STAGE 1

INTRODUCING CHILD PROTECTION

Overview Stage 1 introduces the issue of child protection from scratch. It is not
necessary to have any previous knowledge of child protection in order to
follow this module. However, those who do have existing knowledge of these
issues might nevertheless find this module useful for revision. It defines key
concepts in relation to child protection and takes the reader through
exercises designed to impress upon them the importance of child protection.

As described in the introduction to this toolkit, making your organisation child

safe is depicted in terms of building a house. Firstly you need to prepare
the ground which represents introducing the concepts of child protection and
child abuse for discussion in your organisation. Once you have prepared the
ground, you need to lay solid and stable foundation stones which represent
the principles or ways of working which you should ideally have in place in
your organisation in order to begin developing a child protection policy. The
next stage is to lay the bricks which represent the elements of an
organisation’s child protection policies and procedures. You then need a roof
for your house which represents the actual implementation of your child
protection policy and procedures. You may have to deal with bad weather
which represents the obstacles you may encounter in implementing your
child protection policy and procedures. Finally you will need to carry out
maintenance and repair work on your house which represents the need to
monitor and evaluate your policies, constantly checking and improving them.
6 Stages -
Building a
House
5
Dealing with obstacles
6
Monitor and evaluate
4
Implement policies
and procedures

Ramifications of misconduct
Reporting and reaction

3
Develop policies
Communication guidelines
Behaviour protocols
and procedures
Management structures

Education and training

Recruitment
Child
rights-based Consultation Ownership Confidentiality Transparency Sensitivity
approach

1
Preparing the ground
2
6 Foundation stones

The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves 17

 5
6
4

1 3

2
1
Preparing the ground
2
Stage 1 - Introducing Child Protection
3 This module is divided into the following 3 sections:
1.1) What is child protection? / What is a child protection policy?
1.2) What is child abuse?
1.3) Why do we need child protection policies and procedures?

4 Objectives
Upon completion of this module you will be able to:
1) Understand child abuse and the related myths
2) Understand what child protection is and why it is important
3) Recognise that people have different perspectives on child protection issues
4) Understand the purpose of a child protection policy and related procedures
5) Identify appropriate responses to a number of case studies on child protection issues
5 and recognise the advantages of having a child protection policy in place
6) Understand the role of risk management in child protection

Additional material
Additional materials are available to support the information provided in the main text as reference handouts:
APPENDICES

6 


Recognising signs of abuse - Appendix 1
Participation of children in developing, implementing and monitoring child protection policies and
procedures - Appendix 2
 Dealing with sensitivities about child abuse - Appendix 3
 Alternative forms of discipline - Appendix 5
 Anti-bullying policy, ChildHope - Appendix 6
 Child abuse case studies - newspaper articles - Appendix 21
 Child protection - children’s drawing used in Exercise 4 - Appendix 25
POWERPOINTS
 for facilitators (on CD-Rom) if the toolkit is to be used in a training context

18 The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves

 BEFORE YOU START - A WORD OF WARNING: SENSITIVITY
Raising the issue of child abuse and its prevention in organisations can be challenging and it is important to
do so without creating an atmosphere of mistrust and panic. People in the organisation may feel threatened
by the issue of child abuse or think that it is not relevant to their work. Sensitivity in discussions around child
protection is essential as participants (adults and children) may have personal experience of abuse which
could cause them distress. It is important to distinguish between different types of people’s experiences in
relation to child protection issues. For example, somebody in the organisation may have personal experience
of abuse in their lives which must be dealt with very sensitively. However, on the other hand, people may have
experience of third party abuse within an organisation (e.g. they witnessed an incident of abuse, or had to deal
with an allegation whilst in a management position etc.) which could be useful for further discussion and
lesson learning. For further details on sensitivity please see Stage 2 and for guidelines on sensitivity for adults
see Appendix 3. For children, see Appendix 2.
1

1.1 What is child protection/ What is a child protection policy?

2
Section objectives
Upon completion of this section you will be able to:
1) Define child protection
2) Understand what child protection is in an organisational context
3) Understand what is meant by a child protection policy
3
DEFINITION OF CHILD PROTECTION

Child protection
A broad term to describe philosophies, policies, standards, guidelines and procedures to protect children from
both intentional and unintentional harm. In the current context, it applies particularly to the duty of organisations -
and individuals associated with those organisations - towards children in their care
4
CHILD PROTECTION IN AN ORGANISATIONAL CONTEXT
‘Child protection’ is a term used by many organisations for the work and programmes they undertake in the
community or broader social environment. This may lead to confusion when discussing the child protection
responsibilities and issues involved in managing an organisation. 5
We cannot ignore the broader child protection issues faced by organisations in the communities in which they work -
for example domestic violence, abuse by police, commercial sexual exploitation etc. It is every organisation’s
responsibility to do their best to protect the children who they are in contact with whether harm is taking place either
inside or outside the organisation. However, the scope of this particular toolkit is concerned ONLY with child
protection within organisations - i.e. recruitment, management, behaviour of staff and children, physical environment
of facilities etc.
It must be stressed that although this toolkit focuses on child protection within organisations, an organisation - and
6
an individual working within that organisation - also has a responsibility towards children they work with who may be
experiencing specific forms of maltreatment external to the organisation. Broader child protection concerns outside
the organisation should be dealt with through the organisation’s programme and project work.

The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves 19

 Types of violence / abuse experienced by children
The following diagram represents different actors involved in child abuse / violence against children.
 Self harm: e.g. deliberately cutting or harming oneself; suicidal thoughts; attempted and actual suicide.
 Peer abuse: e.g. bullying (physical and/or psychological); physical and sexual abuse; gang violence.
 Abuse by adults: e.g. domestic violence (physical, psychological, sexual); corporal punishment in schools
and organisations; sexual abuse and exploitation.
 Societal abuse: a social, political, economic and cultural environment which actively encourages or tacitly
condones violence against children, e.g. political campaigns which encourage ‘clearances’ of street children;
religions and cultures which encourage physical and humiliating punishment of children as acceptable child-
rearing practices; harmful traditional practices such as female genital mutilation, ritual scarification etc.; high
prevalence of violence in the media; cultural attitudes which condone violence against women in the home /
which promote ideas of women and children as being the ‘property’ of men / parents rather than as human
1 beings deserving of equal rights.

within your organisation outside your organisation

2
self
peers
adults
society

3
Based on this diagram, some abuse and violence against children may be perpetrated by actors within an
organisation (e.g. teachers, social workers, house parents, peers, sponsors, volunteers). Other abuse and violence
will take place outside the organisation (e.g. in the community / in society by parents, police, external teachers,
4 shopkeepers, gangs). This toolkit focuses on the intentional and unintentional harm which can take place within an
organisation (i.e. by actors who would appear on the left of this diagram).

Exercise 1, p22 - What are we protecting children from? This will help you to understand the difference
between child protection within organisations and child protection in the broader community.

20 The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves

WHAT IS A CHILD PROTECTION POLICY?

Child protection policy

‘A statement of intent that demonstrates a commitment to safeguard children from harm and makes clear to all
what is required in relation to the protection of children. It helps to create a safe and positive environment for
children and to show that the organisation is taking its duty and responsibility of care seriously.’5

A child protection policy provides a framework of principles, standards and guidelines on which to base individual
and organisational practice in relation to areas, such as:
 Creating a ‘child safe’ and ‘child friendly’ organisation (in relation to environmental safety as


well as protection against physical, psychological and sexual abuse)
Prevention of abuse
Personnel recruitment and training
1
 Robust management systems
 Guidelines for appropriate and inappropriate behaviour / attitude
 Guidelines for communications regarding children
 Recognising, reporting and reacting to allegations of abuse
 Ramifications of misconduct for those failing to follow the policy
A policy is not necessarily solely directed towards sexual abuse, but rather may also encompass all aspects of
2
child protection including, but not limited to: disciplinary measures, health and safety measures, physical harm,
working with information about children, proper recruitment and managerial procedures, and the ramifications of
misconduct.

What a child protection policy is not:

Adopting a child protection policy does not absolve organisations from further action. It is the beginning, not the
3
end of child protection. A policy does not have to be solely directed towards sexual abuse. A policy does not have
to be exclusive to organisations working directly with children on a regular basis: “Many organisations - especially
those that do not work directly with children - do not believe “child protection” standards are relevant to them
because of many factors. We disagree and believe that every organisation (whether they work directly or indirectly
with children, whether they are funding or being funded) must take responsibility for child protection.” 6

5. Setting the standard: A common approach to child protection for international NGOs, Standard 1 (Policy).
6. Setting the standard: A common approach to child protection for international NGOs, anonymous INGO quotation, p.4.

The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves 21

 PRACTICAL EXERCISES: STAGE 1, SECTION 1.1
Exercise 1: What are we protecting children from?
Aim To exchange ideas on what ‘child protection’ means to different people and
to come to an agreed definition for the purposes of this toolkit / training

Duration 10 minutes

Task Brainstorm ideas: participants contribute ideas on - ‘What are we protecting

1 children from?’ which the facilitator writes up on a whiteboard or flip chart
for further discussion

22 The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves

FACILITATORS’ TIPS FOR STAGE 1, SECTION 1.1
Introduce the training course using powerpoint 1 for an overview of the 3 day course. Present Section 1.1
in the form of a powerpoint, or using other methods (see powerpoint 2, on the CD-Rom). Introduce
Exercise 1 as part of this presentation.

The following pages can be photocopied as handouts for participants to take away with them:
• Handout of section 1.1

Facilitators’ Tips for Exercise 1

To make the session more lively you can throw a (soft) ball around to different participants in order
to elicit answers: each person who catches the ball contributes an answer and they then throw the
ball to someone else etc. Write up answers on a flipchart / whiteboard. (Responses might include:
1
abuse, neglect, violence, hurt, discrimination, accidents, humiliation, bullying, bad adults, sexual
abuse, hunger, pain, being involved in war.)

 As participants call out examples, the facilitator should divide them into two groups:
• One group on the right, representing child protection issues in the community in general
(i.e. war, domestic violence, hunger) which will not be addressed in this toolkit
• One group on the left representing child protection issues specifically within an organisation
(i.e. protecting children from intentional or unintentional harm from staff, sponsors,
2
volunteers, health and safety hazards on the organisation’s premises) which are the issues
which will be dealt with in the course of this toolkit

 NB. Some answers might be cross-cutting (i.e. they occur in both the community and in
organisations such as ‘sexual abuse’, ‘violence’ etc. in which case these can be written in the
middle. The aim of this visible division is to clarify for participants that this training focuses on
child protection in organisations, not in the community. Each time during the training that an issue
about community child protection is raised, the facilitator can refer back to this division and
3
explain that - although a very valid issue - due to time constraints, it is not possible to deal with
it in the context of this training.

 The facilitator should further develop this brainstorm by introducing the concentric circle diagram
on page 20 to highlight whether actors who cause harm to children are inside or outside the


organisation.

The facilitator should refer to the definition of ‘child protection’ stated in the manual and to ask if
4
any of the participants disagree or would like to change the definition.

 The facilitator should check participants’ understanding before proceeding with the course.

Use the ball throwing activity throughout the whole of the training session to act as revision / a
reminder of things that have been learnt. E.g. keep coming back to the definition of ‘child
protection’ at different stages of the training to see if participants can remember what it includes /
what is not included.
5

The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves 23

 1.2 What is child abuse?
Section objectives
Upon completion of this section you will be able to:
1) Define child abuse
2) Recognise myths relating to child abuse
3) Understand what is abuse and what it is not

Introduction
Child protection is about protecting children from intentional and unintentional harm within organisations intended for

1 their benefit. This toolkit adopts a broad understanding of child protection to include (e.g.) prevention of accidents as
well as prevention of deliberate abuse and neglect. However, this first module aims to specifically address child
abuse because an understanding of this issue is essential to an understanding of child protection overall.

DEFINITIONS OF ABUSE:

Child abuse

2 According to the World Health Organisation, ‘Child abuse’ or ‘maltreatment’ constitutes ‘all forms of physical
and/or emotional ill-treatment, sexual abuse, neglect or negligent treatment or commercial or other exploitation,
resulting in actual or potential harm to the child’s health, survival, development or dignity in the context of a
relationship of responsibility, trust or power.’7

MYTHS RELATING TO CHILD ABUSE

3 ‘Myths’ are beliefs which are commonly held, but which are not true / accurate. There are myths relating to all kinds
of child abuse, some of which are more or less common in different parts of the world, and they result in a range of
views on how to treat and discipline children. Examples of myths relating to child abuse include:
 Children with disabilities should be kept separate from other children so they don’t inflict their bad luck on
other children
 A child with behavioural or mental challenges is ‘possessed’ or insane
 ‘Difficult’ children in homes should be punished excessively
4 


Children need a good spanking to show who’s boss
Having sex with a very young child or even a baby can cure you of AIDS
 Women and girls should only eat any food which is left after men have eaten
 Street children should be kept in government remand homes as they are all criminals
 Children don’t make the same the mistake again if they are given a good caning
 Children always know why they are being punished
5

7. The WHO definition of Child Abuse as defined by the Report of the Consultation on Child Abuse Prevention WHO - 1999.

24 The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves

Myths relating to child sexual abuse 8
Some of the myths surrounding child sexual abuse involve blaming the victims and/or their carers for the offence,
and minimising the responsibility of the offender. Other myths suggest that sexual abuse is committed mainly by
strangers or by foreign paedophiles even though it is widely known that most abuse is committed by someone
known to the child. Likewise there are myths which suggest that a child sex offender is somehow identifiable by their
appearance (creepy, weird). These are all dangerous misconceptions which can be easily taken advantage of by a
child sex offender looking to access children.

Myth Fact
Child sex offenders are creepy Child sex offenders usually present themselves very normally. Most will go to work
or weird looking and participate in community life without drawing attention to themselves.
1
Child sex offenders Most child sex offenders commit their fist offence during their teen years and
are ‘dirty old men’ continue until they are caught. While it is true that most sex offenders are men it is
inaccurate to characterise them as ‘old’.

Strangers are the biggest

threat to children
The traditional image of the ‘stranger’ as the child molester is mistaken.
2
He was sexually abused as a Some people who sexually abuse children were themselves sexually abused as
child, so he could not help it children. However most people who have been sexually abused do NOT become
sex offenders. Recent research has found that sex offenders are more likely to
have experienced physical and emotional abuse, including bullying, in their
childhood and this appears to be a factor in sexually abusive behaviours.

Women never sexually abuse

children
Although the majority of child sex offenders are men, women are also known to
sexually abuse children.
3
It only happened once, and It is rare for a sexual offence to be a one-off occurrence, and generally sex
he promised it would never offenders are prosecuted for fewer abuses than they have committed. Sex
happen again offenders have limited commitment to change as they have already crossed
substantial legal, social, and ethical boundaries to commit the offence. Treatment
for adult sex offenders, while important, has proven so far to have limited success
in preventing re-offending. Treatment for adolescent sex offenders, however, is
4
reaping more positive results.

The incidence of child sexual Most stories of child sexual abuse never become public. As many as 95% of
abuse is grossly exaggerated child sex offenders to do not have criminal convictions for these crimes. On best
and is more a sensationalised estimates only about 10% of offenders are prosecuted and only half of these are
media story convicted.
5

8. (This section adapted from Choose with Care - A Handbook to Build Safer Organisations for Children, Bernadette McMenamin, Paula Fitzgerald,
ECPAT Australia, 2001, pp. 39)

The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves 25

 PRACTICAL EXERCISES STAGE: 1, SECTION 1.2
Exercise 2: ‘Abuse or not abuse?’
Aim To clarify how you decide what makes one thing abuse and another thing
not abuse

Duration 10-15 minutes

Task Divide into pairs or small groups, discuss the following statements and
decide whether they refer to cases of abuse or not. Keep the following
1 questions in mind:
 How did you decide?
 What makes one thing abuse and another thing not abuse?
Statements
Is it abuse when......
2 


A 12 year old is slapped hard with a hand?
A baby is shaken by its mother?
 A father sleeps in the same bed as his 12 year old daughter?
 A mother sleeps in the same bed as a 14 year old son with a disability?
 Parents walk around the house naked in front of the children?
 A mother tells her young son that she wishes he had never been born?
3 


A 12 year old boy forces a seven year old girl to masturbate him?
A man persuades a 10 year old into sexual acts by offering affection and money?
 A 13 year old boy is beaten with a belt for telling lies?
 A 6 year old girl is left on her own at home, for several hours every night, while her
mother goes out to work?
 A 7 year old boy is sent out to sell sweets on the streets for 10 hours a day?
4  A 10 year old girl is told to go out and not return home until she has enough money to buy food
for supper?
 A 2 year old is tied to a post while her mother is making bricks by hand?

What other forms of potential abuse can you identify in your local context?
5 Feed back answers to the plenary group.

[Please note: We have deliberately not provided ‘answers’ to these questions.

The purpose of the exercise is to stimulate debate around local cultural
perceptions of child abuse and to identify how such decisions are made.]

26 The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves

FACILITATORS’ TIPS FOR STAGE 1, SECTION 1.2
Present Section 1.2 in the form of a powerpoint, or using other methods (see powerpoint 3, on the
CD-Rom). Introduce Exercise 2 as part of this presentation.

The following pages can be photocopied as handouts for participants to take away with them:
• Handout of Section 1.2

Facilitators’ Tips for Exercise 2

The idea is to introduce this exercise to participants before a definition of abuse is provided (such as the
WHO definition of abuse in this manual), so that participants are given the opportunity to come to their own
conclusions / to discuss amongst themselves how they define abuse. 1
The exercise demonstrates that it is not always easy to decide what constitutes abuse or not. People have
different views influenced by cultural and gender perspectives and personal beliefs which need to be
understood when organisations are developing their child protection policies and procedures.

