Organisational systems and structures - for effective safeguarding
SAFEGAURDING REPSPONSE
Safeguarding policies only work whenorganisations build the systems and everyday practices and provide the leadership that help people use them well.
Developing a policy to sit in a folder isn’t enough.
Safeguarding professionals (kaimahi / staff) and their leaders need to know what the policy means and how they can apply it practically, what their role requires of them, what to do when they’re worried or unsure, who to go to for support, and how the organisation will keep learning and improving.
Ensuring effective systems and structures is essential for all kaimahi (staff) in an organisation – especially for those at entry level who are developing their skills and experience.
For disabled people and tāngata whaikaha Māori, strong organisational systems are critical. They help make sure that:
safeguarding is not left to individual judgement alone
concerns about violence, abuse or neglect or other harms are noticed, taken seriously, assessed and responded to effectively
the focus is clearly on protecting safety and also upholding dignity, mana, autonomy and choice.
Who needs to know about organisational systems and structures?
This overview is for DAPAR providers, managers, governance groups, team leaders, safeguarding leads and practitioners who support disabled people and tāngata whaikaha Māori.
It’s an Entry-level guide.
It doesn’t equip leaders and their teams to design their whole organisational systems, and it doesn’t replace specialist advice in safeguarding, family violence or legal matters.
Instead, it should give new practitioners, leaders and providers a shared starting point, explaining:
what organisational systems are
why they matter for safeguarding, and
what basic structures must be in place, so policies become consistent, accessible and culturally safe practice.
This guidance sets out the basic organisational conditions that enable your safeguarding policies to become safe and consistent practice.
Note: Te Aorerekura, the National Strategy and Action Plan to Eliminate Family Violence and Sexual Violence (FVSV), sets out expectations at four competency levels in its Entry to Expert (E2E) Capability Framework, across a range of required capabilities.
This guidance enables entry-level practitioners to understand what systems and structures their organisation should have in place to support them.
Leaders and governance groups are responsible for designing, resourcing, monitoring and improving the systems.
Practitioners need to understand the systems, use them, help identify any gaps and provide feedback.
What are organisational systems and structures?
Organisational systems and structures are the frameworks an organisation puts in place so people know how to act safely, appropriately and consistently.
They include governance, leadership, policies, procedures, role descriptions, reporting pathways, training and development, supervision, performance monitoring, partnerships, record keeping, and monitoring and review processes.
When safeguarding, these systems should make it easier for people to understand their role and responsibilities, recognise concerns, respond early, listen well, seek advice, document decisions, make referrals and follow up. They should also help prevent harm (including harm caused by poor decision-making) by making expectations clear across the whole organisation.
Good systems help an organisation to establish effective ways of working (‘how we do things around here’) – creating a culture of kotahitanga and performance (i.e. ‘being better together’ and enabling the right outcomes).
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Evidence shows that disabled people face higher risks of violence, abuse, neglect, coercion or control, including from people or services they rely on for support.
Effective safeguarding systems need a shared understanding of family violence, sexual violence, abuse, neglect and coercive control, including how these harms may affect disabled people and tāngata whaikaha Māori differently because of dependence, isolation, communication barriers, discrimination and service power imbalances.
Organisational systems should enable trauma-informed and violence-informed practice, so that:
disabled people and/or people with a lived experience of abuse are not blamed for their responses to harm, and
kaimahi (staff) understand how fear, coercion, dependence, disability-related barriers and previous trauma may affect disclosure, decision-making and safety planning.
Some people may experience barriers to accessing services. Then, when services have been found, disabled people might experience barriers to being heard, believed or responded to in those services. These barriers can include:
lack of access to the right communication support, lack of privacy to make a disclosure (for example, when accompanied by a support person), inaccessible complaints processes.
assumptions about capacity, and not upholding the disabled people’s rights to autonomy and decision-making
services not recognising signs of harm, and not having adequate insights to the range of risk factors that might be occurring
fear that disclosure could result in the loss of immediate support or might expose the person to more abuse (i.e. where the person they rely on for support is also the abuser).
Good organisational systems understand the effects of trauma and of harm, and they reduce these barriers. They help kaimahi (staff) and leaders act in ways that protect rights, support choice, and keep the person at the centre. Good systems support accessible communication, supported decision-making, privacy, safe information sharing, timely referrals and careful follow-up.
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At a minimum, organisations should have clear and accessible structures that support safeguarding in everyday practice.
Effective safeguarding systems need a shared understanding of family violence, sexual violence, abuse, neglect and coercive control, including how these harms may affect disabled people and tāngata whaikaha Māori differently because of dependence, isolation, communication barriers, discrimination and service power imbalances.
