The Gambian Community Birmingham (GCB) Social Media Policy
The aim of this policy on social media is to provide guidance to enable the GCB members, including trustees, to enjoy the benefits of social networking while understanding the standards of conduct expected by the Charity. It is intended to minimise the risks that can have impact on the wellbeing of our members and the reputation of the Charity.

Introduction:
The Charity recognises and embraces the numerous benefits and opportunities that social media offers. While members and trustees are encouraged to engage, collaborate, and innovate through social media, they should also be aware that there are some associated risks, especially around issues of safeguarding, bullying and personal reputation.

Purpose of the policy

• The purpose of this policy is to encourage good practice, protect the charity and its members, and promote the effective use of social media as part of the charity’s activities.
• This policy covers personal and professional use of social media and aims to encourage its safe use by the charity and its members.
• The policy applies regardless of whether the social media is accessed using the charity’s IT facilities and equipment, or equipment belonging to members.
• The policy applies to personal communications via social media accounts that are likely to have a negative impact on professional standards or the charity’s reputation.
• This policy covers all individual members at all levels, including trustees and volunteers.

Roles, responsibilities, and procedure:
Trustees should:

• be aware of their online reputation and recognise that their online activity can be seen by others including colleagues, sister associations and potential donor partners on social media.
• ensure that any use of social media is carried out in line with this policy and other relevant policies.
• be aware that any excessive use of social media in using GCB IT equipment may result in disciplinary action.
• be responsible for their words and actions in an online environment. They are therefore advised to consider whether any comment, photograph, or video that they are about to post on a social networking site is something that they want members, trustees, potential donor partners of the charity or even future trustees to read. If in doubt, do not post it.

Trustees are responsible for:

• addressing any concerns and/or questions members may have on the use of social media
• operating within the boundaries of this policy and ensuring that all members understand the standards of behaviour expected of them.

The trustee responsible for Media and Public Relations is responsible for:

• implementing and reviewing this policy
• giving specialist advice on the use of social media.

Definition of social media:
Social media is a broad term for any kind of online platform which enables people to directly interact with each other. It allows people to share information, ideas, and views. Examples of social media include blogs, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Google+, Instagram, Myspace, Flickr, and YouTube.

Acceptable use:
Trustees and members alike should be aware that content uploaded to social media is not private. Even if you restrict it to ‘friends’, there is still capacity for it to be re-posted and or distributed beyond the intended recipients. Therefore, members using social media should conduct themselves with professionalism and respect.

Trustees should not upload any content on to social media sites that:

• is confidential to the charity or its membership
• amounts to bullying
• amounts to unlawful discrimination, harassment, or victimisation
• brings the charity into disrepute
• contains lewd, sexually explicit, threatening or similarly inappropriate or offensive comments, images, or video clips
• undermines the reputation of the charity and/or members
• is defamatory or knowingly false
• breaches copyright
• is in any other way unlawful.

Trustees should be aware of both professional and social boundaries when accepting or inviting ‘friend’ requests on social media on their personal social media accounts such as Facebook. All GCB communication with the members and the public via social media should be through the charity’s social media accounts.

Safeguarding:
This section shall be implemented in line with the Safeguarding policy.

Reporting safeguarding concerns

• Any content or online activity which raises a safeguarding concern must be reported to the Chairperson immediately.
• Any online concerns should be reported as soon as identified as urgent steps may need to be taken to support the person in question.
• With regard to personal safeguarding, you should report any harassment or abuse you receive online while using GCB account(s).
• Reporting, responding, and recording cyberbullying incidents
• Trustees and members should never engage with cyberbullying incidents. If while volunteering with the charity and discover a website containing inaccurate, inappropriate, or inflammatory written material relating to you, or images of you which have been taken and/or which are being used without your permission, you should immediately report this to the Chairperson.
• Trustees should keep any records of the abuse such as text, emails, voicemail, website, or social media. If appropriate, screen prints of messages or web pages could be taken and the time, date and address of site should be recorded and handed over to the Chairperson.
• Trustee Action: inappropriate use of social media
• Following a report of inappropriate use of social media, the Chairperson will conduct a prompt investigation.
• If during the investigation, it is found that a trustee or a member uploaded the material to the website, disciplinary action will be instituted against the individual and where appropriate, terminate his/her membership.
• The Chairperson, where appropriate, will approach the website hosts to ensure the material is either removed or amended as a matter of urgency, i.e., within 24 hours. If the website requires the individual who is complaining to do so personally, the charity will give their full support and assistance.
• Checks will be carried out to ensure that the requested removals or amendments are made. If the website(s) does not co-operate, the Chairperson will contact the internet service provider (ISP) as the ISP can block access to certain sites and, in exceptional circumstances, can close a website.
• If the material is threatening and/or intimidating, the trustees will, with the member’s consent, report the matter to the police.
• The affected member will be offered full support and appropriate stress counselling.

