Safeguarding

1. Introduction and purpose

Empty Chairs is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of anyone who might come into contact with its work, and ensuring that people who attend Empty Chairs feel safe, welcome, and respected. No person should suffer harm, intentionally or unintentionally, as a result of their association with, or coming into contact with, Empty Chairs.

This policy sets out how we approach safeguarding across everything we do. It explains what we expect of the people involved in Empty Chairs, how to raise a concern, and how we will respond.

This policy applies to:

• All Hosts and Host Coordinators
• All Attendees at Empty Chairs events
• Members of the Empty Chairs team
• Anyone involved in Empty Chairs activities, including online interactions (such as WhatsApp groups)

2. Scope

This policy covers all Empty Chairs events and activities, wherever they take place. This includes in-person events at Venues, online interactions through WhatsApp groups or other digital channels, and any other activity carried out under the Empty Chairs name.

Empty Chairs does not provide crisis support, counselling, or professional advice of any kind. Hosts are volunteers — not trained professionals — whose role is to create a welcoming space for connection. Where an Attendee is in need of additional care and support, Hosts should seek assistance from Venue staff, and signpost the Attendee to appropriate external services and resources (a list of which can be found in section 11).

Everyone working or volunteering with Empty Chairs is responsible for safeguarding others. Empty Chairs is concerned for the safeguarding of all people, not just adults at risk or who are in need of care and support.

3. Key principles

Everything we do at Empty Chairs is guided by the following principles:

• Kindness — We treat everyone with compassion and understanding.
• Respect — We value every person and their experiences, regardless of background.
• Inclusivity — Everyone is welcome at Empty Chairs. We are committed to creating spaces where no one feels excluded.
• Confidentiality — We handle personal and sensitive information with care, and share it only where necessary to keep someone safe.
• Welfare — The safety and wellbeing of everyone who takes part in Empty Chairs is our priority.

4. Roles and responsibilities

Safeguarding is everyone's responsibility. Here is what we expect of the people involved in Empty Chairs:

4.1 The Empty Chairs team

The Empty Chairs team, led by its directors, have overall responsibility for this policy. This includes:

• Keeping this policy up to date and making it available to all Hosts, Host Coordinators, and Attendees, including by seeking additional advice where necessary
• Appointing a Designated Safeguarding Lead (see below)
• Responding to safeguarding concerns and reports
• Providing safeguarding guidance and training resources through the Host Hub
• Taking appropriate action where concerns arise about the conduct of any Host, Host Coordinator, Attendee, or other volunteer or team member

4.2 The Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL)

The Designated Safeguarding Lead is a named member of the Empty Chairs team who takes the lead on safeguarding matters. Their responsibilities include:

• Being the main point of contact for safeguarding queries
• Maintaining the Empty Chairs safeguarding inbox, which shall be accessed only by them and one nominated deputy of their choosing
• Receiving and assessing all safeguarding reports
• Deciding on appropriate next steps, including whether to refer a matter to external agencies
• Keeping confidential records of all safeguarding concerns and reports
• Ensuring that the team and volunteers are aware of this policy and any relevant updates

Important: The DSL is not expected to remain "on call" to deal with or provide support in relation to safeguarding concerns raised by a Host or an Attendee during an Empty Chairs event.

The Designated Safeguarding Lead is Giverny McAndry. She can be contacted at [email protected].

4.3 Host Coordinators

Host Coordinators are volunteers who serve as a point of contact on the day of an Empty Chairs event. In relation to safeguarding, Host Coordinators are expected to:

• Be familiar with this policy and complete any safeguarding training offered
• Support Hosts in dealing with any concerns that arise after an event
• Escalate any safeguarding concerns to the Designated Safeguarding Lead as soon as reasonably practicable

Important: Host Coordinators are not expected to remain "on call" to deal with or provide support in relation to safeguarding concerns raised by a Host or an Attendee during an event.

