Policy

Safeguarding matters.

Coffee Afrik works with children, young people, and adults at risk. Safeguarding is non-negotiable across every hub, every session, every team member.

Our principles

Safeguarding at Coffee Afrik means actively protecting the welfare, dignity, and rights of every person we work with, particularly those who are vulnerable because of age, disability, mental health, or circumstance.

We work to four principles:

  • Believe first. If someone tells us they are at risk or have been harmed, we take it seriously.
  • Act fast. Concerns are escalated within 24 hours, or immediately if there is risk of imminent harm.
  • Listen to the person. Safeguarding decisions are made with the person, not over their head, wherever it is safe to do so.
  • Be culturally competent. Safeguarding has too often been weaponised against Black, Muslim, and migrant families. We are aware of this and check our practice against it.

Who this applies to

  • Children and young people (under 18) who attend our youth provision or accompany family members.
  • Adults at risk, including those experiencing domestic abuse, mental health crisis, harm related to drug use, or housing emergency.
  • Staff, volunteers, and anyone working at our hubs.

Designated safeguarding leads

Each Coffee Afrik hub has a named Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL). The organisation-wide DSL is the Managing Director, Abdirahim Hassan. Deputy DSL is the Programmes Lead. All staff and regular volunteers receive safeguarding training appropriate to their role.

How to raise a concern

If you are worried about someone, including yourself:

  • If there is immediate risk: call 999.
  • For non-emergency concerns about Coffee Afrik: email safeguarding@coffeeafrique.co.uk. This inbox is monitored daily by the DSL.
  • If you would rather speak to someone outside Coffee Afrik:
    • Hackney Adult Social Care: 020 8356 5782
    • Tower Hamlets Adult Social Care: 020 7364 5000
    • NSPCC: 0808 800 5000
    • Samaritans: 116 123

Confidentiality

We treat safeguarding information confidentially, sharing only with people who need to know to keep someone safe. We do not breach a person's privacy without their consent unless there is a legal duty or a risk to life.

Anti-extremism and Prevent

Coffee Afrik is opposed to all forms of extremism, violence, and abuse. We do not formally subscribe to the Prevent strategy, which we and many community organisations have publicly criticised for its disproportionate impact on Muslim communities. We meet our safeguarding duties through trusted relationships, listening, and direct community work.

Review

This policy is reviewed annually by the board and DSL. Any incident or concern that highlights a policy gap triggers an earlier review.

LAST UPDATED · May 2026