Dominik's comments were published in Board Agenda, 21 September 2026, and can be seen here.
Dominik Opaliński, Partner and Head of our Governance, Safeguarding and Charity department, considers how boards can strengthen their oversight of safeguarding by looking beyond policies, training figures and incident reporting to ask a more fundamental question:“How would we know?”
The article highlights the important distinction between reporting and assurance. While information such as training completion rates, safeguarding checks and reported incidents can demonstrate activity, it does not necessarily provide a board with confidence that safeguarding arrangements are working effectively in practice. Relevant concerns may also emerge through HR, whistleblowing, complaints or risk management, meaning boards need to consider whether the information reaching them provides a sufficiently complete picture.
Dominik also explores how boards can maintain effective oversight without becoming involved in operational decision-making. He argues that safeguarding should be approached with the same discipline as other significant organisational risks, with boards considering what has been learned from previous concerns and whether that learning has resulted in meaningful change. Ultimately, effective governance means understanding the limits of what a board knows and ensuring it has a reasonable basis for confidence that safeguarding arrangements work in practice.
Read the full article on the Board Agenda website [account required].
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.
[View Source]