Safeguarding at Little Village

At Little Village, our safeguarding approach reflects our core values: acting with love, standing together in solidarity, supporting people to thrive, and building a strong, sustainable organisation.

We are committed to creating a safe, respectful and supportive environment for babies, children, parents, volunteers and staff. Everyone who comes into contact with Little Village should feel listened to, protected and treated with dignity.

Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility, and we take that responsibility seriously.

Our commitment

We believe that harm, abuse or neglect of any kind is unacceptable. We work to ensure that:

• concerns are shared early and handled with care
• people feel supported to speak up
• we respond clearly, proportionately and in line with our values
• safeguarding strengthens our community

Safeguarding at Little Village is about protection and care helping people feel safe enough to move forward and thrive.

How we work

We embed safeguarding across everything we do.

Clear reporting and response

• We have clear procedures for recognising, recording and responding to safeguarding concerns, including low-level worries. These help us act quickly and appropriately.

A culture of shared responsibility

• We encourage staff, volunteers and partners to raise concerns early. Speaking up is supported and never seen as getting it wrong, maintaing a strong no blame culture.

Training and safer recruitment

• Staff and volunteers receive safeguarding training appropriate to their role. We follow safer recruitment practices, including background checks where required.

Working with others

• Where needed, we work closely with statutory services and specialist organisations to ensure people receive the right support.

Learning and improvement

• We review safeguarding practice regularly, use feedback and reporting to learn, and update our approach so it remains sustainable.

Raising a concern

If you are worried about the safety or wellbeing of a child, parent, volunteer or staff member connected to Little Village, we want to hear from you.

You do not need to be certain, sharing a concern helps us understand what’s happening and decide the right next steps. Please note we are not a crisis service, if anyone is at risk contact emergency services.

Otherwise, please contact us on safeguarding@littlevillagehq.org

Our safeguarding promise

By looking out for one another, speaking with care, and acting responsibly, we build a safer, stronger Little Village community, one rooted in love, solidarity and respect.