Speakers Code of Conduct - Investment20/20

Speaker Code of Conduct

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Introduction

By taking part in any Investment20/20 outreach activity, including sessions in education or community settings, workplace visits on site on an employer premises, employer-hosted activities and virtual delivery, Speakers agree to follow this Speaker Code of Conduct and the Investment20/20 Safeguarding Policy.

Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility. Investment20/20 is committed to promoting the welfare of children and young people and keeping them safe. This agreement explains the standards expected of Speakers, the professional boundaries that must be maintained, and the steps to follow if a safeguarding concern or disclosure arises.

IMPORTANT

The Speaker Code of Conduct is completed once for the academic year. A new Speaker Code of Conduct will need to be completed for each new academic year or if the Speaker Code of Conduct is updated. Investment20/20 will keep a record of each completed Speaker Code of Conduct as evidence of completion. In addition, Speakers will

Be required to participate in a briefing session, delivered via Microsoft Teams, for each Investment20/20

outreach activity that they take part in.

Receive a PDF version of the Speaker Code of Conduct on the Outlook Meeting Planner for each event that they have confirmed they are participating in. Accepting the Outlook Meeting Planner indicates that they accept to act in accordance with the Speaker Code of Conduct.

Section 1: Related documents

The Speaker is required to familiarise themselves with the Investment20/20 Safeguarding Policy before taking part in any Investment20/20 outreach activity: https://www.investment2020.org.uk/safeguarding-policy/.
Please note: In the policy, “child” and “young person” mean anyone under the age of 18. The same professional boundaries in this agreement should be applied consistently to every participant, regardless of age, because age does not dictate vulnerability.

Section 2: The role of a Speaker

A Speaker is an employee, employer representative, alumni or other adult invited by Investment20/20 to contribute to an activity. Speakers will generally:

Support an Investment20/20 workshop in a school or college
Attend a careers event with Investment20/20
Support an onsite event run by Investment20/20 that take places at their own place or on other employer premises

The role of the Speaker includes:

Sharing their career journey
Talking about their organisation or area of work
Taking part in a panel discussion
Answering questions to help participants understand the different routes into and through the investment management sector.

It does not include:

Sharing personal information, oversharing personal experiences, or using examples that are not relevant to the activity or appropriate for participants.
Sharing stories about behaviour at social events, salary details, or personal experiences that are not career related.
Using stories, jokes, examples or comments that could be seen as inappropriate, sexist, racist, discriminatory, offensive or otherwise unsuitable.
Suggesting that one route into work or further study is better than another, including presenting university as better than apprenticeships, or apprenticeships as better than university.
Using the Speaker’s professional position in a way that could place undue influence on participants, recognising that Speakers may be seen as role models by young people.

A Speaker’s role is not to:

Provide pastoral care
Give personal, financial or professional advice
Form ongoing one-to-one relationships with participants
Be a mentor, counsellor or teacher

Section three: Safeguarding arrangements for workplace, outreach and virtual activities

Whilst the education or community provider is responsible for its students’ safeguarding and welfare and must ensure that an appropriate staff member is present throughout the activity, this does not remove the responsibility of Investment20/20, employer representatives or any other adult involved. Everyone must follow the Investment20/20 Safeguarding Policy, maintain professional boundaries and report concerns promptly.

Employer representatives (Speakers) are not routinely DBS/PVG checked for these activities because:
- They are always accompanied by an Investment20/20 member of staff and a member of staff from the education or community provider, and
- Sessions take place in an open and observable setting with an appropriate education or community provider staff member (e.g., teacher) present, and
- They do not routinely see students more than once for an activity, and
- The education or community provider remains responsible for applying its own safeguarding and supervision procedures, whether the activity takes place on their own premises (e.g., in a school/college) or on the premises of an employer.

Section four: Responding to a safeguarding concern or disclosure

This section should be read alongside the Investment20/20 Safeguarding Policy, particularly the section on

responding to and reporting safeguarding concerns. Speakers should follow the four Rs: Recognise, Respond,

Report and Record.

Recognise: Be alert to signs that a participant may be at risk, has experienced harm, or is making a disclosure. Take any concern seriously, even if you are unsure whether it meets a safeguarding threshold.
Respond: If anyone is in immediate danger, contact the emergency services on 999 first, then tell the provider and Investment20/20. Stay calm, listen carefully and take the concern seriously. Do not investigate, ask leading questions, make assumptions or confront anyone who may be involved. Do not promise confidentiality. Explain that you must share the information with the people responsible for safeguarding so they can help keep the participant safe.
Report: Report the concern without delay to the education or community provider’s designated safeguarding contact and to Investment20/20 at [email protected]. Inform your organisation’s HR or safeguarding contact where appropriate. If the concern relates to the conduct of an Investment20/20 colleague, Speaker, volunteer or provider representative, report it directly to Investment20/20 and do not attempt to manage it yourself.
Record: Make an accurate factual record as soon as possible, including the date, time, location, who was present, what you observed and the participant’s own words where relevant. Do not add assumptions or personal opinions. Share information only with those who need it for safeguarding purposes. Do not discuss the concern with other Speakers, participants, parents or carers unless instructed by the designated safeguarding contact or a statutory agency.

