Statements

Below you will find all of St Basils’ Statements.

Each statement starts on a new banner.

For questions or queries about these statements, please email info@stbasils.org.uk

Safeguarding

St Basils has a duty of care to our service users, and is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of young people.

We prioritise the provision of a safe and secure environment in which young people can thrive and develop and where all aspects of their welfare will be protected and promoted. This commitment is demonstrated by the inclusion of safeguarding as a priority within our policies, practices and communities.

St Basils employs a person-centred perspective that focuses on outcomes for the young person and our organisation is a Psychologically Informed Environment (P.I.E), in which there is a culture of active listening.

All employees, volunteers and Hosts within St Basils are responsible for putting our safeguarding instruction at the centre of service delivery and to follow the clear reporting process when they suspect or are aware of a safeguarding incident or concern.

They receive information and training that outlines their responsibilities to safeguarding, which starts at recruitment.

We follow Safer Recruitment guidelines to ensure we have the right people working and volunteering within St Basils and with the young people we serve.

We are committed to multi-agency working to safeguard and protect young people, including appropriate and effective information sharing and/or multi-agency assessment. We also work closely with other organisations, to address any barriers to an effective approach to safeguarding.

Anti-Racism

St Basils recognise that racism goes beyond conscious or open hostility towards individuals or communities because of their culture, colour, nationality, race, or ethnic background. Racism can be covert, subtle, and unconscious. It can also be institutional and embedded within systems which affect us all.

At St Basils, we strive towards a more equal, fair and inclusive environment; an important part of this is recognising and tackling racism wherever we encounter it. We understand that to serve our community as best as possible, we must actively challenge all forms of hate and discrimination. This includes holding ourselves accountable by implementing policies and strategies that will help to close gaps and decrease any inequalities experienced by our colleagues, and also the young people we work with in the West Midlands.

Youth homelessness in the UK continues to increase. Centrepoint Databank figures in 2022-23 identified almost 136,000 young people approaching their Local Authority for assistance, representing a 5% increase compared to the previous year. The young people who approach St Basils for assistance are disproportionately from Black, Asian and minoritised ethnic communities. We are working vigilantly as an organisation to eradicate all forms of racism so that we can ensure our young people receive the support they need when facing the ultimate exclusion of homelessness.

Whilst we strive for excellence in this area, we recognise we have much more to do. Although our colleagues are diverse in a multitude of ways, we understand that this is not reflected throughout all levels of the organisation. By embracing and adopting an anti-racist approach, we are consciously structuring our activities to reflect our values and actions to address any systemic barriers to race equality. This requires solidarity, bravery, and honesty in recognising that there remains much to do, and we must work collectively to listen to experiences and to tackle these inequalities at personal and systemic levels.

We know that we need to do more to tackle racism in society – wherever and whenever it occurs. We are determined to ensure that our colleagues and young people find a safe space within St Basils that does not perpetuate the racism that exists within society, institutionally or culturally through our policies, procedures and delivery of services. We can no longer simply be not racist; at St Basils we will endeavour to be an actively and visibly anti-racist organisation that is also an ally to all GEM groups (Global Ethnic Majority).

We are currently developing our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion framework which will extend to specific Anti-Racism training, policies, and commitments. We also understand that to get it right, it will take time, investment and dedication to ensure that conversations around awareness are had continually and that both our colleagues and our young people have a safe space to discuss their experiences and concerns.

EDI

St Basils is committed to creating an environment for staff, young people and partners that is free from all forms of discrimination and where diversity is embraced. It is our intention to do our very best for each young person, ensuring that the service St Basils offers is fair, inclusive, appropriate and relevant for each individual. St Basils also wants to ensure that staff are provided with the best employment opportunities and that they are enabled to contribute effectively to the work of the organisation.

Our strategic priority ‘Challenging discrimination and promoting diversity and cohesion through employment, service delivery and community engagement’, highlights our commitment to ensuring that staff and young people are provided with a safe and secure environment in which they can thrive and develop, and where all aspects of their welfare is protected.

You can find all EDI statements on our Equality and Diversity page below.

Equality and Diversity

Modern Slavery

St Basils is opposed to all forms of slavery and human trafficking. Modern slavery takes many forms including slavery, servitude, forced and compulsory labour, child exploitation and human trafficking, all of which have in common the deprivation of a person’s liberty by another in order to exploit them for personal or commercial gain.

St Basils sources all Goods, Services and Works within the UK and the European Union. Our supply chains range from simple stationery requirements to asset management services, property improvements, through to IT infrastructure and software necessary to:

Deliver front line services to Young People in the properties we own, occupy and manage
Build / develop new social housing units
Provide business support services that keep the organisation operating and achieving its charitable purpose

Overall responsibility for compliance with the Modern Slavery Act rests with our Board and the day to day monitoring of risks is delegated to the Senior Leadership Team. Any suspicions of Modern Slavery will be fully disclosed to the Board at the earliest opportunity.

Everyone at St Basils has a role to play to ensure that policies and procedures are implemented and maintained. As well as having a robust policy framework and governance structure, staff receive Safeguarding training which covers Modern Slavery and informs what staff must do if they suspect Modern Slavery is occurring in front line services. Everyone at St Basils must ensure they carry out their roles in line with this Statement and St Basils’ policies and procedures.

