A Thought Leadership Piece- Building a culture of safety
By Rachael Bishop (RLB Safeguarding Managing Director)
Navigating the world of safeguarding is not an easy task, especially with ever-changing pressures and concerning information or trends that arise. Therefore, it is not only necessary but also essential to stay up to date by accessing relevant training, understanding new trends and most importantly recognising how they may impact the people that you work with, and of course understanding and then implementing current and new legislation and guidance best practices.
There are so many things to consider when we think about the bold statement of a ‘culture of safety’ and what that can mean for an organisation. It gets thrown around often, but we don’t always have time to really dissect or reflect on what is means and how it can be achieved. Achieving this kind of culture is only effective when organisations take a whole service and people led approach that puts both wellbeing and safeguarding at the heart of what it does.
In my 20 years of experience in the safeguarding field I have witnessed both incredible practice and of course have seen when things have gone terribly wrong. So, with this in mind, there are some important considerations for safeguarding arrangements that should be reflected upon often, considered, and of course used as a set of principles that underpin improvement and striving for excellence and effectiveness in safeguarding.
As a consultant and safeguarding business ownwer, people always ask me, what needs to be considered when striving for an effective and meaningful culture of safety? So here is my answer:
Building meaningful relationships- It is important to know who our external partners are but also who we have to build relationships with internally. People should be able to feel safe and raise concerns without judgement or consequence however it is not always that simple. When the relationships were build are meaningful, we feel much more confident in saying how we feel and also that we will get the right help we need. Statutory and third sector specialist services are under significant pressure at present so it is important to build stronger internal relationships that allow for early identification and reporting of concerns so that we can support people before things escalate or get any worse. Remembering that prevention is key.
Behaviours and codes of conduct- It is important to try and act as a role model and coach for the people we work with and also for our colleagues and we must adhere to a code of conduct when working within the safeguarding and workplace field. This extends to the rest of the organisation and of course to service users. If people do not understand what is expected of them then how are they supposed to know how to act? Professionals should be provided with relevant professional boundaries training, codes of conduct, and induction training that showcases the most relevant policies alongside reinforcement at their 1-1 meetings and team meetings.
Applying lessons learnt- We must regularly review any near misses or lessons learnt to ensure that appropriate actions are taken to avoid future occurrences or to provide opportunities for improvement. Professionals should also adopt a sense of professional curiosity when considering how to help and support others or if they do not have the evidence that they require at the time of suspecting something may not be quite right. There are many learning opportunities that we are aware of presented in Child Safeguarding Practice Reviews and Serious Case Reviews that hit us hard. Any organisation should be ensuring that there is a robust process in place for lessons learnt and that the information we have is being effectively embedded or acted upon.
Stakeholder feedback- If we do not listen to people and allow them to have a say, particularly about the service they are attending or receiving then we are not inclusive and will not fully understand what people need and want. We will not know if we are doing something right or alternatively if we are doing something wrong and this does not show effective working together or any form of collaboration. When working with customers in a consultancy capacity I always ask important questions with stakeholders by hosting focus groups and interviews because then the organisation will have tangible evidence to support their thinking and most importantly to drive improvement and learning. People who feel involved are more likely to trust people and the organisation and speak positively about the service they are receiving.
Adopting a zero-tolerance stance- Equality, diversity and inclusion is an integral part of safeguarding and we must strive to celebrate difference. It is important to ensure that EDI and safeguarding policies, procedures, and initiatives do not discriminate or exclude people and that abuse should never be tolerated and must be reported.
Stress testing policies and initiatives- How do you know something works? Always consider if you are able to provide evidence to support the effectiveness of safeguarding or identify learning opportunities by using scenarios or incidents. This can be done in individual, or group formats however remember the key use and benefits of both ‘collaboration and consultation.’
Promote it- We need to prioritise safeguarding and wellbeing. If we do not, then we can find ourselves struggling or absorbed in risky situations and an organisation and its people/service users won’t feel like we care. Safeguarding is about prevention and people need to know how to speak up at the earliest opportunity to avoid things becoming worse. Mental health and wellbeing initiatives can be an excellent way to do this if done safely and linked to safeguarding processes. Remember to add any Mental Health First Aid style initiatives to your overarching safeguarding framework particularly for mental health crises and suicide prevention and postvention. If we keep talking about safeguarding, then people won’t forget but remember there is a better way to engage people by making it contextualised and relevant. Build those emotional connections to ensure people buy in to the culture you are trying to develop or maintain.
RLB Safeguarding Top Tips for building a Culture of Safety
Ensure you have a fully comprehensive Safeguarding and Prevent policy that includes potential risks that could affect a child or adult including staff safer recruitment and appropriate checking guidance.
Make sure children and adults know how to raise a concern if they have or are being abused or exploited in any way. Having a point of contact to speak with if needed and providing safe spaces around the organisation and different ways to raise concerns.
Adopt a zero-tolerance approach to any form of abuse, bullying or harassment and continue to spread awareness about these topics throughout the organisation.
Work in partnership with internal and external agencies and know who your partners are. They will advise you on local risks and support.
Embed education and awareness into a child or adult’s personal development regarding risks within their environment, workplace, and the community to ensure they understand potential risks and how to raise a concern externally if they have one.
Ensure online safety is a priority and this should be reflected in all policies, procedures, and online systems that include remote learning or working from home arrangements.
Consider additional risks such as children and adults being abused by others (child-on child abuse or adult-on-adult abuse).
Risk-assess situations and complete physical safety checks appropriately.
Promote human values such as democracy, equality, the rule of law, individual liberty, mutual respect, and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs.
Ensure staff have regular training that is appropriate to their role and assess that it is understood and has improved confidence and skills.
Involve parents and carers or other stakeholders where required or able.
Always have the attitude of 'it could happen here, and sadly it probably is.’ Be prepared even though you think it may not always be obvious!
So, to round up, building a culture of safety is an ongoing activity that may always feel like it is something to be worked upon. Invest in your people within the organisation, prioritise the wellbeing of all who are involved in your organisation and work in partnership with organisations that can provide support. Ensure you are compliant with your industries guidance and legislation and most importantly review where you are and aim for the stars in terms of your safeguarding ambitions and goals!
Rachael Bishop
Managing Director at RLB Safeguarding