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 childrenReporting: 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 abuseIn 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