It may be useful to introduce some of the following ideas into the discussion:

 Factors that can help to determine whether something is abuse or not, or to determine the
seriousness of abuse, might include:
2
• What is the context of the behaviour?
• Is the behaviour age-appropriate?
• Are there cultural, gender, religious or other factors to consider?
• Is the activity of a sexual nature?
• Are forms of discipline proportionate to the bad behaviour committed?
• Is the behaviour repeated or one-off?
• How does the child feel about the behaviour - uncomfortable, embarrassed, humiliated? etc.
3
The facilitator can point out to participants Appendix 1 -on how to recognise signs of abuse. (This
can be provided as a handout for further reading).

The discussion might raise issues of what constitutes appropriate and inappropriate forms of
discipline - both physical and psychological. Depending on the local cultural context, this may be
a particularly contentious and sensitive issue (for example physical punishment and humiliation
might be widely accepted as methods for disciplining children). This toolkit (ChildHope / CSC /
4
the international human rights community) promotes positive approaches to discipline,
alternatives to corporal punishment and consideration of the psychological - as well as physical -
effects / impact of different forms of discipline. Guidance on positive forms of discipline is
provided in Appendix 5.

The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves 27

 1.3 Why do we need child protection policies and
procedures?

Section objectives
Upon completion of this section you will be able to:
1) Explain why child protection policies and procedures are important
2) Identify appropriate responses to a number of case studies on child protection issues and recognise the
advantages of having a child protection policy in place
3) Understand the concept of risk management
4) Undertake a risk assessment in your organisation (identify risks that exist in your organisation in relation to
1 child safety, categorise them according to their seriousness and plan appropriate actions to minimise them)

WHY ARE CHILD PROTECTION POLICIES AND PROCEDURES IMPORTANT?

‘Any NGO should have a child protection policy if its direct or indirect beneficiaries include individuals under the

2 age of 18’9

 Organisations working with children have a moral and legal responsibility to protect children within their care.
 Organisations working with vulnerable children have been, are and will continue to be vulnerable to
harbouring abuse until the issues are brought into the open.
 Child protection policies and procedures help to create ‘child-safe’ organisations:

3 


That have an ‘aware culture’
That do everything possible to prevent intentional and unintentional harm coming to children
 Where children feel safe
 Where children can speak out
 Where children are listened to
 Where children & staff are respected and empowered

4  ‘A strong policy will guide you in dealing with difficult situations. When there is a crisis it may be harder to
think clearly. If you have a reliable policy you can react in an informed way and avoid accusations of a
biased response in any participant’s favour or disadvantage’ (ECPAT Australia).
 Organisations without child protection policies, guidelines and systems are more vulnerable to false or
malicious accusations of abuse.
 Without proper policies, guidelines and procedures in place, allegations of abuse, whether founded or
unfounded, can destroy an organisation’s reputation. This will have serious implications for fundraising (thus

5 undermining an organisation’s entire portfolio of work, even beyond the scope of the particular project
concerned) as well as damaging the reputation of the children’s NGO sector as a whole.
 Donors are increasingly requiring organisations to have in place child protection policies as part of their
funding criteria.

Exercise 3, p31 - ‘True or false? Attitudes towards child protection policies and procedures’ will help to

6 explore attitudes towards child protection policies and procedures.

Exercise 4, p32 - ‘Case studies / scenarios on child protection: ‘What would you do if...?’ introduces case
studies of situations to explore how you would respond to these.

9. Setting the Standard: A common approach to Child Protection for international NGOs, Standard 1 (Policy).

28 The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves

THE ROLE OF RISK MANAGEMENT IN CHILD PROTECTION 10
Analysing the risks to children within your organisation through the approaches recommended here can show more
clearly why you need child protection policies and procedures in place.

Definition of ‘risk management’

‘Risk means the potential for something to go wrong.

Risk management means identifying the potential for an accident or incident to occur and taking steps to reduce
the possibility of it occurring.’ (ECPAT, p.53)

For example11:



Failure to properly screen job applicants may lead to a child abuser working for your organisation
Failure to provide safety equipment (clothing, eye protection etc.) for activities such as metalwork may result in
1
a child being injured through your vocational training programme
 Failure to keep a child’s records securely locked up may result in them being lost and/or getting into the
wrong hands (e.g. other children who may then tease the child or an adult who uses sensitive information to
emotionally blackmail a child).
Correctly identifying risks and taking steps to minimise them in an organisation is essential to the development of
effective child protection policies and procedures. 2
How do you do a risk assessment?
STEP 1 - Identify risks to children within your organisation. Make sure you involve all personnel in the organisation
in this process, including children. This is because different people will have different perceptions of what constitutes
‘risk’: e.g. a social worker might think that not having a first aid kit is the most important risk in the project; the
project manager may be more concerned about the lack of vetting of volunteers; a child might be much more
concerned that they have to cross a busy road in order to get to the project. 3
Appendix 2 , p118, on children’s participation in developing child protection policies and procedures
will help you with ideas on how to involve children in this process.

STEP 2 - Group risks to children that you have identified in Step 1 according to where they might occur in the 4
organisation. The following are only suggested areas of risk. You may wish to come up with alternative categories.
 Staff and volunteers (e.g. lack of proper screening in recruitment and supervision, management systems,
training on how to handle children)
 Place / physical environment (e.g. fire exits, recreational areas, cooking facilities, sleeping arrangements)
 Activities and programmes (e.g. education, health, community outreach, vocational training, outings,


exchange visits)
Information (e.g. storage of children’s personal information, recording of allegations of abuse, dissemination of
information on where to get help)
5
 Organisational culture (e.g. consultation, communication systems, hierarchy, attitudes to organisational
learning).
This process will help you to analyse the risks more systematically and will also help to identify who is responsible for
each area of work where risks to children have to be managed.

STEP 3 - Rank the risks in terms of low, medium or high risk using the guiding questions:
 What / how bad would the consequences be? (This takes precedence over the second question as a
6
deciding factor)
 What is the likelihood of these consequences occurring?

10. Some of this section has been adapted from ECPAT Australia, Choose with Care, pp. 43-57.
11. In the context of a training session, the facilitator can elicit and compile examples of risk from the participants.

The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves 29

 STEP 4 - Decide on next steps:
i) Do nothing (no action needed - low risk & benefits outweigh risks)
ii) Monitor more closely for a set period in order to make a more informed decision (low risk)
iii) Change activities / policies / plans / procedures to reduce risk (medium to high risk)
iv) Stop doing the activity or procedure (this may include transferring an activity to another organisation that is
better equipped to undertake it, or stopping altogether) (medium to high risk).

Exercise 5, p34 - ‘Risk Analysis’: the first table in this exercise provides a framework for identifying and
categorising risks. The second table in this exercise provides a framework for deciding on next steps.

1
IMPORTANT:
 We have introduced risk analysis at this stage in order to highlight why child protection policies and procedures

are important. As you proceed through the subsequent stages outlined in this toolkit, ensure that your child
protection policies and procedures specifically address the risks you have identified as part of your initial risk
assessment.
2  A risk assessment can be used on a regular basis as part of a monitoring and evaluation strategy to constantly

re-evaluate and check that your policies and procedures are ensuring the maximum safety of children.
 A risk assessment can also be used to plan a specific event or activity - e.g. an exchange visit, a sports event

involving members of the local community or a new project or programme which the organisation is considering.

Stage 1 - Key Learning Review

4 You should now be familiar with the following topics:
1) Child protection and why it is important
2) Child abuse and what is and isn’t child abuse
3) The role of a child protection policy and related procedures
4) The role of risk management in child protection

30 The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves

PRACTICAL EXERCISES: STAGE 1, SECTION 1.3
Exercise 3: ‘True or false? Attitudes towards child protection
policies and procedures’
Aim To explore attitudes towards child protection policies and procedures

Duration 10 minutes

Task To complete the following True or False questionnaire.

1
In your opinion, do you think the following statements are true or false? T Don’t
F know

It is not necessary for us to have a written child protection policy because we all
a
know about child abuse and what to do about it

b
We don’t need a child protection policy because we only work on advocacy: we
don’t have any shelters for children so we don’t need a policy
2
Organisational vision and mission statements should reflect concern for the
c
protection of children

It will be difficult to convince our board (executive committee) to accept the need
d
for a written policy

Having something written down on a piece of paper will not necessarily protect
3
e
children

f A policy should only apply to staff who have direct contact with children

g
Some international donors require organisations to have a child protection policy
and procedures in place
4
If you know the person you are recruiting to a position, then there is no need to
h
check their references

Paedophiles will be deterred from applying to your organisation if the job

i
advertisement states that you have a child protection policy in place
5
j It is not necessary to get references for European students who want to volunteer

Child abuse does not happen in our organisation so we don’t need a child
k
protection policy

l To successfully implement a child protection policy all staff must be trained 6

m Introducing a child protection policy would be very expensive for our organisation

The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves 31

 PRACTICAL EXERCISES: STAGE 1, SECTION 1.3
Exercise 4: Case studies / scenarios on child protection:
‘What would you do if...?’
Aim To understand the complexity of responding to child abuse or alleged child
abuse without having clear policies and procedures in place

Duration 45 minutes discussion plus 20 minutes plenary feedback

1 Task In groups, discuss two of the following case studies which you will be
allocated. Each group should answer the following questions:
a) What should your organisation do?
b) What could you do to prevent it happening again?
Optional questions if time:
c) If you have a child protection policy, does it cover these issues?
d) How does the situation make you feel?
2
Case Studies

3 1 YOU DISCOVER THAT A MEMBER OF STAFF IN YOUR OFFICE HAS BEEN DOWLOADING CHILD
PORNOGRAPHY FROM THE INTERNET AT WORK, AND HAS BEEN SENDING INAPPROPRIATE
EMAILS FROM YOUR ORGANISATIONAL EMAIL ADDRESS.

2 YOU ARE VISITING ONE OF YOUR PROJECT SITES (SHELTER, DROP-IN CENTRE ETC.). DURING
THE VISIT, AS A FORM OF DISCIPLINE, YOU WITNESS A MEMBER OF STAFF SHOUTING AT AND
MAKING FUN OF ONE BOY IN FRONT OF A GROUP OF OTHER CHILDREN WHO ARE BEING
4 ENCOURAGED TO LAUGH AT HIM.

3 YOU HAVE BEEN SENT AN ANONYMOUS NOTE IN YOUR OFFICE ALLEGING CHILD ABUSE IN
YOUR ORGANISATION.

5 4 THERE WAS AN EMERGENCY AND YOU ENDED UP TAKING A CHILD TO HOSPITAL IN YOUR
CAR / IN A TAXI. THE CHILD’S PARENTS HAVE SINCE MADE A COMPLAINT AGAINST YOU,
ALLEGING THAT YOU TOUCHED THE CHILD INAPPROPRIATELY.

5 YOUR UK PARTNER ORGANISATION HAS COMPLAINED ABOUT A PHOTO IN YOUR ANNUAL

REVIEW OF FIVE CLEARLY IDENTIFIABLE GIRLS WEARING ONLY THEIR UNDERWEAR WITH A
PHOTO CAPTION THAT READS: ‘XYZ CHARITY RESCUES FIVE CHILD SEX WORKERS FROM
6 INNER CITY BROTHEL’.

6 A NEWSPAPER REPORT ABOUT STREET CHILDREN HAS JUST BEEN PUBLISHED IN A

NATIONAL PAPER. YOUR ORGANISATION IS MENTIONED BY NAME. THEY HAVE ALSO
INCLUDED A PHOTO AND CASE STUDY OF A CHILD FROM ONE OF YOUR PROJECTS. THE
CHILD IS A VICTIM OF SEXUAL ABUSE. HER NAME HAS NOT BEEN CHANGED. THE TEXT OF
THE ARTICLE IS SENSATIONALIST AND VICTIMISING.

32 The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves

Exercise 4: Case studies / scenarios on child protection:
‘What would you do if...?’

7 A FOREIGNER CALLS YOUR ORGANISATION OFFERING TO SPEND 6 MONTHS VOLUNTEERING

IN YOUR ORGANISATION.

8 A POSTGRADUATE STUDENT CONDUCTING RESEARCH ON THE IMPACT OF VIOLENCE ON

STREET CHILDREN HAS CONTACTED YOU TO REQUEST CASE STUDIES.
1
9 YOU ACCOMPANY A MEMBER OF STAFF FROM A VISITING NGO ON A VISIT TO ONE OF YOUR
PROJECTS. THEY ASK THE CHILDREN INFORMALLY WHAT THEY THINK OF THE PROJECT. ONE
CHILD SAYS THAT HE DOESN’T LIKE A PARTICULAR MEMBER OF STAFF. THE OTHERS NOD
THEIR HEADS IN AGREEMENT BUT THEY REFUSE TO SAY ANYTHING FURTHER. YOUR
INSTINCT TELLS YOU THAT SOMETHING IS WRONG.

10 YOU ARE EMPLOYING A NEW MEMBER OF STAFF AS AN ACCOUNTANT IN YOUR HEAD OFFICE.
2
11 A CHILD COMES UP TO YOU SHOWING BRUISES ON HIS ARM .HE SAYS HE HAS BEEN BEATEN
UP BY AN OLDER CHILD IN THE PROJECT.

12 A 7-YEAR-OLD GIRL DRAWS THIS PICTURE IN AN ART SESSION - See Appendix 25

3

The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves 33

PRACTICAL EXERCISES: STAGE 1, SECTION 1.3
Exercise 5: Risk Analysis
Aim To identify the current risks to child safety in your organisation from your
perspective

Duration 30 minutes for part 1, 20 minutes for part 2

Task PART 1
 To follow the steps described in Section 1.3 in order to identify and
categorise risks to child safety within your organisation.
 Write the risks in the appropriate part of the table below.

Area of risk Low risk Medium risk High risk

Staff and volunteers

Place / physical
environment

Activities and
programmes

Information

Organisational culture

Task PART 2
(continued)
 Number each risk in the table.
 For each risk, identify and write down a course of action using the
following grid.

34 The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves

Task (continued):
Risk i) Do ii) Monitor iii) Change activities/policies/plans/ iv) Stop the
No. nothing closely and procedures to reduce risk: activity /hand it
(low risk) review again: specify action to be taken, time period & who is over to another
specify time responsible (medium to high risk) organisation:
period & who specify action to
is responsible for be taken, time
monitoring and period & who
review (low risk) is responsible

2
1
3

5
2
6

8 3
9

10

11 4
12

13

14 5
15

16

17 6
18

19

20

The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves 35

FACILITATORS’ TIPS FOR STAGE 1, SECTION 1.3
Present Section 1.3 in the form of a powerpoint or using other methods (see powerpoints 4 and 5 on the
CD-Rom). Introduce Exercises 3, 4 and 5 as part of the presentations.

The following pages can be photocopied as handouts for participants to take away with them:
• Handout of Section 1.3

Facilitators’ Tips for Exercise 3

 The aim of the true and false questionnaire is to gauge participants’ attitudes to child protection
policies and procedures. Participants should return to this document at the end of the training
course to see if the training has changed their attitudes in any way. For this reason, the suggested
answers provided below should not be shared with participants at this stage. a) F; b) F; c) T; d) T/F;
e) T; f) F; g)T; h) F; i) T; j) F; k) F; l) T; m) T/F.

 The questionnaire can either be completed individually / anonymously or as a shared group activity.

 At the end of the overall training session you could ask participants to fill out the questionnaire
again to see if the training has succeeded in changing participants’ attitudes to child protection
policies and procedures. Remember this questionnaire is about people’s personal attitudes so the
‘answers’ above are only suggestions based on good child protection practice.

 The examples here can be adapted or added to according to local needs / circumstances.

Facilitators’ Tips for Exercise 4

 Photocopy and cut up the case studies so that you can allocate 2 to each group.

 This activity can be extended so that each group look at more than 2 case studies. This is
particularly recommended if the group is generally unconvinced about the need for child protection
policies and procedures.

For case study number 12, you will need to copy and hand out the child’s drawing included
as Appendix 25. Before using this drawing, warn the group that some of them may find the
drawing disturbing (you can briefly describe it to them without actually showing it to them). Ask
them if they would feel comfortable discussing such a drawing before proceeding further. For
this case study there are accompanying notes which can also be copied and handed out at the
end of the session for further guidance.

 If the group still appears unconvinced about the need for child protection policies and
procedures, or for additional material in general to support this session, further detailed case
studies / newspaper / media reports can be provided (See Appendix 21).

36 The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves

Facilitators’ Tips for Exercise 5
 It must be emphasised to participants that the purpose of this exercise is to give participants an
introduction to how to conduct a risk assessment. It is not expected that they will complete a full
risk assessment for their organisation in the space of this training. A full organisational risk
assessment needs to involve as many children and staff as possible from the organisation over
a longer period of time.

 Remind participants that they are considering risk towards children rather than risk to themselves
or to the organisation and its resources. This might cause confusion if you do not clarify it before
they do the exercise.

 If participants find it difficult to rank risks as being low, medium or high, they should be
encouraged to use their common sense in weighing up the consequences and likelihood of
1
something happening. For example, employing a sex offender to work with children could have
disastrous consequences and so an organisation should prioritise ways of preventing this, even if
individuals in the organisation don’t think this is very likely to happen.

The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves 37

1

38 The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves

STAGE 2
THE NECESSARY FOUNDATIONS

Overview Stage 2 builds on the introduction of child protection issues outlined in

Stage 1. In order to follow this module, users of the toolkit / participants in
the training should already understand what child protection is, what a child
protection policy is, and the importance of having child protection policies
and procedures in place (as covered in Stage 1).

It must be stressed that the success of this - and subsequent - modules

depends on participants not only understanding but also being committed
to the importance of child protection. If in doubt on this issue, before
embarking on this module, return to exercises 3, 4 and 5 at the end of
Stage 1 that are aimed at developing this level of commitment.

