Safeguarding resources
This page provides information on what safeguarding is and how it applies to the sector, as well as the guidance, resources, and tools to help improve your safeguarding policies and practices.
What is safeguarding?
Safeguarding is the responsibility of organisations to make sure their staff, operations, and programmes do no harm to children and adults at-risk nor expose them to abuse or exploitation. It is becoming good practice to think about how we safeguard everyone in our organisations at all times, including protecting staff from harm and inappropriate behaviour such as bullying and harassment.
Who does it apply to?
Everyone connected to your organisation should know how to keep children, adults at-risk, and staff safe. There should be learning opportunities to consistently develop and maintain the necessary measures, attitudes, skills, and knowledge amongst staff, partners, and all those that contribute to your organisation’s work. The communities you work with should understand your commitments to safeguarding and what to do if concerns arise.
Our commitment to change in safeguarding
Our commitment to change in safeguarding demonstrates how the NGO sector is driving forwards consistency and leadership on safeguarding so we all reach the same standards and work together to protect people from sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment.
The 12 commitments and 34 related actions are divided between “strategic shifts” which are survivor support and enhanced accountability, minimum standards, cultural change, organisational capacity and capability.
Survivor support and enhanced accountability
Minimum standards
Cultural change
Organisational capacity and capability
Survivor-support and accountability
Supporting survivors, victims and whistleblowers, enhancing accountability and transparency, strengthening reporting and tackling impunity.
Raising a concern
Your employer should have policies and procedures for those who wish to report wrongdoing, but you can report a concern to them even if they don’t. If you don’t want to tell your employer, you are protected by UK law and can report a concern anonymously or confidentially to the Charity Commission directly.
In-country safeguarding and survivor support services
Bond is working with Safeguarding Group members to collate and signpost guidance and resources on in-country safeguarding and survivor-support services on a dedicated webpage. If you are a Bond member and would like access to this, please contact Bond on [email protected]
Resources
Minimum standards
Agreeing minimum standards and ensuring we and our partners meet them. We’ve developed policy templates which you can download, edit and use to develop your own policies. These look at safeguarding, the code of conduct, handling reports and complaints, and disclosing organisational malpractice (whistleblowing).
Regulators’ requirements for safeguarding
Find out more about the safeguarding requirements set by the Charity Commission and DFID’s guidance on enhanced due diligence.
Resources
Cultural change
Incentivising cultural change through strong leadership, organisational accountability and better human resource processes.
Resources
Organisational capacity and capability
Strengthening organisational capacity and capability, including building the capability of implementing partners to meet the minimum standards.
Specialist training providers for safeguarding
Find out what training and consultancy support is available for addressing safeguarding and sexual exploitation and abuse in the development and humanitarian sectors.
Resources