The third annual Safeguarding Action Plan Progress Report is available on the Safeguarding Info Hub of the international website.
The Safeguarding Action Plan was developed in 2021 following receipt of independent reviews we had commissioned to guide our efforts to strengthen safeguarding. We are now in year three of the four-year plan.
"Safeguarding is never ‘finished’; there is always something more to do, some way to improve. This is especially true in an organization like SOS Children’s Villages, which has more than 60,000 children in our direct care – day-and-night/seven days a week.… We operate in some areas where child protection systems are weak."
Ma-Luschka Jean-Louis, International Director, Global Safeguarding
Highlights
The progress report shows that of the 32 active indicators in the plan, 25 (78%) are completed or on track, whereas 6 have an “off track” rating, which in most cases indicates more time will be required for implementation than originally planned.
Among the highlights since our last report in March 2023 are the following achievements:
- Four major policy documents have been approved and are currently being implemented – the Code of Conduct, the Child and Youth Safeguarding Policy, the Programme Services Regulation, and the Regulation on Support for Persons Affected by Child and Youth Abuse.
- Improved incident management and investigation procedures are being implemented throughout the organization, with incident management teams now in place at national, regional and international levels.
- A Global Ombuds system has been developed to ensure consistent and quality support across the whole federation, and a global ombuds has been appointed.
- The Living Our Values framework has been integrated into guidance on recruitment, onboarding, learning and development, and leadership.
The report also explains that the rate of progress with some of the activities is slower than planned. This includes the rollout of Ombuds to all member associations, the development of an updated human resources policy, and implementation of an IT platform for incident management monitoring.
Transition point – shifting to a holistic/integrated strategy
The lessons learned in implementing the action plan – plus the findings by the Independent Special Commission – have provided insights into how the organization can continue strengthening its safeguarding work beyond 2024.
Replacing the action plan will be a new Safeguarding Strategy that will guide efforts through to 2030.
The strategy reflects the organization’s vision to ensure that safeguarding is thoroughly woven into every aspect of how we work – including clear standards (policies); training; risk assessments; job descriptions and performance assessments.
Safeguarding will be enabled by fostering a values-based culture in which staff act on an understanding of personal responsibility for safeguarding.
Implementing numerous new policies and instilling a culture of safeguarding is a massive effort across the global organization. In the end, it will result in preventing safeguarding incidents, not just responding.
"We remain focused on following through on past commitments, and we look forward to continuing our dialogue with partners, always with the objective of working together to deliver safe programming that ensures children and young people can grow up in the safe and nurturing environments they need to become their strongest selves."
Ma-Luschka Jean-Louis, International Director, Global Safeguarding