Community Buildings – Safeguarding

Working with village and community halls to improve Safeguarding in rural areas

Action with Communities in Rural England (ACRE) is calling on England’s 10,000 village halls to make sure policies and procedures are in place to keep everyone safe.

As a Member of the ACRE Network - England’s largest rural grouping of community support agencies – ACT is raising awareness of the measures that can be taken by halls across Cumbria to protect individuals from harm, and supporting volunteer hall committees to ensure they have the knowledge and confidence to operate in a safe and welcoming manner for all who use their facility.

Village hall committees have an important part to play in creating safe spaces for members of their community, especially when it comes to protecting children and adults at risk. The committee may not work directly with children or adults at risk, but it is responsible for the contracts it makes with hirers. Everyone has a responsibility to: look out for others; know where to find help; and to have Safeguarding policies and procedures in place to support this - a Safeguarding Policy and use of an appropriate written Hire Agreement are essential.

Key Resources

Safeguarding information sheet for village halls
Model Safeguarding Policy for a village hall
Model Village Hall Hire Agreement and guidance

Print a Safeguarding Poster to put up in your hall

Reporting a Safeguarding Concern in Cumbria

Concern about a Child?

Cumberland Safeguarding Children Partnership - Tel: 0333 2401727
Westmorland and Furness Safeguarding Children Partnership - Tel: 0300 373 2724

Concern about an Adult?
- Cumberland Council, concern about an adult - Tel: 0300 373 3732
- Westmorland and Furness Council, concern about an adult - Tel: 0300 373 3301
- Cumbria Safeguarding Adults Board

If you feel a person is in immediate danger, call the police on 999

Other Resources

Posters: Violence Against Women and Girls - Cumbria information and contacts for support. North Cumbria, West Cumbria, Eden, South Lakeland and Barrow
Ann Craft Trust Safeguarding guidance: www.anncrafttrust.org/resources
Ann Craft Trust Safeguarding Adults Week: www.anncrafttrust.org/events/safeguarding-adults-week
NCVO Safeguarding information: www.ncvo.org.uk/help-and-guidance/safeguarding/
NSPCC Safeguarding Children information: learning.nspcc.org.uk/safeguarding-child-protection/voluntary-community-groups
NSPCC Safeguarding examples - hiring out space: learning.nspcc.org.uk/safeguarding-child-protection/safeguarding-examples-issues-concerns
Charity Commission guidance for Trustees: www.gov.uk/guidance/safeguarding-duties-for-charity-trustees
Handling safeguarding concerns in a charity: www.charitysafeguarding.dcms.gov.uk/
Government statutory guidance – Safeguarding (definitions and responsibilities): www.gov.uk/government/publications/care-act-statutory-guidance/care-and-support-statutory-guidance#safeguarding-1
YouTube Presentation from our ACRE Network colleagues at Community Action Northumberland: Safeguarding Training for Volunteers
From 2023 Cumbria CVS no longer offers Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks. Groups are referred to an online service provided by Community Action Suffolk: Further details here: cumbriacvs.org.uk/about-us/disclosure-and-barring-service/

A national survey conducted by ACRE showed that village halls are a vital asset for many rural communities. 60% of halls provide the only meeting space in the local area, whilst 80% of respondents knew someone whose lives had changed for the better as a result of joining activities at their local hall.

Halls can continue to improve lives through adopting effective safeguarding practices and policies, to ensure that everyone is protected in rural areas.

This work was funded by the National Lottery Community Fund.