4.4 Hosts

Hosts are the heart of Empty Chairs. In relation to safeguarding, we ask Hosts to:

• Be familiar with this policy and complete any safeguarding training offered
• Create a welcoming, respectful, and inclusive space at every event
• Keep confidential anything sensitive shared by an Attendee
• Signpost anyone who discloses something concerning to appropriate external resources and support services
• Not provide professional advice of any kind (including counselling, legal, or medical advice), even if they are a trained professional outside of Empty Chairs
• Report any safeguarding concerns promptly, following the procedure set out in section 7

4.5 Attendees

Anyone who attends an Empty Chairs event is expected to:

• Treat other Attendees and the Host with kindness and respect
• Report any concerns about their own safety or the safety of others, following the procedure set out in section 6

5. Recognising safeguarding concerns

Safeguarding concerns can take many forms, and may not present themselves as a discrete "incident". At an Empty Chairs event, Hosts and Attendees might come across:

• Someone expressing thoughts or plans of self-harm or suicide
• Someone disclosing that they are experiencing abuse or neglect (including physical, emotional, financial, or sexual abuse)
• Someone acting under the influence of substances
• Concerns about the safety or welfare of a child (anyone under 18) or an adult at risk or in need of care and support
• Signs that someone may be particularly vulnerable — for example, they appear confused, distressed, or frightened
• Inappropriate, aggressive, threatening, or intimidating behaviour, including unwanted or unsolicited flirtation or other romantic approaches
• Behaviour that makes others feel uncomfortable, unsafe, or unwelcome
• Anything that feels "not quite right" — even if you cannot pinpoint exactly what it is

We encourage all Hosts and Attendees to trust their instincts — it is always better to report something and let the appropriate people assess it.

6. Reporting procedures — for attendees

If you are an Attendee at an Empty Chairs event and you witness or experience something that concerns you, here is what you can do:

• Speak to the Host — If you feel comfortable doing so, let the Host know what has happened or what is worrying you. They will be able to note your concern and pass it on. However, Hosts are not trained professionals and so you should not ask them to investigate any concern themselves, or provide advice or counselling.
• Speak to venue staff — If you cannot or do not feel comfortable speaking to the Host, bring the issue to the attention of someone at the venue.
• Contact Empty Chairs directly — You can email us at [email protected]. Please include as much detail as you can: what happened, what you saw or heard, when and where, and who was involved. Remain objective and factual, avoiding speculation or interpretation and, wherever possible, using the words that were spoken rather than summarising or using your own wording.

You can make a report anonymously if you prefer, by completing the form on this page. We will still take it seriously and do our best to look into it, although please be aware that it may be more difficult for us to investigate or follow up on anonymous reports.

7. Reporting procedures — for hosts

If you are a Host and a safeguarding concern arises during or after an event, please follow these steps:

• If there is an immediate risk to anyone's safety, inform venue staff and if necessary, call 999. Your first priority is always to make sure that no one is in danger.
• Inform venue staff of any concerns during the event. They will be best placed to coordinate a response if necessary, or to support you in other ways.
• Record what happened. Write down the facts as soon as you can — what you saw or heard, when and where, and who was involved. Remain objective and factual, avoiding speculation or interpretation and, wherever possible, using the words that were spoken rather than summarising or using your own wording.
• Report the concern to your Host Coordinator after the event. Email them as soon as reasonably practicable, and in any event within 24 hours. Attach your written notes.
• If you do not feel comfortable reporting the concern to the Host Coordinator, please report the concern to the DSL. Email [email protected] as soon as reasonably practicable, and in any event within 24 hours. Attach your written notes.
• Do not investigate the matter yourself. It is not your role to look into what happened or to decide whether a concern is justified. Leave the response to the Host Coordinator or DSL and, where appropriate, external agencies.
• Do not promise confidentiality you cannot keep. If someone discloses something to you, listen with care and compassion, but be honest that you may need to pass the information on to keep them or others safe.
• Signpost to external support. Where appropriate, let the person know about external support services that may be able to help them (see section 11). Remember: your role is to signpost, not to provide advice or counselling.
• Tell the DSL if you need further support. We understand that witnessing or managing safeguarding matters can be difficult. Empty Chairs, through the DSL, can help to signpost you to additional support.

