POLICIES

Somers Town Space Community Interest Company who run A Space for us People’s Museum Somers Town are an organisation who welcome all. Here are our policies on:

  • Data Protection
  • Privacy Policy
  • Safeguarding Policy
  • Code of Conduct
  • Complaints
  • Digital Safeguarding Procedure 

Data Protection and Privacy Policy

Somers Town Space Community Interest Company
Operating A Space for Us – People’s Museum Somers Town and Somers Town History Club (STHC)

Last updated: August 2026
Review date: August 2027

1. Our commitment

Somers Town Space Community Interest Company (“Somers Town Space CIC”, “we”, “us”) is committed to protecting the personal information of everyone who comes into contact with our organisation.

We collect and use personal information in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), the Data Protection Act 2018 and other applicable UK data protection legislation.

This policy explains what information we may collect, why we collect it, how we use and protect it, how long we keep it, and the rights people have in relation to their information.

2. Who we are

Somers Town Space CIC is a community organisation promoting, recording and sharing the history, culture and heritage of Somers Town and the surrounding area.

We run A Space for Us – People’s Museum Somers Town and Somers Town History Club and deliver exhibitions, workshops, talks, walks, community activities, creative projects, school and youth activities, work experience, internships, research, oral history, photography and film projects, and indoor and outdoor events.

Our website is www.aspaceforus.club.

For data protection enquiries, please contact:

Email: historyclub@aspaceforus.club
or diana@aspaceforus.club

Somers Town Space CIC is the data controller for personal information that we collect and determine how to use.

3. What personal information we collect

Depending on how someone is involved with us, we may collect:

  • name;
  • email address;
  • telephone number;
  • postal address where necessary;
  • age or age range where relevant to participation in an activity;
  • parent or carer contact information for children and young people where appropriate;
  • emergency contact details;
  • school, college, youth organisation or other referring organisation;
  • event and activity booking information;
  • attendance and participation records;
  • volunteer, work experience and internship information;
  • access or support requirements;
  • photographs, video and audio recordings;
  • oral histories, interviews and personal stories contributed to our projects or archive;
  • responses to surveys, evaluation forms and feedback;
  • correspondence with us; and
  • information necessary for safeguarding, health and safety or the welfare of participants.

We aim to collect only the information that we genuinely need.

Some information, such as information about health, disability, ethnicity or other sensitive personal circumstances, may be special category personal data. We will only collect or use this where there is an appropriate reason and lawful basis for doing so.

4. How we collect information

We may collect personal information when someone:

  • joins our mailing list;
  • contacts us through our website, email or in person;
  • books or attends an event;
  • completes a registration, consent, feedback or survey form;
  • participates in a workshop, visit, youth project, internship or work experience;
  • volunteers or works with us;
  • participates in an oral history, film, photography or research project; or
  • provides information to us for safeguarding or health and safety purposes.

We may also receive information from schools, colleges, youth services, partner organisations, parents/carers or referral organisations where this is necessary to arrange someone’s participation or support.

5. Why we use personal information

We may use personal information to:

  • administer events, activities, workshops and visits;
  • communicate with participants, volunteers, members and supporters;
  • send newsletters and information about our activities where people have agreed to receive them;
  • manage bookings and attendance;
  • organise work experience, internships and volunteering;
  • provide appropriate support and make activities accessible;
  • fulfil our safeguarding and health and safety responsibilities;
  • evaluate our activities and report on the impact of funded projects;
  • conduct surveys and collect feedback;
  • document and preserve local history;
  • create oral histories, exhibitions, publications, films and other heritage material;
  • promote our activities where appropriate; and
  • comply with legal, contractual, insurance, funding and regulatory requirements.

6. Our lawful bases for using information

Under UK data protection law we must have a lawful basis for processing personal information.

Depending on the circumstances, we may rely on:

Consent – for example, where someone chooses to join our mailing list or where we specifically ask permission for a particular use.

Legitimate interests – where using information is reasonably necessary for the operation of our community and heritage activities and does not override the individual’s rights and interests.

Contract – where information is required in order to provide an agreed service, activity, placement or engagement.

Legal obligation – where we need to retain or disclose information in order to comply with the law.

Vital interests – in exceptional circumstances where information is needed to protect someone’s life or physical safety.

Where we process special category information, we will also identify an appropriate additional condition under data protection law.

7. Children and young people

We regularly work with children and young people through visits, workshops, events, work experience, internships and creative and heritage projects.

We recognise that children and young people have their own data protection rights and that their personal information requires particular care.

We will:

  • collect only information that is necessary for the activity;
  • explain, as far as practicable, how information will be used in language appropriate to the young person’s age and understanding;
  • involve parents, carers, schools or referring organisations where appropriate;
  • restrict access to information about young people to those who need it;
  • take particular care with photographs, films, interviews and personal stories involving children and young people; and
  • handle safeguarding information confidentially and only share it where there is an appropriate safeguarding or legal reason.

Parental consent is not automatically the lawful basis for every use of a child’s personal information. We will consider the appropriate lawful basis according to the activity and the age and understanding of the young person.

8. Photographs, film, audio and oral histories

Photography, filmmaking, audio recording and oral history are important parts of our work.

Where appropriate, participants will be informed that photography, filming or recording is taking place and how material may be used.

For identifiable portraits, interviews, oral histories and projects involving children or young people, we will use appropriate permissions or agreements and take particular care to explain the intended use of the material.

Some photographs, films, interviews and oral histories may be collected specifically as part of the historical archive. Where material is intended for long-term preservation, publication, exhibition or public access, we will explain this to participants as clearly as possible.

9. Mailing lists and communications

We use mailing lists to tell people about exhibitions, events, activities, campaigns and other matters relevant to our work.

People can unsubscribe from general marketing or newsletter emails at any time by using the unsubscribe link contained in the email or by contacting us.

We may retain a minimal record that someone has unsubscribed where necessary to ensure that we do not inadvertently add them back to a mailing list.

