01
Our Commitment
At Ada Aliezza Care Foundation (AACF), the safety, dignity, rights and wellbeing of every child are central to our work.
We believe that every child has the right to grow, learn and develop in a safe environment free from abuse, neglect, exploitation, discrimination and harm.
AACF has zero tolerance for child abuse, sexual exploitation, sexual abuse, neglect, harassment, discrimination or any other form of harm against children.
We are committed to ensuring that the best interests of the child remain a fundamental consideration in our programmes and activities.
02
Who This Policy Protects
This policy applies to children and young people who participate in or benefit from AACF activities, including:
- Education programmes
- Healthcare initiatives
- Nutrition programmes
- Community outreach
- Child welfare and protection activities
- Skills and empowerment programmes
- Events and campaigns
- Other AACF-supported activities
For this policy, a child means a person below the age of 18, subject to applicable law.
03
Who Must Follow This Policy
This policy applies to:
- AACF employees
- Volunteers
- Board members and trustees
- Consultants
- Interns
- Contractors
- Programme partners
- Service providers
- Photographers and media personnel
- Visitors involved in AACF activities
- Anyone acting on behalf of AACF
Everyone representing AACF is expected to uphold appropriate safeguarding standards.
04
Children's Rights and Dignity
AACF is committed to treating every child with:
- Respect
- Dignity
- Compassion
- Fairness
- Equality
- Non-discrimination
Children must never be portrayed in a degrading, humiliating, exploitative or harmful manner.
AACF seeks to portray children as individuals with dignity, potential, rights and aspirations not simply as recipients of charity.
05
Prohibited Conduct
Anyone working with or representing AACF must never:
- Abuse or harm a child
- Engage in sexual activity with a child
- Sexually exploit a child
- Harass, intimidate or threaten a child
- Physically punish a child
- Verbally abuse or humiliate a child
- Neglect a child's safety or welfare
- Exploit a child's vulnerability for personal benefit
- Exchange money, gifts or benefits for inappropriate access to a child
- Engage in inappropriate physical contact
- Use degrading or discriminatory language
- Deliberately place a child in an unsafe situation
All safeguarding concerns must be taken seriously and reported through the appropriate channels.
06
Safer Recruitment
AACF will seek to apply appropriate safeguarding measures when recruiting employees, volunteers and other individuals who may have contact with children.
Depending on the role, this may include:
- Identity verification
- Interviews
- Reference checks
- Relevant background checks where appropriate and legally available
- Safeguarding orientation
- Agreement to comply with AACF safeguarding requirements
07
Working With Children
Individuals representing AACF should maintain appropriate professional boundaries when interacting with children.
Where reasonably possible:
- Activities should take place in safe and observable environments
- Children should receive appropriate supervision
- Adults should avoid unnecessary one-to-one situations with children
- Physical contact should be appropriate and necessary
- Children should be treated with respect regardless of their circumstances
08
Photographs, Videos and Stories
AACF recognizes that photographs, videos and personal stories can create privacy and safeguard risks.
Before publicly using a child's image, video or story, AACF will seek appropriate consent or authorization and consider whether publication is in the child's best interests.
We will avoid unnecessarily publishing:
- Full names where they are not required
- Home addresses
- Personal telephone numbers
- Sensitive medical information
- Information about family circumstances that could expose a child to risk
- Other unnecessary identifying information
Images must never sexualize, demean or exploit children.
09
Online Safeguarding
AACF will take reasonable steps to protect children and their information in digital environments.
Website visitors, volunteers, donors, partners and other users must not:
- Download or misuse children's photographs
- Attempt to contact children through AACF's online platforms without authorization
- Use children's photographs for personal or commercial purposes without permission
- Share sensitive information about children
- Attempt to identify or locate vulnerable children using information published by AACF
10
Reporting a Safeguarding Concern
Anyone who suspects, witnesses or receives information concerning possible child abuse, exploitation, neglect or other safeguarding concerns should report the matter through AACF's designated safeguarding channel.
Safeguarding contact
Where necessary, AACF may refer safeguarding concerns to appropriate authorities or professional services in accordance with applicable law and safeguarding procedures.
11
Confidentiality
Safeguarding information is sensitive.
AACF will seek to protect the privacy and confidentiality of children, survivors, reporters and other persons involved in safeguarding matters.
Information will be shared only with those who need it to respond appropriately, subject to legal and safeguarding requirements.
12
Protection Against Retaliation
AACF does not tolerate retaliation against a person who raises a safeguarding concern in good faith.
All concerns should be treated seriously and respectfully.
Knowingly making malicious or deliberately false allegations may be addressed through appropriate organizational procedures.
13
Partners and Service Providers
Organizations, contractors, volunteers and other partners working with AACF may be required to comply with appropriate child safeguarding standards.
AACF may assess safeguarding practices when selecting or working with organizations or individuals whose activities involve children.
14
Training and Awareness
AACF will promote child safeguarding awareness among relevant staff, volunteers and partners.
Individuals who work directly with children may be required to receive appropriate safeguarding orientation or training.
15
Policy Review
AACF will periodically review this policy to ensure that it remains appropriate to our programmes, safeguarding responsibilities and applicable requirements.