Note: Leaders and governance groups must understand their safeguarding responsibilities and regularly check that the following systems and structures are in place and are being used effectively.
Each of these requirements is part of leadership and governance accountability:
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Firstly, it’s about ensuring that the right policies and procedures are in place.
Those policies and procedures must be:
practical and effective
easy to find, easy to understand and available in accessible formats where needed
embedded in organisational practice (e.g. through inductions, training, regular refreshers, supervision), understood and used well
regularly refreshed (ideally on an annual review cycle)
reviewed and improved when triggered by ‘lessons learned’ (e.g. if something hasn’t gone well)
included in the organisation’s drive for continuous improvement.
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All kaimahi (staff), volunteers, managers and board members must know what they are expected to do, and when they must seek help.
This involves:
well-defined role descriptions, describing the required accountabilities and competencies
terms of reference for board members
induction programmes for all roles, that enables the scope of the person’s role and its relationship to other relevant roles to be well understood
clear lines of reporting and accountability and
each person understanding their scope of role, professional boundaries and when to seek advice
escalation pathways for raising concerns.
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People know how to raise concerns, including:
concerns about kaimahi (staff) and co-workers, services, family, whānau, carers or others, or concerns about disabled people themselves (for example, where self-neglect is occurring)
when they’re not clear about their own practice requirements or scope of role
when they’re unsure about what to do next.
Reporting pathways should also be accessible to disabled people, tāngata whaikaha Māori and whānau. This includes accessible information, communication support, privacy to speak safely, options for support people or advocates, and clear information about what will happen after a safety concern is raised.
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Policies should set an expectation for safeguarding practices that:
enable person-centred interventions and person-directed decisions, respecting the rights of disabled people to make their own choices and to be treated with dignity and respect (i.e. upholding Article 3 of the UNCRPD)
provide people with the information that will appropriately inform their decisions, in ways that are accessible to them
will ensure supported decision-making, whenever needed
are culturally appropriate and safe, for example:
co-ordinated by or guided by safeguarding practitioners who are Māori
emphasising ngā mātāpono (values) such as whanaungatanga and rangatiratanga
practices that are mana-enhancing
directly involving whānau (if this is what the person wishes)
recognising and respecting key aspects of tikanga Māori, such as tapu and noa.
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Kaimahi / staff need to know about and recognise:
the types of abuse
indicators, warning signs and patterns of abuse
risk factors that might be occurring
barriers experienced by disabled people
cultural considerations (see the item immediately above).
Kaimahi must be trained or experienced to respond safely:
work within the scope of their role
act within the law, and apply safeguarding-related legislation appropriately
consult with others
apply ethical decision-making
escalate when needed
seek leadership support and professional supervision, especially when they are unclear about next steps, and when they recognise personal biases and dilemmas.
Kaimahi must understand and apply the protocols for:
ensuring autonomy and supported decision-making, in respect of the disabled person
obtaining consent – and ensuring that this is safe for the disabled person
maintaining privacy
ensuring appropriate information-sharing and its documentation.
Download the handout on the principles of ethical decision making, and note especially Principles 2, 3 & 4, which advise on consent, privacy and information-sharing.
Kaimahi must:
discuss and document concerns
document all key decisions, and the rationale for those.
Note: You can learn more about recognising the signs of risk
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The organisation and its kaimahi (staff) know who to contact for:
crisis support, including the Police
family violence / sexual violence (FVSV) expertise
other specialist advice
disability support services
Disability Abuse Prevention and Response (DAPAR) providers
Accessibility and communication support, such as New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL) translators
Kaupapa Māori support services
support services for other ethnic groups
advocacy services
statutory responses.
Referral pathways are well-known and used by all kaimahi (staff) within the organisation, to enable Adults at Risk to access the right safeguarding support, quickly.
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Tailored to the extent in which the organisation is engaged in and responsible for safeguarding activity, safeguarding is included in:
induction
ongoing professional training
tailored development programmes, as needed
reflective practice
team discussions
scenario-based learning
supervision sessions
debriefs on how situations of concern are being (or have been) handled
‘lessons learned’ hui (workshops)
continuous improvement initiatives.
everyday practices.
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Kaimahi (staff) are trained in and encouraged to use reflective practice.
Kaimahi have regular opportunities to discuss concerns, power dynamics, uncertainty, bias and safe next steps, by being able to access professional supervision.
Supervision enables continuous improvement and helps to embed reflective practice in professional staff’s ways of working. Find out more about supervision.
