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The crucial role of child protection in charities: A guide for trustees and managers
Anne Rodgers
26-06-2023
Charities play a crucial role in society, often dealing with some of the most vulnerable members of our communities. This duty of care becomes even more significant when it involves the safety and well-being of children. For charity trustees and managers, understanding and implementing robust child protection measures are not optional; it's a legal and moral obligation.
In this article, Anne Rodgers highlights the importance of child protection within charities, providing trustees and managers with a guide to their responsibilities and practical steps to ensure their charity is actively protecting the welfare of children.
She will delve into the legal framework surrounding child protection, the necessity of fostering a culture of vigilance within your charity, the role of trustees and managers in safeguarding children, and how to effectively implement child protection measures. Through this discussion, she aims to help you meet your legal obligations and ensure your charity is a haven where every child's well-being is respected and prioritised.
Child protection: A specialised focus
As a part of the broader concept of safeguarding, child protection zeroes in on the welfare of individual children identified as suffering or at risk of significant harm. It is a reactive process, detailing precise steps to respond to concerns about a child.
Understanding child protection is about being alert to the signs of abuse and neglect, knowing how to act upon your concerns, and being familiar with the procedures triggered when child protection issues arise. It’s about ensuring your charity is a safe place for children and an active participant in their protection.
Understanding the legislative framework
Trustees must be aware of the pertinent UK child protection laws and regulations, including The Children Act 1989 & 2004 and The Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006. These laws provide a legal framework for the protection of children and must guide your charity's child protection policies and procedures.
Understanding how these laws apply to your charity is the first step in fulfilling your legal obligations.
Creating a culture of vigilance
Establishing a culture of vigilance means creating an environment where everyone associated with your charity, such as trustees, managers, staff, and volunteers, understands their role in child protection and feels confident about reporting any concerns. This culture can only exist where there is a clear understanding of what constitutes harm and an established process for reporting and responding to concerns.
The role of trustees and managers in child protection
As a trustee or manager, you have a crucial role to play in child protection. You need to ensure that your charity has robust child protection policies that are effectively implemented. This involves:
- Training - Providing adequate training to all staff and volunteers so they understand the signs of abuse or neglect and know how to act on their concerns.
- Safe recruitment practices - Ensuring your charity follows safe recruitment practices, including carrying out appropriate checks on all staff and volunteers who will have contact with children.
- Clear reporting procedures - Set up clear reporting procedures for child protection concerns. This includes having a designated child protection officer trained to handle such concerns and how to liaise with the relevant authorities.
- Review and monitoring - Regularly review and update your charity's child protection policy and procedures, learning from any incidents and making changes where necessary.
Implementing child protection measures
Implementing effective child protection measures is about more than just responding to incidents. It involves creating a proactive environment that recognises potential issues and takes the necessary steps to protect children. A part of this is ensuring that any organisations you fund or work in partnership with are also committed to child protection.
Conclusion
Child protection is a critical responsibility for all charities working with children. As trustees and managers, your commitment to child protection measures can profoundly impact the lives of the children you serve. By creating an environment where child protection is understood, prioritised, and effectively implemented, you safeguard the welfare of children and the reputation of your charity.
By focusing on child protection, we can ensure that every child interaction within our charity is marked by safety, care, and respect. In doing so, we uphold our legal responsibilities and move closer to a world where every child is protected and empowered. After all, a society that protects its children truly invests in its future.
About the Mandatory Training Group
The Mandatory Training Group is one of the leading UK providers of CPDUK-accredited statutory and mandatory training, continuing professional development (CPD) courses, eLearning software and workforce development solutions for all sectors.
By making things simple and designing interactive e-learning content, we can provide meaningful training programs at all levels and enhance the capacity and resilience of individuals and organisations.
Click here to see our wide range of accredited safeguarding and child protection training courses.
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References and resources
HM Government (2004) - Children Act 1989 & 2004.
HM Government (2006) - Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006.
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