Rose Charities International Child Protection Policy

Rose Charities International adheres to the following UN Convention on the Rights of the Child:

Parties shall protect the child from all forms of physical or mental violence, injury or abuse, neglect, maltreatment or exploitation, including sexual abuse. (UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989), Article 19)

Members of Rose Charities International have a common commitment to the prevention of child abuse and exploitation in all its forms and to safeguard the interests, rights and well being of the children under their care.

The abuse and exploitation of children happens in all countries and societies across the world.

This policy sets out common values, principles1, and beliefs and describes the steps that will be taken in meeting our commitment to protect children2.

It applies particularly to how we protect children from abuse within our own organizations and within the partner organizations with which we work closely.

This policy encompasses principles and guidelines that are applicable to all staff and others within Rose Charities International. Individual projects, staff and children are encouraged to work together to expand on these principles and develop a more comprehensive Code of Conduct to meet the needs of their particular activities.

Applicability

This policy applies to all staff and other key groups as follows:

"Staff" refers to all staff – full time, part time, international and national – and also those engaged on short-term contracts such as consultants, researchers, etc.

"Others" refers to volunteers, board members, trustees, staff in partner agencies, and any other individuals or groups or organisations that have a formal/contractual (but not employment) relationship to Rose Charities International.

OUR COMMITMENT TO PROTECT CHILDREN

1 The policy incorporates those core principles of the UN IASC Task Force on Prevention of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse that relate to children - see Appendix I
2 “Children" refers to anyone under the age of 18

1. Our values, principles and beliefs

  • all child abuse involves the abuse of children's rights

  • all children have equal rights to protection from abuse and exploitation

  • the situation of all children must be improved through promotion of their rights as

    set out in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. This includes the right to

    freedom from abuse and exploitation

  • child abuse is never acceptable

  • we have a commitment to protecting children with/for whom we work

  • when we work through partners, they have a responsibility to meet minimum

    standards of protection for children in their programmes

  • Rose Charities International respects and upholds the law of the country where the

    project is located and this policy must be interpreted and enforced in accordance with these laws. There may be instances where Rose Charities International’s policies and procedures are more stringent than local law and in these cases the Board members, staff and volunteers must follow Rose Charities International’s regulations

  • Rose Charities International respects the culture, traditions and practices of all countries where projects are located but in instances where cultural practices are clearly contrary to children’s rights Rose Charities International will work with the community to reduce or remove such practices

    2. What we will do

    We will meet our commitment to protect children from abuse through the following means:

    Awareness: we will ensure that all staff, children and others are aware of the problem of child abuse and the risks to children
    Prevention: we will ensure, through awareness and good practice, that staff and others minimise the risks to children

    Reporting: we will ensure that staff, children and others are clear what steps to take where concerns arise regarding the safety of children
    Responding: we will ensure that action is taken to support and protect children where concerns arise regarding possible abuse. We will ensure that action is also taken to support and protect staff, children and others who report the abuse

    In order that the above standards of reporting and responding are met, members of Rose Charities International will also ensure that they:

    • take seriously any concerns raised

    • take positive steps to ensure the protection of children who are the subject of any

      concerns

    • support children, staff or others who raise concerns and who are the subject of

      concerns

    • act appropriately and effectively in instigating or co-operating with any subsequent

      process of investigation

    • are guided through the child protection process by the principle of 'best interests

      of the child'

    • listen to and takes seriously the views and wishes of children

• work in partnership with parents/carers and/or other professionals to ensure the protection of children

3. How we will ensure our commitments above are met

  • all Rose Charities International staff and others will abide by the code of conduct

  • all partners will agree to abide by the code of conduct

  • all staff and others will have access to a copy of the child protection policy and will

    be required to sign an acknowledgement that they have read the document and will

    comply with its requirements

  • recruitment procedures for staff and others who are working directly with children

    will include checks on suitability for working with children including validation of credentials and national police checks. In countries where it is not possible to conduct such background checks all volunteers must sign a declaration stating that they have never been convicted of any child related offence

  • induction for staff and others will include briefing on child protection issues

  • every workplace will display the Child Protection Code of Conduct, procedures and

    contact details for reporting possible child abuse

  • every member will establish systems to investigate possible abuse once reported . For

    countries with statutory reporting obligations this will include activating statutory

    procedures.

  • training, learning opportunities and support will be provided by Rose Charities

    International Members as appropriate to ensure commitments are met

    CODE OF CONDUCT

    All Rose Charities International staff and others agree to abide by this Code of Conduct.

    Staff and others must never:

    • hit or otherwise physically assault or physically abuse children

    • develop physical/sexual relationships with children

    • develop relationships with children which could in any way be deemed

      exploitative or abusive

    • act in ways that may be abusive or may place a child at risk of abuse

    • use language, make suggestions or offer advice which is inappropriate, offensive

      or abusive

    • behave physically in a manner which is inappropriate or sexually provocative

    • have a child/children with whom they are working to stay overnight at their

      home unsupervised

    • sleep in the same room or bed as a child with whom they are working

    • do things for children of a personal nature that the child/children can do

      themselves

    • condone, or participate in actions associated with, the behaviour of children

      which is illegal, unsafe or abusive

    • act in ways intended to shame, humiliate, belittle or degrade children, or

      otherwise perpetrate any form of emotional abuse

    • discriminate against, show unfair differential treatment or favour to particular

      children to the exclusion of others

• administer disciplinary action in a closed space without other staff present
This is not an exhaustive or exclusive list. The principle is that staff should avoid actions

or behaviour that may constitute poor practice or potentially abusive behaviour.

It is important for all staff and others in contact with children to:

  • be aware of situations which may present risks and manage these

  • plan and organise the work and the workplace so as to minimise risks

  • ensure the security of the children in their care from visitors to the projects

  • as far as possible, be visible when working with children

  • ensure that a culture of openness exists to enable any issues or concerns to be

    raised and discussed

  • ensure that a sense of accountability exists between staff so that poor practice or

    potentially abusive behaviour does not go unchallenged

  • address child to child abuse, bullying and prejudice

  • talk to children about their contact with staff or others and encourage them to

    raise any concerns

  • empower children - discuss with them their rights, what is acceptable and

    unacceptable, and what they can do if there is a problem. Encourage them to take

    an active role in preventing abuse, i.e. make posters etc

  • discuss intervention and reporting procedures for possible abuse that is outside

    the project i.e. family violence

    In general it is inappropriate to:

  • spend excessive time alone with children away from others

  • take children away from the project site alone e.g. to a staff member’s home

    Use of Photographic Images of Children:

    When photographing or filming a child staff must:

  • assess and endeavor to comply with local traditions or restrictions for

    reproducing personal images

  • obtain consent from the child and a Rose Charities seniors staff member and

    explain how the image will be used.

  • ensure photographs, films, videos and DVD’s present children in a dignified and

    respectful manner and not in a vulnerable or submissive manner. Children should

    be adequately clothed and not in poses that could be seen as sexually suggestive

  • endeavour not to focus on any specific child when photographing and to

    generally restrict photography to group shots of the children.

  • ensure images are honest representations of the context and the facts.

  • ensure file labels do not reveal identifying information about a child, especially

    when sending images electronically

  • ensure that any images published to a website are done so only with the

    permission from a senior staff member of Rose Charities International.

  • ensure that any information or images published to a website will not cause

    future harm to the child e.g. by depicting them in a disadvantaged and vulnerable way