Expert partnership formed to develop voluntary sector safeguarding resources
Melanie May | 3 April 2019 | News
The NCVO is coordinating a partnership of 13 national umbrella bodies and organisations, which are joining forces to develop a suite of free safeguarding resources for the voluntary sector.
The Safer Social Sector Partnership will develop safeguarding tools and advice aimed at meeting the needs of the full spectrum of the voluntary sector, and ensuring that all voluntary organisations are a safe place for beneficiaries, volunteers and staff.
It is being funded through an award of £570,000 from the National Lottery Community Fund as part of a joint £1.2m Safeguarding Training Fund with the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS).
Co-ordinated by NCVO, the full list of partners involved is: NSPCC, Ann Craft Trust, UK Youth, PROTECT, Children England, National Adult Safeguarding Network, Third Sector Safeguarding Network, National Youth Safeguarding Forum, Charity HR Network, the Foundation for Social Improvement (FSI), National Association for Voluntary and Community Action (NAVCA), Action with Communities in Rural England (ACRE) and digital partner, Neontribe.
The partnership’s initial steps will be to undertake an in-depth user engagement process to inform the design, prototype and delivery of a new ‘safeguarding gateway’ on the NCVO KnowHow website. This will be followed by the updating and development of resources that meet identified needs or gaps in provision. The accessibility of these resources will be maximised through the use of a variety of dissemination channels, including podcasts and videos.
Talking about the new partnership and grant funding, Elizabeth Chamberlain, Head of Policy at NCVO, added:
“Safeguarding is a key priority for everyone within the voluntary sector, regardless of the size of the organisation or the activity it carries out. The strength and breadth of this partnership is testament to how committed we all are to getting it right by coming together to drive improvement, creating environments that are safe for all.”
Peter Wanless, Chief Executive at NSPCC, said:
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“The voluntary and community sector has a vital role to play in safeguarding children and adults at risk from abuse and other forms of harm. It also plays a key part in helping local communities to keep their most vulnerable members safe.
“The lottery funding will enable us to improve and extend our existing range of resources to enable even the smallest organisations to take the steps they need to take to keep children safe.”
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.