10. Google Drive and other online services

We use Google Drive and associated Google services to store and manage organisational documents and some personal information.

This may include:

  • contact and mailing lists;
  • participant and event information;
  • project administration;
  • volunteer, internship and work experience records;
  • consent and permission records;
  • surveys and evaluation information; and
  • other documents required to administer the organisation and its projects.

Access to folders and documents containing personal information is restricted to authorised directors, staff, volunteers or contractors who require access for their role.

We use password-protected accounts and appropriate access permissions and take reasonable steps to prevent personal information being accidentally shared or made publicly accessible.

We also use third-party services which may include:

  • Mailchimp for mailing lists and newsletters;
  • Eventbrite for event bookings;
  • SurveyMonkey or similar services for surveys and evaluation;
  • Zoom for online meetings and activities; and
  • Google services, including Google Drive, for organisational documents, contact lists and administration.

These organisations process information under their own security and privacy arrangements. Where they process personal information on our behalf, we take reasonable steps to use appropriate providers and data protection arrangements.

Some service providers may process or store information outside the UK. Where this happens, we will rely on appropriate safeguards for international transfers as required by UK data protection law.

11. Sharing personal information

We do not sell personal information.

We do not routinely share personal information with other organisations.

We may share limited information with partner organisations, schools, funders, professional advisers, service providers, insurers, regulators or public authorities where this is necessary and lawful.

For example, limited information may need to be shared with a school or youth organisation arranging a young person’s placement.

Safeguarding information may be shared with appropriate safeguarding services or authorities where this is necessary to protect a child, young person or adult at risk.

When reporting to funders, we will normally use anonymous or aggregated information wherever possible.

12. How we protect personal information

We take reasonable organisational and technical measures to protect personal information.

Personal information held electronically is stored using password-protected systems, including secure cloud-based services such as Google Drive.

Access to personal information is limited to directors, staff, volunteers and contractors who need it for their role.

We take particular care to restrict access to safeguarding information and other sensitive personal information.

Everyone given access to personal information on behalf of Somers Town Space CIC is expected to treat it confidentially and use it only for the purpose for which access has been given.

13. How long we keep information

We do not keep routine personal information for longer than reasonably necessary.

Different records need to be retained for different periods depending on their purpose and any legal, safeguarding, contractual, insurance or funding requirements.

For example:

  • mailing-list information is normally retained until someone unsubscribes or asks us to remove it;
  • event and project administration records are retained only for as long as reasonably required for administration, evaluation, funding and reporting;
  • safeguarding, financial, employment and contractual records may need to be kept for longer periods because of legal or regulatory requirements; and
  • selected photographs, oral histories, films, interviews, documents and other material may be retained permanently where they form part of our historical or community archive.

Where material is retained permanently for historical or archival purposes, we will consider privacy and access when deciding how the material is preserved and made available.

We periodically review information we hold and securely delete information that is no longer required.

14. Your data protection rights

Depending on the circumstances, individuals may have the right to:

  • be informed about how their information is used;
  • request access to personal information we hold about them;
  • ask us to correct inaccurate information;
  • ask us to delete information in certain circumstances;
  • ask us to restrict how information is used;
  • object to certain uses of their information;
  • receive certain information in a portable format; and
  • withdraw consent where consent is the basis on which information is being processed.

These rights are not absolute and some exemptions apply, including in relation to certain archival records and legal or safeguarding requirements.

To exercise a data protection right, please contact us at historyclub@aspaceforus.club or diana@aspaceforus.club.

We will respond in accordance with the timescales required by data protection law.

15. Personal data breaches

If personal information is accidentally lost, disclosed, accessed without authorisation or otherwise compromised, we will investigate the incident promptly.

We will record relevant personal data breaches and, where required by law, report a breach to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) and inform affected individuals.

Staff and volunteers should report any suspected loss, accidental disclosure or unauthorised access to personal information to the Director as soon as possible.

16. Complaints

If you have concerns about how we use your personal information, please contact us first so that we can investigate.

You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), the UK’s independent data protection regulator.

17. ICO data protection fee

Somers Town Space CIC will periodically assess whether it is required to pay the ICO data protection fee or whether an exemption applies, taking account of the personal information processing undertaken by the organisation.

18. Responsibility and review

The directors of Somers Town Space CIC are responsible for ensuring that appropriate data protection arrangements are maintained.

All staff, volunteers and contractors who have access to personal information must follow this policy and keep personal information confidential. This policy will be reviewed annually and sooner if there are significant changes to our activities, systems or legal obligations.

Policy approved: August 2026
Next review: August 2027

 

Equality

We fully committed to the concept of equality and will conduct all our activities to ensure that there is no discrimination on the grounds of sex, race, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, colour or national origin. We will not tolerate any discriminatory behaviour or victimisation or harassment to anyone in our meetings, or  towards us, or any of our organisers.

We will not tolerate bullying or belittling.

Policy Statement

Somers Town Space CIC is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all children, young people, and adults at risk. We provide a safe, inclusive environment and act promptly on any concerns.

2. Governance, Leadership, Culture & Accountability

  • The organisation’s three Directors hold ultimate legal responsibility for safeguarding and ensure compliance with statutory duties.
    We annually have safeguarding training and all directors are up to date.
  • Advisory Group Members provide independent support, challenge, and review of safeguarding practice.
  • Safeguarding is a standing agenda item at management and advisory group meetings.
  • A Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) and Deputy (DDSL) are in place.
  • Policies and procedures are reviewed at least annually by Directors with input from the Advisory Group.
  • All staff, volunteers, Directors, and Advisory Group Members understand their safeguarding responsibilities.

Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL): Email: Esther Leslie afoggyplace@gmail.com
Deputy Safeguarding Lead (DDSL): Stephen McCarthy (acts in absence of DSL)
Email: mccarthystephen14@gmail.com

3. Legal Framework

This policy is informed by:

  • Children Act 1989 & 2004
  • Care Act 2014
  • Working Together to Safeguard Children
  • Charity Commission safeguarding guidance

4. Safer Recruitment and Vetting

We ensure:

  • Appropriate DBS checks for all relevant roles via Carecheck
  • Verification of identity, references, and employment history
  • Interviews conducted in-person with at least two representatives
  • Clear role descriptions including safeguarding duties
  • Probation/monitoring periods for all staff and volunteers

5. Training and Awareness

  • Frontline staff receive annual safeguarding training
  • All others receive training at least every two years
  • DSL/DDSL complete advanced training via Camden Safeguarding Children Partnership
  • Safeguarding is regularly discussed in team and advisory group member meetings
  • Staff are aware of local support services for signposting

6. Recognising Concerns

Staff and volunteers will:

  • Understand signs and indicators of abuse
  • Take low-level concerns and “gut feelings” seriously
  • Record concerns clearly and promptly
  • Escalate concerns where necessary

7. Responding & Escalation

If a concern arises:

  1. Listen carefully and take the concern seriously
  2. Do not promise confidentiality
  3. Record factual details immediately
  4. Report to DSL/DDSL without delay

If a child discloses abuse:

  • Stay calm and listen
  • Reassure them they did the right thing
  • Do not ask leading questions
  • Report immediately

Escalation:

  • If no action is taken, staff must escalate concerns directly to Camden MASH
  • Do not rely on others; follow up referrals

Emergency:

  • Call 999 if immediate danger

8. Managing Allegations Against Staff

  • Report immediately to DSL or advisory group member
  • Contact LADO for guidance
  • Do not investigate internally before external advice

9. Code of Conduct

Staff and volunteers must:

  • Maintain professional boundaries
  • Avoid unsupervised one-to-one situations
  • Follow guidance on physical contact
  • Not use personal devices/social media to contact children
  • Follow rules on photography and consent

10. Working Safely in Community Settings

School Visits and Workshops

  • Maintain appropriate supervision ratios
  • Visiting teachers/group leaders retain responsibility
  • No unsupervised one-to-one contact
  • Risk assessments completed for activities
  • Clear procedures for arrival/departure and emergencies
  • Consent obtained for photos/recordings

General Practice

  • Staff not left alone without appropriate supervision
  • Risks considered even when parents/carers are present

11. Information Sharing & Record Keeping

  • Concerns recorded clearly and stored securely (GDPR compliant)
  • Information shared on a need-to-know basis
  • Information shared appropriately with statutory agencies

12. Use of Space by External Organisations

  • External users must have safeguarding policies
  • Must agree to adhere to our safeguarding standards

13. Continuous Improvement & Review

  • Annual safeguarding audits/reviews conducted
  • Learning from incidents recorded and acted upon
  • Policies updated following legislative or local safeguarding changes
  • Engagement with Camden safeguarding training and updates

14. Appendix A: Incident Reporting Form

Safeguarding Concern Record Form

  • Date and time of concern:
  • Name of person reporting:
  • Name of child/adult at risk (if known):
  • Description of concern (factual):
  • Any immediate action taken:
  • DSL/DDSL notified:
  • Date/time reported:
  • Outcome/action taken:
  • Signature:

15. Key Contacts

  • Emergency: 999
  • Police (non-emergency): 101
  • Camden MASH: 020 7974 3317 / 020 7974 4444
  • LADO: 020 7974 4556
  • NSPCC: 0808 800 5000

Review Date: June 2026 **Approved by: Directors (with Advisory Group oversight)

15. Appendix A: Incident Reporting Form

Safeguarding Concern Record Form

Date and time of concern:

Name of person reporting:

Name of child/adult at risk (if known):

Description of concern (factual, no opinion):

Any immediate action taken:

Name of DSL/DDSL notified:

Date and time reported:

Outcome / action taken:

Signature:

All records must be completed as soon as possible and stored securely in line with data protection requirements.

16. Policy Review

This policy will be reviewed annually or sooner if required due to changes in legislation or organisational practice.

Approved by: Somers Town Space CIC
Review Date: April 2026
Signed by Founding Director Diana Foster

01 April 2026

Email: diana@aspaceforus.club

A Space for us People’s Museum 

Somers Town

www.aspaceforus.club

52 Phoenix Rd, London NW1 1ES 

Privacy Policy

Somers Town Space CIC runs the Somers Town History Club (STHC)  and we are committed to protecting your personal information. Our Privacy Policy gives you detailed information on when and why we collect your personal information, how we use it and how we keep it secure.

Who we are and what we do

Somers Town Space Community Interest Company is a social and community voluntary organisation sharing, preserving and recording local history and runs the People’s Museum Somers Town at 52 Phoenix Road NW1 1ES. Our website is www.aspaceforus.club.

Somers Town Space CIC may collect personal data when a new member subscribes to the site, or is added to the Mailing list at an event. This may include the member’s name, address, phone number and email address. If during membership a member tells us of any changes, we will hold the new details in place of the old ones. We hold members’ personal data for the following purposes:

• to inform members about campaigns and other activities, events and matters of interest; and

• to be able to check that our records are up to date

  • to book onto events we hold via Eventbrite and mailchimp
  • to send survey and collect data via surveys

We do not share information with other members (other than the Chair and Secretary), other charities or businesses, except that email addresses are processed by Mailchimp,  zoom, or Eventbrite or SurveyMonkey solely for the purposes described above.

Access to your personal information

You can request to see, amend, or delete the personal data that Somers Town Space CIC holds about you. You can unsubscribe to general mailings at any time by clicking the unsubscribe link at the bottom of any of our emails, by emailing us historyclub@aspaceforus.club

If you ask us to delete your personal data, we will not be able to provide you with the benefits of membership.

How we protect your information

Somers Town Space CIC takes care to protect your information. All personal information stored by us is kept on servers in a secure environment. It is kept in a cloud based, password protected system to which only the Chair and Secretary have access.

MailChimp. We use a third-party provider, MailChimp, to deliver our group emails. For more information, please see their website: https://mailchimp.com/legal/privacy/.

How long will we hold your personal information?

