About

Safeguarding

Safeguarding at Biojemmss

Safeguarding is central to who we are, how we work, and the standards we uphold across both Biojemmss UK and Biojemmss Uganda. Our work involves children who have experienced significant trauma, exploitation, and abuse. Creating and maintaining the safest possible environment is therefore not optional — it is foundational to our mission.

Biojemmss Uganda is a faith-based, registered Non-Governmental Organisation working with children at risk. Registered with the Ministry of Internal Affairs in 2010, the organisation continues to meet all annual renewal and compliance requirements. Governance is overseen by an active Ugandan Trustee Board, supported by appropriate oversight from Biojemmss UK.

Since 2015, Biojemmss Uganda has been an approved member of the Children At Risk Action Network (CRANE), demonstrating our commitment to national standards of good practice and child protection. Staff undergo safer recruitment checks, including references and police clearance, and many hold professional qualifications in childcare or social work. Ongoing training ensures safeguarding knowledge remains current and robust.

Biojemmss UK is a registered charity and meets all requirements of the Charity Commission. Governance is provided by a cross-denominational trustee board with expertise in safeguarding, legal practice, ministry leadership, governance, and international NGO work. Biojemmss UK is a member of Thirtyone:eight and uses recognised international safeguarding tools to support continual improvement. Trustees and volunteers follow strict safeguarding procedures and maintain up-to-date training.

We do not operate on a system of informal “trust”, which has historically contributed to corruption and the exploitation of children in some charitable contexts. Instead, Biojemmss is built on strong governance, transparent processes, and rigorous accountability. Our financial records are independently audited each year, and our safeguarding practice is informed by international frameworks including the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Our approach is trauma-informed, recognising the impact of early adversity and ensuring that our environments, relationships, and practices promote healing, safety, and trust.

Safeguarding is not simply a policy for Biojemmss — it is a culture, a responsibility, and a commitment to protecting every child entrusted to us.

Trustees’ Safeguarding Statement

Agreed by the Trustee Board on: 15/12/2025

Biojemmss UK and Biojemmss Uganda are jointly committed to the safeguarding of children and adults with care and support needs and to ensuring their safety and wellbeing across all our work.

We recognise that we all have a responsibility to help prevent harm or abuse to children and adults with care and support needs in all their recognised forms. We affirm the personal dignity and rights of every child and adult, and we ensure that our policies and procedures reflect this.

We believe all people should enjoy and have access to every aspect of the life of the Biojemmss Organisation, whether in the UK or Uganda. We undertake to exercise proper care in the appointment and selection of all staff and volunteers who work with children and adults with care and support needs. We believe every child and adult should be valued, safe, and happy, and we want everyone we work with to feel empowered to speak up if they are experiencing significant harm.

We are committed to:

• Following statutory, denominational, and specialist safeguarding guidelines, and ensuring that all workers and volunteers act within the procedures set out in our safeguarding policy
• Implementing the requirements of relevant UK legislation, including (but not limited to) Working Together to Safeguard Children 2023, the Disability Discrimination Acts 1995 and 2005, and the Equality Act 2010
• Supporting the Biojemmss Uganda team to maintain robust safeguarding policies, guidelines, and procedures appropriate to the Ugandan context
• Ensuring safer recruitment across both countries, including DBS checks in the UK and police checks in Uganda
• Supporting, resourcing, and training those who undertake safeguarding responsibilities
• Keeping up to date with national, local, and international developments in safeguarding
• Ensuring that all staff, volunteers, and trustees agree to abide by our safeguarding policy
• Supporting anyone within the organisation who has been affected by abuse
• Working in partnership with safeguarding networks including CRANE, Viva Uganda and Thirtyone:eight in the UK
• Ensuring our approach is informed by international frameworks such as the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child

We recognise:

• In the UK, Children’s Social Care (England, Wales, Scotland) and Gateway Services (Northern Ireland) have lead responsibility for investigating concerns about a child, and Adult Social Care for concerns about adults with care and support needs
• In Uganda, concerns or allegations are responded to in line with Biojemmss Uganda’s safeguarding procedures, including reporting to local authorities and the police where appropriate, and ensuring responses align with international child-protection standards
• Where an allegation suggests a criminal offence may have been committed, the police should be contacted as a matter of urgency
• Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility

Safeguarding Contacts

If you have a safeguarding concern or need advice, you can contact us at:

safeguarding@biojemmss.com

Details of our Designated Safeguarding Leads and Safeguarding Trustees in both the UK and Uganda are available on our Team page.

If you believe a child or adult is in immediate danger, please contact the police or local emergency services.