SafeGuard your volunteers…

and those in their care

Benefits of SafeGuarden

SafeGuarden Volunteers ensures safe data sharing within Voluntary and Care Sector.

It enables volunteers to provide their information to multiple organisations, including monthly DBS and DVLA checks.

The outcome is perpetual compliance, safeguarding both volunteers and the organisations they support.

Simple, safe, secure.

Inclusive Onboarding

We remove the cost, delays and aggravation when a volunteer joins an organisation to help children or vulnerable adults.

Perpetual Compliance

We reduce the administration for each VCS organisation to ensure those in their care stay safe. We do this by keeping the Volunteers DBS and DVLA details up to date. If the volunteer changes their details, we update each organisation’s records automatically.

Personal Data Privacy, Control and Security

SafeGuarden Real Me digital wallet means that the volunteer is always in control of their data and who has access to it. We do this by protecting an individual’s privacy while providing transparency as to how their data is shared and used. It’s their data, their decision!

Trusted

SafeGuarden Volunteers is a data sharing Scheme for the VCS sector. SafeGuarden is an initiative by CDD Services and Verve Community CIC.

CDD Services is partnered with Mydex and OneID. We are all certified Digital Identity and Attribute Providers under the Government’s Digital Trust Framework.

SafeGuarden Testimonials

"Pre-approved volunteers were previously unheard of. SafeGuarden has made hiring volunteers easier than ever!”

"Regular monitoring and not having to do renewals has taken the operations overheads off of us so we can focus our efforts elsewhere.”

Mission, Vision and Values

SafeGuarden’s goal is to help VCS organisations in a community to work together as one.

These are our objectives:

Help volunteers continue to deliver a good level of service using modern digital tools
Minimise the administrative burdens on the VCS sector through ethical data sharing
Streamline protections for children and vulnerable adults without compromising safety
Speed the mobilisation of resources to meet immediate and unforeseen local needs
Ensure that the person who delivers the service is the person who’s been certified
Support local Care Alliances so that networks and volunteers can connect
Build confidence in each other so we can build a kinder and more inclusive world

Our Story

The Future of Proof: Safeguarding Volunteer Data – one volunteer at a time

In the heart of Spinners Mill in Leigh, Greater Manchester, Verve Community CIC identified a significant gap in the Voluntary and Care sector. Although organisations prioritise safeguarding children and vulnerable adults, individual volunteers can remain vulnerable. From this insight, the concept of SafeGuarden Volunteers was born.

The Spinners Mill houses over sixty non-profit organisations and social enterprises. The volunteers are from diverse professional backgrounds, including the NHS, Police Forces, Education, and our Armed Forces. They are kind-hearted people who, from lived experience, offer a wealth of knowledge in care. They want to make a difference.

Verve provides recruitment services to organisations at Spinners as well as recruiting foster carers and finding employment and training for Armed Forces veterans. All involved welcome that accurate DBS checks, based on job duties, are necessary to protect those in their care as well as safeguard against allegations.

However, many express frustrations with repeated form filling or discomfort with technology due to concerns about data privacy.

Verve offers DBS/RTW checks using Spotlite from CDD Services. Together they have created a respectful, safe, and private setting at their Spinners Tea Room to gain empathy and build trust with volunteers using digital technology. The experience is affirming.

Verve’s success is built on the fact that many VCS organisations by their very nature, run on a shoestring with limited resources. It is not uncommon for such organisations to share personal data by email or WhatsApp as they lack the skills and the tools to avoid data loss and potential data breaches. This not only heavily impacts the recruitment success rate, it also places the volunteer in a vulnerable position. Both the VCS organisations and the people who volunteer deserve better!

This insight generated the idea for SafeGuarden Volunteers.

SafeGuarden, powered by Spotlite, ensures safe data sharing within the Voluntary and Care Sector. It enables a volunteer to provide their information to multiple organisations, including monthly updates on their DBS and DVLA status. When the volunteer wants to share information with a new VCS organisation, they can do so under their control. No more emails or WhatsApp messages. The VCS organisation receives the monthly updates so both they and the volunteers are protected and reassured throughout the volunteer’s career. Simple, safe, secure.

SafeGuarden helping communities work together — one volunteer at a time.

Join us. Complete the form below.