Acciones tomadas:
1) Promoting organisational change and safety through ethical leadership, accountability and human resource processes
• Supportive partnership with the UK Government: The UK Government’s Department for International Development was a supportive partner to the British Red Cross in developing and promoting this Pledge in 2019. The UK Government also supported the BRC with initial piloting of Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA) support for partners, as well as subsequently expanding support for eight partner National Societies in 2023.
• Zero tolerance policy: The BRC has adopted a zero-tolerance policy for any type of abuse, harm, or exploitation, including sexual exploitation, abuse, and harassment. This commitment is reflected in the updated Safeguarding Policy (2023) and Code of Conduct.
• Inter-Agency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme: In 2021, the International Directorate of the BRC began implementing the Inter-Agency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme in recruitment processes for all overseas staff and seconded delegates. Engaging in this scheme renewed our efforts to protect the British Red Cross from recruiting individuals who might harass, exploit, and abuse those with less power than them, especially in humanitarian settings.
• Safeguarding Steering Group: In 2021, the new Strategic Lead for Safeguarding established a safeguarding steering group to advance the organisational safeguarding agenda, and to oversee and facilitate the implementation of safeguarding development within the organisation. In 2023, the BRC introduced a safeguarding risk register to strengthen and improve safeguarding across the organisation and to help to identify key priority areas.
• Challenges: One of the challenges we face is ensuring that safeguarding remains a priority even when there are numerous other competing matters to address. Another challenge is striking the right balance between adhering to employment legislation and embedding the survivor-centred approach into our HR processes.
2) Providing safe, accessible, survivor-centred reporting channels and tackling impunity
• Updated safeguarding and SEAH reporting guidance: In 2024, the BRC Safeguarding Team updated the procedures and guidance for recognising, reporting. and responding to SEAH and other safeguarding concerns. Plans are underway to roll this out across the BRC. Also in 2024, the BRC published new International Safeguarding Procedure and Guidance and updated the Incident Policy and Procedures, supporting BRC’s links with regulators and donors. All BRC guidance and processes enshrine our commitment to a ‘survivor-centred’ approach across all international safeguarding practices.
• SEAH incident referral pathways: The BRC are now developing SEAH incident referral pathways (including health, psychosocial and legal services) for our international country offices.
• Revised complaints system: In 2023, the BRC Complaints Team developed a new Complaints, Compliments and Concerns System. This system provides opportunities for stakeholders and communities to provide feedback on BRC operations and partnerships. The Complaints Team have revised the public Complaints Procedure and feedback forms to allow for anonymous complaint reporting. The Complaints Policy has been translated into 11 languages to improve accessibility for non-English speakers.
• Challenges: Despite the multiple reporting options available, underreporting of SEAH concerns remains a major challenge. Another challenge for reporting is that the BRC serves as a partner organisation to other National Societies, and our actual role with respect to SEAH may not be clear within the communities supported.
3) Implementing good practice based on minimum standards for prevention and response to SEAH:
• Safeguarding Team and PSEA Team: The BRC Safeguarding Team focuses on prevention and response to SEAH in the organisation, and the BRC also operates a specific PSEA team dedicated to supporting partner NS on SEA.
• Review of safeguarding standards: In 2023, the BRC commissioned an external review of our safeguarding procedures, processes, and framework to ensure we continue to achieve high standards in safeguarding and to help us to identify key areas for improvement across our operations. The framework focuses on incident recognition and prevention, reporting, response, and learning. In 2024, the BRC created an action plan based on this external review, which is progressing and being monitored regularly by the Executive Leadership Team and Board of Trustees.
• Partner NS requirements: In 2022, the BRC updated the PSEA clause included in our partnership agreements, which requires partners to adopt policies that prohibit SEA and to take measures to prevent and respond to SEA. In 2023, the BRC revised our International Safeguarding Due Diligence Framework, which is used with all National Society partners. As of July 2023, the BRC expects all partner National Societies to meet minimum operating standards for PSEA, or to be on a pathway towards meeting safeguarding minimum standards.
• NS development initiative: In 2023, the BRC supported the operational and organisational development of eight partner National Societies – Nigeria, Namibia, Eswatini, Lesotho, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Sudan, and Ukraine – to strengthen safeguarding (PSEA) against minimum standards. All eight made progress in strengthening safeguarding, ranging from initial assessments and organisational action plans to practical implementation with communities.
• Movement support: BRC actively participates in exchanges across the Movement, including with IFRC, ICRC and other National Societies invested in raising the standards across the Movement. In 2024, a budget of GBP 1 million has been allocated to initiate a programme of PSEA support for partner National Societies. This represents a significant contribution to the IFRC’s Global Safeguarding Action Plan (2022 to 2025).
4) Strengthening organisational capacity to prevent and respond to SEAH.
• Safeguarding training for all personnel: The BRC provides mandatory safeguarding training for all staff, volunteers, and associated personnel. Compliance rates exceed 90%. Since 2021, the BRC Safeguarding Team has also worked to ensure that Safeguarding is mainstreamed into other BRC core trainings, such as HEAT and IMPACT. In 2024, in-person safeguarding training is being prioritised for staff in country offices.
• Survivor liaison training: In 2022, the BRC provided Survivor Liaison training to 21 staff from across the organisation. Survivor Liaisons hold primary responsibility for communication with and supporting a colleague involved in a traumatic incident.
• Safeguarding Lead: The BRC appointed a new Safeguarding Lead in 2022. The responsibilities of the Safeguarding Lead role have been updated and approved by the Board of Trustees.
• Network of international safeguarding representatives: As of 2023, the BRC’s international safeguarding network ensures that teams across our International Directorate and the majority of our global country offices have a trained safeguarding representative.
• Lessons learned: Following incidents, case studies are developed which are used to share learning and avoid future incidents where possible. These have primarily been used in UK Operations.
• Challenge: It has been difficult to secure adequate funding for developing our internal organisational capacity.
