Safeguarding

Version 1.0 | Date adopted: [27/10/2026] | Next review: [26/10/2027]
Policy owner: Dr Darren Richard Carlaw, Editor

1. Policy statement

StepAway Magazine believes that the welfare of children and adults at risk of abuse comes first. Everyone who writes for us, reads us or works with us has the right to be safe from harm, abuse and exploitation. This policy explains how we protect people and what we do when there is a concern.

Our approach is based on the principles of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and on the safeguarding laws and guidance that apply in the places where we work.

2. Scope

This policy applies to everyone acting for StepAway Magazine: the Editor, guest editors, volunteers, and anyone else who handles submissions or contributor information. It covers all StepAway activity, including calls for submissions, editing, publication, social media, events, workshops and projects with partner organisations.

3. Definitions

Child: anyone under the age of 18.

Adult at risk: an adult who has care and support needs and, because of those needs, is unable to protect themselves from abuse or neglect.

Abuse: physical, emotional or sexual abuse, neglect, exploitation, bullying, grooming and online harm.

4. Who StepAway works with

StepAway Magazine generally works with adults and expects most submissions to come from adults. Our calls for submissions are open to all, in the interests of inclusivity, so we may sometimes receive work from a person under 18.

StepAway does not run activity that involves unsupervised contact with children. Where a project involves young people through a partner organisation, that partner is responsible for their safeguarding under its own policy (see section 9).

5. Responsibilities

Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL): Elena Carlaw, Sub Editor, elena@stepawaymagazine.com
The DSL receives all safeguarding concerns, decides what action to take and keeps the records.

Deputy DSL: Dr Darren Carlaw, Editor, editor@stepawaymagazine.com
Acts when the DSL is unavailable, or when the concern is about the DSL.

Everyone covered by this policy must read it, follow the code of conduct in section 8, and report any concern straight away.

The DSL will report to the Editor on safeguarding matters at least once a year, and immediately if a serious concern arises.

6. Submissions from under-18s

  1. Our calls for submissions will state that contributors under 18 need written consent from a parent or guardian before any work is accepted for publication.
  2. Where we learn that a contributor is under 18, we will not publish their work until consent is received.
  3. We will publish only the contributor’s name and work. We will not publish personal contact details, a home address, a school or other identifying information unless a parent or guardian agrees in writing.
  4. A contributor, or their parent or guardian, may ask us to remove their work at any time, and we will do so promptly.
  5. We will not ask any contributor for more personal information than we need to publish their work.

7. Safe recruitment and checks

We carry out checks proportionate to each role. Any editor, guest editor or volunteer who may have contact with children through StepAway activity will be asked to provide a current DBS certificate, or the equivalent in their own country, before that contact begins. We take up references where appropriate.

8. Code of conduct

Everyone covered by this policy will:

  • communicate with contributors known to be under 18 only through the official StepAway editorial email address, with a second editor copied in;
  • never use private messaging, personal social media accounts or personal phone numbers to contact a child;
  • never arrange to meet a child alone, online or in person;
  • treat all contributors with respect, and never use language or behaviour that is abusive, discriminatory, sexualised or intimidating;
  • never ask for, share or publish images of children without written parent or guardian consent;
  • keep contributor information confidential and secure, and share it only with those who need it;
  • never promise a child that a disclosure will be kept secret.

Breach of this code will be treated as a safeguarding concern and may result in removal from any role with StepAway.

9. Working with partners

Where StepAway works with another organisation on a project involving children or adults at risk, we expect that organisation to hold its own safeguarding policy and procedures, to meet the legal requirements of the country where it works, and to be responsible for the people it brings to the project. Before the project begins, we will agree with the partner who is responsible for what, and a single route for raising and sharing concerns.

10. Responding to concerns

A concern might be a disclosure from a child or adult, something we notice in a submission or in correspondence, or the behaviour of someone acting for StepAway.

  1. Listen and stay calm. Do not ask leading questions or investigate yourself.
  2. Never promise secrecy. Explain that you may need to pass the information on to keep the person safe.
  3. Record what was said or seen, in the person’s own words where possible, with the date and time.
  4. Report to the DSL straight away, and within 24 hours at the latest. If the concern is about the DSL, report to the Deputy DSL.
  5. The DSL decides the action. If a child may be in immediate danger, the DSL, or any person present, will call the police (999 in the UK). Otherwise the DSL will refer the concern to the local authority children’s services or other statutory body for the area where the child lives.
  6. Inform partners and funders where a concern arises in connection with a funded project or partnership and they need to be told.

Anyone may also seek advice from the NSPCC helpline on 0808 800 5000.

No one will face any penalty for raising a concern in good faith.

11. Online safety

StepAway publishes online and communicates by email and social media. We will:

  • moderate comments on our own channels and remove abusive or harmful content;
  • not follow or message contributors known to be under 18 from personal accounts;
  • report illegal content or online harm to the platform and, where appropriate, to the police.

12. Records and data protection

Safeguarding records are kept securely, separately from editorial files, and are accessible only to the DSL and Deputy DSL. They are held for as long as necessary and handled in line with data protection law. We share them only where needed to protect someone or where the law requires it.

13. Monitoring and review

The DSL will review this policy at least once a year, and after any safeguarding incident or any change in the law or in the way StepAway works. Each review will be dated and recorded.

14. Contact

If you have a concern about the safety or welfare of anyone connected with StepAway Magazine, please contact the Designated Safeguarding Lead, Elena Carlaw, at elena@stepawaymagazine.com

Concerns are taken seriously and handled in confidence.

If a child is in immediate danger, call 999.