Making sure your own safeguarding is robust

Your first challenge as infrastructure organisations is to make sure your own safeguarding is robust. You should have strong policies, procedures and effective training, and be certain you are putting them into practice throughout your work. You must remember that you have a duty to protect your staff, your volunteers and everyone you come into contact with such as those attending your events.

If you are a new organisation, or you personally are new to working in organisations that need to consider safeguarding, you may need resources to help you review your policies and practices.

• Our steps to a safer organisation pages give you an introduction to all basic elements of good safeguarding practice and getting started with safeguarding shows how to link those pages to Charity Commission expectations.
• Our guide for designated safeguarding leads is our in-depth guide for the organisation's safeguarding champion and the person who manages concerns
• Our local and national support pages can help you find organisations to provide consultancy and advice

Infrastructure organisations can face specific challenges to keep people safe. Use these questions to challenge yourself to see if you could be doing more.

• Do your policies and procedures make clear the differences between safeguarding adults at risk and safeguarding children?
• Do you risk assess every job and volunteer opportunity you create for safeguarding risks?
• Do you think about the fact that as your staff and volunteers work with people developing voluntary sector organisations they have a high likelihood of being a trusted person that may receive disclosures, see or hear concerns or be informed of whistleblowing complaints?
• Do your policies consider lone working, and the risks involved in planning meetings out in the community?
• Does your training help people recognise when someone they are supporting to develop an organisation might also be an adult at risk?
• Does your code of conduct acknowledge the possibility of your staff and volunteers being seen as gatekeepers and the power balance that that can create?
• Do your policies cover sexual harassment and bullying fully?
• Do you have a process for staff and volunteers to raise concerns of mistreatment from members?
• Are you confident all your staff and volunteers can bust safeguarding myths – such as the idea that you only need to do safeguarding if you work with children or adults at risk on their own?
• Do you have a conflict of interest policy which details how the organisation transparently makes decisions or shares information appropriately?
• Have you considered the language in all your online advice carefully, ensuring it is accurate and made sure it does not harm anyone?
• Do you have a designated safeguarding lead even if you are a very small organisation?

This list is not exhaustive, you can come up with your own challenges to add.