Blamed for something that isn't my fault (work situation)

[Tomatoetoe]

I am volunteering for an organisation this week as my child is doing some activities with them during the week and they requested more volunteers.

Basically, yesterday there was a safeguarding issue which I was blamed for in an abrupt and rude way. It was not my fault but the fault of one of the long serving volunteers and the assistant manager. It was clearly much easier to blame it on the new person! I was furious as safeguarding is a huge part of my field of paid work and I would never have allowed it to happen.

I was blamed by two fellow volunteers who both had a go at me on two separate occasions infront of other staff and children. I was ready to really lose my temper by the second time when It was actually the fault of another volunteer and the assistant manager who kept quiet and and said nothing. I kept repeating factually what happened but they seemed to dislike my version of events. I became very clearly annoyed with them but also conscious of name dropping the other two and creating enemies.

I have no doubt that tomorrow, when I return, there will have been conversations with the main manager about what happened and I will be spoken to. I can't sleep because I'm so angry about this. Not to mention that this safeguarding issue should never have happened, particularly as it also could have easily affected my own child at the time too as it was the volunteer working within her group that made the initial mistake. The assistant manager then also made the same mistake with the group of children that I was working with several times- big safeguarding mistakes because one thing was not followed by both these adults at a particular time during the day.

I left feeling furious yesterday for.being so wrongly blamed for the mistakes in both groups. I am still angry to the point that I can't sleep. What do i do in this situation? There is a very clear clique amongst the long term volunteers and it is easier to blame a new comer. Do I inform the manager myself before I'm wrongly spoken to? Or wait and see what's said to me? I don't want to give them the opportunity to confront me again because I'm furious to have been accused of this whilst the failings of the others is being covered up. The manager seems unlikely to accept the fault of the long term volunteer and assistant manager. It would make complete sense to her to blame the newcomer.

I could refuse to volunteer again but promised my child who has special needs that I would help during the week 🥴.

One person is in charge of safeguarding so I could speak to them, however I don't know who this person is as I'm still learning names. If I ask then it would be obvious that I have a complaint to make.

Ridiculous that you wouldn't just use the names of the people who had messed up when factually recounting the event.
You're going to be there for 1 week, hardly making lifelong connections and could have cleared your name.

I would have pulled the assistant manager to one side and asked why they hadn't piped up and accepted responsibility.

Either way its done now, so tomorrow just grab the manager and give a quick explanation to catch it before it snowballs. No point fretting over it and building it up in your head, you know you're right and good at your job.

Surely you need to speak to the safeguarding lead? It is the right thing to do as well as being the way to get out in front of this.

You say safeguarding is a big part of your paid work but seem to be handling this really poorly.

Do you mean safeguarding or safety? If safeguarding then I agree you need to talk to the safeguarding lead.

Raise it proactively of course! If you work in safeguarding you should know to be doing this.

Write a factual account of what happened and keep emotions out of your statement. End your statement by saying that lessons can only be learnt if the organisation and the individuals involved, acknowledge the mistakes made.

Don’t lose sleep over this but complain and make it clear that you won’t be the scapegoat.

Hell no! Do not accept the blame in anyway shape or form for this. Co front this head on as much as possible. Sit down and write out what happened in as much detail as possible. Start from when you started volunteering that day and what happened with each incident to you being confronted. Make copies for yourself, the manager, the person in charge of safeguarding and whomever else needs it.

If this happened with you there by the assistant manager and a long term volunteer who knows what else is happening especially if no accountability is taking place. Your child is presumably going to go there past this week and or others. It’s a huge thing!

Please know, it’s a them problem, not you. Go in and state everything factually and calmly. Rinse and repeat. Don’t get defensive. In each instance of offence repeat who was there, each adult, each child and what you observed, what you were doing. Don’t waiver, be the three F’s. Fair, friendly but firm in your stance. I say friendly but mean it in a non-attacking, calm demeanour. Ie state the facts as calmly as possible in a factual manner with as little emotion as possible so friendly but not friends if that makes sense.

Good luck today. You have got this!

PS I am so angry over this for you! I am typing this seeing red for you. So very wrong.

