Voluntary organisations have a responsibility to ensure that people who use their services or who are involved in their activities are kept safe and not harmed as a result of their involvement. All children and adults have the right to be safe from harm and should be able to live free from fear of abuse, neglect and exploitation.
It isn’t possible to completely remove all risk but organisations can do many things to make sure any risk is kept to a minimum. The key objectives of RVA’s guidance in this area of policy and procedure are:
- To explain the responsibilities which organisations, their staff, volunteers and trustees have in respect of child and vulnerable adult protection.
- To provide an overview of child and vulnerable adult protection.
- To provide generic procedural guidance that will be implemented where protection issues arise.
The documents below will give you guidance about the issues and how to approach your group’s safeguarding obligations and the needs of your members and users. Do contact us if you require advice on how to develop your policies to reflect the requirements of your organisation or project.
Contact us on 0118 937 2273 or email advice@rva.org.uk
All the information is for guidance purposes only – please seek specialist advice if you have a particular issue to resolve.
- DBS Guide for Voluntary and Community Groups
A guide for voluntary and community groups working with children or vulnerable adults and to identify which volunteer and paid posts require the post holder to be DBS checked, at what level and for which workforce i.e. children or adults. The guide also provides additional sources of guidance and help.
- DBS guide for working with adults in the charity sector
The DBS service have updated their guidance for working with adults in the voluntary community and charity sector The guidance, which includes example scenarios, can be found here: DBS Guide Working with Adults in the Charity Sector Please note there is a separate guidance for working with children. You may also wish to take a look at this guide prepared by RVA which covers working with children and adults: RVA’s DBS Guide for Voluntary and Community Groups Further information If you would like further advice or assistance contact advice@rva.org.uk or call us on 0118 973 ...
- DBS guide for working with children in the charity sector
The DBS service have updated their guidance for those in the voluntary, community and charity sector. The guidance, which can be found here, includes example scenarios: DBS Guide: Working with Children in the Charity Sector Please note there is a separate guidance for working with adults. You may also wish to take a look at RVA’s guide for voluntary and community groups working with children and adults: RVA’s DBS Guide for Voluntary and Community Groups Further information If you would like assistance, please contact advice@rva.org.uk or call RVA on 0118 937 2273.
- Flowchart for ‘Regulated Activity’ when working with Adults
This handy flowchart courtesy of Knowhow Non-Profit will help you determine whether the activity that you are providing is ‘regulated activity’ when you are considering DBS checks for those working with Adults. If it is, you will need an Enhanced and Barring List Check for Adults.
- Flowchart for ‘Regulated Activity’ when working with Children
This handy flowchart courtesy of Knowhow Non-Profit will help you determine whether the activity that you are providing is ‘regulated activity’ when you are considering DBS checks. If it is, you will need an enhanced and barring list check for children.
- Free online safeguarding resources from NCVO
Every charity, voluntary or community group, regardless of type and size, should be a safe place for all its beneficiaries, supporters, volunteers and staff. The National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) has published a comprehensive collection of free resources – briefings, guides, tools, podcasts and videos. They are straightforward, practical and based on real world experience in the voluntary sector. If you are a voluntary or community group within Reading and you would like additional assistance in understanding these resources or guidance on adapting them to your own organisation, please contact advice@rva.org.uk ...
- New safeguarding tool for charities
Every organisation that delivers charitable activities has a responsibility to safeguard people from harm or abuse, whether they are staff members, volunteers, or other people who come into contact with your charity through its work. The government has designed a new digital tool to help charities handle the reporting of safeguarding concerns or allegations about the behaviour or actions of a person in their charity. The tool acts as a prompt so that you can ensure you have taken all the relevant steps necessary to safeguard your beneficiaries and to protect the charity. It ...
- NSPCC
NSPCC provides a wealth of online advice and materials related to safeguarding of children.
- Safeguarding Adults – Key Contact Details
Key contact details for Safeguarding Adults services in Berkshire
- Safeguarding Adults – Reading Borough Council
Information about abuse relating to vulnerable adults, spotting signs of abuse and relevant contact details
- Safeguarding Children – Children’s Single Point of Access (CSPOA)
The place to make referrals in Reading about a child you are worried about, this is anyone from pre-birth to 18 years old, or up to 25 years old for for children and young people with special needs.
- Safeguarding Children – Key Contact Details
Key contact numbers for safeguarding children services in Berkshire
- Safeguarding resources during the coronavirus pandemic
Whether you’re wishing to train up new volunteers or adapting your services to respond to the coronavirus pandemic, it’s important to continue delivering safe activities. To help you deliver training remotely to your staff and volunteers, we have collected some free and heavily subsidised online resources: Download SAFE CIC’s top tips for safeguarding during the coronavirus pandemic SAFE CIC’s online safeguarding courses for both children and adults’ safeguarding – currently at a reduced price of £6 each (for the first 4 orders). NSPCC online training, including safeguarding for trustees Free short video on staying ...
- Sample safeguarding policy and procedures
Includes the content of RVA’s own policy, explanations of relevant terms and links to sources of further information.
- Support and resources to help you deliver services safely online
Is your organisation delivering online services or are you struggling with seeing how you might do this safely in view of specific needs of your service users, such as mental health needs? Many of us had to adapt quickly to the various lockdown restrictions, and you might be trying to balance: Maintaining much-needed service delivery during lockdown, with Ensuring that your service users are safe from harm when engaging in new digital services For many organisations, especially those working with service users who are experiencing mental health difficulties, this has not been an ...
- Template Reporting Form for Safeguarding Adults at Risk
This template Reporting form for Safeguarding Adults at Risk has been prepared for voluntary and community groups offering services to Adults.
- Updated guidance from Berkshire West Safeguarding Children Partnership
All services working with children and families across Berkshire West are part of the Berkshire West Safeguarding Children Partnership and each organisation has an important role to play. The new Simple Guide to the new Local Safeguarding Arrangements has been designed to help you understand your role in the Berkshire West Safeguarding Children Partnership. You can download a copy below: Simple guide to the Berkshire West Children’s Safeguarding Arrangements – Feb 2020 Further information For further information you can visit our new partnership website. You can also stay up to date via Twitter and ...
- Updated Safeguarding Guidance from the Charity Commission
The Charity Commission has recently updated its guidance on safeguarding for voluntary and community sector organisations. All charities have a responsibility to ensure they don’t cause harm to anyone who has contact with them. Charities working with children or adults at risk have extra responsibilities. Read the guidance to find out about your responsibilities to keep everyone who comes into contact with your charity safe from harm: this includes volunteers, staff and beneficiaries. The guidance includes: identifying and managing risks having suitable policies in place carrying out necessary checks protecting your volunteers and staff handling and reporting incidents ...