The Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations is the membership organisation for Scotland's charities, voluntary organisations and social enterprises. Charity registered in Scotland SC003558. Registered office Mansfield Traquair Centre, 15 Mansfield Place, Edinburgh EH3 6BB.
What is safeguarding?
Safeguarding means ensuring that everyone who comes into contact with your organisation is protected from harm, abuse, and exploitation. More generally, voluntary organisations should promote the well-being and welfare of all the individuals they work with.
When done well, safeguarding builds a culture in your organisation where everyone is treated with respect, is safe from harm, and is empowered, encouraged, and can raise any safeguarding concerns.
All voluntary organisations must be aware of and act to meet their safeguarding responsibilities. You will need to:
- build a culture where everyone is treated with dignity and respect
- proactively identify risks and prevent harm
- act where people are at risk of or are experiencing harm or abuse.
How your organisation meets its safeguarding responsibilities should be proportionate to what it does, who it works with, and its size and scale.
You need to consider risks of harm to:
- people who benefit from your work – such as those accessing your services, facilities or benefiting from your grant-making
- staff, consultants or contractors working on your behalf
- volunteers
- donors and supporters.
You may have additional safeguarding duties if you work with:
- children and young people – including working with those aged under 18
- adults at risk – those people aged 16 and over with care and support needs who are unable to safeguard their own interests and are at risk of harm.
Types of harm
You should consider the wide range of risks and harms relevant to your organisation's work. Consider risks including:
- physical or emotional abuse
- sexual abuse and sexual harassment
- financial harm or coercion
- exploitation and abuse of positions of trust
- bullying and harassment
- neglect, including self-neglect
- extremism and radicalisation
- discrimination.
Organisations have a duty to protect staff and volunteers from harm that can occur during their work, such as bullying and harassment. If you want to think about safeguarding in a broader sense, both Volunteer Scotland and the SCVO HR Service can help.
OSCR, the Scottish Charity Regulator, has issued specific guidance on safeguarding ‘vulnerable beneficiaries’ and defines this as: "the action that an organisation takes to promote the welfare of children and vulnerable adults to protect them from harm including physical, emotional, sexual and financial harm and neglect. This includes making sure that the appropriate policies, practices and procedures are put in place. Safeguarding includes child protection but goes further and extends to all vulnerable beneficiaries."
It noted that charities “have a wider responsibility to protect their staff, volunteers and beneficiaries in general. It’s important that charities consider how to promote wellbeing and welfare of all the individuals they work with.”
Watch our recorded webinar on safeguarding, aimed at trustees (but with lots of relevant information for everyone).
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