# New independent body to improve standards agreed on at Safeguarding Summit

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2018/03/06/new-independent-body-improve-standards-agreed-upon-safeguarding-summit/
- Published: 2018-03-06T07:30:34+00:00
- Author: Melanie May

**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](https://fundraising.co.uk/2018/03/06/your-time-up-mordaunt-warns-offenders-safeguarding-summit/)
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.

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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](https://fundraising.co.uk/2018/02/19/commission-announces-uk-focused-safeguarding-summit-taskforce-light-charity-misconduct-allegations/)
following allegations of misconduct by Oxfam staff in Haiti as well as by people
working for [a number of other charities](https://fundraising.co.uk/2018/02/24/plan-international-uk-international-committee-red-cross-reveal-sexual-misconduct-cases/).

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