A coalition of 13 charities, led by NCVO, will be developing a range of new safeguarding resources for VCSE organisations.

The partnership, called the Safer Social Sector Partnership, will aim to ensure that everyone who has contact with voluntary organisations will be safe from harm.

It will provide access to appropriate, relevant and proportionate safeguarding resources. This will be made possible thanks to the design of a new ‘safeguarding gateway’ on the NCVO Knowhow website.

This will be followed by the development of resources that meet identified needs or gaps in provision. The accessibility of these resources will be maximised through the use of a variety of dissemination channels, including podcasts and videos.

The partnership’s work is phase 1 of the Safeguarding Training Fund – a £1.2 million government and National Lottery Community Fund investment to help charities improve their knowledge of safeguarding requirements

The fund was set up in the wake of the Oxfam scandal. According to NCVO, the number of serious incidents reported to the Charity Commission has increased by a third and public trust in charities is at its lowest since 2005.

Alongside NCVO, the partnership consists of the NSPCC, the Ann Craft Trust, UK Youth, Protect, Children England, Charities Network, the FSI, NAVCA, Acre, Action With Communities, National Adult Safeguarding Network, Third Sector Safeguarding Network and the National Youth Safeguarding Forum.

The partnership will also work with digital partner Neontribe and charity Law firm Bates Wells Braithwaite.

“We are committed to putting the needs, experiences and voices of users within the voluntary and community sector at the heart of our project,” said Elizabeth Chamberlin, NCVO’s head of policy.

“This is a diverse range of users – from staff to volunteers, trustees to contractors, senior leaders to frontline practitioners. They work in a wide range of organisations – from multi-million charities to micro unincorporated groups – and across a diverse range of settings and contexts.”

“To achieve this we will develop organisations’ safeguarding knowledge, skills, practice and values.”