Child safeguarding policy

Check out the summary of our children's safeguarding policy in this slideshow over here.

Introduction

In Polykastro, OCC works in collaboration with Greek schools supporting the Ministry of Education in all the procedures of enrolling the children, as well as during the development of their experience in the educational centres. OCC also acts as a bridge between schools and refugee families while providing the centres with translators and transportation when needed.

Open Cultural Center is committed to conducting its programs and operations in a manner that is safe for all children. All OCC representatives are explicitly prohibited from engaging in any activity that may result in harm to the child. It is OCC's obligation to create and proactively maintain a safe environment that aims to prevent and deter any action or omission that could place children at risk of any kind of abuse.

For this reason, we have policies and systems in place to prevent abuse and harm and to safeguard the children we work with. These measures also protect volunteers and visitors from actions that could be misconstrued and lead to false or malicious accusations.

Paulo Sergio Pinheiro, an independent expert for the UN study on violence against children, acknowledged the importance of a Children Safeguarding Policy, stating: “It offers an excellent opportunity not only for the improvement of the quality and professionalism of those working with children, but most importantly, it will help to achieve a greater impact for children”.

What is child safeguarding?

Child safeguarding is the responsibility that organisations have to make sure their staff, operations, and programmes do no harm to children, that is that they do not expose children to the risk of harm and abuse, and that any concerns the organisation has about children’s safety within the communities in which they work, are reported to the appropriate authorities.

“Do no harm” is a principle that has been used in the humanitarian sector but can equally be applied to the development field. It refers to organisations’ responsibility to minimise the harm they may be doing inadvertently through their organisational activities.

This includes both having preventative procedures in place to minimise the chances of an incident occurring and responsive systems to respond if an incident occurs.

Acknowledging risks and implementing measures to address them is fundamental to organisations’ strategies and governance. The more this is recognised, the more risks can be prevented.

Abuse arising within the community may not be due to our organisation’s programmes or operations. However, OCC recognises that it still has the responsibility to report on suspected or actual child abuse taking place. This should be reported to the formal authorities or, where they are weak or corrupt, organisations that are able to deal with cases appropriately. The reporting process will need to be decided at a local level and advice and guidance must be sought to ensure that children and their families are not put at further risk, or made vulnerable by the very action of reporting harm and/or abuse.

Key principes of child safeguarding

At the 9th European Forum on the rights of the child, the European Commission suggested the following 10 Principles for integrated child protection systems.

1. Every child is recognised, respected and protected as a rights holder, with non negotiable rights to protection.

2. No child is discriminated against.

3. Child protection systems include prevention measures.

4. Families are supported in their role as primary caregivers.

5. Society is aware and supportive of the child's right to freedom from all forms of violence.

6. Child protection systems ensure adequate care, including:

   1. standards, indicators and systems of monitoring and evaluation

   2. child safeguarding policies and reporting mechanisms for organisations working with children

   3. certification and training for all professionals working for and with children.

7. Child protection systems have transnational and cross-border mechanisms in place.

8. No child should be without the support and protection of a legal guardian or other responsible adult or competent public body at any time.

9. Training on identification of risks is given to teachers, health sector professionals, and social workers.

10. Safe, well-publicised, confidential and accessible reporting mechanisms are in place.

All children, wherever they live and whatever their circumstances, have the right to be protected, nurtured and free from all forms of violence, abuse, neglect, maltreatment and exploitation as set out in the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Respecting and supporting this right is the essence of child safeguarding.

Every organisation whose employees, partners or volunteers engage directly or indirectly with children has a legal and moral duty of care to do all it can to protect children from harm.

Responsibilities of OCC staff & volunteers

All Open Cultural Center Representatives need to conduct themselves in a manner consistent with this commitment and obligation. Any violations of this policy will be treated as a serious issue and will result in disciplinary action being taken, including termination or any other available legal remedy.

We would like you to enjoy your volunteer work/visit and at the same time help us to keep children safe by introducing to you the key elements of our policy that affect you as a volunteer or visitor. If you have any questions, you should contact and refer to the focal point, the OCC coordinator.

Definitions of harm

It is difficult to define “harm” to children because children can be abused in so many ways depending on the context and culture. They may be abused in a family, an institution, community or faith setting, or via social media/internet.

The following definitions can be used as a guide:

1. Physical abuse: actual or potential physical harm perpetrated by another person, adult or child. It may involve hitting, shaking, poisoning, drowning and burning. Physical harm may also happen when a parent or caregiver fabricates the symptoms of, or deliberately induces illness in a child.

2. Sexual abuse: forcing or enticing a child to take part in sexual activities that they do not fully understand and have little choice in consenting to. This may include, but is not limited to, rape, oral sex, penetration, or non-penetrative acts such as masturbation, kissing, rubbing and touching. It may also include involving children in looking at, or producing sexual images, watching sexual activities and encouraging children to behave in sexually inappropriate ways.