Stage 2 outlines the conditions you need to have in place in your organisation
before you can effectively develop child protection policies and procedures.
These conditions are described as the 6 Foundation Stones.

5
6
4

Child
rights-based Consultation Ownership Confidentiality Transparency Sensitivity
approach

1 2
6 Foundation stones

The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves 39

 Stage 2 - The necessary foundations
This module is divided into the following 2 sections:
1.1) Introduction to the 6 foundation stones
2.2) The 6 foundation stones in more detail:
• Child rights-based approach
• Consultation
• Ownership
• Confidentiality
• Transparency

1 • Sensitivity.

Objectives
Upon completion of this module you will be able to:
1) Understand the importance of the 6 foundation stones / principles (a child rights- based approach,
consultation, ownership, confidentiality, transparency and sensitivity) to developing and implementing
child protection policies and procedures.
2 2) Use a range of skills and materials to demonstrate the importance of these
foundation stones.

Additional materials
Additional materials are available to support the information provided in the main text as additional handouts:
APPENDICES
 Participation of children in developing, implementing and maintaining child protection policies and
3 
procedures - Appendix 2
Dealing with sensitivities about child abuse - Appendix 3
 Selected articles from the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child - Appendix 23
POWERPOINTS
 For facilitators (on CD-Rom) if the toolkit is to be used in a training context.

2.1 Introduction to the 6 foundation stones

5 Section objectives
Upon completion of this section you will be able to:
1) Understand what the 6 foundation stones are and why they are important to developing and implementing child
protection policies and procedures.

WHAT ARE THE 6 FOUNDATION STONES AND WHY ARE THEY SO IMPORTANT TO CHILD
6 PROTECTION?
The wise builder builds his/her house on solid foundations.
Each of the following 6 foundation stones listed in the table below are accompanied by presentations, stories,
diagrams, tools and activities which can be adapted and used as part of training sessions to impress on participants
in creative ways their importance to child protection.

40 The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves

FOUNDATION WHY IS IT SO IMPORTANT TO CHILD PROTECTION?
STONE
CHILD RIGHTS- Offers a useful framework for planning, decision-making, implementation and monitoring of child
BASED APPROACH protection issues by prioritising the 5 umbrella rights of the CRC. It acts as a simple reminder that
child protection is a fundamental right and focuses attention on the essential elements that make
child protection implementation successful. A child rights-based approach puts children at the
centre of work intended for their benefit and involves them as actors in their own protection and
development.

CONSULTATION Without adequate consultation you are at risk of making inappropriate decisions, implementing
ineffective and impractical policies and procedures that are not based on the experience of all
stakeholders involved. In particular, this is about child protection. Without consulting children
themselves, as well as relevant adults in your organisation, you run the risk of producing policies
and procedures which children themselves do not understand, cannot access, and which may
not necessarily benefit them. Children have much to contribute through a clear understanding of
their own situations and ways in which they can be supported to protect themselves.
1
OWNERSHIP If all stakeholders do not have a sense of ownership of child protection policies and procedures,
then they are unlikely to take responsibility for implementing child protection in their work. The more
people feel they ‘own’ ideas, policies and procedures, the more sustainable child protection policies
and procedures are likely to be. Without broad ownership across the organisation, child protection
becomes too dependent on particular individuals. This runs the risk of child protection being

CONFIDENTIALITY
weakened or disappearing when these people leave the organisation.

Failing to keep confidentiality may put people at risk of physical harm and false rumours etc. People
2
in the organisation (both adults and children) need to be reassured that any sensitive information in
their personnel records / any personal information about them is treated with respect. This means
that such information is only accessible to the minimum number of people necessary for the
functioning of the organisation and that there is clear guidance on instances when confidentiality
should be breached in the best interests of the child / child protection. For example, there may be
situations where children ask you not to pass on information but you may have to explain that the
only way you can help them is by getting others involved. Difficult decisions may also need to be
made in situations where the best interests of one child are at odds with the best interests of many
3
children. For example: A child may want you to wait before passing on information because they
want to build up the courage to report the incident to the authorities themselves. However, this
may be putting other children at risk; a child may ask you to promise to keep a disclosure of abuse
secret but this may be putting them and others at risk. As a general child protection guideline, do
not promise silence to children who disclose abuse; you may need to balance keeping personnel
records confidential with sharing concerns with other organisations about a particular person they
are interested in recruiting, but who you may have dismissed for inappropriate behaviour towards
children.
4
TRANSPARENCY Transparency combats / breaks through cultures of silence, taboo, secrecy and fear in which child
abuse thrives. Transparency and the space and opportunity to talk freely create a preventive and
protective environment for children. Transparency shows that an organisation has nothing to hide
and that it is willing to admit to, and learn from mistakes - all of which is a true sign of a learning
and accountable organisation. For an organisation to be accountable, information needs to be
properly recorded, signed and dated, clearly marked as either opinion or fact, whether witnessed
by anyone else etc. Transparency is about having a clear and standardised process in place to
5
minimise confusion and rumour. Transparency should not be confused with confidentiality: child
protection policies and procedures should be transparent, i.e. everyone should know that they exist
and should be clear about what they involve and the consequences of breaching them. However,
the actual information that passes through the procedures in particular cases (e.g. names and
incidences) should be kept confidential, accessible only to those who need to know.

SENSITIVITY “One of the greatest challenges you may face is how to raise the issue of child abuse and its
prevention within your organisation without creating suspicion and alarm. There may be some
people who feel extremely threatened or uncomfortable by the issue of child abuse itself. Many
6
programmes have had long term participation by people who have developed intimate friendships
and bonds. This intimacy is often based on trust and being part of the community. Sometimes
these groups find it impossible to contemplate abuse occurring in their programme. There are also
privacy concerns that people have about undergoing screening and police checks.”12 Sensitivity in
discussions around child protection is essential as participants (adults and children) may have
personal experience of abuse which could cause them distress.

12. Choose with Care - Building Safe Organisations, ECPAT Australia, 2001

The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves 41

 FACILITATORS’ TIPS FOR STAGE 2, SECTION 2.1
Present Section 2.1 in the form of a powerpoint or using other methods (see powerpoint 6 on the
CD-Rom).

The following pages can be photocopied as handouts for participants to take away with them:
• Handout of Section 2.1
• Appendix 3

In the context of a training session, the facilitator may introduce this section through a locally relevant
popular parable / fable (e.g. ‘The Wise Man Built His House Upon the Rocks / The Foolish Man Built His
House Upon the Sand’) or a story which indicates the danger of failing to properly prepare something

1 important.

42 The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves

2.2 The 6 foundation stones in more detail
Section objectives
Upon completion of this section you will be able to:
1) Use a range of skills and materials to demonstrate the importance of the 6 foundation stones.

FOUNDATION STONE #1 IN MORE DETAIL: A CHILD RIGHTS-BASED

APPROACH13
Aims of this sub-section:



To define and understand the child rights-based approach.
To be able to use the ‘Table Leg Test’ to implement a child rights-based approach to child protection.
1
A CHILD’S RIGHTS-BASED APPROACH
 Offers a useful framework for planning, decision-making, implementation and monitoring of child protection
issues by prioritising the 5 umbrella rights of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.



It acts as a simple reminder that child protection is a fundamental right and focuses attention on the essential
elements that make child protection implementation successful. 2
A child rights-based approach puts children at the centre of work intended for their benefit and involves them
as actors in their own protection and development.

DEFINITION OF A CHILD RIGHTS-BASED APPROACH (CRBA):

A child rights-based approach is an approach which
views each and every child, without discrimination, as an individual human being, deserving of rights and capable
of participating in the process of achieving them in a supportive and adequately resourced environment.
3
Stated in more detail, it is an approach which sees each child as a unique and equally valuable human being,
with the right not only to life and survival, but also to development to his/her fullest potential, offering the best
understanding of anyone of his/her own situation & with essential experience to offer, who deserves to have
his/her best interests met through adequate allocation of resources and implementation of all the rights in the
CRC.

The realisation of human rights is especially important for those such as street-involved and other vulnerable children
4
who have often been denied those rights.

A child rights-based approach to programming does not just mean referring to specific articles of the UN Convention
on the Rights of the Child (CRC) in isolation of its broader principles. For example, a child rights-based approach to
child protection does not just mean referring to CRC Articles 19, 32, 33, 34 etc. The CRC was not intended to be
treated as a ‘shopping list’.

A child rights-based approach is therefore an approach that also takes into consideration, at all times, the five
5
umbrella rights14 of the CRC. These umbrella rights underpin all other separate articles in the CRC:
 Best interests of the child (Art 3.1);
 Non-discrimination (Art 2);
 Participation (Art 12);
 Implementation (including of economic, social and cultural rights to the maximum extent of available


resources) (Art 4);
Right to life, survival and development (Art 6). 6
13. This section, including the 'Table Leg Test', is adapted from An Outside Chance: Street Children and Juvenile Justice - An International
Perspective by Marie Wernham, Consortium for Street Children, May 2004, pp. 19-21.
14. For many years the CRC has been analysed in terms of the ‘four principles’ (the best interests of the child, non-discrimination, participation and
the right to life, survival and development). However, this approach has been criticised for marginalising the importance of Article 4 (on
implementation and resources - especially for economic, social and cultural rights) and for terminology that weakens the strength of the four articles
in question: the best interests of the child, non-discrimination, participation and the right to life, survival and development are rights rather than mere
principles. The term ‘rights’ carries a greater psychological and legal weight and more accurately represents states’ legal obligations regarding
implementation whereas ‘principles’ are subject to being outweighed by other ‘principles’. The term ‘umbrella rights’ was coined by Bruce Abramson
to refer to Articles 1, 2(1), 3(1), 4 and 5 of the CRC and has been adapted here to refer to articles of the CRC which reflect a more programmatic as
well as legal focus. See Abramson, B., ‘Two Stumbling Blocks to CRC Monitoring: the Four “General Principles” and “the Definition of the Child”,
September 2003.

The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves 43

 Consider the original definition of a child rights-based approach above in the light of these 5 umbrella rights to see
how they underpin the whole approach:

A child rights-based approach is an approach which sees each child:

1) As a unique and equally valuable (non-discrimination - Art. 2) human being,
2) With the right not only to life and survival, but also to development to his/her fullest potential (Art. 6),
3) Offering the best understanding of anyone of his/her own situation & with essential experience to offer
(participation - Art. 12),
4) Who deserves to have his/her best interests met (Art. 3),
5) Through adequate allocation of resources and implementation of all the rights in the CRC (Art. 4).

1 INTRODUCING THE ‘TABLE LEG TEST’

A simple way to implement a child rights-based approach in general - as well as specifically in relation to child
protection - based on these 5 umbrella rights is to use a practical programming tool called the ‘Table Leg Test’.

The ‘Table Leg Test’ illustrates how the best interests of the child, non-discrimination, participation and
implementation (including of economic, social and cultural rights) underpin the ultimate goal of the CRC: the right to
life, survival and development. Having child protection policies and procedures in place are essential to ensure that
children’s rights to life, survival and development are not being violated. For example: projects need fire exits; children

2 need protection from abuse and exploitation; children’s development is hampered by (e.g.) peer abuse and bullying
which impacts on their ability to concentrate in class etc. The ‘Table Leg Test’ can act as a simple reminder in the
design and implementation of any proposed policies, procedures and programmes.

1) Imagine that your child protection policy & procedures are glasses of water resting on the table.

2) Next ask yourself:

 Is the table stable?
3  Will the policy and procedures / glass of water come crashing to the ground (along with children’s right to
life survival and development / the table top) because one of the table legs is missing?
 Have each of the other umbrella rights been considered in the design and implementation of the policies and
procedures?’

If any of these umbrella rights have not been considered, then the table is not stable and your child protection
policies and procedures will fall to the ground!

4 a) Best interests: Are policies and procedures based on the best interests of all children? (Does the policy
give clear guidance on how to use the best interests principle in making common sense decisions about
behaviour guidelines? Do reporting and reaction protocols prioritise the welfare of children? etc.)
b) Non-discrimination: Are policies and procedures reaching / taking into consideration the needs of all
children, without discrimination against particular groups? (Do the policy and procedures take into account
the different risks faced by both boys and girls? By older and younger children? Do you work with particular
groups that need special consideration in terms of child protection? (e.g. children with disabilities, ethnic and
religious minorities)
5 c) Participation: Have the children themselves been involved (according to their evolving capacities) in
planning and implementing child protection policies and procedures? (Did you involve children in the risk
assessment of your organisation? Did you consult children in the design of what should be included in the
policy? Have the children themselves, as well as the staff, been trained and empowered about how to protect
themselves? etc.)
d) Resources: Are there adequate resources available? (Have you allocated enough resources (especially
human resources) to ensure that the policy and procedures are taken seriously? Have you designated a
particular person to take responsibility for coordinating child protection work? What types of written materials,

6 guidelines and manuals do you need? etc.)

See also Appendix 23, p176, highlighting articles from the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child relevant
to child protection

44 The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves

 A CHILD RIGHTS-BASED APPROACH: THE ‘TABLE LEG TEST’
Children’s right to life, survival and dvelopment (CRC Art. 6) is dependent on adequate child protection
policies and procedures being in place in your organisation.

To what extent do your policies and procedures take into account the other umbrella rights of the CRC?

• The best interests of the child as a primary consideration in all actions concerning children (Art. 3.1);
• Non discrimination on any grounds (Art.2);
• Participation - girls and boys have the right to be involved in decisions affecting them (Art.12);
• Implementation to the maximum extent of available resources (Art.4)
1

2
IF ANY OF THE LEGS ARE MISSING, THE
POLICIES AND PROCEDURES ARE NOT STABLE!

RIGHT TO LIFE,
3

EXTENT OF AVAILABLE RESOURCES

SURVIVAL AND
DEVELOPMENT

IMPLEMENTATION / MAXIMUM

4
NON- DISCRIMINATION
BEST INTERESTS OF THE CHILD

5
PARTICIPATION

The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves 45

 For organisations whose main focus is not children: even if your organisation’s main focus is not children,
if any of your direct or indirect beneficiaries are children then you should still have child protection policies and
procedures which apply to those areas of work. Within the context and scope of those policies and procedures,
the child rights-based approach - and the ‘Table Leg Test’ - can still be applied.

FOUNDATION STONE #2 IN MORE DETAIL: CONSULTATION

Aims of this sub-section:
• To understand the importance of consultation in the process of developing and implementing child protection

1 policies procedures.
• To become familiar with 2 exercises that can be used to demonstrate the importance of consultation in a
memorable way.

CONSULTATION
• Without adequate consultation you are at risk of making inappropriate decisions, implementing ineffective and
impractical policies and procedures that are not based on the experience of all stakeholders involved.
2 • In particular, this is about child protection. Without consulting children themselves, as well as relevant adults in
your organisation, you run the risk of producing policies and procedures which children themselves do not
understand, cannot access, and which may not necessarily benefit them.
• Children have much to contribute through a clear understanding of their own situations and ways in which
they can be supported to protect themselves.

3 See Appendix 2

It is easy to make assumptions about situations from our own perspective. For example, look at the following
examples of situations that you might identify as part of a child protection risk assessment of your organisation. For
each situation that exists, you might assume what the cause of the problem is. This assumption will lead to you
deciding on a course of action that needs to be taken to solve the problem / minimise the risk.
• However, what would happen if you asked somebody else for their perspective of the problem (especially the

4 person / child directly involved)?

• Would they come up with the same causes of the problems?
• Compare your initial assessment with another perspective. [This comparison is shown between the following
2 diagrams]

THE IMPORTANCE OF CONSULTATION

5 Change Causes Symptoms

Develop peer codes Peer Bullying Boy has regular

of conduct bruises on his arm Why don’t you
ask me?

Ensure proper Children in vocational training

6 supervision and
safety training
Improper supervision of kiln project are appearing with
burns on their hands

Organise separate Some girls arrive at the centre

activites for boys Bullying by boys in the project
looking upset
and girls

46 The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves

If you ask somebody else for their perspective of the same problem, the causes - and hence the action needed -
might look quite different! For example....

THE IMPORTANCE OF CONSULTATION

Change Causes Symptoms

Coes of conduct, training

Inappropriate physical Boy has regular
on alternative forms of
discipline by a teacher bruises on his arm
discipline Why don’t you
ask me?
Children in vocational training
Repair gas stove Faulty gas stove for cooking project are appearing with
burns on their hands
1
Talk with taxi drivers and
Propositioned by taxi Some girls arrive at the centre
organise for boys in the
drivers outside centre looking upset
project to accompnay girls

• And if you ask yet another person, you might get yet another perspective, and so on.
• There may be multiple causes and actions that need to be addressed.
2
• It is essential to consult with as many stakeholders as possible in the planning and implementation of your
child protection policies and procedures in order to make sure that you have identified and addressed all
areas both accurately and comprehensively.

Another story which illustrates very well the importance of consultation is the well-known Indian Buddhist tale about
the blind men and the elephant...

STORY TO EMPHASISE THE IMPORTANCE OF CONSULTATION

3
The Blind Men and the Elephant
Adapted from http://www.cs.princeton.edu/~rywang/berkeley/258/parable.html

A group of disciples went to ask for the Buddha’s opinion on a matter regarding differences of opinion and
conflicting views. The Buddha answered by telling them the story of the blind men and the elephant...

Once upon a time there was a certain king who had his servant gather together in one place all the men of the
4
town who were born blind in order to show them an elephant.

The servant said to the blind men assembled there, ‘Here is an elephant,’ and to one man he presented the head
of the elephant, to another its ears, to another a tusk, to another the trunk, the foot, tail, and tuft of the tail, saying
to each one that that was the elephant.

