Safeguarding and Risk Management Hub

The Safeguarding and Risk Management Hub

The Safeguarding and Risk Management Hub (The Hub) is a freely accessible online resource providing guidance, support, advice and access to training resources in relation to safeguarding and risk management for organisations and individuals working with young people. The Hub provides a comprehensive risk management framework that can be applied to the diverse activities across the youth sector, and is intended to be a ‘go-to’ place with content drafted and maintained by safeguarding and risk experts.   

The Hub aims to promote good safeguarding and risk management practices across the youth sector. The Hub relates directly to the delivery of youth programmes and services and does not cover occupational health and safety considerations. Organisations should ensure they have access to separate competent advice regarding occupational health and safety matters.  

Why is it needed?  

Safeguarding young people and vulnerable adults is the most important duty of any youth worker. In response to reduced funding and resources within the sector, the national workforce has changed and this has placed greater reliance upon volunteer youth workers. The diminishing infrastructure support available to volunteers, and the organisations they work with, means there is inconsistent training, CPD opportunities and resources available across England. 

Meanwhile, the complexities of young people’s needs and risks have increased. We recognise there is a need for clarity and investment to support organisations and individual workers to develop consistent support structures of safeguarding and risk management in order to help ensure our young people have access to safe services, support and care.  

The Resources

Setting up your Safeguarding Culture

This guidance is designed to facilitate good thinking in relation to developing a robust and effective safeguarding culture.

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Safeguarding for Youth Work Guidance

This document outlines safeguarding policy and procedures for the protection of children and young people at risk.

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Safeguarding Standards for the youth sector

have been designed to support good safeguarding practices for all those working with children and young people

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Worker Competency

Competence is situational meaning that a worker who may be competent in one role, activity or particular group of young people may not be competent in another. Competence should be considered in relation to specific workers, with specific groups, on specific programmes, in specific environments, undertaking specific activities.

Worker Supervision Agreement

Supervision is a two-way process, whereby the supervisor ensures the worker is accountable and is able to carry out their duties as effectively as possible, follow policy, procedure and good practice standards, and staff are enabled to obtain the necessary support and guidance to carry out their duties effectively.

Worker Supervision Policy

Supervision is a key element of staff development for all team members, paid or unpaid. Team meetings and mentoring also form part of quality support and supervision, and the development of team structure within the staff team. The purpose of supervision is to provide support to all team members as well as to promote and provide accountability for work practice. Good supervision supports decision-making, development of the work and development of the staff member’s knowledge, skills and competencies.

Workforce Information

Employers are legally required to provide information, instruction, training and supervision as is necessary to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health and safety at work of employees. For youth work organisations, this extends to all those directly affected by the delivery of services, including young people.

Youth Work in Private Dwellings: Safety first – no compromises

We have a legal and moral duty to safeguard the young people we work with. … Continued
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Contact the Safeguarding and Risk Management Hub

The Training Courses

Please click below to register for free access to our introductory safeguarding training courses

Note: Course registrations are currently only processed during business hours, if you register at the weekend, please allow some time for your login information to come through

Who is it for? 

The Hub aims to provide support for anyone across the youth sector who may be seeking safeguarding or risk management information, guidance or support. The Hub aims to support both organisations and individual practitioners alike. It is recognised that there are many National Associations and other organisations within the sector who are already following and have access to high quality and established risk management frameworks.  The information within The Hub is not intended to replace or supersede established systems that youth organisations have already developed.  It is primarily aimed at those who have limited access to such resources, specialist knowledge or established practice. 

How to use this resource 

The Hub provides guidance on what organisations or individuals should do in response to areas of safeguarding and risk management, highlighting examples of good practice.  

The Hub is structured to provide a risk management framework that can be applied to a broad range of activities and practice across the youth sector. The framework includes specific guidance topics arranged into four key areas of: Safe People; Safe Place & Activities; Safe Policy, Process & Procedure; and Safe Equipment & Resources.  

You are invited to navigate through the resource to access advice on specific topics, or to view and apply the framework as a whole. Where applicable and appropriate, template documents are available to download to support the application and implementation of good practice. If you have any questions or queries about the Hub, please complete the form below.  

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