3. Child sexual exploitation: a form of sexual abuse that involves children being engaged in any sexual activity in exchange for money, gifts, food, accommodation, affection, status, or anything else that they or their family needs. It usually involves a child being manipulated or coerced, which may involve befriending children, gaining their trust, and subjecting them to drugs and alcohol. The abusive relationship between victim and perpetrator involves an imbalance of power where the victim’s options are limited. It is a form of abuse that can be misunderstood by children and adults as consensual.

4. Child sexual exploitation manifests in different ways. It can involve an older perpetrator exercising financial, emotional or physical control over a young person. It can involve peers manipulating or forcing victims into sexual activity, sometimes within gangs and in gang-affected neighbourhoods. It may also involve opportunistic or organised networks of perpetrators who profit financially from trafficking young victims between different locations to engage in sexual activity with multiple men.

5. Neglect and negligent treatment: allowing for context, resources and circumstances, neglect and negligent treatment refers to a persistent failure to meet a child’s basic physical and/or psychological needs, which is likely to result in serious impairment of a child’s healthy physical, spiritual, moral and mental development. It includes the failure to properly supervise and protect children from harm and provide for nutrition, shelter and safe living/working conditions. It may also involve maternal neglect during pregnancy because of drug or alcohol misuse and the neglect and ill treatment of a disabled child.

6. Emotional abuse: persistent emotional maltreatment that impacts on a child’s emotional development. Emotionally abusive acts include restriction of movement, degrading, humiliating, bullying (including cyber bullying), and threatening, scaring, discriminating, ridiculing or other non-physical forms of hostile or rejecting treatment.

7. Commercial exploitation: exploiting a child in work or other activities for the benefit of others and to the detriment of the child’s physical or mental health, education, moral or social-emotional development. It includes, but is not limited to, child labour.

Risk assesment

Assessment table

Where	Areas of indoor activities at OCC's premises (Madrassa, Kindergarten Cafeteria, Bike Space)	Areas of outdoor activities and/or trips/excursions (Parks, Square, Football Field - any possible location/no restrictions)	Locations not specified - anywhere that members are in contact with children, including social media.
Risk Significance	H	H	M
When	Before / During /After the activity	Before / During /After any activity	Anytime during the stay at OCC
Risk Significance	H	H	M
How	cf. APPENDIX A.	cf. APPENDIX A.	cf. APPENDIX A.
Risk Significance	H	H	M

Estimated and ranked as follows:

• H: High Risk & Probability

• M. Medium Risk & Probability

• L: Low Risk & Probability

Examples of safeguarding concerns

• Parents that in order to participate in OCC activities neglect/leave their children alone at home.

• A sponsor/volunteer/visitor has been reported for/questioned by police about possessing abusive images of children.

• A male member of the local staff asks for a few days off to get married. Afterwards, it becomes clear that the bride is 14 years old.

• Your organisation is participating in a conference on child rights and is bringing a group of children you are working with to the conference. Volunteers, acting as chaperones, accompany the children while they are away from home. After the conference an anonymous report reaches the organisation that one of the volunteers abused a child during the conference.

• Your organisation produced a publication for supporters, which featured a photo and story about a girl and her family who were having difficulties in their village. The girl and family had given permission for the story to be published. The week following publication project staff tell you that community leaders, who saw the publication online, were angry and have driven the girl and her family out of the community.

• Children report to the facilitator that someone has been missing school repeatedly and has not been around the neighbourhood, and asks the facilitator to keep it a secret.

Plan of action in case of a serious concern

Public Prosecutor of Kilkis

• Tel: [phone]

• E-mail: [e-mail]

Responding to a child's concern

Most children who experience abuse do not ask for help, and children’s disclosures must always be taken seriously. Most importantly, the volunteer/employee should immediately contact emergency services if the child is in immediate danger, report it to the child safeguarding focal point (coordinator) for follow up if the child is not in immediate danger.

If a child speaks with a member of the team (teacher, facilitator, volunteer, etc.) about a ‘secret’ or discloses information that suggests they are at risk or have been abused, it is important that this person:

DOES

• Remain calm and does not show shock or disbelief.

• Listen carefully to child’s concern and offer comfort statements, particularly when a child discloses sexual abuse, for instance, “I’m sorry this happened to you”, “It’s not your fault.”

• Reassure the child or young person that they have done the right thing in telling someone.

• Write down what they have said.

• Explain what they are going to do (depending on the child’s age, this would include asking what type of help is wanted, and whom the child feels comfortable having involved).

• Tell the child that they cannot keep a secret that could cause harm, but the information will only be shared in order to keep them safe.

DOESN'T

• Stay passive and assume someone else will do something.

• Promise not to tell anyone else.

• Ask the child leading questions, such as "did your mum/dad do that to you?"

• Discuss the concerns with the suspected abuser if it will put the child at further risk.

• Attempt to investigate any allegation of abuse: Your role is to recognise signs of possible maltreatment and/or simply to receive a child’s story.