When the blind men had felt the elephant, the king went to each of them and said, ‘Well, blind man, have you
experienced the elephant? Tell me, what sort of thing is an elephant?’
5
The man who was presented with the head answered, ‘Sir, an elephant is like a pot.’ And the man who had felt
the ear replied, ‘An elephant is like a soft basket.’ The man who had been presented with a tusk said an elephant
was a tool used for ploughing. The man who knew only the trunk said it was a snake; others said the body was a
barrel; the foot, a pillar; the tail, a pestle, the tuft of the tail, a brush.

Then the blind men began to quarrel, shouting, ‘Yes it is!’ ‘No, it is not!’ ‘An elephant is not that!’ ‘Yes, it’s like that!’ 6
and so on, till they came to blows over the matter.

The moral of this tale is that without cooperation and consultation each person will remain in possession of only
part of the information necessary to build up an accurate picture of the whole situation.

See Stakeholder mapping Excercise 8, p67, for ideas on how to ensure effective consultation with stakeholders

The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves 47

 FOUNDATION STONE #3 IN MORE DETAIL: OWNERSHIP
Aims of this sub-section:
• To understand the importance of ownership in the process of developing and implementing child protection
policies and procedures.
• To become familiar with a brief story that can be used to demonstrate the importance of ownership.

OWNERSHIP
• If all stakeholders do not have a sense of ownership of child protection policies and procedures, then they are
unlikely to take responsibility for implementing child protection in their work.
• The more people feel they ‘own’ ideas, policies and procedures, the more sustainable child protection policies
and procedures are likely to be.
• Without broad ownership across the organisation, child protection becomes too dependent on particular
1 individuals. This runs the risk of child protection being weakened or disappearing when these people leave the
organisation.

STORY TO EMPHASISE THE IMPORTANCE OF OWNERSHIP

The office plant

There was once a beautiful and lush green plant which flowered once every year. This plant belonged to
2 Mohammed, the Deputy Director of a street children NGO in Ghana. Mohammed liked this plant very much and
always remembered to water it, once a week, no matter how busy he was. It had been given to him with much
gratitude by one of the boys who had graduated from the organisation’s school programme the previous year. To
Mohammed it symbolised the triumph of life and hope in spite of great adversity. Mohammed was also a firm
believer that to nurture a living thing, no matter how small, is good for the soul.

However, after a few years during which time the plant had remained on his desk, flowering regularly and growing

3 tall, Mohammed decided to leave the organisation in order to move to another city. As a final farewell gesture and,
impressing upon his colleagues at the office the symbolic and sentimental value of the plant, he donated the plant
to the whole office so that they could share in the pleasure he had taken in watching it grow and flower.

Mohammed came back to visit the NGO 6 months later and was horrified to see that his beautiful plant, the
symbol of hope and of the organisation’s success, had withered and died. Nobody ‘owned’ that plant after he
had left. His many colleagues always assumed that somebody else had been watering it until it was too late.

4 Mohammed learned a very important lesson about the importance of ownership from this sad experience:
‘everyone’s’ responsibility is actually ‘nobody’s’ responsibility.

FOUNDATION STONE #4 IN MORE DETAIL: CONFIDENTIALITY

Aims of this sub-section:
• To understand the importance of confidentiality in the process of developing and implementing child
5 protection policies and procedures.
• To become familiar with an activity that can be used to demonstrate the importance of confidentiality.

CONFIDENTIALITY
• Failing to keep confidentiality may put people at risk of physical harm and false rumours etc.
• People in the organisation (both adults and children) need to be reassured that any sensitive information in
their personnel records / any personal information about them is treated with respect.

6 • This means that such information is only accessible to the minimum number of people necessary for the
functioning of the organisation and that there is clear guidance on instances when confidentiality should be
breached in the best interests of the child / child protection. For example, there may be situations where
children ask you not to pass on information but you may have to explain that the only way you can help them
is by getting others involved.
• Difficult decisions may also need to be made in situations where the best interests of one child are at odds
with the best interests of many children. For example:
• A child may want you to wait before passing on information because they want to build up the
courage to report the incident to the authorities themselves. However, this may be putting other
children at risk;

48 The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves

 • A child may ask you to promise to keep a disclosure of abuse secret but this may be putting them and
others at risk. As a general child protection guideline, do not promise silence to children who disclose
abuse.
• You may need to balance keeping personnel records confidential with sharing concerns with other
organisations about a particular person they are interested in recruiting, but who you may have dismissed
for inappropriate behaviour with children.

Exercise 6, p51 - ‘Confidentiality’ demonstrates the importance of confidentiality in relation to personal

information.

FOUNDATION STONE #5 IN MORE DETAIL: TRANSPARENCY

Aims of this sub-section:
1
• To understand the importance of transparency in the process of developing and implementing child protection
policies and procedures.
• To become familiar with 2 exercises that can be used to demonstrate the importance of transparency.

TRANSPARENCY
• Transparency combats / breaks through cultures of silence, taboo, secrecy and fear in which child abuse
thrives.
2
• Transparency and the space and opportunity to talk freely create a preventive and protective environment for
children.
• Transparency shows that an organisation has nothing to hide and that it is willing to admit to, and learn from
mistakes - all of which is a true sign of a learning and accountable organisation. For an organisation to be
accountable, information needs to be properly recorded, signed and dated, clearly marked as either opinion
or fact, whether witnessed by anyone else etc.
• Transparency is about having a clear and standardised process in place to minimise confusion and rumour. 3
• Transparency should not be confused with confidentiality: child protection policies and procedures should be
transparent, i.e. everyone should know that they exist and should be clear about what they involve and the
consequences of breaching them. However, the actual information that passes through the procedures in
particular cases (e.g. names and incidences) should be kept confidential, accessible only to those who need
to know.

Exercise 7, p51 - ‘Chinese Whispers’ demonstrates the importance of transparency in relation to developing
policies and procedures and keeping written records to ensure accuracy in reporting and
4
reaction processes.

FOUNDATION STONE #6 IN MORE DETAIL: SENSITIVITY

Aims of this sub-section:
• To understand the importance of sensitivity in the process of developing and implementing child protection
5
policies and procedures.
• To become familiar with a story that can be used to demonstrate the importance of sensitivity.

SENSIVITY
• One of the greatest challenges you may face is how to raise the issue of child abuse and its prevention within
your organisation without creating suspicion and alarm.
• There may be some people who feel extremely threatened or uncomfortable by the issue of child abuse itself. 6
• Many programmes have had long term participation by people who have developed intimate friendships and
bonds. This intimacy is often based on trust and being part of the community. Sometimes these groups find
it impossible to contemplate abuse occurring in their programme.
• There are also privacy concerns that people have about undergoing screening and police checks.15
• Sensitivity in discussions around child protection is essential as participants (adults and children) may have
personal experience of abuse which could cause them distress.
15. ECPAT Choose with Care - A Handbook to Build Safer Organisations for Children, 2001, McMenamin B, Fitzgerald P.

The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves 49

 STORY TO EMPHASISE THE IMPORTANCE OF SENSITIVITY

The Tale of Rosa

Rosa had worked for 17 years as a social worker for a programme for child labourers in Lima, Peru. The project
provided non-formal education and other services for the children in its care. Rosa enjoyed her work very much
and was much liked by her colleagues: she had a reputation as a kind, gentle and quiet woman who was
particularly good at getting children to open up to her and to trust her. It therefore came as a very great shock to
everyone in the organisation when she suddenly left the organisation without any notice whatsoever and without
saying goodbye to any of her colleagues whom she had worked alongside for so many years.

It eventually came out that the reason she had left so suddenly was that she had been asked by the Director to
attend a workshop on child protection as the organisation was keen to develop and implement policies. She was
interested in the workshop and very enthusiastic about the new work on child protection. However, the workshop
1 was facilitated very insensitively by someone with little experience in the matter. The participants were asked very
bluntly to perform in role plays to demonstrate children reporting incidents of child abuse. The facilitator was so
keen to make sure that everyone was participating in the activity that he refused to let anybody sit out of the
activity. Rosa was bullied into doing something about which she felt very uncomfortable as - unknown to the
facilitator and other participants - the activity brought up some very painful memories of sexual abuse which she
had experienced as a child. The role play resulted in her rushing out of the room in floods of tears and feeling so
embarrassed that everyone would guess her secret that she felt she could no longer work for the organisation.

2 See Appendix 3 on Dealing with sensitivities about child abuse for more details.

3
Stage 2 - Key Learning Review
You should now be familiar with the following topics:
4 1) The 6 foundation stones / principles (a child rights-based approach, consultation, ownership,
confidentiality, transparency and sensitivity) and why these principles are important for developing
and implementing child protection policies and procedures.
2) Methods and materials to enable you to demonstrate the importance of the 6 foundation stones.

50 The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves

PRACTICAL EXERCISES: STAGE 2, SECTION 2.2
Exercise 6: Confidentiality
Aim To demonstrate the importance of maintaining confidentiality in relation to
personal information

Duration 3 minutes

Task Participants will be asked to shut their eyes and to think of a secret that they
know. [You do not have to tell anyone this secret.] Participants will be asked
how they would feel if someone found out this secret and told everyone in
1
the office

Exercise 7: ‘Chinese whispers’

3
Aim To demonstrate the importance of transparency in relation to developing
policies and procedures and keeping written records to ensure accuracy
in reporting and reaction processes

Duration 5-10 minutes

4
Task Participants sit or stand in a line. One participant whispers one sentence
(related to child protection - preferably specifically related to transparency)
to the person at one end of the line. [The facilitator must make a note of
exactly what s/he said for later comparison]. That person then whispers
exactly what they heard to the person next to them and so on until the
sentence reaches the end of the line where the last person must speak
5
aloud what s/he heard. The main rule must be strictly enforced: that each
person is only allowed to say the sentence once. You are not allowed to
ask someone to repeat it. It is highly likely that the sentence will become
distorted by the time it reaches the other end of the line. The learning
from this activity is that without transparent child protection policies and
procedures, facts become distorted and people become confused and 6
insecure, wanting to have more information available.

The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves 51

 FACILITATORS’ TIPS FOR STAGE 2, SECTION 2.2
Present Section 2.2, in the form of a powerpoint or using other methods (see powerpoint 7 on the
CD-Rom). Introduce Exercises 6 and 7 as part of the presentation.

The following pages can be photocopied as handouts for participants to take away with them:
• Handout of Section 2.2

 The presentation on Foundation stone #2, (Consultation) is available in powerpoint 7 (CD-Rom)

whereby each element of the diagram is revealed in order, leaving the ‘Why don’t you ask me?’
punchline until last. Using the presentation in this way is effective as it reveals the contrast
between making assumptions and finding out the facts from the person concerned through
1 
proper consultation.

An alternative way to present Foundation stone #2 (Consultation) is to get participants to do the

consultation presentation themselves as an exercise in groups. Ask each group to draw a picture
of a child (preferably one they know personally) and identify up to 3 symptoms of why that child
may be in need of protection and the corresponding causes and actions that need taking. Ask
participants to reflect on the following: if they had asked the actual child in question for their
opinion, would their initial assumptions be different in any way?

2  In the context of a training session, the story about the blind men and the elephant could be
adapted to demonstrate the point of the story more visually (i.e. by blindfolding some participants
and asking them to ‘identify’ an object of which they can only feel one part).

Facilitators’ Tips For Exercise 6

3 Try to elicit adjectives about how the participants might feel if someone shared their secret around the
organisation (e.g. angry, embarrassed, betrayed etc.).

 Use this exercise to impress on participants the importance of maintaining strict confidentiality
regarding staff records and personal information and that there must be very clear and strict
guidelines to regulate the very rare occasions when it might be necessary to break confidentiality
in order to ensure the best interests of the child in matters of child protection.

4 Facilitators’ Tips For Exercise 7

 Possible sentences to use for this activity might include:
• ‘I heard that the social worker took Alexei to hospital on her own and was gone for three
hours without telling anyone’
• ‘Jorge complained about the overseas visitor taking photos without his permission but
5 nobody has told him what’s happening’
• ‘The Director asked the staff for their opinion about the policy but they were too scared to
say what they really thought’
• I heard that they’re appointing the boss’s brother to be child protection officer, but it hasn’t
been advertised’

 During feedback after this game, highlight the importance of keeping written records to ensure

6 accuracy in reporting and reaction processes. Remind participants of the difference between
transparency and confidentiality: policies and procedures should be transparent, but the information
that passes through the procedures should remain confidential.

52 The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves

STAGE 3
DEVELOPING A CHILD PROTECTION
POLICY AND PROCEDURES

Overview Stage 3 builds on the 6 foundation stones outlined in Stage 2. t takes a

step by step approach towards developing child protection policies and
procedures. In order to follow this module, users of the toolkit / participants
in the training should already understand what child protection is, what a
child protection policy is, and the importance of having child protection
policies and procedures in place (as covered in Stage 1) and the importance
of the underlying principles necessary to develop effective and practical child
protection policies and procedures (as outlined in Stage 2).

5
6
4
Ramifications of misconduct
Reporting and reaction

3
Develop policies
Communication guidelines
Behaviour protocols
and procedures
Management structures
Education and training
Recruitment

1 2
The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves 53
 Stage 3 - Developing a Child Protection Policy and
Procedures
This module is divided into the following 4 sections:
3.1) Introducing the 7 elements of a child protection policy and procedures
3.2) The 7 elements of a child protection policy and procedures in detail
3.3) How to decide on which elements to include in a child protection policy and procedures
3.4) What does your organisation currently have in place?

1 Objectives
Upon completion of this section you will be able to:
1) Identify the elements which make up a child protection policy and procedures and understand why each
of them is important
2) Identify the stakeholders who should be involved in the design and development of the policy as well as

2 in its implementation, monitoring and evaluation

3) To practice facilitating participatory discussions and managing consensus about child protection within
your own organisation amongst different stakeholders
4) Identify which elements of a child protection policy should be ‘essential’ to your policy and which should
be ‘desirable’
5) Identify the extent to which the elements that you consider essential to child protection, and the elements
you consider desirable are already in place in your organisation in order to identify gaps: which elements

3 are documented in a written policy and which are being implemented in practice.

Additional materials
Additional materials are available to support the information provided in the main text for additional handouts:
APPENDICES
 Core child protection principles and values - Appendix 24
4  Participation of children in developing, implementing and monitoring child protection policies and
procedures - Appendix 2
 Child protection for disabled children - Appendix 20
 Participatory facilitation - Appendix 8
 Examples of Behaviour guidelines - Appendix 4
 Examples of guidelines on communications about children - Appendix 7
5 


Guidelines on recruitment - Appendix 9
Statement of commitment - Appendix 17
POWERPOINTS
 For facilitators (on CD-Rom) if the toolkit is to be used in a training context

54 The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves

3.1 Introducing the 7 elements of a child protection policy
and procedures

Section Objectives
Upon completion of this section you will be able to:
1) Identify the elements which make up a child protection policy and procedures and understand why each of
them is important.

INTRODUCTION TO THE ELEMENTS OF A CHILD PROTECTION POLICY:

Now that the 6 foundation stones of the child-safe organisation are in place and it is clear that they must be
mainstreamed across the process as a whole, we need to build up the walls of the building by developing policies
1
and procedures. Based on research of a number of child protection policies from a range of organisations, we have
divided the contents of a child protection policy into the 7 areas shown below. For each of these areas we have
suggested a checklist of elements to include in your child protection policies which are listed in Table 1, below.
Some of these standards can be considered essential while others may be only desirable. In Exercise 10 you
will facilitate a consensus on which of these are essential and which are desirable in the context of your own
organisation.16

1) PERSONNEL RECRUITMENT
2
WHAT All employees, contractors, trustees, officers, interns and volunteers, whether paid or unpaid, full time or
part time, temporary or long-term, having direct or indirect contact with children should undergo a thorough and
standardised recruitment process.
WHY To ensure that the organisation hires the best possible staff to work with children who are best suited to
the specific role they are undertaking and to ensure that unsuitable candidates / child abusers are deterred from
applying and are not recruited into the organisation.
3
2) EDUCATION AND TRAINING

WHAT There should be opportunities within the organisation to develop and maintain the necessary skills and
understanding to safeguard children.
WHY To ensure that all personnel and children themselves understand the importance of child protection.
So that all personnel know how to implement policies and procedures and work to the same high standards and
that children know best how to protect themselves and make use of the policies and procedures in place.
4
3) MANAGEMENT STRUCTURE

WHAT A management process should be adopted in order to facilitate the implementation of the child protection
policy and procedures.
WHY Without effective management support, staff working on child protection may feel isolated and be unaware
of where responsibilities lie and policies and procedures may fall through the gaps / not be taken seriously / not be 5
acted on / not be fully implemented / not run smoothly.

4) BEHAVIOUR PROTOCOLS

WHAT Written guidelines for all employees, contractors, trustees, interns, volunteers and visitors detailing
appropriate behaviour with children. You might want to consider developing behaviour guidelines with children
for appropriate behaviour by children towards children.

WHY To clarify what constitutes appropriate and inappropriate behaviour towards children and to ensure that all
6
personnel understand and abide by behaviours which create a ‘child safe environment’ that respects children’s
physical and mental integrity / space / privacy.
Behaviour guidelines also allow children to know what behaviour to expect from personnel and from each other,
to know the difference between ‘good touch’ and ‘bad touch’ and when to speak out if they feel uncomfortable.
To avoid potential misunderstandings which may lead to false allegations of child abuse.

16. For checklists of broader elements that make up child protection implementation see Setting the Standard: A Common Approach to Child
Protection for International NGOs, www.peopleinaid.org.

The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves 55

 5) COMMUNICATION GUIDELINES

WHAT There should be a set of guidelines to control confidential information regarding children and to prevent the
presentation of degrading images of children through the organisation’s publications and website.
WHY To clarify what constitutes appropriate and inappropriate use of written, visual and verbal information relating to
children and to ensure that all personnel understand the importance of protecting and respecting children’s dignity
and privacy and which safeguards them from being identified by those who may wish to harm them.
Communication guidelines also allow children to know what rights they have regarding the use of information that
relates to them, to introduce them to the concept of ‘informed consent’ regarding such information and when to
speak out if they feel uncomfortable.

