You can also download these tips as a printable PDF.
Planning
- Attend a Framework Support Session. We hold multiple sessions throughout the year. All are free to attend.
- Use the Excel planning template to help you prepare. You can download this template here.
- Identify who in your organisation is going to be involved in supporting you and the submission, and delegate tasks so that it feels like a team effort.
- Whilst it should be the Lead Safeguarding Officer that completes the written submission, it can be useful for appropriate colleagues to gather documents and evidence in a shared folder.
- Look out for podcasts and blog posts that provide information about organisation’s experiences of submitting the Framework – you may pick up useful tips from others.
- Contact an Ann Craft Trust Safeguarding Adults in Sport Manager to help clarify any criteria or process you are unsure about.
Criteria
- Describe how you meet each criterion. If you feel a criterion doesn’t fit with your organisation, explain why, and what you do instead. Try not to leave it blank.
- If you are struggling to understand how a criterion relates to your organisation and what can be said, you are welcome to contact an Ann Craft Trust Safeguarding Adults in Sport Manager to discuss.
- Take time to consider the essential criteria for each theme and how you meet these. These are most important to your overall result.
- Use the ‘action plan’ box to explain actions you have already identified but not yet carried out.
- Clearly refer to any evidence you have provided for each criterion.
Evidence
- Read through the submission support document, available on our website, which offers examples of evidence you could provide.
- Consider the variety of evidence you may have to support each criterion and to showcase what your organisation has in place.
- Provide real examples/case studies where possible, redacted where appropriate.
- Ensure your evidence relates to adults and adult safeguarding.
- Ensure you support all of the statements you make in your submission with evidence.
- Ensure evidence submitted does not contain identifiable personal information- redact where necessary.
- Whilst there is a list of suggested evidence in our submission support document, this is not to imply that all such documentation should be uploaded. We would suggest uploading a maximum of 4 documents per criteria, and some may require fewer.
- If you have already uploaded a relevant document, you do not need to upload it again. You can refer back to the same document and draw our attention to it in your description of how you meet the criterion
Documents
- Think about how you will provide your documents. Consider a number/code system or save each document with a logical title which you always refer to. This will avoid having to duplicate uploads.
- Ensure your policies and procedures have version control, are dated, and branded with your logo.
- Ensure your policy refers to safeguarding all adults and not just adults at risk.
- We no longer use the term ‘vulnerable adults’.
- Ensure your implementation plan includes actions relating to adult safeguarding.
- Ensure you upload the most recent versions of documents.
- Remove tracked changes and watermarks such as ‘draft’ if no longer applicable.
Other
- It can be helpful to provide a brief document in the first section which explains your organisation to the reviewer.
- Make sure your evidence relates to all adults.
- Ensure external links in documents and your website are working and up to date.
- Check any documents shared via links can be opened by someone outside your organisation.
- You don’t need to upload the same document several times as long as you are clear which document relates to the relevant criteria.
- If you experience any problems with your submission, contact the Ann Craft Trust as soon as possible so we can help.