If you ask us to delete your details, we will remove you from the membership list and will not contact you in the future. We keep keep records of the names and addresses of former members for historical purposes, unless you have asked us to delete those details.

Data Protection Register

There is no requirement for Somers Town Space CIC to be included in the ICO Data Protection Register.

Changes to this Privacy Policy We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. The date of the most recent revisions will appear on our website www.aspaceforus.club

Updated July 2020

Meetings
These will be held in a number of locations, such as the Basil Jellicoe Hall managed by Origin Housing or Training Link or the Living Centre, and facilitated by the steering group.
When in the Hall, we will comply with the Health and Safety policy of the facility.
Members of the steering group will familiarise themselves with this policy.
At least 2 people attending a meeting will be designated to act as stewards and will have familiarised themselves with how to evacuate the building.
We do not have a First Aider but will actively seek to recruit.

Where taking part in Zoom or other online meetings, we will tell people if these are to be recorded and ask for content.

Tours and walks
At present these will be led by qualified guides from Camden Tour guides or those from similar organisations with appropriate skills and cover.
It is an aspiration that local people will be able to lead walks after practical guidance and with appropriate cover.

Equal Opportunities
The Equal Opportunities policy of the hiring policy for the hall used will be adhered to.
Sharing of stories
Sharing stories is an integral part of the groups’ reason for being. We are an open organisation; however, we acknowledge we will need to work to some guidelines to ensure fair participation.
Those who wish to share their stories will be guided in the following:
Only to share stories that they are happy to be made public.
Be open to another view of a story/ memory and all parties to accept that memory is a fallible concept.
The facilitator of the meeting will guide discussion back to these concepts should the Equal Opportunities clause be compromised and or the content be causing disagreement.

Photography/recording/social media or for sponsors/ funders
Reports for sponsors will mean occasionally photographs will need to be taken.  In this situation consent will be obtained including information on how these photographs are to be used.
Permission will be sought from Origin Housing or Heritage Lottery guidelines to safely store consent forms for the appropriate length of time.
Participants will be advised that our meetings and activities are not occasions for private photography /recording /filming for personal use or use on social media. Any such recording in whatever form will not be tolerated (unless specific permission is obtained).

Filming for projects 
It is anticipated that individuals and groups will approach the group to record and document the stories and memories that are expressed. The Treatment for these projects will be discussed at the start of an event when such groups are present and they will be responsible for obtaining consent.
Individuals are free to participate in filming/photographs away from the Somers Town Stories activities but can seek guidance from the steering group.

Consent

A notice will be attached to any public situation or venue if recording of any kind is taking place and all reasonable steps will be taken to inform participants. Consent forms will be used where possible.  Available on request.

Somers Town Space Community Interest Company

diana@aspaceforus.club

VOLUNTEERING

CODE OF CONDUCT FOR STAFF & VOLUNTEERS (2026)

Somers Town Space Community Interest Company
 A Space for Us People’s Museum Somers Town

Applies to:
 All staff, volunteers, freelancers, students, contractors and anyone acting on behalf of the organisation.

Purpose:
 To ensure safe, respectful, inclusive, and professional behaviour in all interactions with children, young people, adults at risk, and visitors. Staff and volunteers must always act in a way that upholds the safeguarding, wellbeing, and dignity of all people.

1. General Principles

All staff and volunteers must:

  • Put the safety and welfare of children, young people, and adults at risk first.
  • Act professionally, politely, and respectfully at all times.
  • Uphold the values of Somers Town Space CIC and foster an inclusive environment.
  • Report any safeguarding concern immediately to the Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL).
  • Follow all policies, including Safeguarding, Health & Safety, Equality & Diversity, and Data Protection.
  • Never assume someone else will report a concern — safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility.

2. Professional Behaviour and Boundaries

Staff and volunteers must:

  • Maintain appropriate physical, emotional, and professional boundaries.
  • Be aware of the power and trust inherent in their role.
  • Use language that is respectful and age-appropriate.
  • Not give personal contact details to children or young people.
  • Not meet children or adults at risk outside museum activities.
  • Avoid personal or sexual relationships with anyone under 18 or with adults at risk.
  • Avoid behaviours that may be misinterpreted.

3. Physical Contact

Physical contact must only:

  • Be in response to a clear and age-appropriate need (e.g., assisting a child with mobility or calming distress).
  • Be non-intrusive and consent-based wherever possible.
  • Never be secretive or hidden.
  • Never involve touching areas normally covered by underwear.

Staff/volunteers must never:

  • Touch anyone in a way that could be considered sexual or aggressive.
  • Initiate unnecessary or inappropriate physical contact.

4. Communication & Digital Conduct

Staff and volunteers must:

  • Use only organisational email/social media accounts for work purposes.
  • Communicate with children or adults at risk only through approved channels.
  • Ensure online content is appropriate and respectful.
  • Never “friend”, message, or privately contact children or vulnerable adults on personal accounts.
  • Not take photographs or recordings without explicit permission following museum policies.

5. Safe Supervision

  • Children under 12 must remain with a parent or responsible adult unless in a supervised, consented workshop.
  • Staff must know emergency procedures and evacuation routes.
  • Activities must be risk-assessed and follow supervision ratios appropriate to age and activity.
  • Never leave a child or adult at risk unattended during an activity.

6. Responding to Concerns or Disclosures

If a child or adult at risk shares something concerning:

Staff and volunteers must:

  • Listen without interrupting or questioning.
  • Stay calm and take the concern seriously.
  • Report the disclosure immediately to the DSL.
  • Record the disclosure using the Safeguarding Concern Form.
  • Never promise confidentiality — explain you must pass this on to keep them safe.

Staff and volunteers must never:

  • Investigate the concern themselves.
  • Confront the person allegedly responsible.
  • Delayed reporting.

