Caritas personnel certified on safeguarding, to lead nationwide partner trainings

Caritas India personnel have been certified on safeguarding by the Karl Kübel Foundation, with support from Misereor. The certified team is now training Caritas India’s pan-India partners, strengthening institutional systems to prevent sexualized violence, abuse, and exploitation across programmes and communities.

The certification is part of Misereor’s mandatory safeguarding requirement for all partner organisations. The standard is uncompromising: every institution must ensure a safe, respectful, and protective environment for children and vulnerable adults. Safeguarding must move beyond documentation and become embedded in daily practice. The training was delivered in three progressive modules.

The first module established the foundation. Participants examined safeguarding principles, Sexual Harassment, Exploitation, and Abuse (SHEA) frameworks, reporting pathways, codes of conduct, and the legal and ethical responsibilities of duty bearers.

The second module focused on systems. It introduced safeguarding risk assessments, complaint handling procedures, accountability mechanisms, and safeguarding audits. Organisations were guided to identify operational vulnerabilities and close institutional gaps.

The third module was conducted from 24th to 26th February 2026 at Vishwas Yuva Kendra, Delhi, pushing institutions to internalise safeguarding within organisational culture. It addressed breaking the culture of silence around abuse, contextualising safeguarding tools to local realities, and integrating psychosocial care into response systems. Special attention was given to the emotional well-being of barefoot counsellors and frontline staff, reinforcing that safeguarding requires strong support structures for responders themselves.

A key highlight was the safeguarding bazaar session. Eleven organisations from across India transformed the learning space into an exhibition arena, displaying their safeguarding tools, case documentation processes, awareness materials, risk assessment formats, and community engagement models. It was not a ceremonial showcase. It was a practical exchange. Participants moved from stall to stall, questioning, critiquing, adapting ideas, and identifying replicable practices.

Caritas India’s stall drew attention for its detailed safeguarding risk assessment template and structured audit framework integrated into development programmes. Peer participants acknowledged the practical depth of these tools as valuable resources for institutional strengthening.

The bazar culminated in the formation of the SHEA Action Network, an informal collaborative platform to sustain peer learning, share good practices, and reinforce collective accountability.

Caritas India has already rolled out beginner and intermediate-level safeguarding trainings in Karnataka, the northeast, Jharkhand, and Uttar Pradesh through a Training of Trainers model. With certified personnel now in place, the organisation enters the next phase: cascading safeguarding knowledge across its national network and embedding zero tolerance for abuse at every institutional level.