ethical framework
How we work
the standards we hold ourselves to
The Survivors was created because existing institutions failed to protect children and failed to listen to survivors. That failure wasn't only moral. It was structural. Decisions were hidden, responsibility was unclear, and the people most affected had the least control.
We don't believe trust comes from good intentions or strong words. We believe it comes from clear boundaries and accountable practice.
This page explains how we work, what you can expect from us, and where limits are placed on our own power. These standards apply to everyone involved in our work: survivors, volunteers, professionals, supporters, and our wider audience.
1. Trauma-informed practice
Everything we do is shaped by an understanding that trauma affects memory, trust, and a person's sense of safety. These are not abstract principles. They determine how we structure every interaction, every conversation, and every decision about process.
This applies not only to survivors but to anyone engaging with our work. We recognise that volunteers and audience members may also have their own experiences of trauma. We do not expose people to graphic content without warning. We do not assume that everyone can or should engage with difficult material in the same way.
In all our work, people set the pace. We do not rush. We do not impose timelines that serve organisational convenience rather than individual readiness. Participation is voluntary, and there is no pressure to disclose personal experience. We do not treat silence as resistance or reluctance as a problem to be solved. We avoid re-exposure to traumatic material and do not ask for unnecessary detail. Wellbeing takes priority over process, always.
We do not assume that sharing difficult experiences is always helpful, whether that sharing comes from survivors, volunteers with their own histories, or members of the public. We do not treat disclosure as a duty or as something owed to others. Care comes before information gathering. If a process causes harm, the process is wrong.
2. Consent
Consent is foundational to everything we do, and it is never treated as a single moment or formality. It is an ongoing process that applies to everyone who engages with our organisation.
Nothing is recorded, shared, or acted upon without clear agreement. Before any participation begins, we explain what will happen and why, answering questions in plain language until people feel genuinely informed. This applies whether someone is sharing testimony, volunteering their time, contributing their expertise, or simply attending an event. We do not use jargon to obscure what we are asking for.
Consent can be given. It can be refused. It can be paused. It can be withdrawn later, even after it has been given. Withdrawing consent will never result in penalty, disadvantage, or exclusion.
Where something cannot be undone—for example, information that has already been shared externally with permission, or a volunteer's contribution that has become part of published work—we explain that clearly beforehand so that decisions are made with full understanding of what can and cannot be reversed. We do not hide limitations in small print or assume people will know what they are agreeing to.
3. Autonomy and boundaries
Everyone involved in The Survivors retains control over their own level of involvement. This is not conditional on cooperation, compliance, or being easy to work with.
For survivors, this includes the right to take part or not, to share or not share, to remain anonymous, to leave without explanation, and to return later if they choose. No one is expected to represent others, educate the public, or carry responsibility for institutional change. Those are choices, not obligations.
For volunteers and contributors, this means the right to define the scope of their involvement, to decline tasks that exceed their capacity or expertise, and to step back when needed without guilt or penalty. We do not exploit people's commitment or goodwill.
For our audience, this means the right to engage with our work on their own terms, to ask questions, to disagree, and to withdraw their support if our approach does not align with their values.
Participation is never a requirement for being treated with dignity and respect.
4. Evidence gathering and documentation
When survivors choose to share testimony, we handle it carefully and to a high standard.
Our evidence-gathering protocols are developed with input from former police officers and highly experienced therapists. This ensures that information is recorded responsibly while remaining trauma-aware and ethical. We do not sacrifice rigour for sensitivity, nor do we sacrifice sensitivity for rigour. Both are necessary.
Our aim is accuracy, clarity, and preservation. We separate lived experience from documentation and from analysis. Stories are not shaped to fit predetermined conclusions. We do not impose narratives or edit testimony to make it more compelling, more consistent, or easier to categorise.
Evidence is gathered to establish what happened and to reduce the risk of future harm. It is not gathered to create publicity, to generate outrage, or to serve political agendas. The purpose is truth and safety, not impact.
When we publish information or present findings, we do so with honesty and precision. We do not misrepresent data, exaggerate conclusions, or selectively present evidence to suit a narrative. Our audience deserves accurate information, and our volunteers and survivors deserve to have their contributions represented truthfully.
5. Confidentiality and data protection
Information shared with us is treated as confidential unless there is a clear and agreed reason to share it. This applies to personal information from survivors, volunteers, and anyone else who engages with our organisation.
We collect only what is necessary. We store information securely, using encryption and access controls appropriate to the sensitivity of the material. We restrict access to those who need it for a specific and legitimate purpose. We do not sell or trade data. We do not share information with third parties for marketing, research, or any other purpose without explicit consent.
Nothing identifying is shared externally without explicit permission. People choose how their information is attributed—named, anonymous, or somewhere in between. Privacy is the default. Visibility is a choice.
Where legal obligations require disclosure, such as safeguarding concerns involving current risk to children, we explain those limits clearly from the outset. We do not promise confidentiality we cannot guarantee. These limitations apply equally to everyone, and we communicate them honestly.
6. Independence
The Survivors operates independently of political parties, government agencies, and institutional control.
We do this because political pressure distorts priorities. Reputational concerns silence truth. Funding dependency can shape outcomes in ways that are invisible until it is too late. Independence allows us to focus on survivors and on the integrity of our work rather than institutional interests, political cycles, or the preferences of donors.
