make your free safeguarding policy
what we'll cover
what is a safeguarding policy?
safeguarding policies set out organisations’ commitments to protecting those they work with from harm. an organisation’s safeguarding policy will help it to meet its legal safeguarding obligations by ensuring its staff members know how to recognise, report, and handle any safeguarding concerns.
when should i use a safeguarding policy?
use this safeguarding policy:
- for organisations that work with children and/or adults at risk (ie adults who are unable to protect themselves from harm at a specific point in time)
- if your organisation is a charity, a childcare provider (either as a business or a non-profit), or another organisation (eg a business) that works with children and/or adults at risk
- to set out your organisation’s commitments to and procedures for safeguarding its beneficiaries (ie its clients or service users)
- only for organisations based in england, wales, or scotland
sample safeguarding policy
the terms in your document will update based on the information you provide
about safeguarding policies
learn more about making your safeguarding policy
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how to make a safeguarding policy
making your safeguarding policy online is simple. just answer a few questions and 2022世界杯32强抽签时间 will build your document for you. when you have all of the information about your organisation’s practices and procedures prepared in advance, creating your document is a quick and easy process.
you’ll need the following information:
the organisation
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what is your organisation’s name?
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is your organisation based in england, scotland, or wales? if you operate in multiple constituent countries you can make a separate safeguarding policy for each country or ask a lawyer for help making a combined policy
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is your organisation a charity?
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if so, what is its charity commission registration number (in england or wales) or scottish charity regulator (oscr) registration number (in scotland)?
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is your organisation a childcare provider?
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if so, what is its ofsted (in england), care inspectorate (in scotland), or ciw (in wales) registration number? this may not apply to all childcare providers.
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the organisation’s activities
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does your organisation work with children, adults at risk, or both?
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which of your organisation’s activities involve working with children and/or adults at risk?
key contacts and assignment of responsibility
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who holds overall responsibility for safeguarding within your organisation?
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who is your organisation’s key contact for questions related to safeguarding? for example, questions about training or procedures.
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what are this person’s or department’s phone number and email address?
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who is your organisation’s key contact for data protection matters?
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what are this person’s phone number and email address?
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training and procedures
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will you set out additional types of safeguarding training that your organisation will provide? this policy will always state that you will provide certain training - see the faq ‘what safeguarding training should organisations provide?’ for more information.
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if so, which other (or more specific) types of training will your organisation provide?
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how should staff members report safeguarding concerns?
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will you set out within this safeguarding policy your organisation’s procedures for handling reported safeguarding concerns?
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if so, how will reported safeguarding concerns be dealt with?
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other documents and policies
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which of these categories of documents does your organisation have in place that support your safeguarding policy:
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detailed safeguarding investigation and response procedures?
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safeguarding training plans and schedules?
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safeguarding training materials for reference purposes?
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documents setting out safeguarding considerations for use during recruitment?
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other relevant documents? if so, which?
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which other employment or business policies does your organisation have in place that help to protect its beneficiaries, staff members, or others:
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other policies? if so, which?
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common terms in a safeguarding policy
safeguarding policies set out organisations’ commitments to and procedures for protecting their beneficiaries. to do this, this safeguarding policy includes the following sections:
statement of purpose
the safeguarding policy starts by setting out your organisation’s commitment to safeguarding its beneficiaries (ie the children and/or adults at risk that it works with). it identifies the body of law on which this commitment is based and provides the organisation’s relevant registration numbers (eg care inspectorate and oscr registration numbers) and the safeguarding key contact’s details.
scope of this safeguarding policy
next, the policy makes clarifications about when it is applicable. for example, it sets out which activities the organisation carries out that are covered by the policy and clarifies that the policy applies to all of the organisation’s staff members (including volunteers) but does not form part of anybody’s employment contract (or similar), so it can be changed by the organisation at any time.
defining safeguarding
this section provides detailed definitions of ‘safeguarding’ and ‘safeguarding concerns’ for the purposes of the policy. it also clarifies that the policy applies to threats to beneficiaries’ safety or wellbeing that are caused by the organisation’s own activities or personnel and to threats caused by people or situations outside of the organisation’s control but of which personnel are aware or ought to be aware.
