Child protection and safeguarding investigations
Child protection and safeguarding is of the upmost importance for any organisations working with or coming into contact with children and vulnerable adults. For such organisations, while avoiding harm is clearly the primary motivation, prevention should be highly prioritised, with careful risk assessments conducted to ensure that proper systems and processes are in place to prevent abuse.
GoodCorporation helps organisations to design, embed and evaluate the practices and procedures necessary to ensure appropriate child protection and safeguarding. Our safeguarding expertise also allows us to provide investigation services to organisations which face allegations of child abuses.
Our expert team have also worked with clients in a variety of sectors to investigate child abuses, helping organisations to build, design, and improve their safeguarding standards to ensure that all children are safe.
GoodCorporation is, therefore, a trusted independent and unbiased partner for addressing allegations of child abuses within organisations and conducting these highly sensitive investigations.
Safeguarding expertise
GoodCorporation has unrivalled experience investigating safeguarding abuses and reviewing the protection systems in place within organisations. We are one of the few external consultancy firms with such expertise in safeguarding investigations and workplace/policy and systems reviews.
In 2016 we were engaged by the BBC to review the corporation's existing safeguarding and whistleblowing procedures as part of the Dame Janet Smith Review into sexual abuse committed by Jimmy Savile. We have also worked with a number of leading sports organisations to investigate safeguarding allegations and develop robust systems and processes to prevent any recurrence.
Safe cultures
We are particularly sensitive to the trauma of survivors of sexual abuses and the difficulty in coming forward to make an allegation. To enable victims to feel more able to come forward, we have adopted a survivor-centred approach to collecting information, conducting interviews in a way that prioritises respect for the interviewee and their dignity.
Our experience in promoting safe cultures for all and investigating misconduct enables us to build effective trustworthy speak-up systems designed to detect and remediate scandals as early as possible. GoodCorporation has also developed a network of child protection and safeguarding specialists with whom we collaborate on such investigation projects.
Child Protection and Safeguarding Framework
GoodCorporation's Framework on Safeguarding Children helps organisations ensure that their practices for safeguarding children are robust. The Framework can be used as an evaluation tool or as guidance for best practice for our clients following an investigation.
Our Child protection and Safeguarding Framework covers the following areas:
- Policy and governance: top-level commitment to safeguarding children is evident. There are clearly articulated policies and procedures with adequate resources devoted to implementation.
- Culture and awareness: the organisation communicates its safeguarding policy and practice to all stakeholders and makes it clear where concerns can be raised and guidance sought.
- Vetting: there are strong processes to screen employees, contractors and agency staff who come into contact with children.
- Products and services: the organisation considers how its products and services might affect the wellbeing of children.
- Marketing and communications: a responsible approach to marketing and advertising is taken to avoid any adverse effect on children.
- Managing third parties: contractual requirements to have effective safeguarding procedures and adequate safeguarding standards in place are enforced.
- Child exploitation: the organisation understands the risks of child exploitation and has policies and procedures in place that take international best practice into account.
- Dealing with concerns and incidents: there is training and guidance on how to recognise inappropriate behaviour with systems in place for raising concerns.
- Monitoring and review: the efficacy of child protection procedures is regularly reviewed and monitored, including at board level.
