Safeguarding is a collective responsibility that involves individuals and organisations working together to prevent abuse and neglect, ensuring the safety and wellbeing of all community members. All our funded projectsA piece of work that delivers an output. must demonstrate a clear and active commitment to safeguarding. Therefore, all applicants to Cornwall Community Foundation must have a safeguarding policy that is dated and is reviewed annually.
In line with Charity Commission guidance, Safeguarding Policies and Procedures should be "reviewed as necessary, always following a serious incident and at least once a year." Your safeguarding policy should therefore clearly state the date of the last review (within the last 12 months), that it is reviewed at least annually and the date of the next review. This applies to all organisations, even second tier organisations who may not be delivering directly to children or vulnerable adults.
The safeguarding policy must include:
A named designated safeguarding officer for the organisation (with their contact details)
An outline of reporting/disclosure policies and escalation (including managing allegations against staff and volunteers)
Best practice
Your safeguarding policy should be able to be easily understood by anyone, either within your organisation or outside of your organisation. Even a quick review of this policy should be sufficient for the reader to be clear what actions need to be taken if there is a safeguarding issue.
To be able to understand what needs to be done in the event of a safeguarding issue, safeguarding policies should include:
Purpose – outlines the organisation, its purpose and function and sets out the organisation's overarching commitment to keeping children safe
Scope of the policy – outlines who the policy applies to and a definition of this group – e.g. vulnerable adults and/or children below 18
Context – a brief statement of the main legislation and guidance that supports the policy statement. If dealing with children, The Children's Act should be referenced as a minimum.
Policy statement – sets out the organisation's beliefs about the importance of child protection and how the organisation will keep children safe
Supporting policies/procedures – aligned policies and procedures which outline what will happen if a safeguarding incident is raised
Contact details – designated safeguarding lead as a minimum, but a deputy safeguarding lead or lead trustee board member for good practice, and should outline their roles and responsibilities
Supporting procedures
Supporting procedures that should be included as subsections, or referenced with safeguarding policies, are:
Recruitment and selection of staff and volunteers’ process
Reference to when a DBS search disclosure/check is required for representatives of the organisation
Induction training, supervision and support
Record retention and storage in line with the Data Protection Act
Policies linked to safeguarding: health and safety, whistleblowing, complaints, anti-bullying, online safety
Specifically for children and young people:
Photography and image sharing guidance
Online safety
Behaviour codes for children and young people
Adult to children supervision ratios
For guidance on developing a safeguarding policy and procedures for working with children and young people, please refer to the NSPCC website.
Safeguarding resources
There are some great resources that you can use to support your safeguarding policymaking and best practice. Please find recommended resources below.