Synergy Safe Accreditation Policy
This policy sets out how Synergy Safe accreditation is awarded, maintained, reviewed, suspended, withdrawn, and renewed. It applies to every organisation that holds or is working towards Synergy Safe accreditation, at any level.
Synergy Safe accreditation is issued directly by Synergy Safeguarding Ltd, awarded against our own published standard. It is not a mark administered, regulated, or issued by any third-party body.
1. How accreditation is awarded
An organisation is accredited at a single level, Safeguarding Essentials (Level 1), Safeguarding Advanced (Level 2), or Safeguarding Excellence (Level 3), reflecting the highest level of contact with people at risk anywhere in it. The three levels are described in full on our Accreditation page.
Accreditation begins with a gaps analysis: we assess the organisation's current safeguarding practice against the standard required for its level and sector, and identify what is needed to meet it. For community and voluntary organisations, that standard draws on our 11 requirements, distilled from the Charity Commission's safeguarding guidance. For housing providers and contractors, it reflects the safeguarding expectations relevant to their sector, including applicable housing and procurement legislation.
The organisation's bundle is then built around the gaps identified, which may include audits or health checks, tailored training, DBS and digital safety checks, policy and procedure support, and advice on resourcing your safeguarding function effectively, including your Designated Safeguarding Lead requirements.
Accreditation is awarded once we are satisfied the organisation meets the requirements for its level. We confirm this in writing, along with the certificate, licence to use the Synergy Safe name and logo, and the bespoke statement described in the organisation's bundle.
2. Ongoing expectations
Holding accreditation is not a one-off event. Between reviews, an accredited organisation is expected to:
- Continue to meet the standard it was accredited against.
- Tell us promptly about any material change that could affect its risk profile, for example a merger, a significant change in services, or a serious safeguarding incident.
- Cooperate with any audit, health check, or request for evidence made as part of accreditation.
- Not misrepresent the scope or level of its accreditation in any tender, marketing, or public statement.
3. Annual re-accreditation
Accreditation is re-earned annually, at the full fee, reflecting a fresh assessment rather than a discounted renewal: new starters trained and checked, policies reviewed, and the organisation's risk profile reassessed.
If accreditation is not renewed by its due date, there is a 30-day grace period in which the organisation can still renew without a full fresh application. After 30 days, accreditation is treated as lapsed, the licence to use the Synergy Safe name and logo ends, and the organisation would need to reapply as a new application.
4. Suspension and withdrawal
We distinguish between suspension and withdrawal:
- Suspension: accreditation is paused while a concern is looked into. It is reversible: if the concern is resolved, accreditation is reinstated.
- Withdrawal: accreditation is ended. Used where a concern is confirmed to be a genuine failure of the standard the organisation was accredited against.
4.1 Immediate suspension
We will suspend accreditation immediately, without prior notice, where there is credible evidence of:
- An actual safeguarding incident connected to a failure of the processes the organisation was accredited on.
- An adverse regulatory finding relevant to safeguarding, for example from the Regulator of Social Housing, Ofsted, or CQC.
- Loss of the organisation's ability to lawfully carry out relevant regulated activity.
4.2 Notice-and-respond suspension
For concerns that do not meet the bar above, an unresolved complaint or a material change that has not been disclosed for example, we will write to the organisation setting out the concern and give it a reasonable opportunity to respond before any suspension takes effect.
In all cases, our decision and the reasons for it are confirmed to the organisation in writing.
5. Independent review
Suspension and withdrawal decisions are made by Synergy Safeguarding. For a decision that is serious or genuinely contested, we may, at our discretion, seek the view of an independent safeguarding professional before finalising it. This is not a guaranteed right an organisation can invoke, but an option we retain for the cases that warrant it.
6. Appeals
An organisation may appeal a suspension or withdrawal decision within 14 days of being notified, by writing to hazel@synergysafeguarding.co.uk setting out the grounds for appeal.
An appeal is reviewed against whether our process was followed fairly: whether proper notice was given, whether the organisation had a genuine opportunity to respond, and whether the evidence was properly considered. It is not a full re-examination of the original decision. Where an appeal raises a serious concern about the substance of the decision, we may choose to exercise the independent review described in Section 5.
We will acknowledge an appeal within 14 days and respond within 56 days, in line with our standard complaints timescales.
7. Use of the Synergy Safe name and logo
The licence to use the Synergy Safe name and logo lasts only while accreditation is active at the relevant level.
- On suspension, the right to use the name and logo is suspended immediately, alongside the accreditation itself.
- On withdrawal, or on lapse beyond the 30-day grace period, the right to use the name and logo ends.
An organisation must remove Synergy Safe references from its website, tenders, and promotional material within a reasonable period of being notified that its right to use them has ended.
8. Raising a concern about an accredited organisation
Anyone, including a resident, a member of staff, or a member of the public, can raise a concern about an organisation's safeguarding practice despite it holding Synergy Safe accreditation, by contacting hazel@synergysafeguarding.co.uk. We will consider whether the concern warrants action under this policy.
This is a route for raising a concern with us about an accreditation. It is not a substitute for reporting an immediate safeguarding risk to the relevant local authority, police, or statutory safeguarding partnership, which should always happen first where anyone may be at risk of harm.
9. Review of this policy
This policy is reviewed annually, or sooner if our accreditation model changes. Questions about this policy can be sent to hazel@synergysafeguarding.co.uk.