Safeguarding: What Should a Trustee Know? - Charity Trustees' Week 2024

Safeguarding: What Should a Trustee Know?

As part of Charity Trustees' Week 2024, Dóchas will hosted a webinar titled “Safeguarding: What Should a Trustee Know?”. 

This event focused on how trustees can help ensure that safeguarding is a key organisational priority, and explain their role in building and maintaining a strong safeguarding culture. It is becoming more common for organisations in the sector to appoint a focal point at Board level, with responsibility for ensuring safeguarding is given sufficient focus.

Recording

Panelists 

Moira Leydon - Member of the ActionAid Board with responsibility for Safeguarding & Assistant General Secretary of ASTI

Moira Leydon joined the ActionAid Board in February 2021. She is the Assistant General Secretary at the Association of Secondary Teachers in Ireland (ASTI). Her role at the ASTI is focused on education and research, including curriculum and assessment, education policy, education for sustainable development, teacher professionalism and global education issues. She was a co-founder of the Irish Forum for Global Education, which is affiliated with the Global Campaign for Education which with ActionAid International is actively engaged. Moira represents the ASTI on the Research Network and the Solidarity and Co-operation Committee of Education International. She also represents ASTI on the Trade Union Advisory Committee to the OECD’s Education and Skills Working Group. Moira was on the Board of Aontas, supporting adult learners from 2017 to 2022.

Valerie Philpott - Safeguarding Advisor at Misean Cara & Chair of the Dóchas Safeguarding Working Group

Valerie is a qualified Social Worker and holds membership with the Social Work Registration Board of Ireland (CORU). She has extensive experience working with many marginalised groups within the non-profit and statutory sectors. Valerie is passionate about child welfare and children’s rights. Prior to taking up the position of Safeguarding Advisor here at Misean Cara, she spent 6 years in Australia working in Child Protection. She has also worked as a Social Worker in Ireland in the area of fostering. Valerie has qualifications in Anthropology and Social Policy and she holds a Master’s Degree in Social Work from University College Cork.

Feargal O’Connell - CEO of Self Help Africa

Feargal O'Connell is Chief Executive of Self Help Africa. Feargal has over 20 years of experience working in senior roles at non-governmental organisations including Concern Worldwide, the International Rescue Committee and Sightsavers Ireland, where he was CEO. He has worked in Cambodia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Chad, South Sudan and Nigeria. He also worked for periods in New York and in Ireland. Feargal has developed expertise in risk, crisis and change management through leading programmes on health systems strengthening, climate change and resilience initiatives, as well as front-line emergency response in fragile and conflict settings. Feargal holds a Bachelor of Arts from University College Dublin and a Masters in Conflict, Security and Development from the University of Leeds.

Moderator: Jane-Ann McKenna - CEO of Dóchas

Jane-Ann joined Dóchas as Chief Executive Officer in November 2021. She left a career in banking in 2007 to join Medicines Sans Frontier (MSF) where she worked for 12 years, including postings in Sri Lanka, Kyrgyzstan, Central African Republic and Afghanistan.  She served as Director of MSF Ireland from 2011-2016. Most recently, she returned to Ireland in 2020 to support Ireland’s Covid-19 response, working with the HSE in the National Social Inclusion Office.

Charity Trustees' Week 2024 

Charity Trustees’ Week is a thank you to charity trustees across Ireland for the important and tireless work they carry out throughout the year in the governance and leadership of Ireland’s charities. It is organised in partnership by the Charities Regulator, Boardmatch Ireland, Carmichael, Charities Institute Ireland, Dóchas, Pobal, The Wheel, and Volunteer Ireland.

This year’s calendar offers a range of events to celebrate the work of charity trustees and provide support and insights to help you fulfil your roles and responsibilities.

You can find out more about Charity Trustees' Week 2024  here.