Child Safeguarding in Grant Management

• This module explains how to integrate safeguarding into your grant management as an Oak Programme Officer
• Alice is the Adviser for all safeguarding questions

Oak's Commitment to Child Safeguarding

• Since 2018, Oak has been working to integrate child safeguarding into the grant-making process
• This ensures alignment with child safeguarding policy commitments
• This includes supporting partners in building strong and sustainable structures

Visual Grantmaking Cycle and Safeguarding

• The key role of Program Officers is making sure to implement child safeguarding
• The pre-application phase involves assessing how safeguarding is integrated into the potential grantee's practices
• Assess the opportunity to emphasize Oak's approach to child safeguarding, referring to its importance
• In the application phase, grantees must complete the CSSA and share documents demonstrating a safe environment, such as safeguarding policies
• During grant recommendation, officers review the CSSA to integrate specific support into the grant
• Adding a dedicated objective or condition to the grant is an option
• Safeguarding discussions occur during regular check-ins and site visits with grantees during the grant monitoring
• This is especially so, when additional funding is provided or a grant condition exists

Child Safeguarding Self-Assessment

• The child safeguarding self-assessment process is a key element
• This process has been review to be more efficient in analyzing internal safeguarding systems, internal and external frameworks
• Grantees must complete a child safeguarding self-assessment on the grantee portal, which is valid for three years
• This identifies organizations with higher child safeguarding risks and supporting partners in evaluating their safeguards

Reviewing Self-Assessments

• Programme Officers review each self-assessment submitted by grantees
• They need to determine whether strengthening work is needed
• Partners receive external support

Review Guide for Child Safeguarding Self-Assessment

• The risk score is automatically upon submission of the self-assessment, based on initial questions:
• Considerations include if the grantee works in multiple countries with expatriate staff
• This is because different countries have different legal frameworks and child protection systems
• Also if expatriate staff requires additional safe recruitment and vetting
• The level of contact with children
• The frequency and intimacy, and the usual environment in which contacts happen
• This determines the level of risk associated with the grantee’s interventions and need for safeguards
• The use of children's personal data and images, which involves risks to data and image protection
• Interventions can include research, direct implementation, or intermediary/regranting
• Conducted activities can also be an element in the risk analysis

Risk Scoring

• Organizations are categorized as low, medium, or high risk
• A review is more extensive for organizations with a higher risk score
• It's important to know that the risk score is not a final assessment of the organization's systems
• This is why reviewing what partners put in their self-assessment is essential
• Review can confirm the grantee has sufficient safeguards in place to meet the level of safeguarding risks

Self-Assessment Selection

• A low-risk grantee typically answers 3 safeguarding expectations but can be prompted higher if an intermediary
• The 3 expectations are:
• Appointing someone with sufficient seniority
• Specifying who to inform in case of a safeguarding concern
• Clarifying the responsibility to refer a concern to authorities

Safeguarding Expectations

• Someone in the organization is appointed for safeguarding.
• Safeguarding can occur without direct contact with children - involving other vulnerable groups
• Clear signs are their identity, role, responsibility clearly outlined and in their job description
• They should have sufficient seniority to make decisions, being a member of the leadership team, not advisory
• Providing feedback can help the organization strengthen their approach
• Information is available and communicated to staff, and the person to notify of concerns is identified and their contact details are available
• The organization defines who refers a case to authorities and social services
• The review guide helps medium and high-risk grantees, who are subjected to a higher number of expectations

Salesforce

• You can review a grantee's self-assessment on their page
• The steps to take are:
• Mark your name as the reviewer
• Select the appropriate Tier
• Insert comments, which should address areas needing strengthening
• Mark the CSSA as reviewed

Review Opinions

• Escalation for another review is an option if you have a second opinion or unsure about provided information

Resources for Support

• The review guide is one of the resources made available for child safeguarding
• More resources are on the Hub page
• The Hub can be referred to as support

Open Hub Page Contents

• The open hub covers:
• Introduction to the team and news
• The latest version of the Child Safeguarding Policy with internal reporting and response mechanisms
• The public version is available on the website
• Roles and responsibilities regarding safeguarding, in Oak's policy and code of conduct
• Specific actions and steps to take if there are any concerns
• Support & Guidance
• More information is available on Oak safeguarding and its integration into the grantmaking process, which can be useful for dialogue
• The self-assessment, risk scoring, and solutions to support grantee organizations are detailed
• Oak is shifting away from grants with experts/service providers to direct grants managed by grantee organizations
• Successful safeguarding relies on the organization’s ownership, establishing systems or strengthening them
• Nonprofit Builder or OD grants via SPF is used to secure safeguarding support to the grantees
• Integrating the support directly into the grant is also an option, facilitating monitoring and linking safeguarding
• Addressing gaps in safeguarding can require trust and time

Additional Resources

• You'll also find more specific information on your role as a PO throughout the grant cycle
• Includes a guide with actions to take regarding reporting concerns
• The resources include:
• A safeguarding checklist
• A service providers and referral list
• A safeguarding script
• An email template to suggest support
• A dedicated page to the child safeguarding focal group within Oak along with access meeting notes
• A dedicated resource page collects these resources and more