Safeguarding Guidelines for Partners

A significant part of the work of our partners affects children and adults at risk (hereafter, ‘people at risk’). People at risk are underaged, but also adults living in situations of vulnerability because of their age, gender, ethnicity, religion, physical, mental or other disability, social, civic or health status, sexual orientation, gender identity, economic disadvantages, indigenous status, or migration status.

We consider it of utmost importance that these people at risk feel safe and are being protected from harm. Porticus expects its partners to develop and implement a framework of safeguarding measures, usually through a ‘Safeguarding Policy’. We encourage our partners to demonstrate best practice when implementing safeguarding measures to ensure the safety of people at risk, and we have developed these Safeguarding Guidelines for Partners to help our partners with this process.

We have identified three categories of safeguarding standards: policy, people, and procedures and accountability. We are committed to helping our partners with setting standards that are appropriate to their organisations and within their local context.

If you have any specific questions in connection with these partner guidelines or safeguarding enquiries in general, please contact your local Porticus office.

Partner policy: A written safeguarding policy

The partner organisation has written policies that describe how the organisation aims to prevent harm to people at risk and sets out how it responds to incidents. In terms of content, as a best practice the policy should:

  • Describe how the organisation is committed to preventing and responding appropriately to harm to people at risk;
  • Express the belief that everyone should be protected from all forms of abuse, neglect, exploitation and violence;
  • Commit to a zero-tolerance approach towards harm against people at risk;
  • Openly communicates its safeguarding policy within its organisation;
  • Conduct a risk assessment indicating the key safeguarding risks (also online if relevant), accompanied with a set of measures aimed at risk minimisation;
  • Develop a written code of conduct, applicable to anyone who has contact with the people at risk (partner’s staff, volunteers, trustees, visitors), which specifies unacceptable behaviour towards people at risk. This should include guidelines for online/digital communication, if applicable.

 

People: Communications, awareness and training

The partner organisation:

  • Provides a safeguarding awareness training for staff, including trustees, volunteers, interns etc.;
  • Places clear responsibilities and expectations on its staff and supports them in understanding and acting in line with the safeguarding policy;
  • Appoints one (senior) member of staff who is charged with and capable of dealing with safeguarding concerns and incidents;
  • Cultivates an open culture where any safeguarding concerns can be shared.

 

Procedures and accountability

The partner organisation has, to the extent permitted under local laws:

  • Procedures in place to regularly monitor, review and update its safeguarding policy and the effective implementation thereof;
  • Implemented a robust selection and recruitment‐screening processes through reference and background checks;
  • Internal procedures that enable staff to report any safeguarding concerns;
  • Processes in place to ensure the safety of victims and whistle-blowers involved in incidents and to report violations of law to the local authorities;
  • Included in employment contracts provisions to allow for a reprimand, fine, dismissal, suspension, or transfer of any employee who breaches its safeguarding policy. 

Reporting to Porticus

Requirements

Please note that partner organisations must immediately notify Porticus of any serious safeguarding incidents that occur during the duration of a grant. A safeguarding incident means an allegation or conviction against a stakeholder of the partner relating to actual or threatened harm to the partner’s beneficiaries, staff, volunteers or others who meet the partner through its work, including incidents of historic abuse that become known to the partner during the course of the grant agreement.

A report on a safeguarding incident should be submitted by the partner organisation in a fully anonymized manner, to ensure the protection of the privacy of individuals involved. This means that in principle, reports should not include any information that could lead to the identification of an individual (e.g., the mentioning of certain roles can lead to identification of the individual involved and is therefore disclosing personal information).

However, if and when a keyman is implicated in a safeguarding incident, it can be important for Porticus to be made aware, because it can inform the severity of the case. For example, if the organisation’s CEO is accused, this circumstance can point to there being issues around the culture of safeguarding in the organisation.

Any report on a safeguarding incident will be treated confidentially by the Porticus team.

Why we ask to report

We understand that safeguarding issues arise from time to time within the organisations we support. We aim to work collaboratively and openly with all our partners in order to ensure that safeguarding incidents are handled effectively, in line with local laws, and that the wellbeing and safety of all is taken into consideration.

Serious incidents can have a major impact on the reputation of both the partner and Porticus. Porticus would like to discuss with the partner what the follow-up to these incidents will be and to draw lessons from the event about the safeguarding measures that have been taken.

How to notify Porticus and what will happen afterwards

Please provide a written notification to your Porticus contact person(s). If you make a report by phone or during an in-person meeting, the Porticus staff member will ask you to promptly submit a written notification. Porticus may contact you after receiving such notification if deemed appropriate.

We know that safeguarding cases can take some time to investigate and resolve. We will remain in touch with you to monitor progress and provide support where we can.

In most cases, our response will not affect the funding you are receiving. However, we reserve the right to suspend funding if we have on-going concerns about safety and need further re-assurance that appropriate action is being taken to address these concerns.