Caritas India (CI) is committed to protect and promote the dignity of children and young people, and therefore the Organization takes their safeguarding very seriously. She recognizes that even staff and volunteers may go through challenging circumstances exposing them to risks.

CI envisages to have well established safeguarding systems, structures, and operational mechanisms embedded into existing policies to ensure that CI does everything to safeguard the children and adults she works with and that she provides a safe and secure working environment for everyone.

In a firm step towards achieving the safeguarding goals, CI has commissioned a three-part consultancy to Sathi All For Partnerships (SAFP) to carry out (i) an audit exercise on safeguarding (ii) draft a Safeguarding Framework, Policy and Practice document (SFPP) and (iii) train Caritas India staff and select partners. Since the commissioning, the audit and draft SPP document has been completed.

The safeguarding audit captured a series of perspectives and experiences from several staff members across CI locations and the partners to develop the draft SPP (Safeguarding Policy and Practice). The SPP drafted encompasses the prevention, identification, reporting and redressal processes to keep children and vulnerable adults safe including those who are more vulnerable to the risk of harm and with special needs.

As part of the process to adopt the policy and bring it to implementation a safeguarding training was held on 30^th September and 1^st October 2019 at the CI, Head Office to demystify safeguarding as a concept and sensitize the participants to the principles behind it.

The workshop which had the participation of CI members from different locations covered the task areas of understanding safeguarding, agreement on the safeguarding policy, co-create the implementation part of the policy and plan the rollout of the safeguarding policy for all CI people. This training workshop also aimed at Training of Trainers with the objective of developing staff members as trainers for the planned safeguarding role each staff will play to uphold the image of Caritas India as an Organisation that takes its safeguarding role very earnestly. Similar workshops are also planned at the Partner Level.

As a way forward, CI endeavours to mitigate safeguarding on safety and security; harassment and sexual harassment as priorities through short-term action plans and long-term plans for embedding the safeguarding process in the organizational systems and processes.