We do not allow external bodies to influence testimony, to shape conclusions, or to interfere with safeguarding decisions. If that means we are criticised, excluded from certain forums, or denied certain funding, we accept that cost. Independence is not negotiable.
This independence extends to our volunteers and contributors. We do not ask people to compromise their professional integrity, their personal ethics, or their safety to serve organisational goals. We do not demand loyalty that overrides honesty.
7. Boundaries between groups
Different spaces serve different purposes, and those purposes require different boundaries.
Survivor spaces are protected and not open to the general public. Supporters and volunteers do not enter survivor-only environments unless explicitly invited for a specific reason. This separation exists to maintain safety, trust, and autonomy. It ensures that survivors are not performing their trauma for an audience or navigating the emotional needs of others while processing their own experiences.
Similarly, volunteers have the right to spaces where they can discuss their work, seek support, and raise concerns without those conversations becoming public or being shared without their consent.
Support does not require exposure. Solidarity does not require access. People can contribute meaningfully to this work without being present in every space or privy to every conversation. These boundaries are in place to protect everyone, not to create hierarchy or exclusion.
8. Professional standards and duty of care
Where specialist skills are required, we work with qualified and experienced professionals, including therapists, legal advisers, and safeguarding practitioners. We do not rely on goodwill as a substitute for competence.
Volunteers and contributors are expected to follow clear ethical guidelines and boundaries. They receive guidance on the limits of their role and are supported to work within those limits. No one works beyond their competence. If a situation requires expertise we do not have, we seek it.
We also have a duty of care to our volunteers. We do not ask people to take on work that exceeds their capacity. We provide appropriate support, training, and supervision where needed. We recognise that working with this subject matter can be emotionally demanding, and we take responsibility for mitigating that impact where possible.
We prioritise careful, competent work over speed or visibility. We do not rush to respond to public demand if doing so compromises quality, safety, or the wellbeing of those involved. Survivor wellbeing and volunteer wellbeing are both more important than our organisational profile.
9. Transparency and accountability
We do not ask to be trusted without scrutiny.
We aim to be open about how decisions are made, how information is handled, how funds are used, and who is responsible for what. This is not a courtesy. It is a responsibility. Those with power inside the organisation are accountable for how they use it.
If we make mistakes, we acknowledge them and correct them. We do not hide behind process, deny responsibility, or blame individuals for systemic failures. Authority is not protected from challenge. Questions and concerns are welcome from anyone—survivors, volunteers, supporters, or members of the public—and they will be taken seriously.
We know that transparency alone does not guarantee accountability, but without it, accountability is impossible. Our audience has the right to scrutinise our work. Our volunteers and survivors have the right to understand how decisions that affect them are made.
10. Complaints and concerns
If something doesn't feel right, you have the right to say so. This applies to everyone who engages with our work.
Concerns are taken seriously and addressed promptly. You can ask questions, raise a concern, make a complaint, or withdraw entirely. You will not be penalised for doing so. You will not be labelled as difficult, ungrateful, or disruptive.
We recognise that power imbalances can make it hard to speak up, especially for people whose experiences have taught them that complaints lead to retaliation or dismissal. We do not assume that silence means satisfaction. We actively create space for feedback and dissent, and we take responsibility for ensuring that raising concerns is as safe as we can make it.
11. Honesty about limitations
We are honest about what we can and cannot do. We do not make promises we cannot keep, whether to survivors seeking justice, volunteers seeking meaningful change, or an audience seeking definitive answers.
We do not pressure survivors to share. We do not trade stories for publicity or use testimony as a tool for fundraising. We do not act as law enforcement. We do not promise justice or outcomes we cannot control. We do not speak on behalf of survivors without consent. We do not use trauma for political leverage or to advance agendas that people have not chosen for themselves.
We do not ask volunteers to work without boundaries or to sacrifice their own wellbeing for the cause. We do not present ourselves as having all the answers or as the only organisation doing this work well.
If something requires approaches we are unwilling or unable to take, we say so clearly. We would rather be limited in scope than compromised in practice.
12. Respect for our audience
Our audience—whether supporters, critics, or people simply trying to understand this issue—deserve honesty and respect.
We do not manipulate emotions for engagement. We do not use sensationalism to attract attention. We do not present incomplete or misleading information to serve our goals. We do not attack or ridicule people who ask difficult questions or who hold different views, provided those views are offered in good faith.
We recognise that people come to this work with different experiences, different knowledge, and different perspectives. We do not expect everyone to agree with us, and we do not treat disagreement as evidence of bad faith. We engage with critique seriously, even when it is uncomfortable.
We also recognise that our work exists in public, and that what we say and do affects more than just those directly involved. We take that responsibility seriously.
In summary
The Survivors is designed to be careful rather than fast, clear rather than loud, and accountable rather than authoritative.
Trust should come from structure, not personality. It should be possible to see how we work and why, to challenge us when we fall short, and to make informed decisions about whether and how to engage.
These standards apply to everyone: the survivors whose experiences are at the heart of this work, the volunteers and professionals who contribute their time and expertise, and the audience who engage with what we do. All deserve to be treated with honesty, dignity, and care.
If you ever feel that we are not living up to these standards, we want to know.