7. Prohibited Conduct

The following behaviours are strictly forbidden and may result in disciplinary action, dismissal, or referral to external agencies:

  • Harming, humiliating, or abusing a child, young person, or adult at risk.
  • Sexual contact or behaviour of any kind with a child or adult at risk.
  • Being under the influence of alcohol or drugs while working.
  • Swearing at or verbally abusing visitors.
  • Engaging in discriminatory, racist, sexist, or offensive behaviour.
  • Allowing or encouraging unsafe practices.
  • Giving gifts or special favours to children (“grooming behaviours”).
  • Taking children in personal vehicles.
  • Being alone with a child or adult at risk in a closed or isolated space unless necessary and risk-assessed.

8. Safeguarding Responsibilities

All staff and volunteers must:

  • Read and understand the Safeguarding Policy.
  • Attend safeguarding induction and refresher training.
  • Record and report concerns immediately.
  • Challenge unsafe behaviour by colleagues or visitors.
  • Support the museum’s commitment to a culture of vigilance and safety.

9. Health, Safety & Environment

Staff and volunteers must:

  • Follow museum health and safety procedures.
  • Report hazards or accidents immediately.
  • Keep spaces tidy and accessible to prevent risk.
  • Support visitors with additional needs appropriately and respectfully.

10. Equality, Diversity & Inclusion

The museum is committed to ensuring all individuals feel welcome and valued. Staff and volunteers must:

  • Actively promote inclusion.
  • Respect differences across culture, disability, gender, religion, and identity.
  • Challenge discriminatory remarks or behaviour.

11. Whistleblowing

If a staff member or volunteer feels that concerns are not being appropriately addressed by the DSL, they must:

  • Report to a Director; or
  • Contact Camden’s MASH or the NSPCC Helpline; or
  • Use the Charity Commission’s safeguarding whistleblowing route.

No one will be penalised for reporting genuine concerns.

12. Acknowledgement

All staff and volunteers must sign below to confirm they have:

  • Read and understood this Code of Conduct
  • Agreed to follow it at all times
  • Understood the consequences of non-compliance

Name: _______________________________________
Role: ________________________________________
Signature: ____________________________________
Date: _________________________________________

Complaints Procedure

Policy Version: May 2026
Review Date: May 2027

1. Purpose

A Space for Us – People’s Museum Somers Town aims to provide a welcoming, inclusive and respectful environment for all visitors, participants, volunteers, artists, researchers, community members and partners.

We recognise that concerns or complaints may occasionally arise. We are committed to:

  • listening carefully and respectfully;
  • responding fairly and promptly;
  • learning from mistakes;
  • improving our services and activities;
  • ensuring people feel safe raising concerns.

This procedure explains how service users can raise a complaint and how we will respond.

2. What Is a Complaint?

A complaint is any expression of dissatisfaction about:

  • visitor experience;
  • exhibitions or events;
  • conduct of staff, volunteers or trustees;
  • accessibility;
  • safeguarding;
  • discrimination, harassment or bullying;
  • communications;
  • facilities or services;
  • use of personal information;
  • activities carried out by the museum.

We welcome feedback and distinguish between:

TypeMeaning
FeedbackSuggestions or comments for improvement
ConcernA problem that may be resolved quickly and informally
ComplaintA serious or unresolved issue requiring formal investigation

3. Our Commitments

We will ensure complaints are:

  • taken seriously;
  • handled confidentially where possible;
  • responded to without discrimination;
  • dealt with politely and professionally;
  • resolved as quickly as reasonably possible.

We will not tolerate abusive, threatening, discriminatory or harassing behaviour towards staff, volunteers or visitors.

4. Who Can Make a Complaint?

Anyone may make a complaint, including:

  • visitors;
  • local residents;
  • participants in workshops or events;
  • volunteers;
  • artists or collaborators;
  • researchers;
  • online users;
  • parents or carers;
  • community partners.


Complaints may be made by a representative acting on someone’s behalf where appropriate.

5. How to Make a Complaint

You can raise concerns:

Informally

Please speak to a member of staff or volunteer during your visit or contact us by email.
Many issues can be resolved quickly and informally.

Formally

If the issue is serious or cannot be resolved informally, please contact us in writing:

Email: info@aspaceforus.club
Post:
Complaints
A Space for Us – People’s Museum Somers Town
52 Phoenix Road
London NW1 1ES

Please include:

  • your name and contact details;
  • what happened;
  • dates/times if relevant;
  • names of people involved (if known);
  • what outcome you are seeking.

Complaints may also be submitted verbally if accessibility or language support is needed.

6. Complaint Response Times

We aim to:

StageTimeframe
Acknowledge complaintWithin 10 working days
Investigate complaintNormally within 20 working days
Provide written responseWithin 30 working days where possible

If more time is needed, we will explain why and provide an update.

7. How Complaints Are Handled

Complaints will usually be handled by a director or designated senior representative who was not directly involved in the issue. We may:

  • speak to staff or witnesses;
  • review correspondence or records;
  • review CCTV or event documentation where applicable;
  • seek safeguarding advice where necessary.

Possible outcomes include:

  • apology;
  • explanation;
  • corrective action;
  • policy review;
  • mediation;
  • safeguarding referral;
  • no further action where evidence does not support the complaint.

8. Safeguarding Concerns

Safeguarding concerns involving children or vulnerable adults will be treated urgently and managed in line with the museum’s safeguarding policy.

Where appropriate, concerns may be referred to:

  • Camden Safeguarding;
  • the Police;
  • other statutory agencies.

If someone is in immediate danger, call 999.

Our published safeguarding information is available at:
Museum Policies Page

9. Equality, Inclusion and Accessibility

We are committed to equality and inclusion and will make reasonable adjustments to help people make complaints. This may include:

  • large print;
  • verbal complaints;
  • support from an advocate;
  • extra time;
  • accessible communication methods.

We will not tolerate discrimination, bullying or harassment.

10. If You Are Not Satisfied
If you are unhappy with the outcome, you may request a review within 20 working days of receiving our response.
The review will normally be conducted by a different director, our committee or independent adviser where possible.

The review decision will normally be final.

