Making Safeguarding Part of Our Culture

At Wilderness Expertise, safeguarding isn’t just a policy on a page — it’s at the heart of everything we do. We work with young people in schools and groups, and our goal is always to create a safe, supportive environment where participants can thrive.

We ask all our freelance instructors to engage with safeguarding regularly, ensuring they hold a relevant qualification within the last three years — a standard that is not typical across the outdoor education industry. To support them in practice, we provide crib sheets for use on expeditions, helping freelancers navigate complex situations confidently. We also liaise closely with schools to understand the needs of each student, matching freelancers to ensure the right support is in place.

Central to this approach is Karen Dax, our Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL). Karen brings invaluable expertise from her work as a school Educational Visits Coordinator (EVC), having dealt with a wide range of safeguarding scenarios. Her knowledge has strengthened our training and guidance, ensuring that nearly 40 of our freelance instructors have achieved Level 3 safeguarding certification.

The impact of this training is clear: our freelancers are now more knowledgeable about safeguarding processes, how to respond to concerns, and how to handle disclosures appropriately. They understand they are part of a wider safeguarding network — they don’t investigate themselves but play a vital role in recognising concerns and feeding back to schools.

This approach sets Wilderness Expertise apart. By maintaining an in-house, experienced DSL and insisting on up-to-date training every three years, we are raising the bar for safeguarding in the outdoor education sector. Our culture ensures that concerns are identified quickly and communicated clearly, giving schools confidence that participants are in safe hands.

Looking ahead, we will continue to offer regular training to all freelancers, strengthen communication with schools, and embed safeguarding into every part of our programmes. We are proud to lead the way, demonstrating that safeguarding is not just compliance — it’s an essential part of our ethos and our commitment to young people.