What is safeguarding?

This NCVO guide introduces safeguarding as the active prevention of harm, harassment, bullying, abuse, and neglect, alongside readiness to respond when problems arise. It explains that every organisation delivering charitable activities has a duty to safeguard staff, volunteers, participants, and donors, and that effort should be proportional to the level of risk involved. The guide distinguishes between safeguarding children (0–18) and adults at risk, signposting external tools such as the NSPCC Learning self-assessment tool, the Ann Craft Trust checklist, and the Digisafe toolkit. It is a starting-point resource best suited to organisations new to safeguarding or those needing to make the case internally for why safeguarding must be embedded in day-to-day activities.