Safeguarding Policy (Children and Adults at Risk)

About this document

What it’s for

A full safeguarding policy and procedure for charities in England and Wales. It reflects the Charity Commission’s guidance on safeguarding and protecting people, Working Together to Safeguard Children 2026, the Care Act 2014, the DBS rules (including the removal of the supervision exemption from 1 September 2026) and serious incident reporting.

When to use it

Any charity or group whose staff, volunteers or trustees come into contact with children or adults at risk
When you review your existing policy (at least once a year and after any serious incident)
When a funder, insurer, venue or local authority asks to see your safeguarding arrangements

What’s inside

The document is laid out in the sections below. Each one comes with a plain-English guidance note explaining what it does and what to change.

Our commitment
Purpose of this policy
Who this policy applies to
Legal and guidance framework
Definitions
Our safeguarding principles
Roles and responsibilities
Recognising abuse, neglect and exploitation
What to do if you are worried or someone tells you something
How the DSL deals with a concern
Allegations against our people
Serious incident reporting
Safer recruitment and DBS checks
Code of behaviour and safe practice
Information sharing, confidentiality and records
Whistleblowing, complaints and concerns about the charity
Partners, hirers and funded organisations
Training and support
Monitoring and review
Related policies and documents

Also included

The board of trustees
The safeguarding trustee
The Designated Safeguarding Lead and deputy
All of our people
Children
Adults at risk
In an emergency
If someone tells you about abuse (a disclosure)
If you notice something or have a worry
If the DSL and deputy are not available
Levels of DBS check
Regulated activity
Trustees and senior managers
Recruiting people with criminal records

How to complete it

Name your Designated Safeguarding Lead, deputy and safeguarding trustee, and fill in the local contacts in Appendix A
Delete the parts that do not apply (for example, the adults section if you only work with children)
Complete the role risk assessment in Appendix D for every role before deciding on DBS checks
Have the trustees approve it, minute the approval and publish it (for example, on your website)

Key points to check

Local safeguarding partnership procedures add local detail – check yours and add any local referral routes
Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland use different guidance and vetting schemes – see the guidance notes

Our templates are professionally structured starting points for UK businesses, not legal advice. For anything complex, unusual or high-value, have your final version checked by a solicitor.

Included in the pack

Charities

£20

for every document in this category

Editable Microsoft Word files

Guidance notes in every document

Written for UK businesses

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Safeguarding Policy (Children and Adults at Risk)

What it’s for

When to use it

What’s inside

Also included

How to complete it

Key points to check

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