key measures that the organisation is committed to implementing and maintaining to safeguard its beneficiaries
this section sets out the key commitments that the organisation is making in the policy, which are intended to help it meet its safeguarding obligations. these include:
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following leadership and guidance provided by local safeguarding bodies (eg regional safeguarding boards and the national independent safeguarding board wales if your organisation is located in wales)
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complying with specific safeguarding requirements for childcare providers, for example, compliance with specific relevant statutory regulations and meeting the ‘prevent’ duty
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ensuring staff members are correctly trained on safeguarding matters
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implementing safe and fair procedures for reporting safeguarding concerns and ensuring these are followed
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appointing somebody to hold overall responsibility for safeguarding within the organisation
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setting out safeguarding-related rules for recruitment processes
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ensuring safeguarding concerns are handled in accordance with data protection law
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regularly reviewing the organisation’s safeguarding policies and procedures and updating them where necessary
staff members’ responsibilities
here the policy explains staff members’ safeguarding responsibilities under the policy. these include:
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following the organisation’s safeguarding procedures and rules
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taking part in training
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reporting all safeguarding concerns
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not doing anything to actively risk a beneficiary’s wellbeing (eg by subjecting them to or facilitating any sort of abuse)
procedures: reporting
this section sets out how staff members should report safeguarding concerns. it also explains when it’s appropriate for staff members to deviate from the specified procedure (eg if an issue is time sensitive or it implicates someone who is usually involved in the safeguarding concern investigation process).
procedures: investigation and response
this section starts either by setting out how your organisation deals with reported safeguarding concerns or by referring to an external document for this information. it then makes additional provisions about how concerns will be handled, for example, specifying that staff members will be kept informed about the progress of concerns they’ve reported to an appropriate degree and that external referrals will be made when, and only when, appropriate.
safeguarding documents and other protections
if your organisation has any employment or business policies or other documents in place that support this safeguarding policy, these will be specified here. staff members will be referred to their line managers or the person responsible for the organisation’s hr matters for copies of these.
if you want your safeguarding policy to include further or more detailed provisions, you can edit your document. however, if you do this, you may want a lawyer to review the document for you (or to make the changes for you) to make sure that your modified policy complies with all relevant laws. use 2022世界杯32强抽签时间 ’s ask a lawyer service for assistance.
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legal tips for organisations
make sure you comply with all of your organisation’s safeguarding obligations
safeguarding law is in place to protect individuals who deserve a high level of protection from harm. this is, consequently, a large and complex area of compliance. making and implementing a safeguarding policy is a great starting step towards compliance, but more must almost always be done. for example, different types of organisations have different requirements in place. if you’re not sure whether you should do something (eg provide a certain type of training) to protect people, it’s best to err on the side of caution.
for more information, read the faqs above and ask a lawyer if you have questions about safeguarding compliance.
understand when to seek advice from a lawyer
in some circumstances, it’s good practice to ask a lawyer for advice to ensure that you’re complying with the law and that you are well protected from risks. you should consider asking for advice if:
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you need a safeguarding policy that covers protecting your organisation’s own staff members (including volunteers)
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you need a safeguarding policy for an organisation operating in a highly regulated sector (eg health or social care or education)
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you need a safeguarding policy for an organisation that’s performing services for a public body
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you need a safeguarding policy that covers external (eg local authority) referrals in more depth
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this safeguarding policy doesn’t meet your needs
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safeguarding policy faqs
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what is included in a safeguarding policy?
this safeguarding policy template covers:
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the purpose and scope of the policy
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what safeguarding is
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the organisation’s safeguarding commitments
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staff members’ safeguarding responsibilities
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safeguarding training
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reporting and handling procedures for safeguarding concerns
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business and employment policies and other documents that support the safeguarding policy
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why do i need a safeguarding policy?
having a safeguarding policy in place helps an organisation to operate conscientiously, by helping it set out and communicate how it will safeguard the people that it works with. safeguarding policies provide foundations for organisations’ safeguarding compliance, upon which they can develop comprehensive safeguarding practices to meet all safeguarding legal requirements and to protect people as well as possible.
certain types of organisations should always have safeguarding policies in place, including:
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charities (especially those that work with children and/or adults at risk)
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childcare providers
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other organisations that work with children and/or adults at risk
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what is safeguarding?
safeguarding generally refers to work that’s aimed at preventing or responding to harm or risks of harm posed to certain individuals and to promoting these individuals’ general welfare. it is most important in the context of protecting children and/or adults who are at particular risk of harm.
safeguarding usually covers the prevention and management of different types of abuse. for example, physical abuse, emotional abuse, neglect, sexual abuse, domestic violence, material and financial abuse, bullying, and online abuse.
