Board responsibilities

Charities in the UK have certain responsibilities set out in charity law and regulator guidance. The governance or trustee board must take reasonable steps to protect the organisation’s community members, staff, volunteers, and those connected with its activities from harm and where appropriate to promote their welfare and well-being. 

This includes ensuring that the primary responsibility for safeguarding in the organisation sits with at least one named member of the Board/governance team known as the designated safeguarding trustee (or Governance member).

All board members should be appointed in line with your safer recruitment process and should be prepared to constructively challenge the management or ministry team where appropriate.

A trustee board or governance team should:

• Know their duties in terms of the law and regulatory requirements.
• Understand how their role relates to safeguarding in their organisation.
• Know what specific statutory duties they need to comply with due to their organisation’s activities, including carrying out relevant criminal record checks where necessary.
• Make sure the principal themes of safeguarding are embedded in the culture of the organisation, encouraging a safe environment so that anyone who has a concern feels able to report it.
• Ensure the organisation has an adequate safeguarding policy and procedures that reflect the law and best practice. Also, ensuring that these are properly implemented and reviewed, particularly when there are changes in circumstances or activities.
• Ensure adequate support, resource, and authority is given to the Safeguarding Leads/Teams to fulfil their role.
• Undertake appropriate safeguarding training so they’re able to make informed decisions that protect vulnerable groups.
• Be able to assess and manage risk relevant to the organisation’s work, being alert to the possibility of being targeted as an access point to children, adults at risk or others who may be vulnerable.
• Be alert to safeguarding risks arising from working with or providing funding for partner organisations.
• Make sure the organisation has procedures in place for staff, volunteers and beneficiaries to raise concerns with clear lines of accountability, systems of reporting, and actions to be taken.
• Make sure that all concerns are appropriately and sensitively investigated, promptly acted on, and that any serious incidents / concerns are reported to the charity regulator.
• Ensure the organisation has procedures in place to manage safeguarding crises which may impact the integrity of the organisation.
• Make sure that the needs of victims and survivors are met through good pastoral support and a 'survivor-centred' approach when responding to concerns.
• Make sure that if incidents do occur, the organisation reflects and learns from them. This may include seeking feedback from beneficiaries or others who have been affected. Show your commitment to improving safeguarding practice by, for example, making changes to policy, updating procedures or providing additional training, and communicate clearly about the actions you are taking.