Safeguarding Policies for Charities: A Practical Guide | LegalDocuments.co.uk

Overview

A safeguarding policy is a written statement that sets out how a charity protects children, adults at risk, staff, volunteers, and anyone else who comes into contact with the organisation. It typically covers who is considered vulnerable, what kinds of harm the charity is alert to (physical, emotional, sexual, financial, neglect, online and more), and the procedures people must follow if they have a concern.

For registered charities, the Charity Commission treats safeguarding as a key governance priority, trustees are expected to take reasonable steps to protect people who come into contact with their charity from harm. The policy works alongside related documents such as a code of conduct, a whistleblowing policy, recruitment and DBS procedures, and guidance on confidentiality and data protection.

It should be proportionate to the size and activities of the charity: a small community group running occasional events needs something far simpler than a national charity delivering frontline services, but both need a policy that is genuinely used rather than simply filed away.

Key steps

1. Identify who the policy needs to protect. Map out every group your charity comes into contact with, beneficiaries, children, adults at risk, volunteers, staff, contractors, visitors, and online users. Consider the specific risks each group faces in the context of your activities, because a youth club, a food bank, and a research charity will each encounter very different safeguarding scenarios in practice.
2. Appoint a Designated Safeguarding Lead and trustee champion. Assign a named person responsible for handling concerns day-to-day, with a nominated trustee holding board-level oversight. Set out their contact details, decision-making authority, and the training they should complete. Without clear ownership, reports get missed, responses are inconsistent, and trustees lose the ability to assure themselves that the policy is working.
3. Write clear reporting and response procedures. Describe exactly what a staff member or volunteer should do when they suspect or witness harm: who to tell, how quickly, what to record, and when to escalate externally to the police, local authority, Charity Commission, or DBS. Include timescales, template incident forms, and guidance on preserving evidence and maintaining confidentiality throughout the process.
4. Build safeguarding into recruitment and training. Put safer recruitment practices in place, including references, identity checks, and DBS checks at the appropriate level where roles are eligible. Ensure induction covers the policy, and set a schedule for refresher training. Volunteers often slip through this net, so make sure your procedures apply consistently to everyone in a position of trust.
5. Review, test, and learn from incidents. Treat the policy as a living document. Review it at least annually, after any serious incident, and whenever the charity's activities change materially. Log all concerns and near misses, discuss themes at trustee meetings, and update training and procedures based on what you learn so the framework keeps pace with real-world risks.

Common questions