At ShelterBox, we are proud to have safeguarding policies in place designed to protect the families we help, our operational staff and our incredible response team volunteers who travel to disaster areas with us, and the local communities we work with.
We are constantly looking for ways to improve our approach. We test and evaluate all of our aid and services, including our approach to safeguarding and protection.
We put our operational staff and our response team volunteers through ongoing, rigorous training; we are working closely with Rotary International, as well as other partners, who bring a vast understanding of local community needs; and we are constantly reviewing and evaluating our methods to ensure they are doing the best possible job for the people that need them across different disaster situations.
When dealing with safeguarding information, we follow appropriate Charity Commission guidance.
Our safeguarding and protection processes include:
Rigorous recruitment process:
To be able to distribute aid and work in disaster areas with ShelterBox, our operational staff and response team volunteers go through a rigorous recruitment process consisting of a series of interviews and a 10-day on-site course including thorough safeguarding and protection training.
Only those who consistently demonstrate the highest possible standards are able to go on to work with ShelterBox in disaster areas around the world.
Enhanced DBS (disclosure and barring service) checks:
All operational staff and response team volunteers who work to distribute ShelterBox aid in disaster areas have Enhanced DBS checks (or equivalent). These are refreshed every 3 years.
Code of conduct:
All operational staff and response team volunteers who travel with us to disaster areas sign our code of conduct which outlines the highest standards of ethical and professional standards expected from all operational team members.
This includes a commitment to integrity, truthfulness, dedication, and honesty in all actions; to observe local and Australian laws; and to not abuse the power or influence afforded by their position over the lives and wellbeing of others.
In all humanitarian activities, our operational staff and response team volunteers must prioritize safety and dignity, avoid causing harm and promote meaningful access. Accountability, participation, and empowerment are equally important and must be taken into account.
Working with partners:
We don’t just hold ourselves to high standards, we also strive to ensure any humanitarian organisation we work with also has the same safeguarding approaches.
We robustly check any partner to ensure they and their teams act as we would in the field.
That includes checks before we commit to a partnership and thorough reviews whilst we are in the field, including ensuring anyone who receives our aid is able to flag up any problems or issues they have.
Working processes:
We take a number of steps to ensure that our operational staff and response team volunteers are fully supported and able to comply with our code of conduct when in disaster areas.
Wherever possible, we will deploy mixed-gender teams. Operational staff and response team volunteers are deployed in pairs who typically stay together for their time away (usually between 2 and 4 weeks).
Our operational teams in disaster areas are also in constant contact with the team at the UK headquarters and behaviours are continually monitored.
Whistleblowing policy:
All staff and volunteers are trained to know how to report any form of wrongdoing they may see or suspect.
We encourage staff to report inappropriate behaviours either to our Executive board or to take the issue directly to the appropriate organisation or body, e.g. the Police, the Charity Commission, the Environment Agency, Health and Safety Executive or Social Services Department.
Anyone who travels to a disaster area with ShelterBox also goes through a confidential debrief process that includes direct questions about behaviours in the field and offers an additional chance to discuss and report any concerns.
We encourage volunteers to report inappropriate behaviours to their named contact in the first instance or to the Volunteer Development Manager in the second instance. If the issue is not resolved satisfactorily you can contact [email protected] who will treat the matter in strict confidence.
If any members of the public see or suspect any wrongdoing we encourage them to email [email protected] who will treat the matter in strict confidence.
You may also raise an allegation by letter to: Disclosure of Malpractice. C/o Mike Greenslade, ShelterBox Australia PO Box 254, Parramatta, NSW, 2124. All allegations will be acknowledged by the HR department.
Safeguarding review
We are working hard to ensure that we are at the forefront of good practice in the NGO sector.
After safeguarding issues were highlighted across the international sector in 2018, we completed a comprehensive safeguarding review.
As part of that review, we identified a small number of potential incidents occurring before 2013. The incidents did not involve any of the people we were working to support, and it was not considered at the time that any of them required reporting to the Charity Commission as serious incidents.
In a commitment to honesty and transparency, last year we reported these incidents to the Charity Commission. After the Charity Commission reviewed them, the case was closed.
We then also commissioned a further independent review of our safeguarding procedures, which was completed in December 2018.
The consultant found that ShelterBox is fully committed to safeguarding and has the leadership in place to ensure our staff, volunteers, partners and the families we support, are kept safe.