour Run Against Homelessness events.

1. Physical abuse: deliberately hurting someone, causing injuries such as bruises, broken bones, burns or cuts constitutes physical abuse. At The 24 Hour Run Against Homelessness you may see unexplained, or unusual injuries, you may notice fear of contact, fear of adults, reluctance to uncover their body (wearing long sleeves/trousers/seemingly excessive layers in hot weather). You may witness physical aggression, someone hitting/pushing/hurting someone during or after an event.
2. Emotional/mental/psychological abuse: emotional maltreatment of another person could be witnessed; you may see someone humiliating, or constantly criticising another person, threatening them or calling them names. Specifically at The 24 Hour Run events, emotional abuse could even be in the form of someone pushing another person to physically exert themselves to too hard a level, or not recognising their physical limitations (this may be well-intentioned and the person may not realise they have gone too far).
3. Sexual abuse and child sexual exploitation: being forced to take part in sexual activities (this does not have to involve physical contact, it can happen online). A child under the age of consent can never legally consent to any sexual activity. At an event of The 24 Hour Run Against Homelessness you may notice that someone is particularly shy and shows a fear of adults/other people. Specifically in the case of children, you may notice that they show sexual behaviour or language inappropriate for their age. It is a criminal offence to engage in a sexual relationship with a child. Therefore, involvement of external services, including the Police, should be notified upon receipt of any such report.
4. Neglect: the ongoing failure to meet a child or a vulnerable adult’s basic needs. Signs that could be identified at The 24 Hour Run Against Homelessness events include inappropriate clothing, dirty clothing, statements that indicate hunger or feeling faint, skin sores/rashes, or arriving at the event alone.
5. Self-harm: when a person hurts themselves on purpose, for example cutting, burning, the inappropriate taking of medicines or disordered eating. You may notice cuts/pinch parks/burns on someone’s body, or if someone is an unhealthy weight.
6. Domestic abuse: an incident or pattern of incidents, of controlling, coercive, threatening, degrading and violent behaviour. In the majority of cases this abusive behaviour would be exhibited by a partner or ex-partner but can also be a family member or carer. Domestic abuse can continue even if the abuser is not physically present. Adults being domestically abused may be very nervous, reluctant to talk to new people, or to do anything without first getting their abusers permission, they may not have access to their own money, car, or phone, and may be disproportionately scared of getting things wrong. In some cases, a person being domestically abused may want to keep their attendance to The 24 Hour Run Against Homelessness private and therefore, may request that images are not shared online and their name is not published in association with the event.
7. Bullying: repeated behaviour which is intended to hurt someone emotionally or physically, and is often aimed at certain people because of their race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, appearance, ability or disability.

Due to the public nature of The 24 Hour Run Against Homelessness events the risk of abuse taking place in The 24 Hour Run Against Homelessness context is low, as are the chances of someone disclosing abuse. However, despite the low risk, concerns should never be ignored, and it should not be assumed that it is someone else's responsibility to raise concerns.

If anyone discloses anything that you think could be a form of abuse to you, you witness anything that you think could be a form of abuse, or you have concerns about someone, please contact the Welfare Officer at safeguarding.the24hourrun@gmail.com as a matter of urgency. If you suspect someone may be in immediate danger, always contact the Police.

What is the Safeguarding Reporting Process for The 24 Hour Run Against Homelessness?

In the case that a safeguarding incident is reported during an event it is important that confidentiality is maintained at all times, and disclosure should take place only on a ‘need to know’ basis, remembering to keep the information restricted to as small a circle as possible.

To report a safeguarding incident in a non-emergency situation, you should:

1. Record details of the incident, including names of those involved, times and dates.
2. If a child reports abuse to you directly, please use the words the child has used and do not reword it, or lead the wording.
3. Report it to a member of the core event team who will report it to the welfare Officer via safeguarding.the24hourrun@gmail.com.
4. If a member of the core event team is the alleged perpetrator, you should contact the Welfare Office directly via safeguarding.the24hourrun@gmail.com.
5. If the Welfare Officer is the alleged perpetrator, you should contact the Event Coordinator via the24hourrun@gmail.com.

Records may be passed, by The 24 Hour Run Against Homelessness, to relevant external agencies. The 24 Hour Run Against Homelessness will store safeguarding files using an appropriately secure online process.

To report an incident in an emergency situation, you should:

1. Call the police and follow their advice.
2. Take reasonable steps to ensure the individual at risk is safeguarded
3. Do not take actions that would put your own safety at risk.

Following a report the Safeguarding Team will make an assessment and any necessary follow-up, this may look like coordinating with:

1. The event team
2. The people involved
3. The family/carers involved
4. External services

And/or referral to:

1. External support charities/services
2. Online information
3. Local health services
4. Local community services

What is the Sanctions Process?

Sanctions will be considered by the Safeguarding Team if it is decided that there is genuine concern. The sanction will be determined by the nature of the concern. Concerns raised about incidents that have occurred outside of The 24 Hour Run Against Homelessness may still be relevant for the Safeguarding Team to consider as they may influence whether it is felt that it remains suitable for an individual to participate.

Potential sanctions include restricting an individual's participation in volunteering at an event, volunteering at any event, participating/attending an event, participating/attending at any event.