Safeguarding in digital, fundraising and overseas

Safeguarding matters in everything you do digitally, from storing your data to how people use your digital technology.

Key issues to consider

• Social media can expose us to harassment, bullying and abuse. Some digital platforms can have very low moderation and can expose us to, or enable others to share, harmful or age-inappropriate content..
• The anonymity of the internet allows individuals with harmful intentions to groom or exploit others.
• Your team or those you work with might struggle with some technology. They may feel excluded, be more easily victimised by others manipulating them or they share more information than they want. Personal information shared online can be exploited or mishandled, increasing the risk of identity theft or exploitation.
• Some people may be more willing to share information online compared to when in person. They might share in more detail or more speedily compared to being face-to-face. This could increase disclosures or others feeling overwhelmed by what they have heard.

These risks should be considered just as much as risks in other environments. Consider the risks that can come about through:

• Content: working to avoid any illegal, inappropriate or harmful content being posted online or on your social media accounts.
• Contact: thinking about the ways team members could interact with others online and risks of grooming or sexually or criminally exploiting others.
• Conduct: considering what people do, say and share when engaging with you online
• Commerce: risks that people can be directed to online gambling, inappropriate advertising, phishing or financial scams.

While there are specific risks of online harms, working online can be a great way to reach people and raise awareness of staying safe. Organisations need to consider how they are designing out risks but also raising awareness of hoe people can keep themselves safe online.

Some organisations will integrate these issues within their existing safeguarding policy. Others will adopt a standalone digital safety policy to help protect your organisation, your services users, employees and volunteers.

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Every fundraising organisation should prioritise safeguarding. This means considering what reasonable steps can be taken to protect both those fundraising or potential and actual supporters.

You must consider the needs of any possible donor who may be in vulnerable circumstances or need extra care and support to make an informed decision. You must not accept donations from those without capacity to donate or unable to make an informed decision to give.

If you work with children or adults at risk of harm then you have increased safeguarding responsibilities. Children and adults at risk of harm can experience specific types of harm and abuse and the legislation for managing each is different.

Safeguarding in an international context presents particular challenges including things like reporting mechanisms, differing local legal frameworks and cultures, partnership and multi-agency working, safe recruitment and safeguarding against people trafficking. Much will depend where you are working and whether you are delivering work directly or with others.

Consider issues such as:

• Your understanding of local contexts and cultural nuances and whether you can effectively identify and respond to safeguarding concerns.
• Are there different laws and cultural norms and practices which may influence perceptions of safeguarding, potentially leading to misunderstandings or inadequate responses.
• Hierarchical relationships between organisations and local communities can exacerbate power dynamics, potentially silencing the voices of those at risk and hindering their access to support.
• Working with or through multiple organisations can complicate communication and responsibility making oversight in safeguarding practices challenging.

Many voluntary organisations achieve change by working in partnership with others and commissioning them to deliver particular services or activities. Similarly, they may offer grants and want to manage risks from those using their resources.

If you are a charity, you must make sure that the charity’s assets are used to advance its charitable purposes. You must also protect your charity, including its intended beneficiaries. You will need to understand and assess potential risks in your decisions to work with third parties, seeking assurance that they can operate safely while supporting the achievement of  your charitable purposes.

Consider:

• Ensure any grant recipient or partner body is suitable. Insufficient due diligence may result in supporting organisations with inadequate safeguarding practices, leaving people at risk of harm.
• Have clear and proportionate safeguarding procedures. Adopt clear lines of responsibility and reporting between everyone and detail this in a written agreement (eg. as part of contract or grant agreements).
• Monitor third-party organisations effectively. Consider how you will know that the organisation is implementing your agreement
• Work in partnership together. When funding others, you need to balance your commitment to keeping people safe with potential of overly dictating to others or having unrealistic expectations. Implement safeguarding in a way suitable to the level of risks, ensuring actions are neither too lenient nor excessively detailed.