11. Privacy and Confidentiality

Personal information provided through complaints will be handled in accordance with our Privacy Policy and UK data protection law. Information will only be shared where necessary:

  • to investigate the complaint;
  • to safeguard individuals;
  • where required by law.

12. Learning From Complaints

We record complaints anonymously for monitoring and improvement purposes.
We review complaints to improve:

  • visitor experience;
  • accessibility;
  • safeguarding;
  • volunteer practice;
  • events and exhibitions;
  • organisational procedures.

13. Related Policies

This procedure should be read alongside:

  • Safeguarding Policy
  • Equality Policy
  • Privacy Policy
  • Code of Conduct

ital safeguarding policy

Published: 28 January 2026

Version: 1

Somers Town Space (STS) Community Interest Company run the People’s Museum Somers Town and welcome visitors of all ages and abilities. As an organisation, Somers Town Space Community Interest Company will  focus on promoting positive experiences, engaging with the local community, its history and heritage. We will ensure this happens in a safe and supportive environment, including the online environment. We will give equal priority to keeping all children, young people, and adults safe regardless of their age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion  or belief, sex, or sexual orientation. 

Policy aims and purpose

Digital safeguarding is how we help everyone involved with STS stay safe online. We follow the same safeguarding principles offline and online, but recognise that some types of harm can happen only, or mostly, online.

This policy sets out our commitment to digital safeguarding and the different types of online harms, our expectations, and how we help our visitors, volunteers and staff stay safe online.

This policy applies to all STS volunteers and all staff employed by STS whether permanent, fixed term or contracted. It covers all STS activities at any level which take place online. These include:

  • Any activities that take place over internet STS provides.
  • Any STS activities that take place on non-STS affiliated digital platforms, like Facebook or Zoom, or devices, like mobile phones or computers.
  • It also applies to everyone who uses our websites, digital platforms and social media. 

You must follow this policy and its procedure, and read them alongside our safeguarding policy and procedure.

If you have a safeguarding concern – offline or online – you must report it within 24 hours (or sooner if it’s an emergency) to the safeguarding lead, Esther Leslie, or one of our other directors, Steve McCarthy or Diana Foster.

Definitions

Visitor – Anyone engaging with STS activities and content, including visitors to the People’s Museum, individuals attending walking tours or other offsite activities, and individuals engaging with STS digitally.

Volunteer – anyone who gives their time to STS without being paid, including volunteers working directly with visitors and volunteers with no direct contact.

Digital platforms – includes social media, websites, apps and online software.

Social media – any digital communications that allows you to communicate with more than one person at a time, like Facebook, X, Whatsapp or Instagram. Email can be considered to be social media, for example a group email chain.

Social media channels – includes both our official and volunteer social media channels, like a Facebook page.

Staff – anyone employed by STS whether permanent, fixed term or contracted.

Policy statement

STS’s commitment to digital safeguarding

We’re committed to safeguarding everyone involved with STS. This includes people who use our digital services and social media channels. 

We follow the same safeguarding principles for STS’s activities offline and online. This policy relates closely to our safeguarding policy and managing information policy.

We recognise and respond to digital safeguarding concerns including but not limited to:  

  • Online abuse – including online bullying, online harassment, cyberstalking, and discrimination and abuse on the grounds of protected characteristics.
  • Online exploitation – including sexual exploitation and online grooming.
  • Online harms – including the promotion of self-harm, suicide and eating disorders, and the sharing of illegal and inappropriate imagery.
  • Specialist areas – including radicalisation.
  • Other harms including disinformation and misinformation, hoaxes, hacking, oversharing of personal information, impersonation and harmful online challenges.

You don’t have to be certain about a concern, so if you think someone is at risk of any of these harms, and if in doubt, you must report it. 

Expectations

STS expects all volunteers, staff and visitors to:

  • Always report a safeguarding concern, offline or online, even if you aren’t sure. 
  • Respond to online incidents in the same way as other safeguarding incidents. This could be something that happens at a unit meeting, or a member raising an issue at an online meeting.
  • Follow the digital safeguarding procedure, alongside our safeguarding policy.
  • Recognise the types of online harms and the risks they have.
  • Make every effort to ensure staff and volunteers understand why and how to stay safe online.
  • Make sure you have the correct permissions in place before taking and using photographs or recording. Our photography/filming consent form should be filled out for interviews and one-off photography. At events a sign notifying attendees of filming and photography must be posted, informing visitors of how to opt-out.
  • Parent or carer permission must be obtained for photography or recording of anyone under the age of 18.
  • Never contact a volunteer under 16 without permission from their parent or carer. This applies even if they contacted you first, unless it’s an emergency.
  • Follow STS’s code of conduct online as you would offline.
  • Make sure you set up and use social media accounts responsibly. See our digital safeguarding procedure for more information.
  • Make sure you do everything possible to stop access to illegal or inappropriate content on STS devices or devices used for STS activities. For example, using parental controls.

How STS helps our members, volunteers and activities stay safe online

  • Our safeguarding lead and directors lead digital safeguarding and make sure we’re obeying the law and using best practice. 
  • The safeguarding lead and directors are on hand to support all our members, volunteers, and staff. You can contact them at 
  • We make sure our projects, activities, programmes and campaigns support all of our visitors, volunteers and staff to stay safe online.
  • We aim to incorporate best practice in digital safeguarding in everything we do.
  • We help our volunteers to support visitors in being effective online.
  • We take action in line with best practice when a digital safeguarding incident happens.
  • We support and train volunteers and staff in digital safeguarding.
  • We risk-assess all our projects, initiatives, programmes, activities, services and campaigns to make sure digital safeguards are in place.
  • We support volunteers and staff using our safeguarding structure. We use our safeguarding procedure to manage allegations against volunteers.
  • Staying safe is our priority but we can’t resolve every issue. Some may be the service provider or user’s responsibility.

Digital Safeguarding Procedure 

Safeguarding online

What do I need to do?

You need to follow the same safeguarding principles as you would normally. Just because an allegation, concern or disclosure is about something online doesn’t mean it’s any less serious or important. If you’re not sure whether something is a concern, it’s always better to report it.