6) REPORTING AND REACTION PROTOCOLS

1 WHAT There should be a process for reporting and reacting to witnessed, suspected or alleged child abuse and/or
violation of the child protection policy which is made available to, and understood by, all employees, contractors,
trustees, interns, volunteers and children themselves.
WHY So that in the case of an incident, immediate and appropriate action is taken in the best interests of the child
to treat the child with dignity and protect the child from harm.
So that all personnel and children are clear about what they should do to report and react to an incident.

2 There should be a standard, transparent procedure that ensures that staff do not panic and act inappropriately, that
they feel (and are!) supported by senior staff and they are aware of confidentiality guidelines.

7) RAMIFICATIONS OF MISCONDUCT

WHAT Steps taken as a result of any investigation of an allegation of a violation of the policies, guidelines, principles
or practice of child protection.
WHY To signal that the organisation takes child protection seriously.
3 To deter personnel from violating child protection policies and procedures, to ensure that those who do violate child
protection are held accountable for their actions, with possibilities for further training (in the case of minor violations)
or dismissal and potentially legal action.

56 The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves

FACILITATORS’ TIPS FOR STAGE 3, SECTION 3.1
Present Section 3.1 in the form of a powerpoint or using other methods (see powerpoint 8 on the
CD-Rom).

The following pages can be photocopied as handouts for participants to take away with them:
• Handout of section 3.1

The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves 57

 3.2 The 7 elements of a child protection policy and
procedures
Section Objectives
Upon completion of this section you will be able to:
1) Familiarise yourself with and understand the elements which make up a child protection policy and
procedures in more detail.

TABLE 1

1 Guide to possible detailed elements that make up each of the 7 areas with an explanation of their purpose. [Please
note that these elements are deliberately not in any particular order of importance].

1. PERSONNEL RECRUITMENT

ELEMENTS PURPOSE

2 Police check for information of To ensure that you are not employing a convicted child abuser to work with
previous convictions or investigations vulnerable children and to deter convicted child abusers from applying.
relating to child protection

Minimum of 2 references (not family, To ensure that staff are suitable for the specific position they are applying for
more than 2 years relationship with in terms of character and skills. This is especially important in situations
candidate): check that the two where police checks are not available.
referees are genuine as well as
3 asking them to provide a reference

Commitment to child protection To signal the importance of child protection within the organisation and to
policy must be a condition of hold personnel accountable to upholding standards.
employment

Candidate specification included with To ensure that you recruit the best person for the job (above and beyond
job description child protection issues) by assessing applicants according to pre-determined

4 Successful candidate must sign

specific essential and desirable skills.

To ensure that you are not employing a convicted child abuser to work with
personal declaration of criminal vulnerable children and to deter convicted child abusers from applying. This
convictions is especially important in situations where police checks are not available.

Standardised interview process To ensure that you recruit the best person for the job (above and beyond
child protection issues) by assessing applicants according to pre-determined

5 specific essential and desirable skills.

To ensure that every recruitment opportunity is used to explore candidates’
suitability for a post in relation to child protection issues.
To ensure that all candidates are judged on the basis of equal opportunity.

Attentiveness to suspicious gaps in To find out whether there have been previous child protection concerns
employment history & use of relating to when the candidate was working for other organisations and

6 references to clarify concern whether this might have led to dismissal or frequent changes in jobs; to
explore whether periods of absence from employment may be due to (e.g.)
time in custody, and suspicious activity.

One member of the recruitment So that at least one person has specialist knowledge of child protection-
panel has undergone training / is related questions to ask and warning signs to look out for so that maximum
familiar with issues of child protection use is made of a job interview to implement child protection safeguards.

Advertisements for job vacancies To deter child abusers from applying and to communicate your organisation’s
make reference to the child seriousness and transparency about child protection issues.
protection policy and screening

58 The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves

(continued)

Candidates who wish to become To ensure comprehensive protection for children from all personnel who have
trustees and volunteers of the direct or indirect contact with children through the organisation (not just paid
organisation are equally bound to employees).
sign a statement of commitment to
the organisation’s child protection
policy and undergo training on child
protection

2. EDUCATION & TRAINING

ELEMENTS

Induction process for all

PURPOSE

Having a ‘child-safe’ organisation depends on all personnel associated

1
representatives, including child with the organisation fully understanding the child protection policy and
protection policy principles and procedures, knowing exactly what to do as part of their ongoing work
procedures, learning about, and also in case of an incident, knowing where to get further advice and
recognising and responding to support. Personnel must feel confident and comfortable in discussing
child abuse child protection issues.

Organisational atmosphere
encourages opportunities to
To overcome taboos related to discussing child abuse in order to create an
open and aware culture where secrecy is not allowed to prevail and learning
2
question and learn about child is maximised.
protection issues

Training on behaviour guidelines To make sure that guidelines are understood and implemented in practice,
available for those with direct giving personnel the opportunity to discuss and work through challenges
contact with children and to have clear guidance where circumstances may be less clear-cut.

Orientation given to children To ensure that children know how to protect themselves, what behaviour to
3
themselves on all relevant aspects of expect from personnel and from each other, to know the difference between
the organisation’s child protection ‘good touch’ and ‘bad touch’ and when and to how to speak out if they feel
policy and procedures uncomfortable.
To open up opportunities for children to input into ongoing implementation
and review of child protection policy and procedures.

New representatives to receive child

protection training as soon as
See induction process above. Training schedules for personnel / timelines
and deadlines are important so that child protection remains a priority and 4
possible (within 3 months at latest) does not become sidelined by other issues.

Existing representatives to receive See above.

child protection training within
designated period of the child
protection policy coming into force
(3 months)

To respond to the different needs of different personnel.

5
Training should be flexible and
accessible for part-timers and
volunteers

Training available on acceptable and To respect children’s right to privacy and confidentiality, and to protect
unacceptable sharing of information children from those who may use information about them to cause
on children

Emotional / counselling support

them harm.

To support personnel and children to cope with possible emotional effects of

6
available for individuals (including discussing issues around child protection, and that there is someone they
children) participating in training / can speak to if such discussions raise painful issues in relation to their own
orientation in the case of an past.
emotional reaction to the topics

Constant re-evaluation and updating To ensure that information being given is as up-to-date as possible and that
of training and education personnel find it relevant to their work; that every opportunity is taken to
maximise the quality, effectiveness and impact of training and education.

The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves 59

 3. MANAGEMENT STRUCTURE

ELEMENTS PURPOSE

Open lines of communication; Creating a ‘child-safe’ organisation depends on having clear structures and
atmosphere of support and an open and aware culture in place to ensure that all personnel and children
encouragement for reporting; positive feel confident and comfortable speaking out and implementing child
environment for giving and receiving protection safeguards.
feedback

Designated person to implement the Officially assigning responsibility for child protection issues to one person as
child protection policy part of their job description ensures that child protection is prioritised within
the organisation and that it doesn’t fall through the gaps.

1 Role of designated child protection

person is clearly defined
To ensure that everyone in the organisation is clear about the extent of the
roles and responsibilities of the designated person, so that expectations on
all sides are clear and that deliverables are monitored.

Ongoing supervision, monitoring and To ensure that child protection policies and procedures are understood and
support for all personnel being implemented and that any problems or queries are dealt with as soon
as they arise.

2 Child protection issues are included

in regular, formal staff evaluations /
To provide a two-way forum for discussing areas of concern regarding the
individual’s part in implementing the organisation’s child protection policy and
appraisals procedures.
To assess existing knowledge and to identify further training needs on an
individual basis.
To provide an opportunity for personnel to input into suggestions for
improvement and to feed into overall organisational monitoring of the child

3 Management should reflect core

protection policy.

Having a ‘child-safe’ organisation depends on strong and proactive support

principles and values, uphold for child protection issues from management at all levels. Management
professional approach and should demonstrate leadership in this area and act as role models.
demonstrate awareness of abuse

Disclosure of personal information on To ensure that there is a system in place for information storage and sharing

4 children limited to those who need to (both hard copy and electronic) - that does not solely rely on individual
know practice - that ensures respect for children’s right to privacy and
confidentiality, and that protects children from those who may use
information about them to cause them harm.

Trustees’ / Executive Body overall To ensure that management take the issue of child protection seriously and
responsibility / oversight to ensure that there is a collective body with which to share responsibility for child
implementation protection implementation / that ultimate responsibility for implementing child
protection issues does not just rest with one individual (i.e. Director).
5 Incorporate child protection into Internal assessment monitors the progress of child protection policy
regular internal and external implementation against targets agreed. External assessment promotes and
programme and organisational ensures objectivity and transparency (which in itself encourages an open and
evaluations / assessments aware culture to prevent abuse) and provides a different / fresh perspective /
recommendations for improvement on child protection policies and
procedures.

60 The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves

4. BEHAVIOUR PROTOCOLS

ELEMENTS PURPOSE

Code of Conduct developed as To clarify what constitutes appropriate and inappropriate behaviour towards
appropriate to the organisation that children.
includes guidelines on appropriate To ensure that all personnel understand and abide by behaviours which
behaviour of personnel towards create a ‘child safe environment’ that respects children’s physical and mental
children. The Code of Conduct integrity / space / privacy.
should include a statement which Behaviour guidelines also allow children to know what behaviour to expect
encourages personnel to interpret the from personnel and from each other, to know the difference between ‘good
Code in a spirit of transparency and touch’ and ‘bad touch’ and when to speak out if they feel uncomfortable.
common sense, with the best To avoid potential misunderstandings which may lead to false allegations of
interests of the child as the primary
consideration.
child abuse.
1
Code of Conduct developed in To ensure that children know what behaviour to expect from each other, to
collaboration with children that know the difference between ‘good touch’ and ‘bad touch’ and when to
includes guidelines on appropriate speak out if they feel uncomfortable.
behaviour of children towards other
children.

Display the Codes prominently /

make them easily accessible for all
To act as a constant reminder and to be a point of easy reference in times of
doubt and emergency.
2
organisation representatives and
children.

Representatives to promote copies of To ensure that children’s best interests remain safeguarded even beyond the
the Code in all situations where the scope of the immediate project environment: e.g. when children participate in
organisation is responsible for
bringing children into contact with
adults.
workshops and conferences with adults present, when they travel to events
and when they receive visitors from donor organisations / other NGOs etc. 3
5. COMMUNICATIONS ABOUT CHILDREN

ELEMENTS PURPOSE
Communication Guidelines developed including the essentials and
as many desirables as possible:
• Acquire permission of child / guardian / responsible NGO to use
To clarify what constitutes appropriate
and inappropriate use of 4
communications (images, stories,
images for publicity / fundraising / awareness (informed consent) as case studies, personal information) in
much as possible relation to children.
• Let people give their own accounts as much as possible rather than
others speaking on their behalf; highlight ability of people to take To ensure that all personnel
responsibility and action for themselves understand and abide by guidelines
• Accurate and balanced portrayal of children, with emphasis on dignity
and as much reference as possible to their social, cultural and
economic environment
which create a ‘child safe
environment’ that respects children’s
physical and mental integrity, privacy
5
• Balanced portrayal even in cases of ‘victimhood’ (recommended use and dignity and that protects children
of ‘before’ and ‘after’ images / stories) from those who may use information
• Accurate representation of children: avoid manipulation or about them to cause them harm.
sensationalising text and images; emphasis on dignity To promote a culture that portrays
• Establish system of signed consent for use of organisation’s visual children accurately, emphasising their
materials by outside individuals / organisations with ramifications
for misconduct
• Avoid: degrading, victimising or shaming language and images; making
role as actors in their own
development and that of their peers
and communities whilst also
6
inaccurate generalisations; discrimination of any kind; taking pictures acknowledging their vulnerability.
out of context (try to provide informative caption)
• Children must be appropriately clothed in images and not in sexually
provocative poses
• No personal and physical information to identify location of a child that
could put them at risk, to be put on website or in communications
• Always ask permission before taking photos of children except in
exceptional circumstances

The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves 61

 6. REPORTING & REACTION PROTOCOL

ELEMENTS PURPOSE

Guiding principle of the best interests of the To act as a constant reminder in situations where difficult decisions
child need to be made, especially in countries where there are limited
infrastructures in place, that the reporting and reaction protocols
remain child-focused and child-centred at all times, above and
beyond the demands of bureaucracy. E.g.
1) If a child reports an incident of abuse by a staff member, is it in
the best interests of the child to report the matter immediately, even
if the designated child protection contact is not available, or to wait

1 until that person returns?

2) If a child reports abuse by a visitor to the project, is it in the best
interests of the child to report the incident to the police / authorities?

Standardised process clearly outlined and • To ensure that everyone in the organisation is working to the
made available to all representatives and same standards;
children to include reporting and storing • To ensure that sensitive information that emerges through the
information reporting and reaction process is kept confidential and shared

2 • Develop and make available a standardised

reporting form
• Relevant contact details for child protection
only on a need-to-know basis;
• To ensure that everyone, including children, is confident and
comfortable with procedures;
services, social services department, police, • To ensure that procedures are easy available in times of
emergency medical help and helplines emergency when clear guidance can help to avoid panic;
readily available and easily accessible to • To ensure that all personnel have guidance on when the principle
representatives of confidentiality comes second to the need to share certain
• Guidance to all representatives on information in the best interests of the child.

3 confidentiality and information sharing

Obligation on all representatives to report all To ensure that all personnel take responsibility for reporting rather
concerns immediately to designated person/s than assuming that someone else will take things forward and that
who in turn may seek guidance in the local concerns are raised with the person best qualified within the
context or from local social services/police organisation to respond.

Obligation to take appropriate steps within the To ensure that the response is guided by concern for the welfare of
organisation’s power to protect the child from the child above all else, with decisions made in the best interests of
4 further harm the child.

Develop and make available a standardised To clarify lines of reporting and responsibility in an easy-to-use /
management flowchart for reporting understand format.
suspected abuse

Further guidelines are made available on To ensure that personnel are clear about the approach to take when
dealing with allegations from a child: e.g. to a child makes an allegation that: a relationship of trust is established;
5 reassure; listen carefully and calmly; try not to
repeat questions; do not promise secrecy;
that trauma experienced by the child is minimised in the telling of the
abuse; and that the incident is reported with the greatest possible
take steps to ensure their safety; distinguish factual accuracy.
between what the child actually said and your To ensure that the child understands that the issue may need to be
interpretation; do not permit personal doubt to taken further.
prevent you from reporting

Guidance on dealing with allegations from a To ensure that the child is taken seriously and treated in the manner
6 child that ensure that the child is treated with
respect
in which you yourself would wish to be treated in a similar situation.

Arrangements to provide supervision and To ensure that all personnel and children within the organisation
support to those affected during and following have the opportunity to discuss issues of concern in order to
an allegation minimise trauma; that everyone is clear about the action that is
being taken; that the person alleged of committing the offence is
assumed innocent until proven guilty and that the process is
conducted as smoothly as possible.

62 The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves

7. RAMIFICATIONS OF MISCONDUCT

ELEMENTS PURPOSE

In the case of an allegation by a named To ensure that the child in question / children in the project in
individual from a verifiable source, the accused general are protected from further harm.
individual to be suspended (on full pay if
relevant) pending outcome of an independent
investigation

Outline disciplinary and other steps which may To ensure that child protection is taken seriously and ramifications
include reporting to the police are standardised as part of institutional practice and made clear as
part of terms and conditions of employment / association with the
organisation. 1
Adverse determination from an investigation To ensure that justice is fully adhered to.
should be open to challenge through an
appeals process

The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves 63

 FACILITATORS’ TIPS FOR STAGE 3, SECTION 3.2
This section can be provided as a handout for participants to read through during the session. They will
already have been presented the overview to the 7 elements in powerpoint 8. It is important to read
through Table 1 in the training session before participants go on to the related exercises in later sessions.

The following pages can be photocopied as handouts for participants to take away with them:
• Handout of Table 1

64 The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves

3.3 How to decide on which elements to include in a child
protection policy and procedures
Section Objectives
Upon completion of this section you will be able to:
1) Understand the importance of the full participation of all stakeholders in all stages of the development,
implementation, monitoring and evaluation of child protection policies and procedures.
2) Understand how to analyse the interests and power of your stakeholders.
3) Practice facilitating participatory discussions and managing consensus about child protection within your own
organisation amongst different stakeholders.
4) Identify which elements of a child protection policy should be ‘essential’ to your policy and which should be
‘desirable’.
1
STAKEHOLDERS
In order for you to successfully develop child protection policies and procedures that will be the most effective for
your organisation, it is important to involve all stakeholders in this process from the beginning.

Definition 2
‘Stakeholder analysis’
A stakeholder analysis is a technique used to identify and assess the importance of key people, groups of
people, or institutions that may significantly influence the success of your activity or project.

It is important to know who has an interest and can contribute to the discussion around an issue. Equally, it may be
just as important to know who DOES NOT support your plans or project (ie. who is opposed or resistant to it) and
to think about if, and how, their interests need to be managed. It is often those who do not support your proposals
3
that need most management.

An analysis of stakeholders is generally undertaken to:

 Identify those people, groups or organisations who have an interest in a project or planned action either
positively or negatively



Identify the form of their interest
Identify those who should be involved in the project at different stages in the project cycle
Identify those who are powerful actors in ensuring the project’s success or failure
4
 Identify whether and how you need to do something about them and include it in the project design.

You can imagine your initiative to develop and implement child protection policies and procedures in your
organisation as a window through which all interested people and groups can be seen - some of them will be right
at the margins, others very central. As project leader or facilitator you must get close to the window to maximise
your view. Stakeholders may include many groups and individuals.
5
Exercise 8 - ‘Stakeholder mapping’. This Exercise, p67, will help you to identify the different stakeholders in
your organisation and analyse their importance in relation to implementing child protection policies and
procedures.

