Safe Practice.
Safeguarding and promoting the safety and wellbeing of girls, young women and adults is a priority for Girlguiding.
It is at the heart of everything we do, and it’s the responsibility of every Girlguiding volunteer, member, and member of staff.
Collectively we refer to all elements of our safe practice as ‘A Safe Space’. This includes our requirements to complete DBS checks, report disclosures and attend relevant training.
It’s extremely important that you’re clear about your safeguarding responsibilities, and about Girlguiding’s commitment to safeguarding. The Girlguiding website has lots of information about providing A Safe Space.
Ensure you are familiar with Girlguiding’s procedure for managing allegations and concerns.
If you are unsure about anything, contact your local commissioner, they are there to help.
What to do if you have a concern
Contact the HQ Safeguarding team
Tel: 0207 834 6242 ext. 3037 (usual office hours)
Out of hours emergency phone:07508 032997 (5pm – 10pm Monday – Friday and 9am – 10pm Saturday/Sunday). Please do not text the out of hours number as we are unable to access these messages.
Email: safeguarding@girlguiding.org.uk
DBS FAQs
What do you mean by ‘started your disclosure check’?
Started means that the disclosure check is submitted to the disclosure service.
What happens if I don’t start my disclosure check by the deadline?
You must hold a valid disclosure check, as without it you cannot volunteer. If you need support completing the disclosure check or are unable to start the process in time, for example because of personal circumstances, please speak to your commissioner as soon as possible. They are there to help you and can apply for an extension if you need it.
I already have a disclosure check for my work or another organisation – do I need to do another check for Girlguiding?
Girlguiding does not accept disclosure checks from other organisations.
We carry out our own checks so our approach is consistent, and we can be confident the check is valid for the purposes of volunteering with Girlguiding.
A Safe Space Training
How can I find out what level 3 and 4 sessions are available?
All virtual A Safe Space Level 3 and 4 sessions can be found on the Learning Platform.
For help and advice of accessing the Learning Platform, please visit our training FAQs.
Head to learning.girlguiding.org.uk click on ‘Find Learning’ and select either ‘A Safe Space Level 3’ or ‘A Safe Space Level 4’ from the list of available courses to book.
If there isn’t a course available when you first look, please do check back as we add new course dates when they’re available. We advise renewing well in advance of your expiry date as there are periods of high demand.
What happens if I don’t complete the training by the deadline?
You must have the required level of A Safe Space training, as without it you cannot volunteer.
If you can’t do the training in time, for example because of personal circumstances, please speak to your County Commissioner as soon as possible. They are there to help you and can apply for an extension if you need it.
What happens if I am unable to access an online or virtual course?
Face to face training is organised at county level. Please refer to your county communications, such as, Facebook, website or newsletter, or contact your County Administrator.