Unit 6: Learning and implementation

6.1 Developing a learning culture in your organisation

0:09

CLIFFORD ISABELLE: At Oxfam, there has been much learning in relation to safeguarding over the last few years. What’s most important throughout the organisation is to ensure that that learning continues over many more years. We are moving away from seeing safeguarding as a compliance-driven task. And now, this is a centrepiece of our culture work to ensure that safeguarding is embedded in all aspects of our work. Safeguarding should not be seen as the responsibility of the safeguarding team to deal with. But every member of staff has a duty to play when safeguarding is involved.

0:43

ANANDA KING: We have seen, in the last years, an increase of the reported cases of sexual harassment, for example. So, we consider that the Me-Too movement has played an important role on this. And we have developed specific workshops on the prevention and understanding of sexual harassment with a gender perspective. And it has been very welcomed by the teams. Aside all the preventive measures developed by the behaviour unit, MSF has also included, in its strategic plan, a fundamental and transversal angle of protection in our interventions.

1:17

NOAH SSEMPIJJA: I think we’ve had one case in Uganda on a project where one of the partners was reported for breaching some safeguarding guidelines. And because that organisation was a key partner in the [INAUDIBLE] we were making, we had to put the whole project on a standstill. And what key things that we learnt is to try to make sure that we engage our partners ahead of [INAUDIBLE] to see if they know any safeguarding queries or issues that they have, ensure that they have [INAUDIBLE] safeguarding [INAUDIBLE] they have [INAUDIBLE] they have clear mechanisms. I’d also check if there are any cases that they have had and how they have handled those cases.

2:12

We’ve also learnt that there is nothing like a small safeguarding case. Any case, any, however small someone may think it is, it has caused harm. It has affected the person involved. And so, it needs to be effectively handled. And it needs to be addressed immediately [INAUDIBLE].

2:37

KAYLA BRITTAN: I think what’s important is for staff to recognise the importance of the reporting process, of the reporting-of-concerns process. They must never feel as if something is too small to report, because I think that is where a lot of things slip through the cracks. A lot of people think, oh, but it’s not that much of an issue. It’s not that serious. And then you never know what’s going on under the surface. So, we have very open lines of communication.

3:02

We have very strict accountability structures, so people and staff know exactly who to go to if they suspect anything of anyone, but also, ultimately, that if they don’t feel comfortable coming to the safeguarding lead, like myself, they know the different steps to take and the different people to go to if that is the case. And I think that is of paramount importance.

Watch the video above, in which safeguarding leads from INGOs talk about what they have learnt from previous safeguarding concerns.

Here are some top tips on developing a learning culture in your organisation.

Hold a learning review for all serious safeguarding incidents:

An opportunity to reflect what went well and what could be improved.
The learning review should be conducted independently.
Each aspect should be recorded to support the thinking behind the conclusions reached.

Have a plan/method for taking the process forward:

Set timeframe (e.g., six-monthly review).
Have a clear action and allocate persons who are responsible for taking these plans forward.

Systemise and socialise the learning – be careful to anonymise confidential information:

Share lessons organisation-wide through training and awareness-raising workshops, internal communications.
Ability and flexibility to incorporate it into new systems/process.
If applicable, obtain external expertise to guide organisational change.

An ongoing reflection of policies, procedures and processes:

Learning should be continuous – not only triggered by an incident.
Quarterly and annual reviews – to ensure practices are up to date with changes to standards or to how the organisational change operates.