At The Hobson Charity, safeguarding is a fundamental responsibility that underpins our role as a charity and as a grant-giver. We are committed to ensuring that all organisations we support uphold the highest standards of safeguarding to protect children and adults at risk.
Our Responsibilities
Safeguarding involves a range of measures to protect individuals connected with your charity from harm, abuse, and maltreatment. As part of our governance process, we conduct due diligence to assess the overall standard of governance in your organisation. While this does not constitute an “approval” of your safeguarding approach, it indicates that appropriate policies and procedures are in place.
Key Safeguarding Principles
As outlined by the Charity Commission, your safeguarding responsibilities include:
- Taking reasonable steps to protect those connected with your charity, including beneficiaries, staff, and volunteers
- Making safeguarding a key governance priority, regardless of your charity’s size, type, or income
- Ensuring your charity’s assets are used appropriately and not exposed to undue risk
- Managing the risk that individuals may exploit your charity for inappropriate or illegal purposes.
Safeguarding is defined in key legislation and guidance, including:
- The Care and Support Statutory Guidance under the Care Act 2014
- Working Together to Safeguard Children 2018
- In Wales: Safeguarding Children: Working Together Under the Children Act 2004 (2007).
Requirements for Applicants
To support our safeguarding due diligence process, all grant applicants must provide the following:
- A Signed and Dated Safeguarding Policy
Submit a PDF copy of your organisation’s most recent safeguarding policy and procedures.
The policy must:
- Clearly state the date it was last reviewed and the date of the next scheduled review
- Be signed by the individual or group that approved the policy. If a group has approved the policy, they should appoint one person to sign it on their behalf.
2. Terminology and Clarity
- Use clear and appropriate terminology. For example, instead of ambiguous phrases such as “The Author of this Policy,” use “This policy has been approved by” to clearly indicate accountability.
3. Consider Safeguarding Beyond Direct Work with Vulnerable Groups
- While your organisation may not directly work with children or vulnerable adults, activities potentially funded by our grants such as community events, or volunteer engagements could lead to contact with at-risk individuals. We ask you to evaluate these scenarios and ensure appropriate safeguarding measures are included in your policy to mitigate any potential risks.
4. Safegarding Leads
- We strongly recommend that your safeguarding policy includes the names and contact details of designated safeguarding leads. While some organisations may be concerned about updating the policy when personnel change, we see this as a positive practice. Regular updates ensure that the information remains current and that accountability is maintained.
5. Public Access to Safeguarding Policies
- We strongly suggest that your organisation’s safeguarding policy is made available on your website. This ensures that anyone needing to report an issue, including outside of office hours, can easily find the relevant information.
6. Ongoing Updates
- Notify us of any changes to your safeguarding policy during the grant period by submitting the updated document via our safeguarding form on the portal.
Consequences of Non-Compliance
The trustees will not consider applications with:
- Outdated safeguarding policies
- Policies lacking review dates or signatures
- Inadequate safeguarding measures.
Failure to meet safeguarding standards may result in:
- Delays in grant consideration
- Potential withdrawal of funding.
Additional Resources
- Read more about safeguarding responsibilities for charity trustees
- Learn about appointing trustees and their legal obligations.
Our Commitment
We are committed to supporting organisations in fostering safe environments for all. Safeguarding is not just a compliance requirement but a shared commitment to uphold the welfare and rights of those at risk. For questions or further assistance, please see our Contact Us page.