'tis the season to think safeguarding
fail-lol-lol-lol-lol, lol-lol-lol-lol. (sigh). [aka, "why it's important to choose your vulnerability guides wisely"]
before we get into the New Year 'season of self help and personal growth' mania... i have some thoughts to share.
if you're feeling called by any one of the multitudes of offerings inviting you to safely sit within and explore your vulnerabilities in 2024... great! however, before you sign up... it's wise to do a wee bit of due diligence first.
this is especially important if you're from a marginalised and protected group. under the UK Equality Act 2010 there are 9 protected characteristics: age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, belief, sex, and sexual orientation (adding that i and many others also include economic injustice, and inclusivity for all trans identities, not just surgically reassigned ones). if you sit anywhere within those lists, you have rights which are protected by law in the UK (and may have similar wherever you are)... which you've probably never been told much about.
there's a thing called "Safeguarding" which is *supposed* to mean that any person/group/org has a formal, legally binding policy in place to ensure you are protected as a vulnerable participant in any context. if you're a UK organisation running any kind of community engagement (particularly with kids, vulnerable adults, and any marginalised groups), you will likely have had to tick a box on your charity or funding forms which confirms you have a Safeguarding Policy.
typically those policies are downloaded proforma from the web. you add your name and details, then file it away with the rest of your private legal business documents without giving it much attention... but that's the tokenistic version. it gives very little thought to the value of safeguarding done well, or the risks of safeguarding done badly, and they're rarely made available to those who, at some stage while working with you, might need them.
the alternative, not tokenistic, approach is to take time as an org/group to fully consider who and what you are, and who your offerings are designed to serve. if that 'who' involves any of the above protected characteristics, you need a policy in place. ideally you'd then invite a few of those lived experience folk (your target audience/market) to collaborate with you in codesigning a bespoke Safeguarding Policy which meets the knowledge, needs and expectations you collectively hold in that moment. you then make that document publicly available so any prospective participants can gain clarity in how safely, or unsafely, they may expect to be treated, and what the process might be if their safety is breached. that document would then get reviewed regularly, particularly after any events where a safeguarding breach occurred, where new learning will reinform the old practices, leading to new training for all involved and new policies published transparently.
as a prospective client of any experience which centres on your vulnerabilities, whether free or paid, you have the right to ask any questions you might feel are relevant for you and anyone you might share that offering with. those kinds of questions might include:
* can you articulate your definition of <a particular practice> and any formal methods of training it might have involved for the facilitators to be equipped in offering it? (you can then check those training providers to see exactly what they do and don't cover).
* are your facilitators trauma and neurodivergence informed? can you provide evidence of any training or certification those facilitators may hold? (you can then check those training providers to see exactly what they do and don't cover).
* will your community be treated with equality, inclusivity and diversity principles? (or if you're a trans person you might ask more directly "is this event inclusive of trans people?")
and, most importantly:
* where can i find a copy of your most recent Safeguarding Policy, and your Equality, Diversity and Inclusivity commitments? (if those aren't dated, ask when they were last reviewed).
if you ask any of these things and do not receive any form of adequate answer: know that your safety is NOT paramount to the facilitators of the event (or their bosses or Boards)... and let that lead your decision to attend, or not.
safeguarding is very rarely done well, and when it goes badly it can have dangerous consequences for all concerned. if someone is effusively posting an event offering to hold "safe space", but is unwilling to provide detail around what that might mean in practice: take a pause. imagine yourself on your worst days, and then imagine how those people might receive you in that moment. if you're not feeling an Enthusiastic Yes... take it as a Hard No.
if you're not feeling an Enthusiastic Yes... take it as a Hard No.
please don't let this put you off sitting with your vulnerabilities, though! personal growth is VITAL, and so so many of us are dealing with the impacts of trying to survive a world not designed for us. sadly there's a LOT of sharks out there, and a LOT of bloody appalling 'training', with even decent offerings totally ignorant of divergent/’othered’ needs and lenses. there are also good people doing great work, which might not come from formal training models too... hence the need for you to protect yourself, ask your questions, and do your own critical thinking before handing over your cash (or your wounds).
i've found by painful lived experience (and a bunch of formal training) that you can never assume that someone providing 'care' has any kind of understanding or accountability around that care. never be afraid to ask if your specific needs can be met. sure, it's rare that generic providers are gonna meet all those specific needs, but trust me: being UNsafeguarded is NOT an experience you ever want to have to survive.
keep hunting through the chaff until you find The One Offering [TM] which meets your needs, and is run by people who are more than willing to answer your questions. they will help you open up long abandoned inner worlds, and help take you toward the future you've always secretly longed for.
TL;DR: choose your vulnerability guides wisely!
big love x