Section five: Personal safety

Before visiting an education or community setting as part of an Investment20/20 outreach activity, plan your visit and put appropriate personal safety arrangements in place:

Share details of the event with your line manager so they approve your involvement and know where you will be. Forward the meeting planner or event details, including the venue address.
Provide Investment20/20 with a mobile contact number that can be used on the day.
Take a note of the contact number for the Investment20/20 representative attending with you.
Plan your route to the venue, including the safest way to travel from any public transport stop to the venue.
If you do not feel it is safe to continue to the venue, contact the Investment20/20 representative and return to your office or home. Investment20/20 will notify the provider.
Investment20/20 will keep your HR contact informed of any personal safety concern where appropriate.

Section six: Good practice guidelines

All adults working with or alongside Investment20/20 during events and activities are expected to demonstrate exemplary behaviour. They are also expected to re-review the Speaker Code of Conduct before each activity, which will be shared through the Outlook Meeting Planner for each event and by email. These guidelines apply to face-to-face and virtual delivery and are designed to create a safe, positive and professional environment for all participants.

Do:

Make sure an appropriate member of education or community provider staff, such as a teacher, is present throughout face-to-face and virtual sessions.
Prioritise the welfare and safety of each participant.
Work in an open and observable environment, avoiding private or one-to-one situations.
Treat all people with respect and dignity.
Maintain appropriate physical, emotional and professional boundaries.
Ensure participants are in a space with other people around.
Share information that is relevant to your career journey, current role, organisation, area of work and the skills, insights and knowledge you use in your work.
Use appropriate, inclusive and respectful language, recognising the influence you may have over participants because of your professional position.
Give a positive response to all routes of progression, including university, apprenticeships and the Investment20/20 trainee programme.
For virtual delivery, use a professional or blurred background where possible, remove personal or inappropriate items from view, do not display personal contact details, and switch off on-screen notifications.
If a participant has further questions, direct them to Investment20/20, the education or community provider, or your organisation’s official HR contact.
Be a positive role model and give enthusiastic, constructive feedback.
Follow the hosting organisation’s procedures for safeguarding, first aid, accidents or incidents, and inform Investment20/20.
Report any incident, concern, disclosure or boundary issue promptly to Investment20/20 and follow the Investment20/20 Safeguarding Policy.

Do not:

Ever be alone in a room with a participant.
Engage in rough, unsafe or inappropriate physical activity.
Allow or engage in any unnecessary physical contact.
Allow inappropriate language, behaviour or comments to go unchallenged where it is safe and appropriate to address them or fail to report them where needed.
Say or do anything that could be interpreted as aggressive, hostile, discriminatory, offensive, sexually suggestive or violent.
Share personal information, stories from social events, salary details, or personal experiences that are not relevant to the activity or may be inappropriate for participants.
Use examples, jokes, stories or comments that could be seen as sexist, racist, discriminatory, offensive or otherwise unsuitable.
Suggest that one route into work or further study is better than another, including presenting university as better than apprenticeships, or apprenticeships as better than university.
Do anything of a personal nature for a participant that they can do for themselves.
Take a participant in a car, accompany them on a journey, or arrange to meet them outside the specific event.
Ignore, dismiss, delay recording or fail to report any allegation, disclosure, safeguarding concern or incident.
Seek or continue contact with participants after the session, offer or arrange to meet them outside the event, or give or request personal contact details.
Reply directly if a participant contacts you after a session. Forward the message to your organisation’s HR contact or to Investment20/20 so any response can be managed through an official channel.
Communicate with any participant following an Investment20/20 event unless this is through an official organisation or HR channel, and via the HR team.
Connect with, follow or accept requests from participants on any social media platform, including LinkedIn. If you receive a request from someone you believe attended the event, decline or remove it and inform Investment20/20 and your HR representative.
Take photos, film or capture images of participants unless Investment20/20 has confirmed that the relevant permissions and safeguarding arrangements are in place.

Section 7: Agreement

By taking part and/or submitting this form, I agree:

To follow the guidance set out in this Speaker Code of Conduct and Safeguarding Agreement.
To complete a Speaker Code of Conduct.
That whilst the Speaker Code of Conduct is completed once annually, I understand that its guidance applies to all Investment20/20 outreach activities throughout the academic year.
To review the Speaker Code of Conduct guidance in advance of every Investment20/20 outreach activity.
That Investment20/20 will keep a record of my Speaker Code of Conduct Agreement.
That I have read and understood the Investment20/20 Safeguarding Policy and will follow the reporting procedure for any concern, disclosure or incident.
To inform my HR contact and/or line manager, where relevant, that I am taking part in an outreach, workplace visit or virtual activity.
To be contacted by the Investment20/20 team for a reasonable period of time in connection with the activity. For information about how Investment20/20 uses personal data, please see the privacy policy: https://investment2020.org.uk/legal-and-privacy-policy.

Section 8: Safeguarding concerns and further information

Investment20/20 Safeguarding Team

[email protected]

I agree to all the above

By submitting this form you are agreeing to be contacted by Investment20/20 for a reasonable period of time. For avoidance of doubt on how we will use your data please see our privacy policy Privacy Policy.

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