Speaking Up: Reporting concerns

At Save the Children, we are committed to making sure children are kept safe and that our staff and volunteers never exploit the position of trust in which they have been placed.

We invite you to use our Speaking Up channels to report concerns.

We know deciding to report a concern can sometimes be difficult, especially if you’re unsure about everything that happened. But, when reporting a concern to us, you don’t need to be 100% sure of all the details. Share your concern with us and we’ll work to ensure the safety of the children, adults, and families we work with. 

How to Speak Up 

We invite you to use our Speaking Up channels to report concerns including but not limited to: 

• Any concerns about the welfare of a child connected to our work, a staff member, volunteer, or representative of Save the Children  
• Concerns about the behaviour of a staff member, volunteer, or representative of Save the Children

If you're in the UK and you believe a child or adult to be at immediate risk of significant harm, contact the Police by dialling 999. 

If you have a concern about a child or adult who participates in a Save the Children programme or about a Save the Children staff member, volunteer, or representative, you can get in touch:

What happens after you ‘speak up’? 

At Save the Children we are committed to reviewing every single concern that is shared with us. We have a dedicated Safeguarding team who work hard to ensure every concern is handled sensitively, promptly and through a Victim/Survivor-centred approach. This means putting the victim/survivors’ needs at the centre of our thinking and actions.  

If you’ve shared your contact details with us in your initial report, a member of our Safeguarding team may reach out to you to agree a time to speak further, or to ask some additional questions. We will then investigate the concern and take any necessary steps to protect children and families. Depending on the information you share, the Safeguarding team may need to share the information with others, especially if we think a child is at risk of harm or abuse.   

If you choose to share a concern anonymously, we will not be able to contact you unless you opted to leave your contact information. This may mean we are not able to investigate fully, but we will do our best.

Regardless of how you choose to share your concern with us, reporting any concern you have could be the first step in helping us ensure all our activities are safe and supportive for all the children, adults, and families we work with. Thank you. 

External Support 

If your concern does not relate to Save the Children and you believe a child is at risk of harm, please share with the police on 101 or your local authority Children's Social Care team. 

If you need general advice and guidance about what to do if you're worried about a child, you can contact the NSPCC on 0808 800 5000. 

If you need to report online child sexual abuse or concerns about the way someone has been communicating with a child online, you can contact the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre. 

 

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