Don’t forget to involve children

at all stages! See Appendix 2
6

The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves 65

 Impact of projects on stakeholders
Impact analyses of many projects tell us that stakeholders do not have an equal chance of addressing their needs,
despite the personal value they place on their ‘stake’ in the project. Analysts suggest that this is because the ability
of stakeholders to secure their stake varies considerably. Attempts have been made to develop techniques to
explore this variable potential. There are a range of models to analyse power weighting, influence and the stake
that different actors have in an organisation or project.

Exercise 9, p.68, ‘Stakeholder ranking’ is one approach to identify which stakeholders in your organisation
would be supportive, which would be hostile and which would be undecided in relation to implementing child
protection policies and procedures.

Identifying which elements are essential and desirable to your child protection policy and procedures

1 During the process of deciding which elements to include in your policy and procedures, remember the 6 foundation
stones (see Stage 6, Sections 2.1 and 2.2 for a reminder):
i) Child rights-based approach
ii) Consultation
iii) Ownership
iv) Confidentiality
v) Transparency
vi) Sensitivity
2 Exercise 10, p69, ‘Which elements are ‘essential’ and which are ‘desirable’? Facilitating participatory
discussions’, is intended to demonstrate how to facilitate a participatory consultation on developing a child
protection policy and procedures.

Other Consultation Options

3 There are various ways you could introduce discussions around child protection and the elements of your
organisational child protection policy to everybody involved in your organisation.

When trying to decide on the method of consultation best suited to your organisation, you need to consider issues
such as:
 Organisational hierarchy
 Size of your organisation
 Age and gender of children

4 


Creative approaches to consultation, e.g. drama, role plays, drawings - especially for use with children
Time available

Exercise 11, p76, ‘The pros and cons of different approaches to introducing a Child Protection Policy in
your organisation’, will help you to explore the pros and cons of different ways of introducing child protection
policies and procedures into your organisation.

5 For information on how to

empower children through consultation on
child protection, See Appendix 2

6
Once you have correctly identified your stakeholders and have decided on the best method of consultation,
you might find it useful to set out how you will go about consulting people and drafting your policy and
procedures by filling out an action plan such as the one shown in Stage 4, Section 4.3.

66 The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves

PRACTICAL EXERCISES: STAGE 3, SECTION 3.3
Exercise 8: Stakeholder mapping
To prepare a stakeholder map

Duration 15 minutes

Task Where would you place your list of stakeholders in this stakeholder window?
Put in the centre those which you feel need to be most closely involved or
managed. The following list may act as a prompt in thinking about who your
stakeholders are:
1
 The staff working directly with children
 The staff working indirectly with children
 Senior management
 Trustees
 Children



Children’s families
Volunteers 2
 Interns
 Partner organisations
 Other (specify)

Stakeholder window 3

The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves 67

PRACTICAL EXERCISES: STAGE 3, SECTION 3.3
Exercise 9: Stakeholder ranking
Aim To rank your stakeholders according to your perceptions of their interest and
support for child protection.

Duration 10 minutes

Task Of the stakeholders shown in your window:

1) Which do you think are - or would be - keen to implement child
protection policies and procedures?
2) Which are - or would be - undecided?
3) Which are - or would be - hostile to working on child protection?

Complete the following table accordingly

68 The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves

PRACTICAL EXERCISES: STAGE 3, SECTION 3.3
Exercise 10: Which elements are ‘essential’ and which are
‘desirable’? Facilitating participatory discussions
Aim  To come to a consensus as a group on which elements should be
essential elements of your policy and which should be desirable.
 To practice facilitating discussions and managing consensus about child
protection within your own organisation amongst different stakeholders.

Duration 1 hour
1
Task Divide into two or three groups (depending on the total number of
participants). Agree on a facilitator for your group. Each person in the group
will take on a character from the list below. Some of the people in the group
will take on a role for their character assigned to them by the facilitator. The
purpose of the discussion is for each group to discuss one or two of the 7
areas of the Child Protection Policy to decide what should be included in the
policy or not.
2
Not only must you decide which elements are essential and which desirable
but you must provide a justification for your decisions in the last column of
the worksheet. Possible Characters:
• Executive Director
• Programme/Project Manager/ Coordinator
• Project Officer 3
• Social Worker
• Child Care Worker / House Mother/Father
• Cook
• Child
• Legal Officer
• Community Volunteer
• Finance Officer
4
• Administrator
• Health Worker / Nurse / Doctor

Outputs
1. Complete worksheets for each of the areas you are discussing (probably a
maximum of two areas per group) 5
2. Report back to the plenary group on the decisions you made, presenting
your justifications on the essentials and desirables
3. You will also be asked to reflect on the experience of participating in a
facilitated discussion and to think about how you would go about
developing your organisation’s child protection policy in collaboration with
other members of your organisation, by discussing the following questions:
1. Did you manage to come to a consensus within your group?
6
2. Did everyone have a chance to speak?
3. Was everyone happy with the outcome?
4. What have you learned from this exercise to take back to your
organisation?

Additional help
Please also refer to the Facilitation Guidelines in Appendix 8 to help you with this
exercise.

The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves 69

 WORKSHEETS FOR EXERCISE 10
For each element of the policy, tick in column “E” for Essential or “D” for Desirable, write your justification in the last
column. If you think a particular element should be excluded altogether, then cross it out, but remember to provide a
justification as to why! Likewise, feel free to add any additional elements you would like to include in you policy in the
spaces provided at the end of each section.

1) PERSONNEL RECRUITMENT

ELEMENTS OF POLICY E D JUSTIFICATION

For Example – Police check on preferred candidates ✔ Not practical in our country...

1 Police check for information of previous convictions or

investigations relating to child protection

Minimum of 2 references (not family, more than 2 years

relationship with candidate): check that the two referees
are genuine as well as asking them to provide a reference
– telephone references are useful to avoid faked
documents

2 Commitment to the child protection policy must be a

condition of employment

Candidate specification included with job description

Successful candidate must sign personal declaration of

criminal convictions

3 Standardised interview process

Attentiveness to suspicious gaps in employment history &

use of references to clarify concern

One member of the recruitment panel has undergone

training / is familiar with issues of child protection

4 Advertisements for job vacancies make reference to the

child protection policy and screening

Candidates who wish to become trustees and volunteers

of the organisation are equally bound to sign a statement
of commitment to the organisation’s child protection policy
and undergo training on child protection

70 The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves

2. EDUCATION & TRAINING

ELEMENTS OF POLICY E D JUSTIFICATION

Induction process for all representatives, including child

protection policy principles and procedures, learning
about, recognising and responding to child abuse

Organisational atmosphere encourages opportunities to

question and learn about child protection issues

Training on behaviour guidelines available for those with

direct contact with children

Orientation given to children themselves on all relevant

aspects of the organisation’s child protection policy and
1
procedures

New representatives to receive child protection training as

soon as possible (within 3 months at latest)

Existing representatives to receive child protection training

within designated period of the child protection policy
coming into force (3 months)
2
Training should be flexible and accessible for part-timers
and volunteers

Training available on acceptable and unacceptable sharing

of information on children

Emotional / counselling support available for individuals

3
(including children) participating in training / orientation in
the case of an emotional reaction to the topics

Constant re-evaluation and updating of training and

education

The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves 71

 3. MANAGEMENT STRUCTURE

ELEMENTS OF POLICY E D JUSTIFICATION

Open lines of communication; atmosphere of support and

encouragement for reporting; positive environment for
giving and receiving feedback

Designated person to implement the child protection

policy

Role of designated child protection person is clearly

defined
1 Ongoing supervision, monitoring and support for all
personnel

Child protection issues are included in regular, formal staff

evaluations / appraisals

Management should reflect core principles and values,

2 uphold professional approach and demonstrate
awareness of abuse

Disclosure of personal information on children limited to

those who need to know

Trustees’ / Executive Body overall responsibility / oversight

to ensure implementation

3 Incorporate child protection into regular internal and

external programme and organisational evaluations /
assessments

5
4. BEHAVIOUR PROTOCOLS

ELEMENTS OF POLICY E D JUSTIFICATION

6 Code of Conduct developed as appropriate to the

organisation that includes guidelines on appropriate
behaviour of personnel towards children. The Code of
Conduct should include a statement which encourages
personnel to interpret the Code in a spirit of transparency
and common sense, with the best interests of the child as
the primary consideration.

72 The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves

 Code of Conduct developed in collaboration with children
that includes guidelines on appropriate behaviour of
children towards other children

Display the Codes prominently / make them easily

accessible for all organisation representatives and children

Representatives to promote copies of the Code in all

situations where the organisation is responsible for
bringing children into contact with adults

2
5. COMMUNICATIONS ABOUT CHILDREN

ELEMENTS OF POLICY E D JUSTIFICATION

Communication guidelines developed including the

essentials and as many desirables as possible:
3
Acquire permission of child / guardian / responsible NGO
to use images for publicity / fundraising / awareness
(informed consent) as much as possible

Let people give their own accounts as much as possible

rather than others speaking on their behalf; highlight ability
of people to take responsibility and action for themselves
4
Accurate and balanced portrayal of children, with
emphasis on dignity and as much reference as possible to
their social, cultural and economic environment

Balanced portrayal even in cases of ‘victimhood’

(recommended use of ‘before’ and ‘after’ images / stories)
5
Accurate representation of children: avoid manipulation or
sensationalising text and images; emphasis on dignity

Establish system of signed consent for use of

organisation’s visual materials by outside individuals /
organisations with ramifications for misconduct

Avoid: degrading, victimising or shaming language and

images; making inaccurate generalisations; discrimination
6
of any kind; taking pictures out of context (try to provide
informative caption)

Children must be appropriately clothed in images and not

in sexually provocative poses

The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves 73

 No personal and physical information to identify location of
a child that could put them at risk, to be put on website or
in communications

Always ask permission before taking photos of children

except in exceptional circumstances

2 6. REPORTING & REACTION PROTOCOL

ELEMENTS OF POLICY E D JUSTIFICATION

Guiding principle of the best interests of the child

Standardised process clearly outlined and made available

3 to all representatives and children to include reporting and
storing information
• Develop and make available a standardised reporting
form
• Relevant contact details for child protection services,
social services department, police, emergency
medical help and helplines readily available and easily
accessible to representatives

4 • Guidance to all representatives on confidentiality and

information sharing

Obligation on all representatives to report all concerns

immediately to designated person/s who in turn may seek
guidance in the local context or from local social
services/police

5 Obligation to take appropriate steps within the

organisation’s power to protect the child from further harm

Develop and make available a standardised management

flowchart for reporting suspected abuse

Further guidelines are made available on dealing with

allegations from a child: e.g. to reassure; listen carefully

6 and calmly; try not to repeat questions; do not promise

secrecy; take steps to ensure their safety; distinguish
between what the child actually said and your
interpretation; do not permit personal doubt to prevent
you from reporting

Guidance on dealing with allegations from a child that

ensure that the child is treated with respect

74 The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves

 Arrangements to provide supervision and support to those
affected during and following an allegation

1
7. RAMIFICATIONS OF MISCONDUCT

ELEMENTS OF POLICY

In the case of an allegation by a named individual from a

E D JUSTIFICATION
2
verifiable source, the accused individual to be suspended
(on full pay if relevant) the pending outcome of an
independent investigation

Outline disciplinary and other steps which may include

reporting to the police

Adverse determination from an investigation should be

3
open to challenge through an appeals process

The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves 75

 PRACTICAL EXERCISES: STAGE 3, SECTION 3.3
Exercise 11: The pros and cons of different approaches to
introducing a child protection policy in your
organisation
Aim To explore the pros and cons of different ways of introducing a child
protection policy into your organisation

Duration 15 minutes
1 Task Complete the table below to help you decide which approach or mixture of
approaches is best to adopt in order to introduce discussions around child
protection policies into your own organisation

2 Approach Pros Cons

Meeting facilitated by you for the
whole organisation to discuss the
elements of the policy

3
Representatives from each
level/group of the organisation
attend a meeting

4
Separate sessions are held with
different branches of the
organisation (e.g. social workers,
senior management, teachers) to
develop ownership
5
Meeting run by an external
facilitator versus an internal
meeting with no outsiders
present

6
Other (please specify)

76 The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves

FACILITATORS’ TIPS FOR STAGE 3, SECTION 3.3
Present Section 3.3, in the form of a powerpoint or using other methods (see powerpoint 9 on the
CD-Rom). Introduce Exercises 8, 9, 10 and 11 as part of the presentation.

The following pages can be photocopied as handouts for participants to take away with them:
• Handout of Section 3.3

Facilitators’ Tips for Exercise 8

 You may need to remind participants at this stage of the distinction between child protection in the
community work that the organisation does and child protection in the context of making their
organisation child safe. For example, although children’s families may be important stakeholders in
their work with children, for the purposes of an organisational child protection policy they are less
1
likely to be a key stakeholder.

 The mapping process should be flexible in that participants may decide that their central
stakeholders should be those whom it is most important to involve or those who are most difficult
to involve and therefore require a greater focus. Also it may be that there is not a clear hierarchy
and several stakeholders could be placed equally. Participants should be encouraged to represent
this type of scenario creatively.
2
Facilitators’ Tips for Exercise 9
 Stakeholder ranking can be done in various ways, this is just one approach suggested here.
Another option would be to use stickers - one colour for people with the most power; one colour
for the people who have the greatest ‘stake’ - i.e. Who will be affected most by the policy and
procedures? Which of these would you prioritise to be a key player in the development and
implementation of your child protection policy and procedures? 3
Facilitators’ Tips for Exercise 10
 To make the exercise more dynamic, any of the participants can be taken to one side quietly before
the exercise begins and asked to perform one of the following roles within their group:

You interrupt the discussion a lot and talk about non-related issues
4
You are against the child protection policies and procedures because you think it will
take up too much time and wouldn’t happen in your organisation, you stand up to
make your point of view very emphatically

You have useful opinions to contribute on both sides of the debate - i.e. you can see
both the pros and cons - but you do not offer these unless asked to contribute by the
facilitator
5
You are not paying attention and spend your time looking at papers you have brought
with you to the meeting / answering your mobile phone

You are keen to adopt child protection policies and procedures and can give useful
examples of some of the risks currently existing in the organisation 6
 The participant should not reveal to the others in the group that they are deliberately playing this
role. It should be kept a secret. During the feedback session, the facilitators of each group can be
asked if they had any problems with any particular people in their group. At this point, it can be
revealed that some of the participants had a secret identity! The aim of this is to give participants
practice in dealing with difficult / particular personality types when holding discussions around
child protection in their organisation.

The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves 77

 FACILITATORS’ TIPS FOR STAGE 3, SECTION 3.3
(EXERCISE 10 continued)

GROUP DISCUSSION FOLLOWING THE EXERCISE

 When participants first come back together to the plenary group it is important to reflect on the
experience of facilitation. If the facilitators can comment on their experience, particularly in handling
the difficult characters then participants can feed back on what constitutes good facilitation.

 In terms of feeding back the decisions about which elements of the policy should be essential and
which desirable: One option when the groups feed back to the plenary is for the facilitator to input
decisions on the Worksheets for Exercise 10 on a laptop / flipchart so that everyone can see the
1 document on the projector / wall. For difficult decisions, there could be a plenary group vote to see
if the group overall can agree to the final ideas / i.e. to come up with a plenary group ‘final’
consensus version of what should be included in a theoretical child protection policy. Plenary
feedback must give participants the opportunity to justify their decisions about what to include
and exclude from policies and to debate these decisions with others.

 In a training context, the facilitator needs to explain to the group very clearly that this consensus
version of a policy is only an example that the group have come up with for the purposes of this
2 training. It outlines how to develop policies. It does not represent a final version of a child protection
policy to take back and implement in participants’ own organisations. Point out that participants
must go through this consultative process themselves (involving all staff and children etc.) within
their own organisations.

 Remind participants of the foundation stones of a child rights-based approach, consultation ,

transparency, ownership, sensitivity and confidentiality (refer to pages x-x for a reminder) and refer
back to the diagram of the house (page x) to remind participants of the processes and stages
3 involved.

Facilitators’ Tips for Exercise 11

 The facilitator must point out the importance of the following principle: whichever option is chosen,
it is essential that everyone should have an equal input into discussions, regardless of which level
of the organisation they come from.

78 The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves

3.4 What does your organisation currently have in place?

Section Objectives
Upon completion of this section you will be able to:
1) Identify the extent to which the elements that you consider essential to child protection, and the elements you
consider desirable are already in place in your organisation in order to identify gaps: which elements are
documented in a written policy and which are being implemented in practice.

SELF-AUDIT OF YOUR ORGANISATION

Now that you have identified, through appropriate consultation, the elements that you think should be included in
your organisation’s child protection policy and procedures, it can be helpful to see what you already have in place.

It is important to distinguish what is understood as general practice and what it written down as guidelines, policies
1
or procedures. Where procedures are not written down there is a danger that practice will be inconsistent, non-
transparent and subject to misinterpretation. The organisation is also at risk of losing knowledge and expertise when
people leave the organisation.

To explore the existing practice and to identify gaps, it is recommended that you conduct an organisational self-audit
either by using Exercise 10, or by using the self-audit tool in Appendix 19.

Once you have identified gaps and areas that need strengthening, you will need to identify relevant actions and
2
timetable these into an action plan. See Stage 4 of this toolkit for how to implement policies and procedures.

Exercise 12, p80, ‘Self-audit exercise’, will help you to explore what elements of child protection policies and
procedures you already have in place in your organisation. 3

4
Stage 3 - Key Learning Review
You should now be familiar with the following topics:
1) The 7 elements which make up a child protection policy and procedures and understand why each of
them is important.
2) Clarification of essential and desirable parts of child protection policies and procedures.
3) How to facilitate participatory discussions and manage consensus about child protection within your
5
own organisation amongst different stakeholders.
4) How to conduct an organisational self-audit in relation to child protection policies and procedures.

