Keeping Children Safe is an independent not-for-profit. We set out internationally recognised child safeguarding standards that ensure all organisations working directly for and with children have comprehensive safeguarding measures in place. Our independence means that our standards and advice are not influenced by any other organisation or government.
Our standards are recognised amongst others by the UK’s Department For International Development (DFID), the European Commission (EC), USAID, and the UN, and enable organisations of all types and sizes to implement rigorous policies, processes and audits that protect children from abuse. That means training staff to understand appropriate language and behaviour. Encouraging teams to run background checks on new recruits. And helping families and communities to understand what they can do to support young people. Because together, every day, we’re keeping children safe.
Keeping Children Safe’s core mission is to make sure children everywhere are safe from harm, which is why our International Child Safeguarding Standards (pdf) are open source and freely downloadable for use by organisations around the world.
Why we do it
Every five minutes, a child dies from violence. Every day, in every country, children are abused, beaten, raped and more. Too often, the abuser is someone the child knows and trusts. They may even work for an organisation that’s meant to help children. A sports club, school, aid organisation or peacekeeping force. But they abuse their power and the child’s trust. Tragically, it’s children in already desperate situations who are most at risk. It could be a refugee child fleeing conflict. A boy or girl living in poverty. A teenager living with a disability. Or a Roma child facing stigma and discrimination.
We are here to help
If your organisation or corporate works for and with children, then it is high time to start implementing rigorous safeguarding measures that protect children – starting from the top of the organisation, right down to the lowest levels. Prevention, after all, is better than lives destroyed because of abuse. This is where we can help you.
By undertaking our self-assessment test and audits, hidden vulnerabilities and avoidable risks could get uncovered. Pretending they don’t exist or wishing them away won’t solve that problem. Only the rigorous implementation of our standards will ensure that children stay safe.