“Give justice to the weak and the orphan;
Maintain the right of the lowly and the destitute.
Rescue the weak and needy;
Deliver them from the hand of the wicked.
”
Here at Hands at Work, we believe that protecting children and vulnerable people is a Biblical mandate, and is at the centre of everything we do. We wanted to take this opportunity to tell you about our Safeguarding Team.
Supported by the Hands at Work UK Coordinators and Board of Trustees, we are delighted to introduce you to Linda Waller, our Safeguarding Coordinator, and Clare Beavon, our Safeguarding Administrator. We’ll let them tell you a bit about themselves.
Linda
Safeguarding Coordinator
“I was appointed Safeguarding Coordinator for Hands at Work UK in September 2021. My professional background in children and families’ social work was enhanced by extra training for the role earlier this year. Together with Jane, one of Hands at Work UK’s National Coordinators, I provided training for the team leaders who visited Africa during the summer – the first teams to go for more than two years.
My involvement with Hands at Work began in 2017 when I became a prayer partner with Audrey, a Care Worker in Msengeni, Eswatini, and supported the St Albans team with their visit. Phil (my husband) and I were fortunate to be members of a team which went to Eswatini and South Africa in 2019. We also helped raise funds for two summer projects: a borehole in Zambia in 2021 and a brick-built toilet this year. Please continue to pray for the much-needed work of Hands at Work.”
Clare
Safeguarding Adminstrator
“I first learnt about Hands at Work from my husband, Martin (before he was my husband!). Martin visited in 2019, just three months before we were due to get married. I had heard all his stories and attended various regional gatherings, and we both felt called to serve with the charity. I am involved with the Safeguarding team and my main responsibility lies in ensuring DBS checks are in place prior to teams going out to Africa. I got the opportunity to visit myself this year and it certainly helped to make all those stories a reality. We have enjoyed sharing our experiences with anyone who wants to listen.”
We think it’s really important that everyone plays their part in keeping children and vulnerable people safe. Safeguarding is all of our responsibility. If you ever have a Safeguarding concern, please contact linda.waller@uk.handsatwork.org.
You can request a copy of our Safeguarding policy by emailing info@uk.handsatwork.org.
Hands at Work UK is a member of the Safeguarding organisation thirtyone:eight.