The United Synagogue has become the first faith-based organisation in the UK to achieve certification in safeguarding from the British Standards Institution (BSI).
The BSI PAS 5222: Safeguarding Children in Out-of-School Settings is a rigorous British Standard Specification that independently verifies an organisation’s safeguarding practices against nationally recognised benchmarks.
It sets evidence-based safeguarding requirements for organisations working with children and requires demonstration of strong governance, robust policies, thorough staff checks, reliable reporting procedures and clear accountability through independent assessment.
The achievement follows a comprehensive transformation in how the charity approaches safeguarding, said United Synagogue leaders.
Since 2020, the US “has moved from a reactive safeguarding” to implementing an “active safeguarding model” that emphasises everyone’s responsibility to recognise concerns and respond appropriately, according to Claudia Kitsberg, director of safeguarding and welfare at the United Synagogue.
“This cultural shift represents a collective commitment across the charity’s 1,200-plus employees and 3,000-plus volunteers to embed the principle that ‘it can happen here’ – acknowledging that safeguarding concerns can arise in any community and that vigilance is everyone’s responsibility, not just that of designated safeguarding professionals.”
She said that the shift had created “measurable change” in community trust, saying that pre-Covid, the United Synagogue had supported an average of four safeguarding concerns annually from members, employees, or volunteers seeking support. That figure has grown to an average of more than ten concerns monthly, “reflecting increased confidence to come forward for historic matters and also cases where although those seeking support have a connection to the United Synagogue, alleged perpetrators have no connection to the United Synagogue or wider Jewish community”.
Kitsberg said: “Achieving BSI PAS 5222 certification marks a significant milestone in our safeguarding journey. When we moved to active safeguarding in 2020, we knew that creating a culture where people feel safe to come forward required more than just policies; it required a fundamental shift in how we approach safeguarding across every level of our organisation.
“This independent recognition reflects the collective effort and commitment of our staff and volunteers across all 56 congregations who have embraced their role in safeguarding and confirms the trust our community places in us to keep them safe.”
The active safeguarding approach is supported by a full-time team of safeguarding professionals, designated-safeguarding lead (DSL)-trained senior leadership, and trained community safeguarding coordinators in all 56 congregations.
The model includes mandatory training for staff and volunteers, independent external auditing, digital recording systems and regular forums in partnership with police and local authority colleagues.
The organisation’s commitment to safeguarding excellence has also been recognised by being named a finalist in the Outstanding Commitment to Safeguarding Award by the Safeguarding in Active Collaboration Partnership Awards (SACPA), and by being featured on the Safeguarding Voice podcast, Safeguarding Systems in Faith Communities.
To get more from community, click here to sign up for our free community newsletter.