live&learn Child Protection Policy

INTRODUCTION

This guidance document describes the standards of conduct and practice that live&learn staff, volunteers and interns should follow when working with children. It is designed to complement other advice or codes of conduct implemented by live&learn partner organisations, not to replace or take priority over them.

PURPOSE

To promote a positive environment where children would thrive across programmes and organisations supported by live&learn.

To reduce risks that could result in harm to children across programmes and organisations supported by live&learn.

To reduce risks that live&learn volunteers and interns could impose any harm to children across programmes and organisations supported by live&learn.

DEFINITIONS

Child

A person under the age of 18.

Abuse

• Sexual abuse, or allowing children to be sexually abused;
• Exposing a child to any pornographic material;
• Bullying and emotional abuse (causing harm by name calling, threats, intimidation, isolations, ridicule etc. This can also happen on social media)
• Harassment (unwelcome conduct and contact through physical contact, following or stalking, unwelcome comments)
• Neglect (being deprived of essentials – food, clothing, shelter, hygiene, education, supervision, attachment to and affection from adults, medical care etc.)
• Exploitation of a child
• Exposing or subjecting a child to psychological abuse
• Exposing a child to behaviour that may seriously harm their physical, mental, psychological wellbeing.
• Physical abuse (intentional or reckless act causing physical harm to a child)
• Spiritual abuse (using position of influence and power to dominate and manipulate, using religious terminology to justify unacceptable behaviour)

Exploitation

In relation to a child: Sexual exploitation, servitude, forced labour or services, all forms of slavery or practices similar to slavery including debt bondage and forced marriage.

Programme

A programme or activities which are run either by a live&learn staff member, intern or volunteer or by a live&learn partner organisation and their staff usually within a school or on school premises. All programmes/activities referred to in this document involve the staff and volunteers working with children in various capacities.

live&learn Partner Organisation

Civil society organisations that have an agreement with live&learn to host volunteers and interns recruited by live&learn.

Volunteer

A person, who volunteers their time and energy in one of the live&learn programmes and/or programmes of live&learn partner organisations on a regular basis and without being paid for their services.

Intern

A studying person, who does and internship in one of the live&learn programmes and/or programmes of live&learn partner organisations without being paid.

CONTEXT

This policy applies to all live&learn staff, volunteers and interns placed at the live&learn offices as well as all volunteers and interns placed in live&learn partner organisations.

LIVE&LEARN VIEW OF CHILDREN

Children need to be nurtured, protected, and treated as valuable and important members of society.

Every child is unique and should be related to accordingly. Children do not exist in isolation. They are part of a broader family and support network who should be respected, acknowledged, and affirmed.

Children should be praised and encouraged continually.

Our responsibility to children:

• Do no harm: It is our duty to not harm the children that our partner organisations care for/work with. It can be addressed through careful programme planning and being mindful in our interactions with children.
• Protect children: It is our duty to protect the children that our partner organisations care for/work with, which is addressed through the child protection policies that we and our partners have in place.
• Develop children: It is our aim that we assist children with providing tools and skills to cope better, and provide children with a safe space, safe adult, and challenging opportunity.

POLICY

It is live&learn’s policy that we implement processes and procedures that:

• Prevent harm that could occur through risk identification and management, and implementing procedures that reduce the possibility for harm.
• Promote an environment across all live&learn partner organisations, in which children feel safe, secure, loved, and encouraged.
• Honour the child as a unique individual with rights. Mitigate any incidents, communications or events that could be harmful to children physically, mentally, sexually, or emotionally.
• Maintain accountability of staff, volunteers and interns through effective training, reporting and communication.
• Appropriately screen partner organisations as well as live&learn volunteers, interns and staff members.
• Implement the protection of children as stipulated by South African Nation al Policies as well as the UN:
  • United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child: The foundation for all legislation and policy relating to child protection is the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Children. This document serves as a treaty that sets out the civil, political, economic, social, health and cultural rights of children. It holds that we act in the best interests of the child at all times and is the foundation for Section 28 of the South African Constitution.
  • The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa: The South African Constitution was approved in 1996 and is the supreme law of the land. It is internationally recognized as one of the most progressive pieces of legislation in the world. Section 28 of the Constitution sets out the basic rights of children, in terms of the needs that must be met for healthy development to take place.
  • The Children’s Act, 2005 (Act 38 of 2005) of South Africa: The purpose of the Children’s Act is: “To give effect to certain rights of children as contained in the Constitution”, including setting out principles relating to the care and protection of children. For further information please consult the document „The Children’s Act Explained“ published by the Department of Social Development.
  • The Criminal Law (Sexual Offences and Related Matters) Amendment Act, 2007 (Act No. 32 of 2007)
  • The Child Justice Act
  • National Department of Social Development Child Protection Strategy

