If your organisation works with or around children and vulnerable adults, having strict safeguarding policies and procedures in place should be a top priority. Everyone has a right to live their lives free from fear, abuse and neglect and, if you work with or around vulnerable groups, you have a responsibility to safeguard their safety and basic human rights.
Missing warning signs could have serious consequences and leave vulnerable individuals open to abuse, neglect and exploitation.
Every company and organisation must all be invested in safeguarding. To ensure the safety of everyone under your care, it’s important that you adequately train your employees so they can carry out their safeguarding duties competently. HR can take the lead in this regard.
The role of HR professionals is to recruit, manage and engage with the adults working in their organisation. If the organisation comes into contact with children/vulnerable adults, then ensuring that these adults are suitable to work with children becomes a fundamental part of that role, and is thus critical to keeping children/vulnerable adults safe. Employment law and safeguarding guidance regulate how this should be carried out.
Establishing a culture where safeguarding is taken seriously is one of the most important things that HR can do. It should be made clear that everyone in the organisation is committed to good safeguarding practice and that HR is willing to take appropriate action for policy breaches.
Safeguarding training is crucial when working with vulnerable groups, as it helps to ensure that employees can conduct their duties knowledgeably and safely. There are many benefits of safeguarding training, including helping to understand which individuals are at particular risk of harm. Safeguarding training will provide you with the skills necessary to distinguish those under your care who may be at an increased risk.