What’s the difference between safeguarding and digital safeguarding?

Digital safeguarding covers any type of safeguarding concern which happens online or involves technology. Most types of abuse or harm can happen online or in-person, like bullying and grooming. Other types of harm primarily take place online, like sexting or the pressure or coercion to share sexual images.

We don’t expect you to be an expert in different types of online harm. And you don’t have to be certain about a concern before you get in touch with us about an issue.

Digital safeguarding also means thinking about the information you’re sharing online about yourself and others. Be aware of online scams and make sure you know who can see what you’re sharing or doing online.

When sharing or collecting personal data about young visitors and volunteers, make sure only parents and carers can see it. You might also want to think about whether your messages are encrypted, especially when sharing something like bank details. Encryption makes messages more secure and less likely someone can get access to the information who shouldn’t. WhatsApp and Facebook messenger use encryption, but Facebook groups don’t.

Communicating with young volunteers online

Some of those who volunteer with STS are under 18, including work experience students. Older volunteers and staff must follow these rules for digital communication with young volunteers.

  • Avoid messaging 1-to-1 with volunteers under the age of 18, unless it’s an emergency. You can find more guidance on this below.
  • Make sure you’re using an age-appropriate platform. Check the terms and conditions of the platform if you’re not certain.
  • Follow our safeguarding policy.
  • Follow the specific rules for each age group below.

Communicating with young volunteers in an emergency

You must avoid communicating 1-to-1 with young volunteers online, including during virtual meetings, but there may be times when a young volunteer contacts you privately and you need to reply.

If they’ve contacted you on social media, by email, or by text you should always reply to let them know you’ve received their message. But copy someone else into your reply and explain that private contact is not allowed between staff/adult volunteers and young volunteers. If it’s not possible to include someone else in your response, use a different contact method instead.

If a young volunteer phones you, answer the phone to find out why they’re calling. It could be an emergency so it’s important not to ignore the call. If they just wanted to let you know they’re running late, thank them for letting you know and end the call. If they want to have a longer conversation about something, rearrange the call so another volunteer or staff member can also take part. Or arrange to meet in person with another volunteer or staff member at the People’s Museum. 

In an emergency it’s more important to respond to this than to avoid 1-to-1 contact.

After any 1-to-1 communication with a young volunteer, you must let another volunteer or member of staff know what happened straightaway. If you can, it’s a good idea to download or screenshot an online conversation and share this as well.

If a young volunteer repeatedly contacts volunteers or staff privately you may need to raise this with their parent or carer. You must also let a director know. If you have any safeguarding concerns about the young volunteer, follow our safeguarding procedure and contact a director.

Social media and young volunteers

You mustn’t add volunteers under 18 or allow them to follow you on your personal social media accounts, unless you already know them outside of STS.

If you want to use social media to communicate with young volunteers you could either use an STS specific account instead of your personal one, or use a platform which allows group messaging without needing to follow each other, like a Facebook group or Instagram group chat.

If a young volunteer tries to add or follow you on your personal social media account, let them know you’re not allowed to accept their request. You could speak to them in person at the People’s Museum to let them know. Or send them a message with another staff member or volunteer copied in. 

If they keep trying to add or follow you, you may need to raise this with their parent or carer. Speak to a director for advice if you’re not sure how to handle this conversation. If you have any safeguarding concerns about the young volunteer, follow our safeguarding procedure and contact a director.

Digital devices in meetings and at events

If you’re using devices as part of your in-person meetings or at events, make sure young volunteers or visitors won’t be able to view anything illegal or inappropriate.

Supervise young volunteers and visitors in an age-appropriate way when they’re online. If a young person will be using STS devices, consider using safety and security settings, like parental controls, when setting up. These will help protect children from inappropriate content online. You can find guides for setting up parental controls on lots of different devices on the internet matters website.

Young volunteers should be made aware that they need to follow the same rules as adult volunteers. They must only take or share images if photo permissions allow this, and must follow our procedure on taking and sharing photos and videos.

They should also use social media responsibly and safely, within the community guidelines and terms and conditions of the platform.

Virtual meetings

You must have at least 2 adults present throughout the call.

At least 1 adult volunteer or staff member must be DBS checked. Volunteers or members of staff in roles that require them must have a current valid DBS check. Any volunteer or member of staff who doesn’t need a disclosure check for their role, or hasn’t completed one yet, must be supervised by someone with a current valid disclosure check.

Avoid 1-to-1 contact online between older volunteers or members of staff and young volunteers.

You also need to complete a virtual meeting checklist and risk assessment (PDF) before running online meetings.

Get parent or carer permission

You’ll need to get written permission from parents or carers for young volunteers to join virtual meetings.

Always contact parents and carers to talk through your plans for online meetings. Explain how you’ll be meeting and how often.

Running safe meetings online

There’s lots to think about when it comes to virtual or online meetings.

When planning or setting up the meetings:

  • Decide on a platform that will work best for your meeting. Check the terms and conditions, including age requirements, as many are changing their features regularly.
  • Set up your account so that each meeting has a unique passcode, and attendees are put into a virtual waiting room before joining.
  • Make sure the room you’re in is suitable for young volunteers to see.
  • If you’re joining a virtual meeting from home and have other people around, make sure they’re dressed appropriately and know how to behave when you’re talking to young volunteers.

Some platforms allow direct messaging or group chats. Make sure all volunteers know they can raise any worries with a director. 

Using social media

Social media is a great tool for keeping in touch with other volunteers and staff, and letting people know about all the great stuff we do at STS.

We want our presence on social media to reflect our values. So when interacting with our official social media accounts you need to follow our community guidelines.

You can find our rules on communicating with young volunteers on social media above.

