The United Synagogue has become the first faith-based organisation in the UK to achieve certification under the British Standards Institution (BSI) PAS 5222: Safeguarding Children in Out-of-School Settings, marking a significant milestone in faith sector safeguarding.
PAS 5222 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, requiring demonstration of strong governance, robust policies, thorough staff checks, reliable reporting procedures, and clear accountability through independent assessment. Achieving this standard provides independent assurance that safeguarding systems are effective and continuously improving.
The achievement follows a comprehensive transformation in how the charity approaches safeguarding. Since 2020, the United Synagogue has moved from a reactive safeguarding to implementing an ‘Active Safeguarding’ model that emphasises everyone’s responsibility to recognise concerns and respond appropriately.
This cultural shift represents a collective commitment across the charity’s 1,200+ employees and 3,000+ 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.
The shift has created measurable change in community trust. Before the pandemic, the United Synagogue 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.
Claudia Kitsberg, Director of Safeguarding and Welfare at the United Synagogue, 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, 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 partnering with police and local authority colleagues.
The organisation’s commitment to safeguarding excellence has also been recognised through being named a finalist in the Outstanding Commitment to Safeguarding Award by the Safeguarding in Active Collaboration Partnership Awards (SACPA), and through being featured on the Safeguarding Voice podcast ‘Safeguarding Systems in Faith Communities’.
11 February 2026