Safeguarding update

It has been a year since the release of the Commission’s guidance on Safeguarding and protecting people for charities and trustees and it has in last few weeks been updated by the Commission.

The Commission says that the guidance webpage receives 13,000 page views a month, showing just how seriously charity trustees and employees are taking their safeguarding responsibilities. Recently, the Commission took a positive step in asking for feedback on the guidance from its twitter users and have, from these responses, made changes to the guidance.

You can expect to see the following changes:

• A list of practical steps, rather than just a set of principles in relation to safeguarding responsibilities. For example, the guidance lists a number of ways to check your charity’s policies, procedures and practices, such as for example recording the risks faced by your charity and how these are managed, speaking to people in your charity to make sure they understand how to raise concerns and to get feedback on past experiences, and working with statutory agencies and partners (check guidance for full list).
• Guidance on criminal record checks and when they should be undertaken. Criminal record checks should be used alongside references and interviews. For example, a charity should always get a standard, enhances or enhanced with barred list check when a role is eligible for one, which includes roles working with children or adults at risk in certain circumstances, roles in accountancy and finance or in the legal profession (check guidance for full list). There is also useful guidance on where to look if you are doing checks from people from overseas.
• References to new practical resources from organisations such as NCVO’s new safeguarding resources and DFIDs guidance on Safeguarding against sexual exploitation and abuse and sexual harassment.

Contact our charity law experts today

For more information on how we can support your charity, social enterprise or other organisation, please contact one of our charity solicitors today on 01895 207862 or email charities@ibblaw.co.uk.