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The organisation builds relationships before a crisis happens, so responses are joined-up and functioning well, when concerns arise.
Where multi-agency teams are being established, to enable holistic and effective safeguarding interventions, policies and practices on inter-agency collaboration ensure:
either Terms of Reference are agreed (these are likely to be used in mature organisations) and/or Principles of Collaboration are agreed and in place (these should feature in all safeguarding organisations)
a shared understanding of roles and responsibilities across the organisations involved in the safeguarding response.
Find out more about effective inter-agency collaboration.
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Incidents, feedback, complaints, near-misses and practice gaps are reviewed promptly and thoroughly, so systems can improve and change. See also VisAble’s Safeguarding Framework diagram
Progress towards safeguarding outcomes is monitored and recorded in individual situations of concern, and remedial action is taken when needed, to keep the intervention on track.
The actual outcomes of safeguarding interventions are recorded, and are used to drive continuous improvement, where needed.
Folow-up is scheduled and undertaken, to monitor whether safeguarding outcomes are lasting.
Organisations should monitor outcomes for disabled people, tāngata whaikaha Māori and people from ethnic minority communities, where possible, so they can identify inequities and improve practice when outcomes are not as safe, timely or effective as they are for other communities.
He waka eke noa
— we are all in this waka together.
Safeguarding is shared work.
Leaders have a particular responsibility to make sure the waka is sound,
the direction is clear, and everyone has what they need to paddle together.
Effective organisational systems help people understand their roles,
work in the same direction, and respond consistently when concerns arise.
For tāngata whaikaha Māori and whānau
Safeguarding systems must uphold Te Tiriti o Waitangi and support culturally safe, whānau-centred responses for tāngata whaikaha Māori. This means systems should not treat Māori responsiveness as an optional add-on. It should be built into leadership, policies, referral pathways, workforce learning, supervision and review.
Organisations should consider how their systems uphold mana, rangatiratanga, whanaungatanga, whakapapa and tikanga. This includes asking who the person wants to be involved, how whānau should be included safely, what cultural support is needed, and whether Māori-led advice or services should be part of the response.
Good systems also make space for Māori leadership and partnership. This may include relationships with mana whenua, kaupapa Māori services, Māori disability providers, Māori family violence services, kaumātua or other trusted cultural advisors, depending on the person’s wishes and local context.
See an example of how te ao Māori (the Māori world view) has been woven into practices.
Putting policies into practice
Implementation means turning policy into everyday action. A safeguarding policy should be introduced during induction, revisited in team meetings, used in supervision and tested through real-life scenarios. Kaimahi (staff) should know what the policy says, and should be familiar with applying it – especially when a situation is unclear, urgent or complex.
Managers and safeguarding leads have an important role in creating a culture where people feel able to speak up early.
Kaimahi should not be expected to manage serious safeguarding concerns alone. They need:
leadership support
safe escalation pathways
access to professional supervision
the authority to seek specialist advice.
Organisations can strengthen implementation by using short practice exercises, case discussions, debriefs, audits, feedback from disabled people and whānau, and learning from incidents or complaints.
Where incidents and complaints occur, the aim in investigating them is not to blame individuals, but to understand what the system made easier or harder, and what needs to change.
Working with others
Safeguarding is shared work. One organisation may not have all the knowledge, authority or resources needed to support safety and wellbeing. Organisations should know when to involve specialist family violence services, sexual violence services, safeguarding services, disability advocacy, Māori services, health services, Police, Oranga Tamariki, NASC or host providers, legal services, or other relevant agencies.
Working with others should be done thoughtfully and with respect for the person’s rights, privacy, communication needs and choices. Where there is immediate danger, urgent action may be required. In other situations, the person should be supported to understand options, make decisions and choose who’s involved, wherever possible.
Good partnerships are easier when relationships already exist. Organisations should build local referral pathways and points of contact before a crisis happens, including pathways that are accessible, culturally safe and responsive to tāngata whaikaha Māori and whānau.
Provider self-check – for leaders and governance groups
Download these questions to check whether your organisational systems support safe safeguarding practice.
Next steps, specific to safeguarding
Related guidance is available throughout Safeguarding: Foundations and Safeguarding Response: in Practice - including as referenced in the links above.
Access to training
VisAble offers interactive training to help you develop a deeper understanding of organisational systems and structures and why they’re important.
The training enables you to explore how to apply the information at your place, with your kaimahi (staff) and in your services, to help you achieve the right safeguarding outcomes.
Find out more about our training and resources. Or contact us at info@visable.co.nz.