Safeguarding is of paramount importance for institutions, organisations, and corporations, and it became imperative for the NGOs in the development sector. These organisations work closely with vulnerable communities, including children, women, and marginalised groups, who are at a higher risk of experiencing abuse, exploitation, or harm. By implementing robust safeguarding policies, NGOs can create an environment that prioritises the safety, dignity, and well-being of all individuals they serve.
Caritas India is committed to orienting all its employees on the nitty-gritty of its safeguarding policy. Recently, an orientation training programme was conducted for its BMZ Child Rights Programme, ‘Surokhit Shaishav, for Diocesan Social Work Society (DSWS), Lucknow, for the partners Purvanchal Gramin Seva Samiti, DEHAT, and Seva Kendra Silchar, from July 12–13, 2023.

Recognising the need to protect vulnerable individuals from abuse and exploitation, Caritas India aims to create a safe and secure environment within the organisation and the wider social sector. The two days of training highlighted real-life examples to emphasise the significance of implementing and adhering to safeguarding policies.
The sessions were facilitated by Dr. Jayanta Munsi (Prog. Lead), Ms. Asha Rosaline Ekka (Prog. Lead-WB), Ms. Ruth (Prog. Associate), and Ms. Abhishikta (Prog. Ext. Associate).

Dr. Jayanta gathered the expectations and explained the concept of Safeguarding to the participants. The session emphasised the importance and relevance of having a safeguarding policy at the organisational level. A detailed discussion was undertaken to explain the policy applicant and the four pillars of safeguarding.

Participants were asked to prepare various hierarchical positions for their organisations and mention their roles and responsibilities towards safeguarding. After a thorough discussion, the participants were asked to give a presentation on the same.

Through discussion, participants learned the roles and responsibilities of various duty bearers in their organisation as per the hierarchy. The discussion proved very effective in getting clarity about the role and responsibilities to orient others in their organisation.

Ms. Abhishikta used case stories and real-life examples to establish a link between having a safeguarding policy at the organisational level andThe session emphasised the need for a strong feedback mechanism in safeguarding policy.

Dr. Jayanta discussed the hierarchy of every organisation and the role they have in implementing the policy, as well as the challenges faced by them during the implementation process.

Ms. Asha explained the Safeguarding policy followed in Caritas India and shared a framework of the policy with the participants. A timeline was fixed, and the participants were asked to complete the task of drafting their individual organisational Safeguarding Policy and getting it approved by their Governing Body.

As the orientation training concluded, all participants agreed unanimously that they had heard about the policy earlier but did not know about it in detail. These two days of training will help them prepare a new policy or rework their existing policies and orient everyone at their organisation in order to ensure that no harm is caused to anyone by their programmes.