PROCEDURE

live&learn will implement its child policy by adhering to the following rules and procedures:

Programme design: live&learn volunteer and internship placements are designed in such a way that they reduce the risk that volunteers or interns could harm children (e.g. length of placement, screening of volunteers and interns, sensibilisation of volunteers/interns, selection of tasks)

Code of Conduct: live&learn staff, volunteers and interns are required to adhere to live&learn’s code of conduct.

Advocacy: live&learn encourages partner organisations to formalise their child policv and to develop a code of conduct for volunteers and interns when interacting with the children in their care; live&learn also ensures to make volunteers and interns aware of South African legislation concerning children’s rights as well as the live&learn code of conduct for interacting with children.

Respond to misconduct: live&learn commits to immediately respond to any misconduct observed or reported.

CODE OF CONDUCT

FOR

LIVE&LEARN STAFF, VOLUNTEERS AND INTERNS

Volunteers are personally and collectively responsible for upholding and promoting the highest standards of ethical and professional conduct to help reduce risks that could result in harm to children across programmes and organisations supported by live&learn

live&learn Staff, Interns and Volunteers are required to:

• abide by the principles of the child policies of live&learn as well as live&learn partner organisations and their protocols;
• treat all children and persons with respect, regardless of race, sex, sexual identity, religion, nationality, ethnic or social origin, disability, birth or other status;
• respect cultural differences which do not harm the child;
• provide a welcoming, inclusive and safe environment for all children;
• carry out assigned tasks to the required standards;
• be a good role model (e.g. be punctual, fair, considerate, abstain from alcohol and drug abuse)
• maintain the dignity of the child and his/her right to privacy (see also live&learn Social Media Guidelines)
• be aware of cultural or religious views about physical contact and touching and sensitive to issues of gender;
• maintain appropriate professional boundaries and avoid behaviour which might be misinterpreted by others;
• ensure, if applicable, that another adult is present when working with children; avoid being alone with one child;
• adhere to a dress code as an example to learners and visitors: do not wear excessively revealing clothes (e.g. no hot pants and belly free tops) or anything which is likely to bring the school into disrepute, g. potentially offensive badges, logos or motifs, political slogans;
• respect and maintain the confidentiality of personal and privileged information both during and after your assignment;
• report any concerns about a child, or suspicions of abuse;
• follow live&learn’s social media guidelines;
• inform live&learn of any charges or convictions brought against them;

live&learn Staff, Interns and Volunteers may not:

• engage in behaviour that is intended to shame, humiliate, belittle or degrade children;
• use inappropriate, offensive, harassing, abusive, sexually provocative, demeaning, culturally inappropriate or discriminatory language when speaking with children;
• behave in a manner that is physically inappropriate or sexually provocative, or engage in any form of sexual activity; any physical contact should be carefully considered, ensuring that it is not inappropriate. Inappropriate physical contact would include, but not be limited to, long hugs, sitting on laps, ‘bum taps’, back rubs, and holding hands (unless with younger children to keep them safe). Appropriate physical contact would include, but not be limited to, high-fives, brief sideways hugs, handshakes, hand on the shoulder, pat on the shoulder.
• hit, physically abuse or punish children;
• spend excessive time alone with young children away from others, inviting suspicions of inappropriate behaviour;
• seek to make contact and/or spend time with any child encountered as a live&learn volunteer outside of scheduled volunteering/interning activities;
• give their personal contact details to children, including their mobile number, home phone or personal e-mail address, unless the need to do so is agreed with senior management and parents;
• condone or participate in behaviour that is unsafe or illegal; volunteers and interns are not allowed to consume alcohol, smoke or use any other drugs in front of children;
• show differential treatment or favour to particular children, to the exclusion of others;
• make gifts to individual children or their families, this includes buying essentials or making any monetary contributions even in cases of emergencies; all gifts and donations must be given to or approved by the organisation’s management
• have inappropriate physical contact with children:
• expose children to inappropriate images, including pornography and violence;
• publish any videos or photographs of any child without the consent of live&learn and/or its partner organisations;