Breaches of this policy:

• Any trustee or member suspected of committing a breach of this policy (or if complaints are received about unacceptable use of social networking that has potentially breached this policy) will be investigated in accordance with the charity’s disciplinary procedure. The GCB member will be expected to cooperate with the charity’s investigation which may involve:
  i- handing over relevant passwords and login details
  ii- printing a copy or obtaining a screenshot of the alleged unacceptable content
  iii- determining that the responsibility or source of the content was in fact the member.
• The seriousness of the breach will be considered including the nature of the content, how long the content remained visible on the social media site, the potential for recirculation by others and the impact on the charity or the concerned individual.
• Trustees should be aware that actions online can be in breach of the harassment, IT, equality policies and any online breaches of these may also be treated as conduct issues in accordance with the disciplinary procedure.
• If the outcome of an investigation leads to disciplinary action, the consequences will be dealt with in accordance with the appropriate procedures. Serious breaches could result in the termination of membership.
• Where conduct is unlawful, the charity will report the matter to the police and other relevant external agencies.

Monitoring and review:

• If the trustee responsible for Media and Public Relations reasonably believes that a trustee or member has breached this policy, periodically, the charity will monitor or record communications that are sent or received from within the charity’s network.
• This policy will be reviewed on a yearly basis and, in accordance with the following, as-and-when-required basis:
  i- legislative changes
  ii- good practice guidance case law
  iii- significant incidents reported.
• This policy does not form part of any trustee or member’s code of conduct.

Legislation:
Acceptable use of social networking must comply with UK law. In applying this policy, the charity will adhere to its rights, responsibilities, and duties in accordance with the following:

• Regulation of Investigatory
• Powers Act 2000
• General Data Protection
• Regulations (GDPR) 2018
• The Human Rights Act 1998
• The Equality Act 2010
• The Defamation Act 2013

Conclusion:
The internet is a fast-moving technology, and it is impossible to cover all circumstances or emerging media – the principles set out in this policy must be

followed irrespective of the medium. When using social media, members should be aware of the potential impact on themselves and the charity, whether for business-related or personal use; whether during business hours or otherwise; or whether social media is accessed using the charity’s equipment or using the trustee’s equipment.
Trustees should use discretion and common sense when engaging in online communication. There are some general rules and best practice in the appendix that trustees may find helpful.

Important Guidelines Responsible use of social media:
Remember that anything you post online is not private. Below are some common-sense guidelines and recommendations that trustee are advised to follow to ensure responsible and safe use of social media:

• PAUSE and think carefully who you add or request as friends or contacts in your social media accounts.
• Follow this social media policy.
• Always maintain professional boundaries and remember the reputational damage your action may cause.
• Never post anything that is offensive or aggressive, even if you are very angry or upset. It can easily be taken out of context.
• Remember humour is relative. For example, posting images and/or text about a recent stag may be deemed inappropriate. Likewise, a few ‘light-hearted’ comments and/or images about friends may not be perceived as such by either subject(s) of the humour or the charity. The guiding rule is: if in doubt, do not post it.
• Make sure you regularly check and refresh your site page to ensure it is free of any inappropriate comments and/or images.
• If you are tagged in something in Facebook that you consider inappropriate, use the remove tag feature to un-tag yourself (for details on how to do this, refer to the Facebook help centre).
• Be cautious of accepting ‘friend requests’ from people you do not really know. Simply being a ‘friend’ of your own Facebook friend does not mean that they should automatically be given access to your information.
• Review your profile information and settings on Facebook, Twitter, and other sites to ensure it is appropriate as it may be accessed by others such as members, your personal work colleagues, and potential GCB donors.
• Check your privacy and security settings regularly and keep your date of birth and home address to yourself. Identity theft is a growing crime, and this kind of information could be used to gain access to your bank or credit card account.
• If you feel dissatisfied and wish to rant about the charity, politics, and life in general, consider doing so anonymously, through a networking account or blog which cannot be attributed to you. Check that anything that you post do not identify you, the UKJA or your direct employer.
• Ensure that any comments and/or images could not be deemed defamatory or in breach of copyright legislation.
• Do not use social media in any way to attack or abuse colleagues (either in the GCB or your own workplace).
• Do not post derogatory, defamatory, offensive, harassing, or discriminatory content.
• Do not engage in any conduct (using personal insults, obscenities) which would not be acceptable in the workplace.
• Do not use social media to ‘whistle blow’ – raise concerns through the proper channels which would entitle you to legal protection (Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998)

Adopted:…………..