St Basils’ has the following policies in place which help to identify and prevent modern slavery and human trafficking:

Recruitment Policy
Whistleblowing Policy
Safeguarding Policy
Code of Conduct
Financial Regulations
Ethical Fundraising Policy

Our supply chains are limited, and we procure goods and services from a restricted range of suppliers. If we do identify any that represent a risk of modern slavery, human trafficking, forced and bonded labour and labour rights violations, we will take relevant action including informing the police and terminating the associated contract pending a full review. St Basils takes a zero tolerance approach to modern slavery and human trafficking and as such will not continue to work with suppliers and contractors where they have failed to demonstrate the minimum required standards of transparency. This standard will also be expected of our donors and funders.

St Basils will work towards having a better understanding of Modern Slavery risk in our organisation and supply chains, and of our current mitigations and practices. We will embed modern slavery as a core consideration into relevant business practices, whether this is in respect to procurement, recruitment, partnership working, or the services and support provided to Young People.

St Basils remains committed to continually improving our practices to combat slavery and human trafficking, protecting and respecting human rights.

Environmental

It makes sense to us that as an organisation committed to working with young people to secure their future, we should also be concerned about our impact on the environment and actively be working to find ways to reduce it. Because of this, St Basils is committed to finding ways to reduce our environmental impact in a number of areas.

For the past three years, St Basils is proud to have achieved a five star self-assessed rating for the Green Achiever Award showing our continued commitment to sustainability and continuous improvement.

Our Environmental Action Group (EAG) meet quarterly and feed back to the Senior Leadership Team and Board, informing them of new initiatives and the progress made within St Basils. The EAG regularly review and update St Basils Environmental Policy, which was most recently approved by the Board in September 2023.

Environmental Sustainability Policy

Changes to how we dispose of our rubbish at head office and the Birmingham Youth Hub means we have comprehensive recycling, with a new waste management company, Ash Waste Services, who recycle around 90% of the waste they collect.

With a number of housing projects, St Basils is reducing energy consumption through a programme to replace existing fittings in our properties with low-energy consumption versions. Almost a quarter of St Basils buildings have some form of controlled lighting, ensuring they’re only on when in use.

Staff are invited to consider how they travel to work, with discounted bus passes offered through National Express West Midlands and a Cycle to Work scheme, which allows staff to get cheaper commuter bicycles. We have also stopped automatically offering new staff or visitors car parking spaces at our head office, which is located within walking distance of Birmingham city centre.

In 2022, St Basils was awarded the Bronze level Modeshift STARS accreditation. This scheme recognises schools, businesses and other organisations that have shown excellence in supporting cycling, walking and other forms of sustainable and active travel.

We know that whilst we are on the right track with reducing our environmental impact, we also know there is still more St Basils can do. We are collecting data to identify our carbon footprint, so we can find ways to measure changes and look at further ways we can positively impact the environment.

How you can help

We are encouraging our supporters to help us raise funds by diverting printer cartridges away from landfill. We are able to receive money for each used inkjet printer cartridges sent to Recycle4Charity via freepost, or organisations can arrange a box collection if they have a number of used printer ink cartridges.

Whistleblowing

St Basils works with young people to enable them to find and keep a home, grow their confidence, develop their skills, increase opportunities and prevent homelessness. We strive to undertake our work with integrity, humility, and accountability and have built governance structures to ensure the highest standards of quality, openness and probity.

We support, promote and encourage individuals to speak up whenever they witness or experience actual or suspected wrongdoing or misconduct.

What is whistleblowing?

Whistleblowing is the term used when an individual passes on information concerning a wrongdoing or a danger which affects / could affect the public interest (meaning it must affect others). You do not need to have evidence to whistleblow; a reasonable and honest concern is sufficient. If any individual has a genuine concern related to suspected wrongdoing or danger concerning any of our activities, we encourage them to disclose it as soon as possible.

Raising concerns

In the first instance, our Whistleblowing policy asks staff to raise their concern with their line manager, a HR Officer or senior manager at St Basils as soon as they become aware that any wrongdoing is happening, has happened or is likely to happen. Concerns can be disclosed in person or in writing. However, we understand that this is not always possible depending on the circumstances around the concern. For staff who want to discuss their concerns confidentially or anonymously, or for external individuals wishing to disclose a concern, this can be done by contacting our Designated Whistleblowing Officer directly on zoe.rossi-oc@stbasils.org.uk

A link to our Whistleblowing policy can be found here.

Anti-Fraud Pledge

Fraud is an ever evolving and increasing criminal threat to society. No organisation – charitable or otherwise – can make itself completely immune to fraud but it can take steps to minimise the risks.

St Basils is committed to doing precisely that, which is why we have signed the Fraud Pledge.

By taking the pledge we are showing that we work actively to prevent fraud, wherever it might occur in our organisation, and are proud to display the ‘Fraud Pledge’ badge.

By doing this, we are providing a visible demonstration that we take the protection of our assets, and the public funds we receive, very seriously.

Fraud Pledge - Prevent Charity Fraud