Safeguarding at Brooke

Brooke has zero tolerance for any staff and representatives committing harm from sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment. We take a robust approach to any accusations or concerns when dealing with safeguarding issues.

Our policies and procedures are designed to support victims and survivors in coming forward to report harm.

We understand the courage required in reporting incidents and concerns. We treat all reporting confidentially. Safeguarding Focal Points are trained to receive sensitive reporting and we provide support to individuals who come forward.

Brooke strives to comply with the laws, rules and regulations by which it is governed and with recognised compliance practices. All those in scope must comply and read the Policy in conjunction with the relevant procedures. Failure to do so may subject the Charity and staff to serious civil and/or criminal liability. Failure to comply with the Policy may result in disciplinary sanctions, including suspension or termination.

As part of our commitment to best safeguarding practice, Brooke operates a policy of ‘presumption of truth’ when receiving reports of incidents or concerns. This means we will treat every report seriously and investigate further where necessary. Staff and representatives have a responsibility to report any concerns that they become aware of. It is the responsibility of Brooke to determine if a safeguarding incident has occurred and to investigate it.

We encourage and welcome anyone raising a concern. Including our partners, the people and communities we work with, our supporters, donors, Brooke representatives, staff and members of the public.

You can do this through our dedicated safeguarding reporting tool

If you have serious concerns relating to the conduct of Brooke staff, volunteers, trustees, consultants or any Brooke representatives working on our behalf or on projects we are funding with a partner then we encourage you to raise these with us.

Use our reporting system to report breaches of our code of conduct or violations of the law including issues relating to bribery and corruption, competition law, fraud, financial crime, food safety and quality issues, harassment (physical and sexual) and discrimination, international trade controls, protection of personal data, rights and protection of individuals, serious environmental damage or conflicts of interest.

Our dedicated safeguarding reporting tool is monitored by our Global Safeguarding Team in the UK. 

In order to use our reporting tool correctly please read our guide to Brooke's reporting tool.

Or, you can email [email protected] with your concern. Please note that the Safeguarding Trustee will aim to respond as soon as possible. If you would like a speedier response please use the Safeguarding Reporting Tool. 

We assess all reports received, then assign depending on where the concern has occurred whether in the UK or in our country programmes. 

If an investigation is required into suspected concerns or wrongdoing as set out in our Malpractice in the Workplace Policy we will carry out formal investigations by appointing an Investigation Manager to lead the process, investigate further and carry out interviews with the complainant, witnesses and the subject of the complainant. 

All reports will be forwarded by the Investigation Manager (through Brooke’s confidential end-to-end reporting tool) to the Global Safeguarding Team in the UK and if relevant to the Country Programme Director as long as they are not the subject of the complaint.    

Your information will be treated in strict confidence. You do not have to provide personal details and can report anonymously. However such information will assist us in taking forward your concerns and enable us to provide you with a response on the outcome. If you ask us not to disclose your identity we will not do so without your consent but we will comply with our legal duties under Charity Commission Regulations.

Submit a confidential report through our dedicated safeguarding reporting tool