Safeguarding & Volunteering

Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility, and volunteers should be made aware of your safeguarding policy. It should also cover the activities volunteers are involved in, helping to protect both service users and volunteers themselves.

LSCP SSAB LOGOSOur advice and support around safeguarding practice and procedures is about safer recruitment and vetting in relation to volunteering, and is in line with LSCP (Local Safeguarding Children Partnership) and SSAB (Sutton Safeguarding Adults Board) procedures for the London Borough of Sutton. Our local infrastructure partner, Community Action Sutton, can advise your organisation on developing your overall safeguarding policy. You can read Volunteer Centre Sutton's Safeguarding policy here.

What is safeguarding?

Safeguarding means creating a safe and welcoming environment where everyone is treated with respect. It’s about running your organisation in a way that prevents harm, bullying, harassment, abuse and neglect, and knowing how to respond if something goes wrong. Everyone has a role in safeguarding, and it should be part of everyday work. All charities have a duty to keep volunteers, staff, participants and donors safe.

How does safeguarding apply to your volunteer recruitment and vetting?

Safeguarding starts with how you recruit and check volunteers. Taking time to properly vet people before they start helps spot any potential risks early and makes volunteering safer for everyone.

Vetting can include:

  • application forms
  • interviews
  • references
  • background checks, such as DBS checks

The type of checks you need will depend on the volunteer role, so it’s important to carry out a simple risk assessment first. This means looking at what the volunteer will be doing and thinking about any possible safeguarding concerns.

For example, does the role involve:

  • working with children or vulnerable adults?
  • being alone with participants?
  • handling money or personal information?

Once you understand the risks, you can decide what safeguards are needed. This might include interviews, references, training, supervision, or DBS checks. The aim is to make sure volunteers are suitable for the role and that everyone stays safe.

What do your volunteers need to know about safeguarding?

Volunteers need to understand that safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility. They should know how to help keep the people they support safe, recognise possible signs of harm or abuse, and feel confident about what to do if they have concerns.

This includes:

  • understanding your organisation’s safeguarding policy and procedures
  • knowing what abuse, neglect, or exploitation might look like
  • recognising boundaries and appropriate behaviour in their role
  • knowing how to respond to a disclosure or concern
  • understanding who to report concerns to and how to do this quickly
  • knowing how to record concerns clearly and accurately

Volunteers should also understand that safeguarding is about prevention as well as response. This means following good practice, working within clear boundaries, and speaking up if something doesn’t feel right.

Good safeguarding training and regular reminders help volunteers feel confident, supported, and clear about their responsibilities. The key message is simple: if they see something worrying, they should report it rather than ignore it.

At Volunteer Centre Sutton, part of our volunteering training includes 2 short videos, one on safeguarding awareness for adults at risk and one on safeguarding awareness for children and young people.

Watch Adult Safeguarding Video

Watch Children's Safeguarding Video

Other things to consider:

  • Safeguarding Information about how to report concerns displayed on posters in your setting
  • Refresher "quiz" on safeguarding - example here
  • Giving your volunteers a wallet sized card with safeguarding information that they can keep on them and easily refer to