Policies
Privacy Notice
This Website Privacy Policy applies to Age UK Calderdale and Kirklees and its trading and other associated companies (together "Age UK Calderdale and Kirklees Group").
Download the full Privacy Policy here
This Privacy Notice applies to Age UK Calderdale and Kirklees and its trading and other associated companies (together "Age UK Calderdale and Kirklees Group"). Age UK Calderdale and Kirklees Group are committed to protecting and respecting your
privacy and security. Whenever you provide us with your personal information, we will treat that information in accordance with this notice, our terms and conditions and General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). By using any services we offer, you are agreeing to be
bound by this notice.
Please read the following carefully to understand our views and practices regarding your personal data and how we will treat it.
This notice may change from time to time, so please check our website periodically. We are a data controller. This means we are responsible for deciding how we hold and use personal information about you. This notice explains to you what decisions we have taken in relation to that information.
Age UK Calderdale and Kirklees is a registered charity (number 1102020) and company limited by guarantee (number 5013745). The registered address is 4-6 Woolshops, Halifax HX1 2RJ
Health and Safety Policy
Age UK Calderdale and Kirklees recognises that effective management of health & safety is an important part of operating a successful organisation. The Charity is committed to ensuring that our activities do not adversely affect the health or safety of our employees, volunteers, service users, contractors or visitors.
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Policy
Age UK Calderdale & Kirklees promotes the wellbeing of all older people and works to make later life a fulfilling and enjoyable experience. It recognises that every person is an individual with different needs, preferences and abilities. It aims to reflect this diversity in everything it does, including making its services inclusive and accessible to older people from all sections of the community and attracting and retaining a diverse workforce.
Age UK Calderdale & Kirklees believes that harnessing different life experiences, attributes and contributions from staff, volunteers and service users will make Age UK Calderdale & Kirklees a more effective and inclusive organisation and a better place to work.
This policy sets out our approach to equal opportunities and the avoidance of discrimination at work. It applies to all aspects of employment with us, including pay and benefits, terms and conditions of employment, dealing with grievances and discipline, dismissal, redundancy, leave for parents, requests for flexible working, and selection for employment, promotion, training or other developmental opportunities. It also covers the treatment and conduct of volunteers.
Download the full Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Policy here
Safeguarding Policy
Age UK Calderdale & Kirklees recognises that every older person has the right to live free from abuse. Therefore, the charity has a duty of care to all its service users and to protect them wherever possible from any form of abuse. This policy defines the charity’s method of responding to allegations or suspicions of abuse, whether by Age UK Calderdale & Kirklees staff or volunteers, or by external organisations, family, or carers.
This policy applies to all Age UK Calderdale & Kirklees activities, staff and volunteers Age UK Calderdale & Kirklees has legal responsibilities under the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006. This states that certain activities in relation to vulnerable adults are regulated. These activities are specified as those which involve frequent, intensive and/or overnight contact including training, care, supervision, advice, treatment and transportation of vulnerable adults.
Age UK Calderdale & Kirklees completes Disclosure and Barring Service checks when recruiting staff for roles which will be, or volunteers who will be in regular contact with vulnerable older people. Age UK Calderdale & Kirklees is also required to make a referral to the Local Authority Adults Safeguarding Board whenever a worker or volunteer is reasonably considered to be guilty of misconduct that has harmed a vulnerable adult, or placed such a person at risk of harm. Referrals must also be considered if staff or volunteers suspect a client to be at risk from a family member, carer, etc., external to our organisation.
The policy is designed to:
• provide mechanisms to help safeguard older people from abuse and/or exploitation.
• provide a framework for effective working.
• reduce and prevent incidences of abuse.
• respond quickly and sensitively to suspicions or disclosed incidents of abuse.
• ensure that abuse of a client does not occur as a result, either directly or indirectly, of any of the services offered by Age UK Calderdale & Kirklees.
• increase awareness of issues concerning the abuse of older people
• provide a process for staff who have issues of concern with respect to suspected, disclosed or observed abuse.
• ensure that older people are empowered to speak out for themselves.
Complaints and Compliments Policy
Age UK Calderdale & Kirklees have an excellent record of working with, and on behalf of older people. To maintain and improve this record, we need to listen to what people are saying to us about our actions and our services. That means that if things go wrong we must demonstrate that we have listened to what we are told and takenaction to improve matters. We will take any comment, concern or complaint made about our services or our actions seriously, whether from service users, staff, volunteers or third parties, and will investigate to make sure that we identify and learn from our mistakes. We will look for any patterns within our complaints and implement corrective action, learning from past experiences to improve our services where possible.
Recruitment Policy
The most valuable asset to Age UK Calderdale & Kirklees are the people involved with the charity.
Our approach to recruitment and selection of employees reflects the importance of people to us, the values and the organisation of the charity including:
• To be client centred.
• Deliver services with compassion.
• Value staff and volunteers.
• Be inclusive and embrace equality and diversity.
• Develop trust in our services.
• Everybody working together to achieve the same objectives.
As a Disability Confident Employer,we are committed to attracting and recruiting people with a disability. Through the Disability Confident scheme we are challenging attitudes towards disability, increasing understanding of disability, removing barriers to disabled people and
those with long term conditions so that all can reach their full potential and realise their aspirations
It is important that the charity continually strives to achieve a fair, consistent and systematic approach to recruitment and selection. This document provides information and procedures for everyone involved in the recruitment and selection process.
Download our full Staff Recruitment and Selection Policy here
Whistleblowing Policy
The Whistleblowing Policy sets out the framework for dealing with allegations of illegal and improper conduct.
Age UK Calderdale &Kirklees is committed to the highest standards of transparency, integrity and accountability.
This procedure is intended to provide a means of making serious allegations about standards, conduct, financial irregularity or possible unlawful action in a way that will ensure confidentiality and protect those making such allegations in the reasonable belief that it is in the public interest to do so from being victimised, discriminated against or disadvantaged.
This procedure applies to all Age UK Calderdale &Kirklees’ employees, including Associates and contractors, and any other member of the public.
This procedure does not replace other of the organisation’s policies or procedures. For example, if an employee has a grievance about their working conditions they should use the Age UK Calderdale & Kirklees Disciplinary and Grievance Policy. Similarly if an employee has a concern about the conduct of a fellow employee in the working environment (e.g. that they are not treating
colleagues with respect) they should raise these with their line manager, or if that is not possible, with the CEO, Honorary Treasurer of Trustees or through the Charity Commission’s whistle blowing policy whistleblowing@charitycommission.gsi.gov.uk
This procedure applies to, but is not limited to, allegations about any of the following:
• committing a criminal offence
• failing to comply with a legal obligation
• a miscarriage of justice
• endangering the health and safety of an individual
• environmental damage or
• concealing any information relating to the above
• other unethical condut