Safeguarding is the action taken to promote the welfare of children under the age of 18 and vulnerable adults and protect them from harm. Within research projects this may include staff, students and collaborators, as well as anyone directly affected by our research and teaching activities on campus, and at research and fieldwork sites in the UK or overseas e.g. research subjects, patients, etc.
Major funders, including UKRI and the Wellcome Trust, require institutions receiving funding to ensure that Safeguarding implications are properly considered and managed during the lifetime of the project. The UK Collaboration on Development Research (UKCDR) is working with UK research funders to “play a leadership role in setting a clear tone and high expectations around safeguarding in international development research, and to ensure harmonisation of safeguarding practices across the sector.”
As part of research and innovation project delivery and risk assessment, the research team should consider the University’s Safeguarding Children and Adults at Risk Policy, the accompanying Procedures and Guidance, Lancaster’s Commitment to Safeguarding Research and the draft Safeguarding in Research Framework. These documents cover duty of care responsibilities and guidelines for those carrying out activities involving children and vulnerable adults and reference relevant University policies and procedures to support researchers in the identification and mitigation of Safeguarding concerns.
Safeguarding incidents can be raised online via Unisafe. Contact for advice and guidance safeguardinginresearch@lancaster.ac.uk