Safeguarding for Charities

Stone King has a wealth of knowledge and many years of experience advising charities and not-for-profit organisations on a wide range of safeguarding issues. Our Safeguarding Team provides clients with timely and co-ordinated advice, delivered by a team of specialists.

We understand the legal requirements and Charity Commission expectations in relation to safeguarding and offer the legal and practical expertise to provide prompt and pragmatic advice; and have a deep understanding of safeguarding issues affecting the charity and not-for-profit sector. We feel strongly as a team that charities should go beyond the legal minimum and focus on supporting organisations to create a committed safeguarding culture, ensuring openness and accountability and adherence to best practice.

Our Team

We recognise that safeguarding impacts a range of practice areas, and therefore our Team includes specialist lawyers from a range of disciplines, including:

Charity and governance
Education
Employment & HR
Information Law (including Data Protection)
Family
Regulatory (including Health and Safety)
Crime
Dispute Resolution

How we can help

A key strength of our Safeguarding Team is the breadth and depth of the team’s expertise. We can provide support and advice on a diverse range of matters including:

Drafting safeguarding policies and procedures for charities and not-for-profit organisations
Bespoke safeguarding training for charities and not-for-profit organisations
Creating a safeguarding culture within your charity or organisation
Protecting beneficiaries’ interests
DBS checks and eligibility and referrals to the DBS
DBS compliance requirements and compliance visits for Registered Bodies
Safeguarding and charity volunteers
Good governance and common governance issues for charities in relation to safeguarding
Regulatory interaction with the Charity Commission, including serious incident reporting, advising on Inquiries etc.
Risk management and assessment process for charities working closely with children and adults at risk, or those whose work brings them into contact with vulnerable groups
Charities working overseas
Liaising with multi-agency bodies
Responding to an immediate safeguarding crisis including comms planning
Peer-on-peer abuse
Assisting where there is an ongoing criminal process
Handling allegations against employees and volunteers
Responding to historic allegations of abuse
Safe Recruitment
Prevent duty
Inquests

If you need advice and support relating to a safeguarding issue or need to review your safeguarding approach or put in place safeguarding policies and procedures, please contact Tim Rutherford or Sarah Clune.