Safeguarding and Risk Management Hub

The Safeguarding and Risk Management Hub

The Safeguarding and Risk Management Hub (The Hub) is a freely accessible online resource providing guidance, support, advice and access to training resources in relation to safeguarding and risk management for organisations and individuals working with young people. The Hub provides a comprehensive risk management framework that can be applied to the diverse activities across the youth sector, and is intended to be a ‘go-to’ place with content drafted and maintained by safeguarding and risk experts.

The Hub aims to promote good safeguarding and risk management practices across the youth sector. The Hub relates directly to the delivery of youth programmes and services and does not cover occupational health and safety considerations. Organisations should ensure they have access to separate competent advice regarding occupational health and safety matters.

Why is it needed?

Safeguarding young people and vulnerable adults is the most important duty of any youth worker. In response to reduced funding and resources within the sector, the national workforce has changed and this has placed greater reliance upon volunteer youth workers. The diminishing infrastructure support available to volunteers, and the organisations they work with, means there is inconsistent training, CPD opportunities and resources available across England.

Meanwhile, the complexities of young people’s needs and risks have increased. We recognise there is a need for clarity and investment to support organisations and individual workers to develop consistent support structures of safeguarding and risk management in order to help ensure our young people have access to safe services, support and care.

The Resources

Setting up your Safeguarding Culture

This guidance is designed to facilitate good thinking in relation to developing a robust and effective safeguarding culture.

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Safeguarding for Youth Work Guidance

This document outlines safeguarding policy and procedures for the protection of children and young people at risk.

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Safeguarding Standards for the youth sector

have been designed to support good safeguarding practices for all those working with children and young people

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External Providers

Youth work organisations often choose to use external organisations such as transport operators, first aid providers, caterers or venues to assist in the delivery of programmes.

Fire Safety

Fire safety should always be of paramount concern. Youth work organisations should ensure that all workers, volunteers and young people are aware of fire safety and evacuation procedures relevant and specific to the venue, setting and activity.

First Aid Provision

A first aid needs assessment should be conducted by youth work organisations to ascertain the first aid arrangements required for the programme as a whole or for each activity. When undertaking a first aid needs assessment the following considerations should be taken into account:

Food Safety

All youth work organisations, regardless of the extent to which they prepare or supply food, should consider and apply principles of good food hygiene and safety. Some organisations may qualify as a ‘food business’ and be subject to the regulations of the food industry (see section below for more details), but all organisations should be mindful of hygiene and safety principles as part of their general health & safety responsibilities.

Gender Inclusive Environment in Youth Settings

The NYA believes that all youth work should take a rights-based approach and centre the … Continued

Group Management

Workers have a duty of care for young people and for each other during youth programmes, events and activities. In order to help manage groups effectively it is important to ensure that workers understand their roles and responsibilities, and are able to communicate effectively with young people, each other and any relevant third party staff.

Guidance on Personal, Professional and Environmental Boundaries

This guidance explores the value of boundaries and offers guidance for developing, promoting, and maintaining healthy boundaries in a youth work role and setting. It should be read alongside policies on lone working, safeguarding and a code of conduct.

Health and Safety Policy

A health and safety policy provides a youth work organisation the opportunity to detail what it will do to manage health and safety, and how it will make youth programmes safe.

Health and Safety: Introduction to the Legal Background

Whilst the aims of youth programmes will vary, safety should always be a core consideration. The benefits gained from well planned activity will normally be clear to see and will outweigh health and safety risks.

Incident & near miss – Report Form Template

The following form is provided as a template only and must be customised as required by the youth work organisation. Youth work organisations should ensure that the form captures all information required for their specific needs and make necessary amendments

Incident Reporting

An incident is any unplanned event that could result in injury or ill health, damage or loss to property, including data losses and/or a negative impact on reputation

Informed Consent

Youth work organisations are legally required to inform workers and others affected by their services of the potential health and safety risks that they may be exposed to and the arrangements in place to keep them safe.

Insurance Overview

Insurance is designed to mitigate against financial loss or claims for compensation and, in most cases, the requirement will depend on what services are being provided, how the organisation is structured, the assets it owns or operates and its appetite to financial risk.

Keeping Young People in Sight: Designated Safeguarding Leads in the Youth Sector

This paper builds on a series of reports published by the National Youth Agency (NYA) on young people's known and emerging needs through COVID-19 and beyond.

Large Events

Youth work organisations should pay particular attention to the safety management of large scale events such as: large fundraising, sponsorship or sporting events; jamboree style events; recruitment or promotional fairs; religious festivals; other events involving large groups of people.

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Contact the Safeguarding and Risk Management Hub

The Training Courses

Please click below to register for free access to our introductory safeguarding training courses

Who is it for?

The Hub aims to provide support for anyone across the youth sector who may be seeking safeguarding or risk management information, guidance or support. The Hub aims to support both organisations and individual practitioners alike. It is recognised that there are many National Associations and other organisations within the sector who are already following and have access to high quality and established risk management frameworks. The information within The Hub is not intended to replace or supersede established systems that youth organisations have already developed. It is primarily aimed at those who have limited access to such resources, specialist knowledge or established practice.

How to use this resource

The Hub provides guidance on what organisations or individuals should do in response to areas of safeguarding and risk management, highlighting examples of good practice.

The Hub is structured to provide a risk management framework that can be applied to a broad range of activities and practice across the youth sector. The framework includes specific guidance topics arranged into four key areas of: Safe People; Safe Place & Activities; Safe Policy, Process & Procedure; and Safe Equipment & Resources.

You are invited to navigate through the resource to access advice on specific topics, or to view and apply the framework as a whole. Where applicable and appropriate, template documents are available to download to support the application and implementation of good practice. If you have any questions or queries about the Hub, please complete the form below.