London Cocktail Week’s purpose is to advance and celebrate cocktail culture within London, acting as a thought leader and space of learning, connection, and entertainment for both trade and consumer visitors.

The purpose of this policy is to protect people, particularly risk adults, from any harm that may be caused due to their coming into contact with London Cocktail Week. This includes harm arising from: 

• The conduct of staff or personnel associated with London Cocktail Week
• The conduct of staff or personnel associated with bars and venues working with London Cocktail Week
• The design and implementation of London Cocktail Week’s programmes, events and activities.
  

The policy lays out the commitments made by London Cocktail Week, and informs staff and associated personnel of their responsibilities in relation to safeguarding.

This policy does not cover: 

• Sexual harassment in the workplace – this is dealt with London Cocktail Week’s Anti Bullying and Harassment Policy

• Safeguarding concerns in the wider community not perpetrated by London Cocktail Week or associated personnel

 

 

In the UK, safeguarding means protecting peoples' health, wellbeing and human rights, and enabling them to live free from harm, abuse and neglect

In our sector, we understand it to mean protecting people, including at risk adults, from harm that arises from coming into contact with our staff, associated bars, events or programmes.

 

 

• All staff contracted by London Cocktail Week
• Associated personnel whilst engaged with work or visits related to London Cocktail Week, including but not limited to the following: consultants; venue staff; visiting bar staff; visiting drinks professional staff; volunteers; contractors; and programme visitors including journalists, influencers, celebrities and politicians

 

 

London Cocktail Week believes that everyone we come into contact with, regardless of age, gender identity, disability, sexual orientation or ethnic origin has the right to be protected from all forms of harm, abuse, neglect and exploitation. London Cocktail Week will not tolerate abuse and exploitation by staff or associated personnel. 

This policy will address the following areas of safeguarding: adult safeguarding, and protection from sexual exploitation and abuse.  These key areas of safeguarding may have different policies and procedures associated with them (see Associated Policies).

London Cocktail Week commits to addressing safeguarding throughout its work, through the three pillars of prevention, reporting and response.

LONDON COCKTAIL WEEK RESPONSIBILITIES

London Cocktail Week will:

• Ensure all staff have access to, are familiar with, and know their responsibilities within this policy
• Design and undertake all its programmes and activities in a way that protects people from any risk of harm that may arise from their coming into contact with London Cocktail Week.  This includes the way in which information about individuals in our programmes is gathered and communicated
• Implement stringent safeguarding procedures when recruiting, managing and deploying staff and associated personnel 
• Ensure staff receive training on safeguarding at a level commensurate with their role in the organisation
• Ensure venue staff participating in London Cocktail Week have access to, are familiar with, and know their responsibilities within this policy
• Ensure venue staff participating in London Cocktail Week are signposted to resources around safeguarding; Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI); and safe reporting procedure within the festival
• Follow up on reports of safeguarding concerns promptly and according to due process

STAFF RESPONSIBILITIES

Adult safeguarding

London Cocktail Week staff and associated personnel must not:

• Mistreat or discriminate against any adult due to their background and/or identity. This includes but is not limited to: ethnicity, skin tone, accent, gender identity, sexuality, disability, neurodivergence, sex, physical attributes, or economic background
• Sexually abuse or exploit at risk adults
• Subject an at risk adult to physical, emotional or psychological abuse, or neglect

London Cocktail Week staff and associated personnel are obliged to:

• Contribute to creating and maintaining an environment that prevents safeguarding violations and promotes the implementation of the Safeguarding Policy
• Report any concerns or suspicions regarding safeguarding violations by a London Cocktail Week staff member or associated personnel to the appropriate staff member 

 

London Cocktail Week will ensure that safe, appropriate, accessible means of reporting safeguarding concerns are made available to staff and the communities we work with.

Any staff reporting concerns or complaints through formal whistleblowing channels (or if they request it) will be protected. London Cocktail Week will also accept complaints from external sources such as members of the public, partners and official bodies.  

How to report a safeguarding concern

Staff members who have a complaint or concern relating to safeguarding should report it immediately to their Safeguarding Focal Point or line manager.  If the staff member does not feel comfortable reporting to their Safeguarding Focal Point or line manager (for example if they feel that the report will not be taken seriously, or if that person is implicated in the concern) they may report to any other appropriate staff member.  For example, this could be a senior manager of the company.

Response

London Cocktail Week will follow up safeguarding reports and concerns according to policy and procedure, and legal and statutory obligations.

London Cocktail Week will apply appropriate disciplinary measures to staff found in breach of policy.

London Cocktail Week will offer support to survivors of harm caused by staff or associated personnel, regardless of whether a formal internal response is carried out (such as an internal investigation).  Decisions regarding support will be led by the survivor.

Confidentiality

It is essential that confidentiality in maintained at all stages of the process when dealing with safeguarding concerns.  Information relating to the concern and subsequent case management should be shared on a need to know basis only, and should be kept secure at all times. 

 

POLICY CREATED BY EQUAL MEASURES CIC