Taking Action on Safeguarding
Thinking about the impact of power and whether an action falls into the danger zone can be very helpful when trying to decide whether something is a safeguarding concern. Did one of the people have more power than the other? Might one of the two people felt unsafe or unable to speak up? If so, it’s likely to be worth reporting. Here’s why we would report the incidents above and what action we could take:
| Situation | Concerns | Actions to take |
| A member of the team is following you around, yesterday they touched you inappropriately | Sexual exploitation Potential relationships under 18 Potential power imbalance/ abuse of power | Report to local leader and WCIA Wait for report back before resuming work. Team member should be spoken to and removed as required |
| The leader/ coordinator is very nasty to you, they criticise everything you do | Potential abuse of power Bullying? | Report to National leader or WCIA. Local leader should have mediated conversation to resolve issue or taken to a different project. |
| You notice your fellow volunteer frequently invites local teenagers to their private accommodation for English practice | Potential exploitation Potential relationships under 18 Potential power imbalance/ abuse of power | Report to local leader or WCIA. Local leader to speak to fellow volunteer and investigate. |
| A fellow volunteer stops you from going back for curfew by holding onto your wallet | Abuse of power Coercive control | Report to local leader or WCIA. Fellow volunteer to be spoken to in order to avoid escalation of this kind of behavior. |
| Someone asks you to transport packages for them across borders | Potential illegal activity | Report to local leader or WCIA. Person spoken to and request investigated. |
| You overhear a fellow volunteering saying something nasty about the people you are volunteering with at your placement | Potential abuse of power | Report to local leader or WCIA. Person spoken to and request investigated |
It’s really helpful to see that not every situation requires disciplinary action or “gets someone in trouble”. Ultimately, when people sign up to work with volunteers, they do so because they want everyone to have a good experience. Where safeguarding helps, is it offers a way for people to be empowered to ask questions about the things they’re not comfortable with, and ensure that everyone who takes part in exchanges feels safe to do so.
You have now completed your unit on safeguarding and relationships. Congratulations!