New independent body to improve standards agreed on at Safeguarding Summit
Melanie May | 6 March 2018 | News
UK charities, the Charity Commission and DFID have come up with a number of initiatives for improving safeguarding standards, agreed upon at yesterday’s Safeguarding Summit, including the creation of a new independent body.
At the Summit, International Development Secretary Penny Mordaunt challenged those present to come up with actions to tackle sexual exploitation and abuse in the aid sector. Those agreed upon include both immediate short-term measures, and longer term initiatives to be developed in the coming weeks and months.
They include creating an independent body to promote external scrutiny and ensure standards across the aid sector, with an international safeguarding centre to be explored that would help organisations implement best practice on safeguarding and maximise transparency in the sector. This could, for example, conduct safeguarding reviews, offer guidance and support to organisations, and have a deployable team of experts on sexual exploitation and abuse to advise organisations on the ground.
In addition:
- The introduction of new standards for vetting and referencing across the sector was agreed upon, along with an urgent review of referencing in the sector. The Summit agreed that vetting and referencing standards should be required for UK-based staff, international staff, and locally-employed staff.
- To ensure that whistle-blowers and survivors of exploitation and abuse get the counselling and support they need, the Summit agreed to plan for a systematic audit of whistleblowing practices across the sector so that individuals feel able to report offences. The importance of developing and implementing mandatory standards to make organisations accountable to beneficiaries – ensuring those receiving aid are able to identify and raise concerns was also identified.
- To tackle power imbalances, encourage reporting, take allegations seriously and hold people to account, the Summit agreed annual reports would be made more transparent, with specific information published on safeguarding including the number of cases.
- Mandatory inductions on safeguarding for all staff should also be introduced to ensure any issues are identified and acted upon.
- To ensure concerns are heard and acted upon, the Summit agreed on establishing clear guidelines for referring incidents, allegations and offenders to relevant authorities, including the National Crime Agency.
In addition to the actions agreed at the Summit, DFID also said it will continue to ensure small charities are supported during this process.
The Summit was announced last month following allegations of misconduct by Oxfam staff in Haiti as well as by people working for a number of other charities.
Advertisement
Related posts
Charity Commission opens statutory inquiry into Oxfam over Haiti abuse
Charity Commission agrees terms for Oxfam GB independent review
Charities still under-reporting major incidents finds Commission’s safeguarding taskforce
Charity Commission alert to international aid charities urges further safeguarding work
About Melanie May
Melanie May is a journalist and copywriter specialising in writing both for and about the charity and marketing services sectors since 2001. She can be reached via thepurplepim.com.