• Express disbelief in what the child is saying.

• Seem to tell the child off (“Why didn't you tell me before?”)

• Panic asking what type of help is preferred and whom the child feels comfortable having involved.

Rules for child protection at OCC

All staff, volunteers and visitors are required to sign and abide by the Code of Conduct as a condition of their involvement with OCC. This sets out specific expectations of acceptable and unacceptable behaviour.

Breaching the Code of Conduct (CoC) or contravening the Child Safeguarding Policy may lead to suspension and termination of any type of engagement. This will be determined on a case-by-case basis, ensuring that applicable employment conditions and legislation are observed and after a thorough consideration of the facts, OCC’s coordinator(s) will decide the appropriate actions that need to be taken.

Specifically relating to children, volunteers should not:

• Do things for children of a personal nature that they can do for themselves.

• Condone, or participate in, 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 differential treatment of, or favor particular children to the exclusion of others.

• Spend excessive time alone with children away from others.

• Use children as interpreters in processes and responsibilities (such as interviews, appointments, and so on).

pageCode of Conduct

Media best practices

OCC recognises the importance to minimise the risk of inappropriate use of information, stories and visual images (photographs, video or social media) of children.

This section considers the actions that need to be taken to ensure that safeguarding is included in media activities. The organisation’s staff, volunteers and the Communications Team, which is in charge of organising and updating the newsletter and the social media accounts, must ensure that they abide by the following ethical rules:

• Images of children must not show them in inappropriate poses.

• Do not take or publish photos of children who are completely naked or dressed inappropriately. Images of children that are exploitative or offensive must not be used.

• Always respect the children’s dignity. Do not represent them as victims (weak, desperate etc.). Images should present children in a positive way. Similarly, stories about children should aim to report not only the negative aspects of children’s lives, but also their strengths rather than sensationalising the child’s experience.

• Taking pictures or videos exclusively for professional use. Unofficial photographs must not be posted or uploaded on personal pages.

• Details attached to images and included in stories must not allow that child to be traced to their home, community and environment.

• Distinctive buildings, street signs or landmarks should not be included in an image if they identify where a child lives or works.

• Only use photos available for public use (verified and validated by an official country representative and the person in charge of visual communication).

• Geotagging of images must be disabled when taking photographs.

• Ensure the photographer/journalist/translator has been properly vetted and reference checked.

• Make sure you have been given permission by children and their parents/carers/guardians to take their image and use their information.

Safe recruitment processes

While no recruitment processes can ever be 100% safe, by having stringent recruitment processes in place, the likelihood of engaging someone who is not suitable to work with children can be significantly reduced.

Safer recruitment procedures act like a safety net that in combination provide a level of assurance that proper attempts have been made to ensure that recruitment processes identify those who may pose a risk. No one check is sufficient.

Open Cultural Center ensures the safest recruitment possible through a carefully considered process that is described thoroughly in Appendix 2.

Reviewing and monitoring the policy

This Children Safeguarding Policy applies to all those working with or on behalf of OCC. By agreeing to work with/for the organisation, it is implied that the terms and conditions of the Safeguarding Policy have been accepted as a condition of involvement.

Everyone has a responsibility for ensuring that the Child Safeguarding Policy is implemented as set out in the policy and procedures outline in this document and as may be adapted to suit local conditions.

The content of this policy is based on the safeguarded principles concerning children and youth rights and protections; the relevant templates, guidance, guidelines, policy principles and provisions that are proposed and/or adopted by other relevant institutions in child and youth protection field have been taken into account and they have been directly/precisely or indirectly included in this Policy.

Appendixes

pageAppendix 1: Types and indicators of abusepageAppendix 2: Safe recruitment and selection

Resources

There are numerous resources available, in addition to those contained in the appendices, to support organizations in implementing the Child Safeguarding Policy, according to the country of operation and the specific needs.

The following resources has been studied and used as guidelines for OCC’s Child Safeguarding Policy:

1. Child Safeguarding Standards and How to Implement Them (2014) by Keeping Children Safe.

2. Child Safeguarding Policy (2015) by Terre des hommes.

3. Signs and Symptoms of Abuse (2019) by Terre des hommes. 4. Types of Abuse (2019) by Terre des hommes.

5. Response Guide (2019) by Terre des hommes.

6. 9th European Forum on the rights of the child; Coordination and cooperation in integrated child protection systems (2015) by the European Commission.

7. Child safeguarding toolkit for business (2018) by UNICEF

8. Children Safeguarding Policy by Refugee Trauma Initiative (RTI). 9. OCC Code of Conduct (2019) by Open Cultural Center

Credits of OCC's children's safeguarding policy

Authors’ & Editors’ Team

Benjamin Brewer, Didac Guillamet, Elpida Giorgi, Jalal Afhim, Maria Serra Martìnez

Layout

Carlos Gutierrez Herrero (original document), Vincent van Grondelle (new Gitbook version)

Version

1st Version – Brochure in English