Safeguarding Policy
ILSI's safeguarding policy sets out how the institution protects vulnerable members, particularly in casework involving exploitation, abuse or trafficking.
Some of the cases ILSI handles involve members who are especially vulnerable: workers who have been trafficked, subjected to forced labour, or exposed to physical or sexual abuse. Safeguarding these members correctly is treated as a distinct discipline from routine casework, not an afterthought.
How ILSI safeguards members
- Casework staff handling safeguarding concerns receive specific training in trauma-informed practice before taking such cases.
- A member disclosing abuse or exploitation is never required to repeat their account to multiple staff unnecessarily.
- Where a member is in immediate danger, ILSI staff prioritise referral to local emergency services and, where relevant, consular support, ahead of any administrative process — see detained or arrested and injured at work for related guidance.
- Suspected trafficking or forced labour cases are referred to appropriate law enforcement and specialist anti-trafficking organisations in the relevant country, in addition to ILSI's own casework.
- Confidentiality is maintained throughout, consistent with our privacy policy, and information is shared with third parties only with the member's consent or where the member's safety requires it.
Anyone with a safeguarding concern about how ILSI itself has handled a case can raise it through our complaints process.
Vulnerability is not fixed
Safeguarding at ILSI recognises that vulnerability can change over the course of a single case. A member who arrived confident and well-informed can become vulnerable after an injury, a period of unpaid wages, or the stress of detention. Casework staff are trained to reassess a member's situation as a case develops, rather than only at intake, and to escalate to a specialist safeguarding lead whenever risk appears to increase.
Working with specialist partners
ILSI does not attempt to be a specialist anti-trafficking or trauma-counselling organisation itself. Where a case requires that expertise, ILSI's role is to recognise it quickly and refer the member to organisations equipped to provide it, while continuing to support the parts of the case — such as wage recovery or legal referral through our lawyer directory — that fall within ILSI's own remit. Knowing the limits of our own expertise, and referring quickly when a case exceeds it, is itself part of safeguarding a member properly.