WARNING – CONTENT MENTIONS ABUSE

Free BBSafe safeguarding webinar 28 July, 12-1pm AEST

Our next free safeguarding webinar will be on Governing for safety. 

Boards and Management Committees have legal, regulatory and ethical responsibilities for the safety of vulnerable people. In this webinar we will take an in depth look at what questions should you be asking to create and maintain a safeguarding culture. We look at director’s duties, the role of the Board in driving culture and overseeing risk management and compliance, and setting strategy aligned with safeguarding. The session is not jurisdiction specific and covers organisations working with children and vulnerable adults. 

It is useful for governing body members, organisational leaders and safeguarding team. Register here:
https://events.humanitix.com/bbsafe-free-webinar-governing-for-safety-for-boards-and-leaders

Governing for safety

At BBSafe, we spend a lot of time talking to Boards and management committees about their role in safeguarding.

Despite a five year Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Institutional Child Sexual Abuse, a two and a half year Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety, and a four year Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability, there continues to be regular media reports about charges being laid for recent abuse, neglect and exploitation of children and vulnerable adults in the context of their contact with institutions.

These landmark Royal Commissions have led to significant reform in these sectors and raised the bar in terms of compliance – and also in terms of complexity. And because it is complex, and the issues of safeguarding are difficult and emotive, there is often a default to compliance, and a skew to focusing on reporting requirements, at the expense of prevention efforts. 

As not for profit leaders, I would urge each one of us to consider compliance in relation to safeguarding as bare minimum. And is bare minimum an acceptable bar for values and mission based organisations working with some of the most vulnerable people in our community? 

There were many cases in the various Royal Commissions where there was technical compliance, but where culture and practice undermined compliance. Corners were cut because of the need to get staff in place quickly; breaches of Codes of Conduct and suspicions of unacceptable behaviour went unreported because people weren’t quite sure what they were observing, or they didn’t have “proof”, or it wasn’t safe for people to speak up; where concerns were reported, they sometimes remained locked away in a drawer and abuse was able to continue for years.  

While we have come a long way in terms of the scrutiny and expectations on organisations, it still concerns me greatly when I hear about the culture and practice operating in some organisations. I hear pushback about how hard it is to get staff and volunteers and the creation of “more red tape” to implement safe recruitment practice. I hear resistance to undertaking the barest minimum of training requirements. I talk to Board directors who think their organisation is “all over it”, when the only line of sight they have to safeguarding is probity check compliance and incident reports. I have had more than one senior leader ask me about “all the made up allegations”.    

As leaders of organisations, we must never be complacent. We must drive cultures beyond compliance to where safeguarding is a priority. By focusing on culture, the compliance takes care of itself.  

Here are some questions that might assist you to reflect on where your organisational culture is sitting on safeguarding: 

• What would a potential perpetrator of violence or abuse observe as they go through the recruitment process in your organisation? Would they be asked about their commitment to safeguarding and their practice for observing professional boundaries? Are staff and volunteers inducted to a living, breathing Code of Conduct? Would they conclude that the organisation is paying attention to safeguarding? Or would the silence on safeguarding send them a message that maybe they could get away with things in your organisation?  

• Do you understand what is “reasonable” by way of risk mitigation in your organisation? With the reverse onus of proof now applying in relation to civil claims for institutional child abuse, can you – hand on heart – say that your organisation is doing everything reasonable to prevent abuse? Does the organisation understand what context specific safeguarding risks exist in your services and sites and for the children and clients you work with, and what would be reasonable to mitigate those risk? 

• Is your Board setting the culture where safeguarding is prioritised? Do board members talk about safeguarding and understand their own obligations? Is strategy and resourcing aligned to a commitment to safeguarding? 

• If something does go wrong, are the complaints processes child or client focused? Is your organisation responding defensively, or with compassion? Are you wrapping around impacted people to support them? Is your response trauma informed and aligned with your organisational values? 

This month’s webinar will explore all of this in more detail and we look forward to sharing that with you. 

We would love to know your thoughts. Feel free to get in touch.
sarah.lim@bbsafe.com.au