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Consultants Declaration on Safeguarding

1. Introduction

The purpose of this safeguarding policy is to communicate Nonprofit Builder’s arrangements for safeguarding, as well as the obligations of consultants working with grantees. 

2. Definitions

2.1 What is Safeguarding?

In the social care and development sector, safeguarding means taking all reasonable steps to prevent sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment from occurring; to protect people, especially vulnerable adults and children, from that harm; and to respond appropriately when harm does occur ( Safeguarding Resource and Support Hub). In recent years it is becoming good practice to think about how we safeguard everyone in our organisations at all times, including protecting staff and volunteers from harm as well as protecting the environment.

2.2 Protected Persons

Child: A child is any individual under the age of 18. All children, regardless of their age, disability, gender, racial heritage, religious belief, sexual orientation, or identity, are entitled to equal protection from all forms of harm and abuse.

Adult at Risk: An adult at risk is any individual over the age of 18 who, due to factors such as age, gender, ethnicity, religion, disability (physical or mental), social or civic status, health conditions, economic disadvantages, indigenous status, or migration status, may be unable to protect themselves from significant harm or exploitation.

Vulnerable Adult: Vulnerable adults are defined as people who are unable to take care of protecting themselves against harm or exploitation for any reason. When safeguarding adults, this involves reducing and preventing the risk of harm, neglect or abuse alongside supporting them to maintain their own lives. While most would consider vulnerable adults to be those who lack capacity, adults with full capacity can also be considered as vulnerable as well. This is when they are unable to take care or protect themselves from harm. 

2.3 Forms of abuse

Child maltreatment: Is the abuse and neglect that occurs to children under 18 years of age. It includes all types of physical and/or emotional ill-treatment, sexual abuse, neglect, negligence and commercial or other exploitation, which results in actual or potential harm to the child’s health, survival, development or dignity in the context of a relationship of responsibility, trust or power

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Child exploitation: Refers to the use of children for someone else’s advantage, gratification or profit often resulting in unjust, cruel and harmful treatment of the child. These activities are to the detriment of the child’s physical or mental health, education, moral or social-emotional development…. It covers situations of manipulation, misuse, abuse, victimisation, oppression or ill-treatment.  

Survivor-centred approach: A survivor-centred approach to violence against women seeks to empower the survivor by prioritising their rights, needs and wishes. It means ensuring that survivors have access to appropriate, accessible, and good quality services including health care, psychological and social support, security, legal services. (UNFPA 2012) 

Violence and harassment: A range of unacceptable behaviours and practices that aim at, result in, or are likely to result in physical, psychological, sexual, or economic harm. This potentially covers physical abuse, verbal abuse, bullying and mobbing, sexual harassment, threats, and stalking, among other things. Includes harassment through work related communication enabled by technology.  

3. Nonprofit builder safeguarding policy statement

Nonprofit builder is committed to ensuring that its people and the independent consultants on its capacity building platform provide services, research and operations in a manner that is safe for everyone that we come into contact with, directly or indirectly. 

Respect for human rights, especially diversity and inclusion, partnership, co-creation, integrity, and commitment to promote equality is part and parcel of Nonprofit Builder’s fundamental values. 

We seek to establish a working environment where all employees, interns, volunteers, consultants, grantees and partners feel respected and valued. Across our programmes and activities, we do not discriminate based on gender, age, race, ethnicity, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, disability or any other bias. This applies to all relationships, both internally and externally. 

Anyone associated with Nonprofit builder is explicitly prohibited from engaging in any activity with any of our stakeholders that may result in any kind of abuse including any form of harassment, physical, emotional, negligent treatment and sexual abuse or exploitation.  

In the conduct of its activities, Nonprofit Builder requires its staff and consultants and anyone associated with us through our work to comply with all applicable laws in the countries in which it operates, all regulations, national and international conventions, as well as with best practices with regard to ethics, social responsibility, and protection of the environment. The organisation strives to maintain the same through all its actions and processes. 

Just as Nonprofit Builder’s mission is to facilitate capacity building of non-governmental organisations to optimise their functioning to make the world a better place, its Safeguarding Policy is designed to protect from harm and keep safe its people and vulnerable groups with whom it and its consultants have direct/indirect contact through its work. This includes developing, enabling, and nurturing a strong safeguarding culture within Nonprofit Builder and all its stakeholders.  

Nonprofit Builder commits to having robust, accountable, and transparent systems for, reporting, response and learning when safeguarding risks materialise. Those systems include a duty of care to all actors who report allegations and concerns, and to adopt a survivor centred approach to the alleged victim/survivor.  

Nonprofit Builder requires anyone associated with our work to bring to our attention, through our safeguarding reporting system, any concerns or allegations against any member of our staff, consultants and all people associated with our work. Nonprofit Builder commits to responding constructively and in a timely manner to reports or allegations that are made to us. 

This safeguarding policy should be read in conjunction with Nonprofit Builder’s Whistle Blowing Policy, and Code of Conduct for Consultants.

This policy applies to all Nonprofit Builder employees, interns, volunteers, consultants, grantees, partners and anyone who represents us in our work whether this is online or face to face. 

4. Consultant Obligations and Responsibilities

4.1 Past Conduct and Disclosure

By accepting any engagement through Nonprofit Builder (NPB), you confirm that you have no past conduct that would disqualify you from working safely with children or vulnerable adults.

You must decline any engagements that would put you in contact with children or vulnerable adults if you have any such disqualifying history.

You must immediately inform NPB if any new circumstances arise that could affect your suitability to work with these groups.

4.2 Reporting Requirements

You must report any safeguarding concerns observed or reported to you during your consultancy, including:

  • Suspected or confirmed abuse of beneficiaries
  • Inappropriate behavior by staff or volunteers
  • Systemic weaknesses in organizational safeguarding

Client confidentiality agreements do not override safeguarding reporting obligations. You must inform clients of this reporting requirement before beginning any engagement. Failure to report safeguarding concerns may be considered complicity in abuse

4.3 Contact with Protected Groups

If your engagement involves contact with children or vulnerable adults, you must:

  •   Inform NPB before beginning the engagement
  •   Submit to additional vetting if required
  •   Never be alone with children or vulnerable adults
  •   Follow both NPB's and the client organization's codes of conduct
  •   Document all interactions with protected groups

These requirements apply even if contact is incidental to your primary consulting work


6. Enforcement and Consequences

NPB will investigate all safeguarding concerns regarding consultants, fairly, and guided by an external safeguarding expert. If investigations substantiate misconduct, NPB will:

  • Immediately terminate the consultant's relationship with NPB
  • Remove the consultant from our database
  • Inform the recommending foundation/trust
  • Report criminal conduct to appropriate law enforcement agencies

7. Legal Compliance

This policy operates alongside and does not replace any legal obligations. Criminal conduct will be reported to law enforcement regardless of client preferences. Consultants must comply with all relevant local and national safeguarding laws

8. Acknowledgment

By accepting engagements through Nonprofit Builder, you acknowledge that you:

  • Have read and understood this safeguarding policy
  • Accept all obligations and responsibilities outlined
  • Understand the consequences of non-compliance
  • Will prioritize the safety and wellbeing of children and vulnerable adults
  • Will maintain appropriate professional boundaries at all times
  • Will report any concerns promptly and completely