The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves 79

 PRACTICAL EXERCISES: STAGE 3, SECTION 3.4
Exercise 12: Self-audit exercise
Aim To identify and draw attention to gaps between theoretical essential /
desirable elements of a policy and what organisations currently have in
place in order to emphasise the importance of having a policy which is
written down and implemented.

Duration 30 minutes
1 Task Working with the plenary group's (or your own) list of essential and desirable
inclusions in a policy, you will be asked to put a sticker on the elements that
your organisation already has included in your policy to get an idea of where
people are in terms of their own policies and procedures.

80 The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves

FACILITATORS’ TIPS FOR STAGE 3, SECTION 3.4
Present Section 3.4, in the form of a powerpoint or using other methods(see powerpoint 10 on the CD-
Rom). Introduce Exercise 12 as part of the presentation.

Facilitators’ Tips for Exercise 12

 Get each participant to put a sticker / post-it note by the elements that their organisation already
has included in their policy. [Please note: this can be used to see if there is consensus within
organisations / if all representatives have the same level of policy knowledge]

 The facilitator should ask participants to remove their sticker if this element does not exist in
written form. 1
 Of the stickers then left, (if the exercise is being done as a group) the facilitator then marks those
which are actually taking place / being implemented with a red star or other distinctive mark. [The
objective of this is to make it clear to participants how much / how little is actually in place, how
much is written down and how much is actually being implemented - in the light of the whole group
having agreed that child protection policies and procedures are very important in principle and
that certain things are essential and others desirable]. 2
In the context of a training session, the facilitator needs to reassure the group that this is not a
test / competition - just an overview to see what expertise is available in the room to make use of
so that we can learn from each other. Encourage participants to be open and honest. If necessary,
to facilitate the free exchange of honest information, you may also want to come to a mutual
agreement that nothing that is revealed about organisations’ policies and procedures is allowed
to be repeated outside the room. 3

The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves 81

STAGE 4
IMPLEMENTING CHILD PROTECTION
POLICIES AND PROCEDURES

Overview Stage 4 introduces the process for implementing child protection policies
and procedures. Now that you have an idea of what your policy and
procedures will consist of, you are in a position to take forward the
implementation process. At the end of this Module you will have the
opportunity to focus on practical responses to situations which might take
place in your organisation. This gives participants a chance to practice the
procedures that they have learned about through examining a case study
from Malawi and introducing a range of role plays.

5
6
4
Implement policies
and procedures

1 2
The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves 83
 Stage 4 - Implementing Child Protection Policies and
Procedures
This module is divided into the following 2 sections:
4.1) Putting policies and procedures into action
4.2) Child protection in practice - responding to situations

Objectives
Upon completion of this module you will be able to:
1 1) Possess the skills to develop an organisational action plan for implementing your organisation’s child
protection policy and procedures
2) Discuss a case study relating to an organisation’s response to child abuse within the organisation in
terms of what went well, what did not go well and relevant lessons learned
3) Practice role plays in responding to alleged incidences of abuse or concerns about children in your
organisation using the following support materials:

2 Additional material
Additional materials are available to support the information provided in the main text which can be used as
extra handouts if required:
APPENDICES
• Guidelines on recruitment - Appendix 9
• Recognising signs of abuse - Appendix 1
3 • Allegations from a child - listening to a child’s disclosure of abuse - Appendix 11
• Reporting and reaction protocol: recommended guidelines - Appendix 12
• Sample report form for suspected abuse - Appendix 13
• Ramifications of misconduct - Appendix 14
• Sample guidelines for child sponsorship - Appendix 22
POWERPOINTS
• For facilitators (on CD-Rom) if the toolkit is to be used in a training context
4

5 4.1 Putting policies and procedures into action

Section objectives
Upon completion of this section you will be able to:
1) Identify key tasks in the different stages of developing and implementing child protection policies and
procedures
6 2) Possess the skills to develop an action plan for implementation of your organisation’s child protection policies
and procedures

INTRODUCTION - RE-CAP
In Stage 3, we looked at facilitation skills and identified ways of involving different members of the organisation and
children in discussions around developing the 7 elements of a child protection policy and the corresponding
procedures. All stakeholders, including children should also be involved throughout the development of
organisational action plans and in agreeing priorities for implementation.

84 The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves

So far, we have covered Stages 1-3 in the table below. The checklist provided for each stage below will help guide
you through implementing each stage. This module focuses on Stage 4 which covers the implementation of your
child protection policy and procedures. The remaining stages 5 and 6, which will be covered in later modules, are
also included in the table.

IMPLEMENTATION CHECKLIST SO FAR

STAGE 1 INTRODUCING 1. Issue of child protection is raised and discussed in the organisation.
CHILD PROTECTION
2. All stakeholders understand the importance of implementing a child protection
policy and procedures.

3. Organisation makes a commitment / decides to develop a policy and

procedures.
1
STAGE 2 LAYING THE 1. One or more people in the organisation is/are given the responsibility to
FOUNDATION STONES coordinate / take a lead on child protection work.

2. This person / these people are oriented on the 6 foundation stones of: a child
rights-based approach, consultation, ownership, confidentiality, transparency
and sensitivity.
2
STAGE 3 DEVELOPING A 1. Policy is drafted in consultation with all relevant stakeholders taking the 6
POLICY & PROCEDURES foundation stones into account.

2. Policy is formally adopted at a management committee meeting or equivalent.

3. A written copy of the policy is distributed to all personnel involved with the
3
organisation including staff, interns, volunteers, trustees and other officers,
contractors and consultants (and - when occasion arises - other individuals on
project visits such as donors, researchers, sponsors and media).

4. Key elements of the policy are written in child friendly language / pictures and
distributed / made clearly visible to children in the organisation. Such key
elements might include behaviour guidelines (for adults to children and children
to children), guidelines on communication relating to children and guidelines on
4
how to report a concern relating to child protection.

5. All personnel involved with the organisation read the policy, have an opportunity
to ask questions to the child protection representative in the organisation. They
then sign a Statement of Commitment to the policy which is held on file in the
organisation until such time as that person ceases to have a relationship with
the organisation. 5
STAGE 4 IMPLEMENTING
THE POLICY AND
PROCEDURES

STAGE 5 DEALING WITH

OBSTACLES
6
STAGE 6 MONITORING
OF IMPLEMENTATION

The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves 85

 We are now in a position to focus on implementing child protection policies and procedures. The guide provided
below suggests priorities for implementation of a child protection policy and procedures according to the following
categories:

1. PERSONNEL AND CHILDREN - PAPERWORK

2. PERSONNEL AND CHILDREN - TRAINING / ORIENTATION
3. PERSONNEL - MANAGEMENT
4. RECRUITMENT OF NEW PERSONNEL
5. DISPLAYING INFORMATION.

SUGGESTED GUIDANCE LIST FOR PUTTING CHILD PROTECTION POLICIES AND PROCEDURES
INTO PRACTICE17

1 Please note that this list is intended for guidance only and should be adapted as appropriate according to the
circumstances of individual organisations and interpreted in a spirit of common sense.

IMPLEMENTING THE POLICY AND PROCEDURES

Based on the requirements laid out in the organisation’s policy, the designated Child Protection Officer /
representative takes responsibility for ensuring that the procedures outlined in the policy are implemented. For
example:

2 1. PERSONNEL AND CHILDREN - PAPERWORK

a) The Child Protection Officer establishes a filing system for child protection issues. This must include a locked
filing cabinet for storing confidential information to which only they / the absolute minimum number of
essential personnel have access.

b) All personnel sign a Statement of Commitment to the organisation’s policy which is held on file.

3 c) Police record disclosures are obtained for all relevant personnel as outlined in the organisation’s policy.

d) All relevant personnel sign a personal declaration stating any criminal convictions, including those considered
‘spent’. See Appendix 9. This information is to be kept strictly confidential. If any criminal convictions are
stated, it is the responsibility of the Child Protection Officer to determine whether or not they pose a threat to
child protection issues.

e) All relevant personnel provide the Child Protection Officer with 2 contacts for character referees which the

4 Child protection officer takes up, preferably by telephone in order to confirm the existence of the referee, and
stores confidentially. See Appendix 9.

f) When someone leaves an organisation, all confidential paperwork relating to them is destroyed (i.e. police
records, statement of criminal convictions etc.). It is not adequate just to throw away confidential paperwork.
This information must be shredded or burnt.

g) A secure filing system is established for all children’s case histories and personal information, accessible to the

5 minimum number of personnel who need to refer to such information.

2. PERSONNEL AND CHILDREN - TRAINING / ORIENTATION:

a) Conduct a training needs assessment for personnel associated with the organisation which identifies who
needs to be trained, what type of information they need to know, who will conduct the training, by when, and
the materials needed to conduct the training. See Appendix 10.

6 b) In consultation with stakeholders, establish a timetable for the training of personnel.

c) There are likely to be different types of training / orientation needed. For example:
I. Initial / basic awareness raising and training on the organisation’s child protection policy for existing
staff and associated personnel;
II. Initial / basic awareness raising and training on the organisation’s child protection policy for new staff
and associated personnel as and when they join the organisation;
III. General refresher training for personnel (perhaps once/twice a year) to remind personnel of procedures
in place and to update on any new developments;

17. Adapted from CSC - Stages of Implementation of Child Protection Policies and Procedures for UK member organizations, October 2004

86 The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves

 IV. Specialised briefings / training designed for particular audiences such as for those working in direct
contact with children on all aspects of child protection; communications, media and fundraising staff
who are not in contact with children, on the use of images and case studies etc.

d) Ensure that participants have plenty of opportunity to ask questions and discuss issues of concern as part of
the training. The trainer should know where they can go for advice if they need additional help in answering
these questions (e.g. leading local child rights organisations and networks or other institutions practising child
protection; see also the list of international resources at the end of this toolkit).

e) Where possible, get feedback from the participants on how the briefing / session went with suggestions for
future improvement.

f) Conduct appropriate orientation for children on the organisation’s child protection policies and procedures.
Involving children in developing the training/orientation session will ensure that it is more likely to be
appropriate and useful to other children. 1
3. PERSONNEL - MANAGEMENT:
a) Have a written procedure on what to do if a member of personnel is concerned about witnessed, reported or
potential child abuse. The procedure should include the contact details of the relevant person to contact
(especially a phone number) and an alternate contact, and it must be kept up to date and clearly displayed in
the organisation for easy reference.

b) Use annual staff reviews/appraisals as an opportunity to discuss child protection issues with staff: i.e. are they
2
happy with the level of training they have received? Would they know what to do if they witnessed an
incident of abuse? Are they comfortable with the organisation’s guidelines on the use of images and case
studies of children? If they had any queries regarding child protection during the year, were they dealt with
satisfactorily? Do they have any suggestions to make for improvements to the organisation’s policy and
procedures? Does their manager have recommendations that the staff member improve their understanding
/ practice on particular issues? etc.

c) Information management: have a clear procedure on information storage and sharing. Ask yourself:
3
• Who has access to files (hard copy or electronic) which contain confidential or sensitive information
about particular individuals in the organisation or particular children in the organisation’s projects?
• Do all of these people really need access to these files?
• Can you reduce the number of people who have access to such information?
• For those who do need access / who are authorised, are they aware about what constitutes proper
and improper use of personal information, case studies etc.?
• Are you keeping sensitive information for longer than is necessary?
• Is sensitive and confidential information kept in a locked filing cabinet?
4
• Who has access to the information on your computer(s)? Do you have a shared drive in the
organisation? If so, is this open access and if so, does it contain sensitive information?
• Where would you store information regarding an alleged incident of child abuse? With whom would
you share this information?

4. RECRUITMENT OF NEW PERSONNEL:

a) Ensure that the designated child protection officer is informed when a position becomes vacant in the
5
organisation so that they are able to input child protection advice from an early stage.

b) Advertisements for jobs should make it clear that the organisation has a child protection policy in place. See
Appendix 9.

c) Application packs should include a copy of the organisation’s child protection policy and should state that
employment with the organisation is contingent on commitment to the policy and may / will include police
reference and character reference checks. Applicants should be required to sign a statement of commitment
6
to the policy, sign a personal declaration of criminal convictions and provide contact details of 2 character
referees which should be returned with the application form. See Appendix 9. The declaration of
criminal convictions should be assessed by the designated child protection officer who will then make
recommendations to the interview panel if there is any concern. This information must be kept confidential
and destroyed immediately when the candidate has not been shortlisted / selected for the job.

The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves 87

 d) Candidates who do not conform with the child protection aspects of the application process should not be
shortlisted for interview.

e) The designated child protection officer should advise the interview panel of the child protection implications of
the interview process, making them aware of possible questions that could be asked and warning signs to
watch out for during the interview. See separate guidelines on the interview process in Appendix 9.

f) Job offers should be made subject to satisfactory reference checks which include information relating to child
protection (See Appendix 9) and, where applicable, a police check should be applied for as soon as possible
after the candidate has accepted the job offer.-The organisation should reserve the right to terminate the
employment contract should the police check reveal issues of concern in relation to child protection.

1 5. DISPLAYING INFORMATION:

a) The organisation’s Behaviour / Code of Conduct and Communication Guidelines are clearly displayed in the
organisation for easy reference by personnel.

b) Emergency and advice telephone numbers are clearly displayed in the organisation for easy reference by
personnel. These numbers should include the emergency services and others as appropriate.

2 c) The organisation’s Management Flowchart for Reporting Suspected Abuse - with named contacts and
telephone numbers - is clearly displayed in the organisation for easy reference by personnel. See Appendix
12 for an example of a Management Flowchart.

d) Child-friendly / illustrated versions of key elements of the child protection policy are clearly displayed and
accessible to children themselves. Such key elements might include behaviour and communication guidelines
and reporting and reaction procedures.

3 DEVELOPING AN ORGANISATIONAL ACTION PLAN

Introduction
The action plan which is shown overleaf in the form of a table is designed to include the actions you will take in the
introduction, development, implementation of an organisational child protection policy and procedures and also to
describe how you will monitor whether these actions have been implemented and ultimately to monitor the
effectiveness of your policy. In this part of the toolkit we will only be referring to the first 5 columns of the action

4 plan shown which will enable you to do the following:

• List the different actions to be taken
• Suggest who should take responsibility for these actions
• List who else should be involved in the process
• Assign a date/deadline by which the action must be completed
• Note any materials, methodology needed in order to implement each action.

5 In the Stage 6 module on Monitoring and Evaluation we will return to this action plan to complete the remaining
columns.

See Exercise 13, p91 - Developing an Organisational Action Plan in order to practice developing an action
plan.

88 The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves

Action By Who In Consultation By When Materials/ This section: To complete in Stage 6 - Monitoring and Evaluation
With Refer back Methodology
to stakeholder Who will check How will you Indicator How will you
mapping it’s been done? check it’s Evidence which improve the
Exercise 8 been done shows the action action / what will
effectively? has been done you do differently
next time?
Action By Who In Consultation By When Materials/ This section: To complete in Stage 6 - Monitoring and Evaluation
With Refer back Methodology
to stakeholder Who will check How will you Indicator How will you
mapping it’s been done? check it’s Evidence which improve the
Exercise 8 been done shows the action action / what will
effectively? has been done you do differently
next time?
PRACTICAL EXERCISES: STAGE 4, SECTION 4.1
Exercise 13: Developing an Organisational Action Plan
Aim To complete the first 5 columns of the Organisational Action Plan

Duration 25 mins

Task Refer to the Suggested Guidance List, page 86, for Stages 1-3 of
Introducing, Developing and Implementing Child Protection Policies and
Procedures and include any actions from this list and any others you may
have identified in the action plan table.
1

The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves 91

 FACILITATORS’ TIPS FOR STAGE 4, SECTION 4.1
Present Section 4.1, in the form of a powerpoint or using other methods (see powerpoint 11 on the
CD-Rom). Introduce Exercise 13 as part of the presentation.

The following pages can be photocopied as handouts for participants to take away with them:
• Handout of Section 4.1

Facilitators’ Tips for Exercise 13

 If each participant represents a different organisation, it will be more useful for them to develop

1 
action plans in relation to their individual organisations.

It does not matter if participants do not have time to finish their action plans: the main aim of the
exercise is to familiarise participants with the process and they can finish off their action plans in
their own time / in consultation with others in their organisation.

92 The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves

4.2 Child protection in practice - responding to situations
Section Objectives
Upon completion of this section you will be able to:
1) Identify the steps and appropriate behaviour and actions required in responding to alleged incidences of
abuse or concerns about children in your organisation.
2) Identify the challenges and lessons learned from a case study describing an incidence of abuse which took
place in an organisation in Malawi.

INTRODUCTION
In earlier parts of this toolkit we have examined the different elements of a child protection policy and procedures and
highlighted the need for reporting procedures to be developed for your organisation. You will also need to introduce
and adapt other materials into your organisation - if you do not already have these in place - to help guide you in
1
terms of taking appropriate actions in response to allegations or concerns relating to child abuse in your
organisation. You may be faced with situations in which you are unsure of how to act or where you require further
guidance - in addition to that detailed in your child protection policy and procedures.

RESPONDING TO SPECIFIC SITUATIONS

You need to think through what you will do if the following situations arise:
1) A child or a member of staff comes to you with an allegation or report of harm coming to a child - what would
you do?
2
2) You yourself witness an incident of abuse - what would you do?

Useful tips to guide your response:

1) Use your common sense, backed up by good child protection practice.

2) Always be guided by the best interests of the child - ensure the immediate physical and psychological
safety of the child.
3
3) If in doubt, ask the organisation’s Child Protection Officer for advice.

Refer to the response flowchart below for further guidance.

RESPONSE FLOWCHART
4
How serious is the incident?

