Supporting people during the Covid-19 crisis: Safeguarding resources

This is the fourth update in our series of posts recognising and sharing awareness of the hard work that is going on across the sector. Charities across the region have provided an exceptional response to the ongoing crisis, ensuring that families are supported with essential goods and offering a lifeline for people who are isolated and anxious. We have seen many organisations quickly adapt, incorporating new systems and processes, many of which may be useful far beyond this immediate crisis.

However, we are also hearing about the increased prevalence of domestic violence or abuse that many are facing in lockdown, and the real risk for young people of online abuse, bullying or trolling. Young people now find themselves without normal face to face contact with trusted youth workers, and charity staff and volunteers are having to adapt their safeguarding systems to cover new processes.

Several organisations have collated or developed safeguarding resources to identify online risks for their users. The London Funders’ Network have shared the resources and training below; we hope it proves helpful for organisations in the North West for whom safety online might be a new, or increasingly significant consideration.

Safeguarding resources:

• Access to resources produced with funding from National Lottery Community Fund on NCVO website at https://knowhow.ncvo.org.uk/safeguarding
• Some additional websites and useful resources:
  • The Department of Education: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/working-together-to-safeguard-children–2
  • NHS England: https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/adult-pocket-guide.pdf
  • The NSPCC: https://learning.nspcc.org.uk/safeguarding-child-protection/
  • Guidance on safeguarding Adults at Risk by Social Care Institute for Excellence: https://www.scie.org.uk/safeguarding/adults
  • The Charity Commission for England and Wales: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/safeguarding-duties-for-charity-trustees and https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/strategy-for-dealing-with-safeguarding-issues-in-charities
  • Disclosure checks for England, Wales the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man at:  https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/disclosure-and-barring-service/about

 Training:

• Training options include:
  • https://learning.nspcc.org.uk/training/introduction-safeguarding-child-protection
  • https://www.scie.org.uk/care-providers/coronavirus-covid-19/virtual-courses – SCIE Adult Protection Training
  • https://learning.nspcc.org.uk/training/child-protection-safeguarding-sport
  • https://learning.nspcc.org.uk/training/online-safety – Useful for those taking services online during the Covid-19 crisis
  • https://learning.nspcc.org.uk/training/safeguarding-young-adults-16-to-25-year-olds
  • https://learning.nspcc.org.uk/training/safeguarding-charity-trustees –
  • https://learning.nspcc.org.uk/training/safeguarding-children-with-send
  • https://learning.nspcc.org.uk/training/safeguarding-awareness-course – Useful for those adapting their service models to include home visits for the first time
  • https://learning.nspcc.org.uk/training/harmful-sexual-behaviour-hsb-schools – A specialist package for schools, but is useful for any projects who have concerns about a young person or possible incident in the home or community