I’ve spoken with lots of small charities and CICs recently who aren’t sure about the safeguarding requirements for applying to grant funders. The Safeguarding Policy is the most asked-for policy by funders, and it isn’t simply a tick-box exercise; many will scrutinise your policy to ensure it meets their standards.

Some larger funders will ask you specific questions about how you manage safeguarding in their application form. While funders do make some allowances for small charities, don’t count on this, particularly if you support children or vulnerable adults. It’s something you need to get right from day one. Safeguarding isn’t just about your service users, of course; it should protect your staff and volunteers too.

Before we dive into it, I want to highlight that I am by no means a safeguarding expert! This blog is simply written from a fundraising point of view and gives you details of what funders expect to see.

Do You Need a Safeguarding Policy?

The first question charities and CICs often ask is, “Do we need one?”

Technically, if you don’t work with any vulnerable people or children, you don’t need one. But my advice? Just write one anyway. It makes things much easier and more efficient when it comes to trust and grant fundraising, as you’ll regularly be asked to upload a safeguarding policy with your application. If you don’t have one, you will usually be asked to explain why not, and if funders don’t like your answer, you risk losing out on funding.

Perhaps you do support children or vulnerable people, but right now you are really tiny… does that mean you can get away without one? Nope. Even small community funds will ask you for one, so if you want to raise funds through grants, get something written up. Things happen to very small organisations too! Having a policy in place keeps your service users safe from the outset.

What Do Funders Look for in a Safeguarding Policy?

It isn’t enough to copy and paste a template and change organisation name; you should view your Safeguarding Policy as a useful and helpful document. Writing a safeguarding policy is a bit like writing a risk assessment: it should show you have considered potential risks to staff, volunteers, service users, and the wider community, and demonstrates how you plan to deal with them.

Funders will want to know how often you review your policy (do this at least once per year) and they will check how easy it is to access important information. In a crisis, could someone quickly see who to contact? This is a policy that should be easily accessible to all staff and should be a key part of the onboarding process for new staff.

Charity Safeguarding Checklist

Here are the key elements to Include in your safeguarding policy

• Near the top of the policy, clearly state the names of the safeguarding leads, their phone numbers, and their email addresses.
• Provide clear instructions on what to do in the case of an emergency vs less urgent incidents. It’s worth giving some guidance on what constitutes an emergency.
• Include the date the policy was written, the date it was last reviewed, and show a signature from a trustee and CEO/Manager next to the review date.
• Outline how the safeguarding lead will deal with different safeguarding issues e.g. check-in phone calls, calling 999, or holding debrief meetings with staff or volunteers.
• Highlight risks specific to your organisation (e.g. the things your particular service is most at risk of).
• Detail potential risks to staff and volunteers.
• Explain your recruitment process and detail which staff are required to have DBS checks when hired.
• Outline staff responsibilities so all staff know where they stand with regard to safeguarding.
• Provide a list of useful contacts such as emergency services and helplines like the Samaritans, which may also be helpful during a safeguarding incident.

Answering Funder Questions on Safeguarding

Many funders will want to see how you put safeguarding into action. If you are following proper safeguarding procedures, you will have a record of past safeguarding concerns. Select a couple of these incidents and write out a few hundred words explaining:

• The incident itself
• What you/your staff/volunteer did in response (relate this back to the policy/safeguarding lead)
• The outcome
• Any lessons learned from the incident

What if you’ve never had a safeguarding incident?

Some newer charities may not have experienced an official safeguarding concern yet, which can make these questions difficult to answer. Don’t make something up! Instead, consider the most likely safeguarding issues to arise within your organisation. Explain that you have identified these risks and outline how your team has prepared themselves should such an issue occur.

Funders may also ask how often you train staff in safeguarding or when the last training session was. Ideally, this should be done every year, even if it’s just an internal refresher training during a staff meeting.

Supporting Policies

As a charity grows, you may decide that a Safeguarding Policy alone doesn’t cover all the protections you need. Here are some examples of supporting and linked policies:

• Lone Worker Policy
• Whistleblowing Policy (this can cover other issues including financial misconduct)
• Reporting Guidelines
• Separate children and vulnerable adults policies
• Policies written for a specific service you offer
• Health and Safety Policy
• Online Safety Policy

Safeguarding for Charities

Safeguarding is essential for every charity, regardless of size. Even if you don’t currently work with vulnerable people, having a policy in place shows funders you are prepared and responsible. By creating a clear, detailed safeguarding policy and ensuring it’s followed in practice, you not only protect your service users, staff, and volunteers—you also build trust with funders, increasing your chances of securing crucial support for your charity’s work.

If you’re unsure where to start, consider seeking expert advice or using trusted resources to develop a robust safeguarding framework. Putting the right protections in place now can save you a lot of trouble in the future.

Photo from Glencoe Folk Museum Murder Mystery Night