Organisations invited to develop resources to boost safeguarding practice in voluntary sector as part of £1.14 million fund

Voluntary and community organisations are today being invited to develop and deliver a country-wide safeguarding package to support other organisations, as part of a programme joint-funded by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) and the Big Lottery Fund, the largest community funder in the UK.

The Safeguarding Training Fund, announced by DCMS earlier this year, is part of the wider Government strategy to improve safeguarding practice across the voluntary sector in England. It will provide £1.14 million of funding over two phases until 2022.

Phase one - Safeguarding resources for England - has opened for Expressions of Interest today. Phase two – Safeguarding training and development – will offer funding to a small number of organisations or partnerships to share the resources developed during phase one and support grassroots charities and community organisations to improve their safeguarding practice.

The phase one process will result in an organisation, or partnership of organisations, being funded to provide, develop, and co-ordinate a national and generic safeguarding package which will help the sector to:

• increase awareness and understanding of safeguarding and safe culture
• improve safeguarding practice and safe culture by developing the right organisational culture and strong leadership
• support good decision making in reporting safeguarding/safe culture issues

The successful applicant will work alongside national bodies responsible for supporting the charity sector to build on their work on both leadership values and ethics.

The closing date for Expressions of Interest is Sunday 13 January at 11.59pm. In mid-January, up to three organisations will then be asked to submit a full application for funding. The final decision on the successful applicant will be made in March 2019.

Dawn Austwick, Chief Executive of the Big Lottery Fund, said: “Across the country, hundreds of grassroots charities and organisations are doing amazing work to help their communities thrive, including keeping their staff and volunteers safe. We are delighted to announce the first phase of the Safeguarding Training Fund, in partnership with DCMS, which will improve organisations’ access to safeguarding training, provide support, and help embed good practice and awareness across the sector.”

To find out more about the Safeguarding Training Fund, including how to submit an expression of interest for Phase one, visit the website