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what safeguarding legal requirements must organisations meet?
uk law imposes safeguarding obligations on multiple different types of organisations. different types of organisations are subject to different safeguarding legal requirements, which reflect the types of activities they undertake and the types of people they work with. for example, health and care organisations are subject to particularly strong safeguarding obligations due to their routinely working with people in situations in which they are vulnerable.
exactly what’s required of an organisation varies, but often includes:
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having safeguarding policies and procedures in place (eg a written safeguarding policy)
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facilitating reporting of safeguarding concerns (ie of someone’s knowledge or reasonable belief that a risk is being posed to someone’s safety or wellbeing)
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dealing fairly and adequately with safeguarding concerns once they’ve been reported
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providing staff members with appropriate training on safeguarding matters
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assigning a safeguarding officer or another person responsibility for safeguarding matters
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setting out how safeguarding will be considered during recruitment processes (eg by carrying out criminal record checks (eg disclosure and barring service (dbs) checks))
using this safeguarding policy is a great way to start your organisation’s safeguarding compliance. however, you must usually make sure this is supported by various other policies and procedures and other documents. for example, it may be suitable for your organisation to set out:
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specific procedures for reporting and handling safeguarding concerns in various different situations
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what safeguarding training will be provided to staff members and the information that will be included
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specific recruitment policies and procedures relevant to safeguarding
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review requirements for your safeguarding practices
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risk assessments that have been undertaken to analyse safeguarding-related risks and how they are or will be mitigated
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when is this safeguarding policy not suitable?
this safeguarding policy is specifically designed to be used by childcare providers, charities, or other organisations that work with children and/or adults at risk.
for safeguarding purposes, children are individuals under 18 years old. adults at risk are individuals 18 years old or over (in england or wales) or 16 years old or over (in scotland) who have care and/or support needs and who are, due to these needs, unable to protect themselves from harm (eg due to illness or disability) at the relevant moment in time. an adult may be vulnerable at one time but not at another. if an individual in scotland can be defined as a child or as an adult at risk, they can be covered by safeguarding policies and procedures applicable to both groups or by whichever are most appropriate in the given circumstances.
this policy is designed to be used to safeguard the beneficiaries of an organisation’s activities. for example, the clients that it works with (and their children) or the users of a charity’s services. the policy is not designed to be used to safeguard an organisation’s own staff members. safeguarding policies that cover this are important for some organisations, for example, organisations that have volunteers as members of staff, particularly if any of the volunteers are children. if you need a safeguarding policy for your organisation’s staff members, ask a lawyer for assistance.
this safeguarding policy does cover safeguarding of an organisation’s beneficiaries from risks posed by both:
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the organisation’s own activities and personnel, and
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situations and people outside of the organisation’s control, of which the organisation’s personnel are or ought to be aware
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what safeguarding obligations do charities have?
charities that work with children and/or adults at risk should have safeguarding policies in place. they should usually meet the general safeguarding obligations set out above.
charities must also meet other safeguarding-related requirements, for example:
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formally reporting any safeguarding incidents (eg via their annual return submitted to the charity commission)
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following relevant statutory guidance and similar, including requirements set out by the charity commission or the office of the scottish charity regulator (oscr)
for more information, read the various resources provided by the government and other organisations, including:
- the government’s guidance on protecting people for charities and on safeguarding for charities
- the national council for voluntary organisations’ (ncvo’s) guidance on charities’ safeguarding reporting duties
- the ncvo’s guidance on safeguarding policies and procedures
- the oscr’s guidance on charity safeguarding in scotland
- the national society for the prevention of cruelty to children’s (nspcc’s) introductory guidance to safeguarding children for charities
ask a lawyer if your charity needs help with its safeguarding compliance.
