Protection and safeguarding

Overview

Many volunteer-involving organisations work hard to support and empower the most vulnerable members of our communities. Working with children, people with disabilities and older people means ensuring that safeguards are in place to make sure everyone is treated in a safe and respectful way that does not expose them to unnecessary risk.

Effective safeguarding goes far wider than Criminal Record Bureau checks and involves how you recruit, induct, train and support volunteers. Effective safeguarding is also about striking the right balance, so that vulnerable people are protected, but that equally, organisations do not become overly risk averse.

Please note that the vetting systems run by CRB and the Independent Safeguarding Authority are currently being reformed by government. It is important that you are aware of the latest developments.

• Other than Criminal Records Bureau checks, what steps can we take to safeguard our clients?
• Ex-offenders, offenders and prisoners as volunteers
• CRB checks for refugees and asylum seekers

Information sheets

• Member only Screening volunteers (48.6Kb)
• Member only Recruiting Volunteers with Criminal Records (125.5Kb)
• Free An Introduction to Criminal Records Bureau Disclosures (CRB Checks) (55.6Kb)
• Free Safeguarding student volunteering in the Further Education sector: information for volunteer-involving  organisations and brokerage organisations - VE Information Sheet (56.8Kb)
• Free Volunteers and the Law (281.8Kb)
• Free Involving ex-offenders in volunteering (94.8Kb)

Example documents

• Example child protection policy
• Example vulnerable adult protection policy
• Example extracts from child protection policy and guidelines (18.6Kb)

Further information

• Business Link Criminal records checks (for organisations)
• Directgov Criminal record checks: an introduction (for individuals)
• Independent Safeguarding Authority
• NACRO is a crime reduction charity which works to support ex-offenders and deprived communities. They can advise on issues related to taking on ex-offenders as volunteers.
• National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children
• Child Protection in Sport Unit is a partnership between the NSPCC and national sports bodies which works to support sports organisations working with children.
• The National Council for Voluntary Youth Services (NCVYS) safeguarding resources
• The Safe Network provides information and resources to help keep children safe
  
  

Volunteering England and the organisations that contribute example documents to the Good Practice Bank accept no responsibility for how they are used. They are presented as examples of good practice, but it is every volunteer-involving organisation's responsibility to ensure that their volunteers are safe, and that policies and procedures meet legal requirements.