THET Statement on Safeguarding

We stand with all those who feel their commitment to improving the lives of those most in need around the world has been betrayed by the acts of a small group of people that do not represent the sector.

We welcome the Rt. Hon Penny Mordaunt’s, Secretary of State for International Development, strong and immediate reaction to these events. It provides the international development sector with a much needed opportunity to ensure organisations are doing the utmost to enforce correct and responsible practice. As she stated at the Bond Conference on Monday 26^th February; “As well as a to do list, we need a to be list”. She reminded us that the needs of the people we serve, the expectations of those who enable our work and the values that drive our sector must remain at the heart of what we do.

We must be on our guard to protect not only the beneficiaries of our work, but also our staff, volunteers and partners.

THET has welcomed this opportunity to review our policies, guidelines and procedures in the light of recent events. Alongside our individual efforts we are also doing this in partnership with others in our sector and with Bond, the UK international development network.

We believe we have a robust Safeguarding Policy which we enforce rigorously. In addition, we have commenced a thorough review of our policies and our Code of Conduct statement to strengthen references to safeguarding. Further, we will provide annual training on the Code of Conduct and Safeguarding as part of the Mandatory Training programme for THET’s staff members and the Board of Trustees.

Our team remain committed to ensuring we further our ultimate vision of a world where everyone, everywhere has access to healthcare. As part of this, we acknowledge the seriousness of the events that have passed and realise that we must remain vigilant to keep that mission honest and honourable. We will work together as a team to make sure it remains this way.

If you have any concerns or questions regarding our policies or you would like to raise an issue from within your partnership (in the UK or overseas) please do email our HR team at safeguarding@thet.org where your concerns will be treated in confidence

Thank you for your continued support.