SAFECHAIN™ Parliamentary Roundtable Proposal

Institutional Dialogue on Safeguarding Governance and System Coordination

Prepared by:
Samantha Avril-Andreassen
Founder, SAFECHAIN™

Purpose of the Roundtable

This proposal outlines the concept for a Parliamentary roundtable discussion examining the challenges and opportunities associated with safeguarding governance in multi-agency environments.

The roundtable would provide an opportunity for policymakers, practitioners, researchers, and safeguarding organisations to discuss how institutional systems responsible for protecting vulnerable individuals interact in practice.

The objective would be to facilitate constructive dialogue on safeguarding coordination and institutional accountability.

Background

Safeguarding systems across the United Kingdom involve multiple institutions including:

• police services
• courts and legal practitioners
• healthcare providers
• housing authorities
• social care organisations
• safeguarding charities.

While these institutions operate under statutory safeguarding obligations, coordination challenges can arise when individuals must navigate multiple systems simultaneously.

Discussion of these structural challenges may support broader policy reflection on safeguarding governance.

Objectives of the Roundtable

The proposed roundtable would aim to:

• explore challenges associated with multi-agency safeguarding environments
• encourage dialogue between policymakers and practitioners
• identify opportunities for strengthening safeguarding coordination
• support evidence-informed policy discussion.

The event would not seek to replace existing safeguarding frameworks but to encourage constructive policy engagement.

Suggested Participants

The roundtable could bring together representatives from sectors including:

• Members of Parliament interested in safeguarding policy
• safeguarding charities and advocacy organisations
• academic researchers studying safeguarding systems
• legal professionals and regulators
• healthcare and social care professionals
• policing and safeguarding practitioners.

Such a multidisciplinary discussion would reflect the complexity of safeguarding environments.

Proposed Discussion Themes

Potential discussion topics may include:

Institutional Coordination

How safeguarding systems interact when multiple agencies are involved.

Trauma-Informed Professional Practice

Understanding trauma responses within institutional safeguarding environments.

Safeguarding Documentation and Accountability

The role of documentation continuity in safeguarding decision-making.

Research and Policy Dialogue

Opportunities for collaboration between researchers, practitioners, and policymakers.

Format

The roundtable could be structured as:

• opening remarks from policymakers or safeguarding leaders
• short presentations from researchers or practitioners
• moderated discussion among participants.

The aim would be to encourage open dialogue on safeguarding governance challenges.

Expected Outcomes

Potential outcomes of the roundtable may include:

• increased awareness of safeguarding coordination challenges
• identification of research priorities
• continued dialogue between policymakers and safeguarding practitioners.

Conclusion

Safeguarding systems rely on cooperation between institutions responsible for protecting individuals from harm.

A parliamentary roundtable could provide a constructive space for dialogue on how safeguarding governance structures operate in practice and how coordination between agencies might be strengthened.

SAFECHAIN™ welcomes opportunities to contribute to these discussions in collaboration with policymakers and safeguarding organisations.

© 2026 Samantha Avril-Andreassen. All rights reserved.