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what safeguarding policies do childcare organisations have?
childcare providers are organisations that look after children. most childcare providers must register with the relevant regulatory body (ie ofsted in england, the care inspectorate wales (ciw) in wales, or the care inspectorate in scotland). some childcare providers do not need to register. for example, in england, those providing sports coaching or providing care to children for less than 2 hours per day.
regardless of whether they’re registered, organisations that work as childcare providers should meet their general safeguarding obligations (as above) and, in particular, should:
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follow safeguarding guidance issued by ofsted or similar, where appropriate
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make sure they hold all necessary registrations (eg ciw, ofsted, or care inspectorate registration)
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ensure that all staff members are safe to have working with children (eg by conducting dbs checks)
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uphold the ‘prevent’ duty to have due regard to the need to prevent people from being drawn into terrorism (eg by providing training on recognising the signs of radicalisation)
ask a lawyer if your organisation needs help with its childcare provision and safeguarding compliance.
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how should staff members report safeguarding concerns?
it’s up to you how your organisation’s staff members should report any safeguarding concerns that they have (ie their knowledge or reasonable belief that a risk is being posed to someone’s safety or wellbeing). you should, however, make sure that your procedures are always fair, accessible, and clearly communicated. your reporting procedure could, for example, involve:
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filling in an online form
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organising meetings for the reporter with a safeguarding officer or other person responsible for handling reported concerns
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setting out specific procedures for different types of issues
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emailing or calling a specific email address or phone number
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keeping reports confidential as far as is appropriate (ie not telling people outside of the official reporting procedure about concerns until it’s appropriate to do so)
you should make sure your reporting procedures follow any necessary laws, including data protection laws.
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how should an organisation handle reported safeguarding concerns?
exactly what happens after a safeguarding concern has been reported depends on the organisation and the concern in question. all organisations, however, should have clear processes that are to be followed. these should generally:
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clearly assign responsibility for handling concerns to an appropriate party, for example, a safeguarding officer or hr manager
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set out what will happen if one of the organisation’s staff members is implicated in a concern (eg fair investigations will be conducted and, if this person would usually be involved in conducting investigations, they will not be involved in this instance)
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explain what will happen if a staff member is found to have breached a safeguarding responsibility (eg they will be treated in line with the organisation’s disciplinary policy or procedure)
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explain that staff members who report concerns will be kept up-to-date with their concern’s investigation as far as is appropriate (eg it may be inappropriate for them to be told certain things about a beneficiary’s private life, if such comes to light during an investigation)
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set out how the organisation will abide by data protection laws when handling concerns
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explain when external referrals may be made (eg to emergency services if there is a concern for someone’s immediate safety, or to local authorities if a concern falls within the scope of local authorities’ safeguarding obligations and the referral is appropriate)
you should set out detailed processes that are appropriate for your organisation. you can do this in this safeguarding policy or in a separate document or documents, to which your policy will refer. ask a lawyer if you need help establishing and/or communicating your processes.
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what safeguarding training should organisations provide?
all organisations that have safeguarding obligations should generally provide their staff members with safeguarding training that is appropriate to the organisation’s activities and sector and to each staff member’s role within the organisation.
this safeguarding policy will always set out that your organisation will provide training on certain essential areas of safeguarding. these are:
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understanding and identifying the signs of different types of abuse and threats to wellbeing (ie safeguarding concerns)
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how staff members should respond to safeguarding concerns or related issues disclosed to them by someone else (eg by other staff members or beneficiaries who are worried for their own safety or who have been abused)
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how to report safeguarding concerns
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how to access additional resources on safeguarding
other types of training that may be appropriate for your specific organisation (either for all staff members or only for some) include training on:
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online safety
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child protection
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specific types of abuse that are particularly prevalent in your industry
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complying with reporting obligations specific to your industry
it’s important that you provide high-quality training to new and existing staff members when required, either using external training providers or internal training sessions. some useful resources to help you develop your safeguarding training include:
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