Safeguarding refers to the action taken to prevent harm, promote wellbeing, and protect people from abuse, exploitation, harassment and neglect. It also includes responding appropriately when concerns arise.
Safeguarding applies to all individuals involved in or affected by research and innovation activities, including:
In research and innovation, safeguarding extends to activities on campus and at fieldwork sites in the UK and overseas.
This includes consideration of:
A “preventing harm” approach should be adopted. This means risks must be:
This approach should be applied across the entire research lifecycle, from funding application through delivery to dissemination and project closure.
All staff, students and collaborators share responsibility for safeguarding and must take appropriate steps to identify and manage risks and report concerns.
Major research funders, including , , and the , require safeguarding risks to be actively managed throughout the lifetime of a project.
This includes ensuring:
The works with funders to promote high standards in safeguarding, including the prevention of:
As part of project planning and risk assessment, research teams must consider relevant University policies and guidance, including:
These documents provide guidance on:
These documents are accessible from our documents page.
The University is committed to a culture where safeguarding concerns can be raised promptly, safely and without fear of reprisal.
All concerns are taken seriously and responded to in line with University procedures.
Additional external guidance documents related to safeguarding for research and innovation can be found on our documents webpage.
