1. Definition of lone working

Lone working means working in a situation where a person cannot be seen or heard by a colleague and where help is not immediately available if needed.

This includes: making telephone befriending calls from home; conducting home visits; attending community venues alone; and working outside normal office hours without colleagues present.

2. Risk assessment

A risk assessment must be completed for all lone working activities before they begin.

Risk assessments will consider: the nature of the activity; the location; the vulnerability of the people involved; and the experience of the lone worker.

Risk assessments will be reviewed regularly and whenever circumstances change.

3. Before lone working

All lone workers must inform a designated contact of their planned activity, including the location, the name of any person they are visiting, and their expected finish time.

Lone workers should ensure their mobile phone is charged and that they have the emergency contact number for The Healing Hubs.

Lone workers should not carry out a lone working activity if they feel unsafe or unwell.

4. Check-in procedures

Lone workers must check in with their designated contact at agreed intervals during their activity.

At the end of their activity, lone workers must confirm to their designated contact that they have finished safely.

If a lone worker fails to check in at the agreed time, the designated contact will attempt to make contact and, if unsuccessful, will follow the escalation procedure.

5. Escalation procedure

If a lone worker cannot be contacted within 30 minutes of a missed check-in, the designated contact will attempt to contact them by all available means.

If contact cannot be established, the designated contact will notify the CEO and, if there is genuine concern for the lone worker's safety, contact the emergency services.

6. Telephone befriending

Telephone befrienders make calls from their own home and are considered lone workers for the purposes of this policy.

Befrienders may share their personal mobile number or email address with service users where this supports the befriending relationship. They must not share their home address or personal social media profiles.

Any concerns arising from a befriending call — including concerns about a service user's safety — must be reported to the Volunteer Coordinator immediately.

7. Training and support

All lone workers will receive appropriate training before undertaking lone working activities.

Lone workers are encouraged to raise any concerns about their safety with the CEO or Volunteer Coordinator at any time.

8. Review

This policy will be reviewed annually or following any lone working incident.