Setting up STS social media pages or accounts

Ask permission from the directors before setting up a social media page or account which represents, or is associated with any part of STS. You will also need to follow some basic principles to make sure you’re being a good ambassador for STS:

  • Report any safeguarding concerns in line with our safeguarding policy.
  • Keep everyone’s data safe by following our data protection policy.
  • Follow the platform’s community guidelines and terms and conditions, including on age restrictions.
  • Include a short description of what the account is for and who it represents. For example, ‘This is the X account for the People’s Museum Histories of Health research group. The views expressed here are those of the research group’.
  • Make sure you use the most appropriate privacy settings for the account. 
  • If you use social media to discuss any personal information about a young volunteer, make sure to do so in a private communication with the parent or carer.

Running social media accounts

There’s lots to think about when it comes to running social media accounts day to day.

Talk with STS directors and staff and decide:

  • Who will have access to the account, and what level of access will they have? You should make sure more than one person has full moderator access in case something goes wrong, and so that you can share responsibility and support each other.
  • Who will post, and what will you post about? Are there any emotive topics you’ll avoid? Content must always be relevant to STS, and in keeping with our values.
  • Will you use social media to engage in anything political? If there’s an election coming up, you’ll need to take extra care as there are regulations about campaigning and political activities by charities. You can find out more in our general election guidance.
  • How often will you post, or check the account for comments and messages?
  • Who will delete posts, and when?
  • How will you deal with comments from other users? 

Sharing photos and videos on social media

Sharing photos, videos and other images on your guiding social media is a great way to show what STS is all about. But always check you have the right permissions before posting. 

You can only share images of young volunteers with parent/carer permission.

You mustn’t post images of young volunteers taken in your volunteering role on your personal Facebook, X (formerly known as Twitter), or other social media.

Your personal social media

As a volunteer, you must follow our code of conduct. So be aware of what you say and how you say it when you’re online. Think about whether your posts and comments are appropriate, and in keeping with our values and expectations.

If you’re clearly seen to be part of STS on your social media (for example, tagging STS accounts in your profile), you must avoid posting party political messages during any election period.

Our photo permission options don’t include sharing images or videos on personal social media. This means you mustn’t post images or videos of volunteers or members of the public taken in your volunteering/staff role on your personal social media. 

You mustn’t knowingly add or follow volunteers or visitors under 18 or allow them to follow you on your personal social media accounts, unless you already know them outside of STS. You can decide whether to add or follow adult volunteers or visitors on your personal accounts.

And remember that anything you post on social media can easily be shared, even if your account is set to private.

Responding to online incidents

If something goes wrong online or involving social media, escalate any issues to your commissioner as soon as possible. They can help you decide on the most appropriate action to take. This might involve deleting posts or comments, reporting behaviour to the social media platform, or reporting a concern to the Safeguarding Lead.

Some possible issues you might face include:

Complaints and criticism. How would you normally handle this offline? Can you do it in the same way? 

Abusive messages. Sending abusive messages online is unacceptable behaviour, and receiving these messages can be distressing and overwhelming. If anyone involved in STS is sending abusive messages, get in touch with the Safeguarding Lead. Consider blocking the person sending the messages or asking another volunteer to look after the account temporarily.

Hacking. Do you have another way to contact people to let them know if someone has hacked into your account? You don’t want anyone to click on a link that downloads a virus, pay money, or share personal information with a stranger.

Fake accounts or impersonation. Do you have a way to check that the person is who they say they are? Could you check with a parent or carer in another way before you add them to a private group?

After an incident, you should talk to your unit team, local commissioner, or area team about whether the steps you took were the right ones. Would you do anything differently if it happens again?

What do I do if…

I have a concern about a young member’s or volunteer’s behaviour, or what they may have been exposed to online?

If you have any concerns, contact our safeguarding lead for advice and support. You don’t have to be sure about the concern or think it’s serious to get in touch.

If a volunteer’s behaviour online isn’t in line with our code of conduct, this may impact on their membership. 

A volunteer’s posts on social media make me concerned about their safety or wellbeing.

If you know the volunteer personally you might feel comfortable sending them a message to make sure they’re okay or to offer your support. If you’re not comfortable doing this or it isn’t appropriate, you should contact their parent or carer or teacherto raise your concerns. If you think they may be at an immediate risk of harm, contact the emergency services. And then let our safeguarding lead know you’ve done this. Read more about how and when to report concerns in our safeguarding procedure.

If you don’t know the volunteer personally, you should contact our safeguarding lead to report your concerns. It may help us to identify them if you can send a screenshot of the social media posts and as much information about the volunteer as possible. 

A volunteer contacts me privately and I’m worried about their safety or wellbeing.

Respond to the volunteer, even if you’re not sure what to say. It’s important they don’t feel ignored or alone. If it’s appropriate, ask if you can speak to their commissioner or the safeguarding lead on their behalf.  

If you believe they may be at an immediate risk of harm, contact the emergency services. And then let our safeguarding lead know you’ve done this. Read more about how and when to report concerns in our safeguarding procedure.

I’m a young volunteer with a concern about myself or someone else.

Speak to an adult you trust if you can. This could be your parent or carer or teacher. They can help you find the right information and support. 

If you don’t feel able to talk to anyone you know about your concern, you can contact a specialist organisation, like Childline. They may be able to support you or give you the information you’re looking for. You can find more organisations on our support organisations page.

A young member shares that someone has posted photos of them online.

Follow our safeguarding advice on handling disclosures. And contact our HQ safeguarding team to report the concern. 

I have a concern about someone being bullied online.

It’s important to take concerns about bullying seriously, whether the behaviour is taking place in person or online. Our anti-bullying and harassment procedure explains how you should respond to different types of bullying.

I may have caused or seen a data breach or other data protection issue online.

Follow our managing information procedure on reporting a data breach. Or contact our data protection team for advice.

A young member I have an existing relationship with outside of STS follows me on social media.

If you already have a relationship with a young volunteer outside of STS, for example a niece, granddaughter or family friend, we don’t expect you to stop following each other on social media. But it’s still a good idea to check the age restrictions for the platform, and for their parent or carer to know you’re connected on social media. You must not allow other young members to add or follow you on social media.