We have worked with a wide range of organisations, supporting them at times when they have needed specialised expertise, an objective overview, a critical friend or a refresh of policy, procedures, systems or processes.
The phrase “Safeguarding is everybody’s business” is something that has gained increased traction across a range of partners but we need to recognise that it is also the right thing to do!
Some of our recent commissions:
In 2019 we were commissioned by a social justice organisation working in conjunction with the Department for International Development (DfID) to develop an audit framework that would be used to undertake a review of the Safeguarding arrangements (and risks) in projects where they provided foreign aid, in this case Uganda. This project involved a scoping element where we travelled to Uganda to meet with those in the Country’s governance, strategic and leadership responsibilities for Safeguarding.
In 2018 we were commissioned to provide consultancy to a national faith-based organisation who wanted to learn lessons from “non-recent” cases of alleged abuse. The role involved acting as a critical friend to audit their Safeguarding policy, procedures, systems and processes and to make recommendations for improvement. We had the pleasure of meeting and working with all levels of the organisation from trustees to volunteers providing services at the front line and to explore with them the strengths and areas for development in their current practice.
Since 2015 we have been commissioned to sit as an Independent Board Member (and Safeguarding Specialist) on the Safeguarding and Quality Committee (SQC) of a National Housing Association. The role involves working with the SQC to provide assurance to the Board that the Safeguarding arrangements within the Housing Trust are on a journey towards excellence and that there are policies, procedures, systems and processes in place to support this vision.
Other roles have included supporting a number of Safeguarding Adults Boards (SABs) in developing new pathways, conducting quality assurance audits, reviews and deep dives across a range of Safeguarding related issues. The aim is to improve systems, learn lessons and to feed those lessons back into (multi-agency) staff training to improve practice and promote better outcomes for at risk groups.
Safeguarding in any organisation: Why?
Recent high prolife scandals and exposés highlight the increased public, political and media awareness of abuse and neglect and as such we need to ensure full stakeholder confidence in our Safeguarding approaches. This not only promotes the safety of vulnerable groups (including children and adults at risk) but it also supports and safeguards the reputational risk to the organisation.
Research, Serious Case Reviews (SCRs), Safeguarding Adults Reviews (SARs) and Domestic Homicide Reviews (DHRs) often note the missed opportunities within partner agencies (across all sectors) to prevent the murder, suicide, abuse and neglect of children and adults at risk. The nature of the work that we do sometimes mean that being involved in such cases is difficult to avoid but when we are, we want to be seen as an organisation that is commended in such a review rather than one that is criticised.
We also need to recognise that there are a range of partner organisations and agencies out there that we can actively work with (and that want to work with us) to improve the lives of disadvantaged groups. Links with Children’s Services, Adult Social Care, Mental Health Services, Making Safeguarding Personal, Anti-Social Behaviour, Domestic Abuse, Disability Hate Crime and the Health & Well-being agendas, all have the potential to enhance the safety and quality of the range of services we provide.
Too many organisations have experienced the impact of what happens when Safeguarding systems and processes don’t work as they should. We aim to explore the strengths and areas for development in current practice and how these can be used to reduce or minimise the risk of future events. The journey towards being a mature Safeguarding organisation involves identifying and developing the positive, proactive and preventative aspects of current approaches and building on these.
We aim to explore the organisation’s strategic and operational responses to Safeguarding. We will examine how the organisation (at a number of different levels) addresses its Safeguarding responsibilities and the fitness for purpose of those current arrangements.
Focussing on the best practice principles for working with both children and adults at risk (a “think whole family” approach) as well as exploring how the organisation deals with current and “non-recent” disclosures (formerly known as historic disclosures), we aim to act as a critical friend to the organisation with a view to enhancing those systems and processes where necessary. Based on these findings and working with the organisation, we will produce a report, a suggested action plan and agree a method for monitoring and review.
Focussing on the organisations current policy, procedures, systems and processes and any other documents that can be provided, we aim to objectively explore how these work in practice and how they translate at the front line and through the organisation’s governance arrangements.
We work with colleagues across the full range of multi-agency partnerships to ensure that the welfare of children, young people and adults at risk of abuse or neglect are safeguarded and promoted in all areas of our work.
Please contact us for an informal chat about how we can support your organisation with any of your training or consultancy needs.
Safeguarding Training & Consultancy Services 