Doel en reikwijdte

Dit onderwerp is te vinden in de: Beleid inzake geweld, agressie en veiligheid
Last updated: October 9, 2026 at 10:08

Doel

Iguality is committed to creating environments in which volunteers, staff, beneficiaries, participants and community members feel physically and emotionally safe.

Through our mental health, psychosocial, sports, companionship and community activities, Iguality works closely with people who may sometimes experience distress, frustration, conflict or difficult personal circumstances. Distress or disagreement does not in itself constitute violence. However, no volunteer or staff member is expected to accept threatening, violent or intimidating behaviour as part of their role.

This protocol explains:

  • what Iguality considers violence, aggression and threatening behaviour;
  • what a volunteer should do if they feel unsafe during an activity or session;
  • when emergency services should be contacted;
  • how incidents and near misses should be reported;
  • how Iguality assesses the situation afterwards;
  • when contact or services should temporarily be paused or modified; and
  • how Iguality supports volunteers affected by an incident.

This protocol complements Iguality's Safeguarding Policy. It does not replace the existing safeguarding reporting and response procedure.

Our core rule

Your safety comes first. You are never required to continue a session or activity that you reasonably believe is unsafe.

Volunteers are not expected to put themselves at risk in order to calm a beneficiary, finish a session, protect an activity, protect Iguality property or manage a violent situation.

Domein

This protocol applies to violence, aggression or threatening behaviour occurring in connection with Iguality activities, whether:

  • during an individual session;
  • during therapy or psychosocial support;
  • during companionship activities;
  • during sports or community activities;
  • at an Iguality or partner location;
  • in a public space;
  • during travel connected to an activity;
  • through telephone calls, messages, social media or other digital communication;
  • before or after a session where the behaviour is connected to the Iguality relationship.

While this protocol has been developed particularly to protect volunteers when a beneficiary or participant behaves violently or aggressively, its safety principles apply regardless of who is responsible for the behaviour.

Where an incident also involves sexual harassment, discrimination, abuse, exploitation, harm to a child or at-risk adult, or another safeguarding concern, the relevant Iguality policy also applies.