Prevention and safer working practices

This subject can be found in the: Violence Aggression & Safety Policy
Last updated: October 9, 2026 at 11:26

Iguality should take reasonable steps to reduce foreseeable risks before incidents occur.

Depending on the volunteer role, these may include:

1. Safe meeting arrangements

For one-to-one activities, consideration should be given to:

  • using an appropriate public, professional or otherwise safe location;
  • ensuring the volunteer can easily leave the location;
  • avoiding unnecessarily isolated locations where risk has been identified;
  • knowing how to obtain assistance;
  • keeping a charged phone available;
  • having appropriate check-in arrangements;
  • avoiding disclosure of unnecessary private information such as a volunteer's home address.

2. Known risks

Where Iguality is aware of previous violent or threatening behaviour that may create a foreseeable risk during an activity, an appropriate risk assessment should take place before placing a volunteer in that situation.

Relevant safety information should be shared with the people who need it while respecting confidentiality and data-protection principles.

A volunteer should not knowingly be placed alone in a situation involving a significant identified risk without appropriate safeguards.

3. Training

Volunteer onboarding and relevant role-specific training should explain:

  • how to recognise escalating situations;
  • the right to end an unsafe session;
  • basic de-escalation principles;
  • when to call 112;
  • Iguality's reporting channels;
  • what support is available after an incident.

Learning from incidents

Violence and aggression reports should not only be considered individual cases.
Where appropriate, Iguality should periodically review anonymised incident information to identify:

  • recurring patterns;
  • risky environments or activities;
  • gaps in volunteer preparation;
  • repeated concerns involving the same individual;
  • additional training needs;
  • changes required to programme design or safeguarding procedures.

Following a serious incident, relevant safety arrangements should be reviewed before similar activities continue.

The aim is not to assign blame to volunteers for incidents that occurred, but to understand whether future harm can be prevented.