Section 2: General Principles

Identify

1. Identifying and addressing conflicts of interest must be one of the first issues on the agenda for a SCMG.
2. Members are responsible for notifying the Safeguarding Officer or the Chair of the SCMG of any conflicts that arise for them at any point during the process.
3. If anyone alleges that a member of the SCMG is conflicted, this should be addressed by the Chair as soon as practicable and they should document their decision.
4. Where necessary, advice should be sought from the Registrar.

Prevent/Mitigate

1. No one should be involved in a SCMG where they are related in anyway or in any form of personal relationship[1] with the respondent or complainant, or if they are in any way materially connected to the case.
2. However, there may be specific cases where it is necessary that there is a member of the SCMG who has knowledge of the respondent’s particular profession, role or organisation, in order that the necessary context to manage risk appropriately can be provided. The steps to manage these conflicts are set out in Section 3 below.

Record

1. All details relating to the management of conflicts of interest, including identification, prevention and mitigation must be recorded in the SCMG minutes or in the case files as appropriate.