Triratna Model Safeguarding Policies and Ethical Guidelines 2023
On Thu, 22 June, 2023 - 10:46
Here are Triratna’s model policies for Safeguarding children and adults, updated for 2023, along with guidance documents and the Triratna Model Ethical Guidelines.
Safeguarding and ethical policies and procedures are a practical expression of ahimsa, non-harming, the value underlying Buddhist precepts and the Bodhisattva activity of protecting living beings from harm.
The Triratna Model Safeguarding policies follow UK legal requirements and the regulatory requirements of the Charity Commission for England and Wales, who now also require charities to have a statement of more general ethical values, such as the Triratna Model Ethical Guidelines. The Safeguarding policies have been updated and published each year since 2013 and any questions about them should go to the ECA Safeguarding officer at safeguarding [at] triratna.community.
The Triratna Model Ethical Guidelines (first published in 2016 on the initiative of Triratna’s International Council) are an internal statement of values based on the five precepts, for those teaching in Triratna centres, groups and retreat centres. Questions about the content of the Model Ethical Guidelines should go to Subhadassi, Order Ethics Convenor at ethicsorderconvenor [at] gmail.com. As they complement the Safeguarding policies they are published together with them.
Since these are model documents and based on UK requirements, it is up to those running each centre/retreat centre/enterprise to use them as they are, or adapt and/or translate them as they think fit, in line with local requirements.
In addition
- the Triratna Model Child Protection Code of Conduct is a short guide to safe behaviours which will help prevent suspicions or accusations of misconduct with those under 18.
- Caring for Teenagers in Triratna offers guidance as to best practice when including in Triratna activities those aged 16-17, increasingly independent but legally still children.
- Managing Those Who Pose a Risk offers guidance on the safe inclusion in our sangha of those whose past or present behaviour indicates they pose a risk of harm to themselves or others; eg ex-offenders.
- Online Safety in Triratna offers guidance for staying safe in online teaching with adults and with under 18s.
- Safeguarding and Data Protection offers guidance on UK law relating to how to store, share and use personal information.
For ease of reference, where a document has been updated you will also find below a pdf of the document with changes highlighted in yellow.
Please note:
Hridayagita took over from Munisha on 23rd June 2023, with the title ECA Safeguarding Co-ordinator. If you have an urgent Safeguarding concern and she is not available, or you want a second and/or external opinion, you may wish to contact the helpline run by our external Safeguarding advisers Thirtyone:eight. www.thirtyoneeight.org
They can be reached at +44 (0)1322 517817 or 0303 003 1111.
If you (or anyone else) have (or may have) been harmed, or may be at immediate risk of harm, please contact your local police and/or social services as soon as possible.
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I notice that in the section “Managing those who pose risk” there is an assumption that the offender is male, i.e. “unlike other Mitras he will not be able…” This just is not the case there have been many cases of women being both violent and sex offenders. (I am aware that the majority of cases are male) I would like this to be degendered. I am not sure where this appears in other documents as I have not read them all. Please could you change ‘he’ to either he/she or they. See below;
Ex-offender Mitras Some ex-offenders become Mitras. Like any other Mitra such a person becomes a friend to our Order and Community worldwide. However, unlike other Mitras he will not be able to turn up at any other centre or retreat centre in the world; he will first need to contact the Safeguarding officer there, too, so that the appropriate measures can be put in place. Apart from that, if he is on the UK Sex Offender Register he will be limited by the terms of his registration, which may (for example) include not being able to leave the UK or stay away from home without notifying the police. It’s often said, as part of the Mitra ceremony, that the new Mitras will now be welcome at any Triatna centre in the world, so before the ex-offender decides to become a Mitra it will be important to clarify with them, in private, that this will not be the case for them until they are free of all restrictions from the criminal justice system.