Important: Hosts are not trained professionals and should not attempt to investigate any concern themselves, or provide advice or counselling.

8. Reporting procedures — for host coordinators

If you are a Host Coordinator and you have been notified of a safeguarding concern during or after an event by an Attendee, Host, or the venue, please follow these steps:

• Report the concern to the DSL. Email [email protected] as soon as reasonably practicable, and in any event within 24 hours. Attach any notes provided to you by the person reporting the concern. If you have spoken to the Attendee or Host yourself, remain objective and factual, avoiding speculation or interpretation and, wherever possible, using the words that were spoken rather than summarising or using your own wording. The DSL will coordinate a response from there, but may seek your cooperation in doing so.
• Do not investigate the matter yourself. It is not your role to look into what happened or to decide whether a concern is justified. Leave the response to the DSL and, where appropriate, external agencies.
• Signpost to external support. Where appropriate, let the person know about external support services that may be able to help them (see section 11). Remember: your role is to signpost, not to provide advice or counselling.
• Tell the DSL if you need further support. We understand that witnessing or managing safeguarding matters can be difficult. Empty Chairs, through the DSL, can help to signpost you to additional support.

9. How Empty Chairs will handle reports

When we receive a safeguarding report through a Host Coordinator or the DSL, here is what will happen:

• Acknowledgement: We will acknowledge receipt of your report within 24 hours.
• Initial assessment: The DSL will review the report and carry out an initial assessment to understand the nature and seriousness of the concern.
• Next steps: Depending on the assessment, next steps may include:
  • No further action (if the concern does not require it)
  • Liaising with the Attendees, Hosts, Host Coordinators, Venue and other parties as needed to ascertain all relevant information
  • Referral to external agencies, such as local authority safeguarding teams or the police
  • Internal action, such as suspending or removing a Host
  • Additional support or follow-up for those affected
• Record-keeping: All reports will be logged and stored confidentially and securely (see section 10).
• Feedback: Where appropriate and possible, we will let the person who made the report know what action has been taken. There may be limits on what we can share, particularly where confidentiality or external investigations are involved.
• Escalation: If a safeguarding concern involves a member of the Empty Chairs team, the matter will be escalated to the board of directors, who will oversee the response.

10. Confidentiality and data protection

We take confidentiality seriously. All safeguarding reports and records are:

• Treated as confidential and shared only on a need-to-know basis
• Stored securely, with access limited to the Designated Safeguarding Lead and relevant members of the Empty Chairs team
• Handled in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018
• Retained only for as long as necessary

There may be circumstances in which we need to share information with external agencies — for example, the police or local authority safeguarding teams — in order to protect someone's safety. We will only do this where it is necessary and proportionate.

Our privacy page explains more about what we hold and why.

11. External resources and support

If you or someone you know needs help, external organisations, agencies, and authorities can provide support. Hosts should be familiar with their local and national resources so that they can signpost appropriately when needed.

In the UK, useful resources include:

12. Training

We want to make sure that everyone who volunteers with Empty Chairs feels confident and supported in keeping our events safe.

Empty Chairs will provide safeguarding guidance and training resources to Hosts via the Host Hub through trusted partners. This may include written guidance, online resources, and facilitated training sessions.

13. Third parties

Third parties that collaborate with Empty Chairs in any capacity, as independent organisations, are ultimately responsible for internally dealing with their own safeguarding concerns. This policy is intended to work alongside the equivalent policies of Empty Chairs' partners, where appropriate. All our partners must ensure that they comply, as a minimum, with the values, standards and commitments set out in this policy.

14. Review

This policy will be reviewed by the Empty Chairs team at least once a year, or sooner if:

• A significant safeguarding incident occurs
• There is a change in relevant legislation or best practice guidance
• We receive feedback that suggests the policy should be updated

Any updates to this policy will be communicated to Hosts and Host Coordinators through the Host Hub and our usual communication channels.

This policy was last updated on 28 September 2026.

15. Contact

If you have a safeguarding concern, please contact the Designated Safeguarding Lead at [email protected]. That inbox is read separately from our general email and treated as a priority.

If someone is in immediate danger, call 999 first.