OPINION: How we’re tackling a steep rise in safeguarding concerns
An average of four safeguarding concerns a year has grown to approximately 10 a month
People say no two days are the same at work. In my role as head of safeguarding and welfare at the United Synagogue, that couldn’t be more accurate. There is no typical day and I certainly couldn’t predict what or who my team and I are going to be working with. The only predictable aspect is we are making real differences to people’s lives.
An example is the day we spoke to Jackie (not her real name), a member of one of our synagogues. She was in a manipulative, financially-abusive relationship.
After recognising its harmful nature, she decided she wanted to leave, but faced significant obstacles. Her partner had isolated her from friends and family, leaving her without support or knowledge of available resources.
Desperate but uncertain where to turn, Jackie asked her rabbi, who connected her with my department. Our conversations were a safe space where she could share her experiences at her own pace.
Through patient listening, we built trust and eventually secured her agreement for a referral to Jewish Women’s Aid, which provided specialised support.
This exemplifies the power of our community connections. Our relationships with numerous charities and authorities enable us to signpost effectively or collaborate with specialised organisations while providing crucial direct support ourselves.
It’s quite different from how things once were at the United Synagogue. Before the pandemic, when we practised “Reactive Safeguarding” (responding primarily to incidents), we required only a part-time safeguarding professional.
Today, we’ve established a comprehensive system built on “Active Safeguarding”, a philosophy that embeds safeguarding as everyone’s responsibility.
At the heart of this transformation is our full-time team of three safeguarding professionals, which I lead as the designated safeguarding lead (DSL).
My core team is supported by DSL-trained senior managers who meet monthly and trained community safeguarding coordinators who serve as vital “eyes and ears” in every United Synagogue community.
To ensure objectivity, we retain an independent safeguarding consultant from outside the Jewish community who regularly audits our policies, practices and incident responses.
Our enhanced approach includes mandatory accredited training tailored to different roles, regularly updated policies with clear reporting procedures, quarterly newsletters sharing safeguarding updates and community resources that reinforce the reality that, sadly, abuse “can and does happen here”.
The results are telling. An average of four safeguarding concerns annually has grown to approximately 10 monthly, indicating a community where individuals feel safer coming forward. Cases involve members, volunteers or employees seeking support, though the alleged perpetrators are not necessarily connected to United Synagogue or the wider community.
Our safeguarding support encompasses the full spectrum of vulnerability. While we actively assist adult and child victims of physical, emotional, sexual and financial abuse, coercive control, domestic violence and sexual assault, our work also includes supporting families facing complex challenges with loved ones – from hoarding and dementia to suicidal ideation and other mental health crises.
We’ve implemented technological advancements to maintain vigilance: specialised software for documenting issues, a volunteer management system and an interactive platform delivering targeted training.
Our commitment extends throughout the wider Jewish community. We’re grateful to the JLC, with whom we have helped establish a cross-communal safeguarding forum that shares knowledge and best practice.
We exchange insights with other faith organisations and our relationships with local authorities have made us a valued resource in investigations requiring cultural or religious context.
While aware of our progress, we remain vigilant. Seminars bring staff and volunteers together with external experts and authorities, strengthening relationships.
The message is clear: safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility.
Nothing surpasses the importance of ensuring our synagogues and programmes remain safe spaces for all.
- Claudia Kitsberg is the United Synagogue head of safeguarding & welfare
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