PPS, what I meant by if this is happening while you are there by the assistant manager and long term volunteer, imagine what is happening when you aren’t! And no accountability and blaming others for their mistakes🤦🏼‍♀️🤬. WTF is going on there. It’s scary that two such incidents of from the sounds of it serious safeguarding issues happened with people who should know better and nothing is being done but blame to the wrong person. So very very wrong.

Really makes you question how they treat the children on the regular and hot the organization is run.

If this is a safeguarding issue, you need to get a written factual account asap. In fact you shouldn't have really left the setting without them insisting you've done one! If it was me, I would be shouting from the roof tops until I was heard and kicking up the biggest fuss ever. Who cares if they hate you after it? Safeguarding is there to protect the vulnerable like your child. Imagine if you hadn't been there and didn't know about it, you'd be sending your child back in to somewhere potentially dangerous.

As the above have said. Raise this proactively. Write it down before you go in today, including the following conversations shifting blame. Speak to the safeguarding lead first thing today.

If this is a genuine safeguarding issues - I’m thinking it’s something like not taking registers or headcounts or something as you say it kept happening through the day - you must raise it with the safeguarding lead first thing. That has to be your priority, not who is being blamed for anything.

Tbh the fact you don’t know the name of the DSL points to safeguarding issues already with this organisation.

To be honest if someone is happy to let me take the blame and throw me under the bus, I'd have no issue in returning the favour.

You have to say what really happened and give names to stop this happening again

You say safeguarding is a big part of your paid work but seem to be handling this really poorly.

This. Safeguarding runs through every aspect of my job, although it's not my job role. You should know that this must be reported first thing to the safeguarding lead. Speak to the manager. If needs must, go above them to the company HR/safeguarding team/whistleblowing.

These folk are responsible for vulnerable children, yours included. Do the right thing.

You need to write it down.

Factually.

You need to send it to the safeguarding lead before the session starts this morning.

You need to ask for a meeting before the session starts making it clear that you won't be volunteering and your D.C. won't be staying unless a satisfactory outcome is concluded. And that if it's not then you'll have no choice to escalate.

Highlight that not only is safeguarding failures serious but s failure to recognise their part and act on it makes it even more serious.

But I would not be leaving my child somewhere I had safeguarding concerns about.

This.

I also work in safeguarding and compliance type role. Our view is anyone can make a mistake, but a failure to recognise/ report is serious and would give me more cause for concern than a minor error by a member of the team.

Could you be there just to help your own child?

My DS has SEN and I used to go to beavers and I used to go just to help him, I wasn’t an official volunteer

I'd love to know what the safeguarding issue is as one person's 'safeguarding issue' can be another person's 'manifestation of anxiety'.

You'll have to just "love" to know then.
I assure you that this was not anxiety.

The safeguarding lead wasn't available @Resister as she was dealing with something that day. When it was time to leave, we needed to vacate the premises quickly as someone else had hired it afterwards. The issues happened towards the end of the day. The only opportunity I have to deal with it is today.

I have written it all down and emailed the manager this morning, also asked them to email it to the safeguarding lead as I don't have her email. Will see what happens. I don't really care if I'm liked or not afterwards. It needs addressing.

I agree with pp who said just go to help when your dc is there. Keep out of the politics. With some voluntary organisations people get a bit power hungry, which is ridiculous and probably what's happened here. I think you want to supervise your dc at all times if there are safeguarding issues. Don't be frightened to throw the people under the bus who have no regard for you. Safeguarding is a serious issue, especially where vulnerable children are involved.

It is so obvious what to do.

Emailing the safeguarding lead and creating a paper trail.

It sounds like a very unprofessional dangerous environment so creating a paper trail is crucial.

The manager witnessing and standing silent is very serious.

Keep everything that results in your action confirmed by email.
Name names too.

Good luck.

You need to receive a response specifically from the safe guarding lead.

Be clear you will escalate this.

Agree with below, only attend when your child is there.

No wonder they can’t get enough volunteers .

Wonder if other volunteers have drppped out over the years because they get the blame if anything goes wrong