Serious Not sure Not serious

5
Can I handle it myself?
Seek help and advice as • Have I handled something similar before?
soon as possible from the • Have I had training to handle something
Child Protection Officer like this?
• Do I feel comfortable handling this?

6
No Yes

Handle it then inform the

Child Protection Officer

The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves 93

 See Exercise 14, p95 - ‘Possible situations: responding to allegations or concerns.’ This exercise will help
you become familiar with how to respond to and report an allegation or concern in your organisation.

See Exercise 15, p97 - ‘Case study of an incidence of child abuse in an organsiation in Malawi.’
This case study is useful in terms of reflecting on the response taken by the organisation concerned and the
lessons learnt from their experience.

TAKING IT FURTHER - REPORTING OUTSIDE THE ORGANISATION18

1 STEP 1 - Conduct a mapping exercise

Organisations need to consider the local context in which they are working in terms of reacting to possible criminal
breaches and reporting incidents externally. This could be done by undertaking a mapping exercise to find out the
following basic information:
 domestic legislation in relation to child abuse and neglect
 age of consent (sexual consent and criminal consent - treatment of peer abusers)
 support systems which exist (e.g. medical, social and legal services)

2 This mapping should be more than theoretical. It should take into consideration how systems work in practice, and
should include actual engagement with external authorities such as visits to senior police officers to examine their
attitudes towards serious offences by adults and children, to understand what their response would be to a
particular case.

STEP 2 - Analyse pros and cons / conduct a risk assessment

Analysing the pros and cons / conducting a risk assessment (see section 1.3 for guidance) will give you a basis on
which to make informed decisions about the options available to proceed further and will enable you to analyse the
3 consequences of failing to respond. It is important to consider the pros and cons of external reporting. For example,
the need to secure criminal convictions of adults who abuse children needs to be weighed against involving a child in
a long and traumatic court case: this is another incidence of the best interests of many children being weighed up
against the best interests of an individual child. Difficult decisions may have to be made when the abuser is under 18
themselves. You may find it useful to conduct a risk assessment in relation to any proposed plan of action.

STEP 3 - Consider a longer term child protection strategy

A child rights-based approach emphasises the need to strengthen institutional mechanisms for the longer term
4 benefit of children in general. Therefore, your organisation might want to consider an advocacy strategy as part of a
more holistic programme response to child protection e.g. to improve police and judiciary responses to reported
abuse and sensitive treatment of survivors, and media campaigns to raise awareness of the need to challenge
cultures of impunity which perpetuate taboos and child abuse.

5
Stage 4 - Key Learning Review
You should now be familiar with the following topics:
6 1) Developing an organisational action plan for implementation of your organisation’s child protection
policy and procedures
2) How to respond to alleged incidences of abuse or concerns about children in your organisation
3) An actual case study and the lessons learned from it

18. Adapted from information from Save the Children UK.

94 The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves

PRACTICAL EXERCISES: STAGE 4, SECTION 4.2
Exercise 14: Possible Situations: responding to allegations
or concerns
Aim So that people feel confident that if something happened tomorrow, they
would know what to do. [For guidance on responding to a child’s
disclosure, refer to Appendix 11]

Duration Approx. 20 minutes

Task This role play can be acted out by the facilitators with input from the
participants about what actions they should take at each step. Further
1
examples of possible situations are given following the step-by-step
example. These can be discussed or acted out in small groups depending
on what approach the participants feel comfortable with.

Detailed example
1. ALLEGATION FROM A CHILD
2
Sunita and the Paint Brush

Situation: 10-yr-old Sunita (f) comes to see Mahua (f), one of the project teachers. She is very upset and
crying. You are Mahua. What should you do?

[Guidance on immediate response even prior to further information being available]

 If you are alone in the room, make sure the door is left open and/or that you are visible through
3
a window.
 Feel free to physically comfort her.

[Process of finding out what happened]

 Ask her what the matter is. Be gentle and reassuring. Tell her that she can tell you anything. That



if she wants to tell you, then you can help her to solve the problem.
You coax her with questions such as ‘what happened next?’ 4
Do not repeat the same question.

Sunita says that she has just been in the art room with Radikha, the art teacher (f). She says that she spilled
some blue paint and that Radhika got very angry, shouted at her that she was stupid and useless. Radikha
then threw a paintbrush at her head. Sunita started crying. Radikha told her to stop making such a fuss and
to clear up the paint. Sunita cleared up the paint and was then told by Radikha to ‘get out’.
Sunita then came straight to you, Mahua. 5
[Your response]
 Tell her that she was right to tell you. That she is very brave.
 Ask her if she is in pain / if her head still hurts [it does].
 Check the seriousness of the injury. [Slight bump but no blood].
 Ask her if she wants to see the nurse / if she wants to go and lie down / if she wants one of her


friends to accompany her. [She wants to lie down and she wants her friend to be with her].
Tell her what you will do next: that you will report the incident to Anjana (the Child Protection
Officer) because Anjana knows what to do and that she is the person that everybody reports
6
these things to / that she is very good at solving problems. Tell Sunita that you will let her know
what happens next.
 Take her to find her friend and get the friend to sit with her. Inform the relevant members of care
staff (e.g. housemother / duty social worker) that Sunita is not feeling very well (do not give the
reason why and ask them not to press her for information). [N.B. do not leave Sunita alone and
take particular care that she avoid contact with Radikha].
 Go immediately to Anjana (the Child Protection Officer). [You may want to fill out an incident

The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves 95

 report sheet first to make sure that you remember the facts as accurately as possible or you
might wait until after you have spoken to Anjana].
 Repeat what Sunita told you as accurately as possible. Do not embellish the facts or make
assumptions about what happened. Report exactly what actions you took - i.e. that you gave
her a hug and stroked her hair to comfort her etc. and that you told Sunita that you would let
her know what happens next.
 Anjana thanks you for reporting the incident, satisfies herself that Sunita is safe and being looked
after and that she doesn’t need to ask Sunita any further questions. She asks you to keep the
information confidential. [If you haven’t yet completed the report form, she asks you to do so
straight away]. She explains that she will talk to Radikha as soon as possible - not mentioning
your (Mahua’s) name - and will let you know the outcome. She explains that if you happen to
meet Radhika, not to mention the incident.

1  Anjana finds Radhika, makes sure that she is separated from contact with children, speaks to
her in private, gets her side of the story, including any mitigating circumstances / background,
talks through the consequences with Radhika, then recommends a course of action to the
Director. Possible courses of action might include: being suspended / given time off for the rest
of the week; Radikha promises to see a counsellor about anger management; she is allowed
back under supervision for a specified period of time; a written warning is placed in her
personnel file; she makes an apology to Sunita (with Sunita’s consent).

2 Other possible situations for group discussion or pair work:

1. A 13-year-old boy is in the sick bay with suspected malaria and you (one of the nurses (m)) see
another nurse (m) touching the child in the genital area under his clothing. What do you do?
2. You are supervising a recreational activity outdoors and you see a tall girl pushing and being very
rough with a small boy. What do you do?
3. You are running a session on self-esteem and you are asking the children (a group of girls aged

3 12-15) to draw pictures representing their self-image. You have noticed for a couple of weeks
that one of the girls (aged 13) has been much quieter than usual. She will not take part in
discussions and does not make eye contact with you or the other girls. You are concerned
about the picture that she draws of herself. The picture shows a football game going on and
she is standing to one side of the game, crying whilst one of the football players is coming
towards her in a menacing fashion. What do you do?
4. You are the Child Protection Officer for the organisation. One of the staff members comes to
you upset and concerned. She says that one of the boys from the project has complained to
4 his house mother that he didn’t like the way an overseas project consultant took him to one side
last week, was asking him very personal questions and took photos of him even though he was
not comfortable with this. What do you do?
5. A 10-year-old girl in your literacy class has recently been in more trouble than usual. Although
she has always been a bit difficult and attention-seeking, she has started bullying some of the
other girls which she never used to do. One day she comes up to you after class and eventually
asks you if it is good to keep secrets. She looks confused and unhappy. It seems as if she
wants to tell you more but she becomes very shy when you start asking her questions and she
5 runs out of the room. What do you do?
6. You are the Director of your organisation. The Child Protection Officer (CPO) comes to you one
day to report an incident that has occurred earlier that day: one of the teachers allegedly threw
a paintbrush at a 10-year-old girl, hurting her on the head and shouting at her, calling her
useless etc. The CPO explains the action taken so far and recommends that the teacher be
suspended for one week, that she undertakes counselling on anger management and that
(with the permission of the girl herself), she apologises to the girl. The CPO asks for your advice

6 on what action should be taken. What do you do?

7. You are the Director of your organisation. You receive an anonymous email claiming that
you have been abusing young girls in your project. You ignore it, knowing it not to be true.
However, the following day, you receive a very concerned email from your UK-based partner
saying that they have received similar claims and demanding a response. What do you do?

96 The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves

PRACTICAL EXERCISES: STAGE 4, SECTION 4.2
Exercise 15: CASE STUDY: (Chisomo, Malawi) The Truth at
any Cost 19
Task Read and discuss the following case study in groups and respond to the
following questions:
1) What went well?
2) What did not go well?
3) Lessons learned?
4) What if anything would you do differently next time? 1
[It should be noted that this case study involves a situation of abuse by a
foreign paedophile. However, the majority of cases of child abuse are at
the hands of local staff and peers. We recommend supplementing or
substituting this case study with others which are more locally relevant.]20

19. Courtesy of Cathy James, Chisomo, Malawi

20. In spite of extensive research and consultation with organisations from around the world, it was not possible to find documented examples of
local case studies of child abuse within organisations. However, cases involving international paedophiles often result in high profile media coverage.
Further similar cases are included in Appendix 21.

The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves 97

 (Chisomo, Malawi) THE TRUTH AT ANY COST
On January 22nd 2002, Blantyre Magistrates Court came forward to speak about the abuse he had
in Malawi, Southern Africa, convicted a British witnessed. As Chisomo started to make enquiries,
teacher, Richard Hayles, on three charges of rumours reached Hayles’ school, and Chisomo
indecent practices and sodomy against vulnerable heard that Hayles was making a sudden and
boys, some of whom had been on the street. It unscheduled departure for England. They alerted
sentenced him to 5 years imprisonment with hard the Police who arrested him as he was about to
labour. Chisomo Children’s Club, an organisation board the plane. The next day, he was released
working to bring long-term change in the lives of on bail.
children on the streets of Malawi, persuaded Police
to intervene and to arrest Hayles at the airport Police investigating the case asked Chisomo to
1 as he was making a hurried exit from the country.
In a dramatic case involving allegations of bribery,
help them find some of the other boys living in
the house, a few of whom Chisomo had worked
Chisomo worked tirelessly with the Police to with before. Following advice from the lawyer on
uncover the truth, secure justice for the abused Chisomo’s board, staff worked alongside the Police,
and send a clear message to the nation that providing transport when needed and tracing the
vulnerable children need our protection. As one boys. They contacted a British doctor in Malawi
national paper editorial proclaimed at the time: with experience in sexual abuse cases, to examine

2 “The case, brought to the attention of the Police

by Chisomo Children’s Club....should serve to
the most recently abused boy. Hayles was charged
with 4 cases of sodomy and 2 of indecent practices
against the boys, one as young as 8 years old.
put other social workers on the alert, to watch When the case came to court, 2 young para-legals
out for people ready to take advantage of (secondary-school graduates trained for basic
vulnerable youngsters....All too often society legal work in the community) represented the
tends to be indifferent” prosecution. They were up against one of the most
experienced defence lawyers in the country.
3 Hayles, a 53 year old teacher working at an
international school in Blantyre, first drew
Amidst alleged bribery by the defendant, 2 of the
boys changed their stories. The defence rested on
Chisomo’s attention when he took Chiku 21, a counter-accusations that Chisomo had bribed the
12 year-old boy with no father and a sick mother, boys to testify, even bringing a witness to claim that
to live with him. Chisomo had met Chiku on the she had seen a Chisomo official threatening one of
streets in 1999 and helped him back to school the boys at his home in the middle of the night.
where he was very successful, always achieving The court dropped 3 charges for lack of evidence

4 first or second place in class. Chisomo also

helped him and his mother to start a small income
generating activity to provide for their basic needs.
but convicted Hayles on the other 3, sentencing
him to 5 years, 5 years and 2 years imprisonment
to run concurrently. Hayles appealed first to the
Chiku did so well that Chisomo chose him to fly to High Court and then the Supreme Court of Malawi.
Algeria with UNICEF in 2000 to represent Malawi Both courts upheld every detail of the original
in the Day of the African child. judgment and sentence. When Hayles went to
prison, Chiku said:
When Hayles took Chiku, Chisomo rang Hayles to
5 arrange a visit. Hayles refused to allow staff to visit
him, but eventually agreed to come to the office.
“Chisomo came to rescue us from that hell. I
have discovered that we were blinded by money.
He claimed that he was just a ‘Good Samaritan’. I am ready to speak the truth at any cost and I
He had up to 9 boys living with him at any one time. will fight for other young men”
Chisomo reported the case to Social Welfare but no
action was taken. The case concluded, however, with an unexpected
twist. In 2003, Hayles’ cousin from Canada, who

6 Chiku started to fail at school and then dropped

out. His family also suffered without him. When
had not seen him for 15 years, heard about his
imprisonment, cashed in her life insurance and
Chisomo staff met him again in 2001, they were came to Malawi to investigate what she assumed
shocked by the change in the once sunny, articulate must be a wrong conviction. While she was in the
and confident child. His shoulders drooped, he no country, Malawi President Muluzi declared a pardon
longer smiled and he showed no interest in school for Hayles without giving any reasons. Hayles was
or in his future. The reason for this only became deported to England after serving just over a year
clear when another child living in Hayles’ house of his sentence amidst outcry from the media and
21. The names of the children in this case have been changed to ensure
confidentiality

98 The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves

 non-government sector. Front-page headlines forward, completing his Primary schooling and
screamed “NGOs query Muluzi’s pardon” and running a successful shoe-shining business.
accused Muluzi of sending wrong signals and Chiku has completed his chosen apprenticeship in
giving the impression that the law favoured hair-cutting, has not really settled to work or school.
foreigners. They called on British and Malawian Chisomo does not give up on them, knowing the
governments to do something for the victims. multiple effects of the abuse they suffered continue
The boys involved felt immense pain and anger to affect them but encouraging them to go on.
to add to the abuse they had already suffered.
Chisomo helped them raise their cry. To the For Chisomo this key case also brought
media, Chiku said: learning:
• Fighting for justice is tough and involves
“It’s like the sodomite never offended anyone
and it’s us who offended society. We feel
rejected...”
commitment, perseverance and maturity
• It is important to take legal advice both to help
further the case, but also to make sure you
1
provide as much protection for your own
Chisomo also contacted the British Embassy, who organisation and staff
promised a response that never came; and liaised • The media can be a powerful tool for spreading
with child protection agencies and other partners in key protection messages at the time of a court
the UK to find out how Hayles could be prevented case. It is helpful if the children themselves can
from getting another job in a school. No one found
a way.
be given a voice
• Networking with other civil society organisations
2
and children’s groups can provide support both
The case was the second sexual abuse case that in terms of advocacy messages, but also for
Chisomo was involved with, but it caused uproar your organisation
because of Hayles’ British nationality. To date, • When unauthorised people are caring for
Chisomo has helped to secure convictions in 5 vulnerable children, we need to be more
cases involving sexual abuse to street children.
Before that, no one had ever brought a case of
aggressive in persuading relevant authorities
to follow up and take action 3
abuse in Malawi involving children on the street. • Abuse results in long-term damage to the
They were a forgotten and marginalized group. children. It calls for very experienced staff to
work with them and much shared experience
The case helped Chisomo to expose the and learning from other organisations. We
vulnerability of children, especially those without need to keep developing more approaches
the proper protection of their families. It also
brought belief in the Public and in the children
themselves that there could be justice for them -
for counselling, supporting and protecting
abused children
• Chisomo’s success in this and other cases
4
a belief later undermined by the President’s action. was, in part, because it had already established
For the children involved, however, there were and good relationships with the Police and other
are no quick solutions. Chisomo helped those who government and non-government organisations,
were willing to access professional counselling, and and was clear that justice and helping children
supported them in schooling and apprenticeships. access their rights was a key part of its mission
Chiku is still struggling. His friend, Dalitso, who
testified with him, has taken some major steps
and mandate.
5

The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves 99

 FACILITATORS’ TIPS FOR STAGE 4, SECTION 4.1
Present Section 4.2, in the form of a powerpoint or using other methods (see powerpoint 12 on the
CD-Rom). Introduce Exercise 14 as part of the presentation.

The following pages can be photocopied as handouts for participants to take away with them:
• Handout of Section 4.2

Facilitators’ Tips for Exercise 14

 The first detailed situation can be presented as a “drama” demonstration/ participatory “talk

1 through” by the facilitators, or if only one facilitator is available, with different participants
playing different roles in a case study situation. The aim is to identify appropriate actions
and the correct sequence of actions.

Facilitators need to be sensitive to the wishes of the group. There may be occasions
where participants are uncomfortable with the idea of role plays, in particular for some
of the possible situations described in the exercise. In this case, the situations can be
discussed in small groups to identify the appropriate sequence of actions to take in

2 response. If participants are comfortable with role plays, volunteers from among the
participants could be asked to perform some of the scenarios as role plays with others
commenting on whether they have made the right decisions, prioritised actions
appropriately etc.

Facilitators’ Tips for Exercise 15

3  If you decide to use this case study rather than a local example, please note that we have
deliberately left a lot of detail in this case study in order to give context to the issue. However
facilitators could cut this down if they feel it is too long or alternatively, participants could be asked
to undertake this exercise in their own time.

The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves 100
STAGE 5
DEALING WITH OBSTACLES
AND CHALLENGES

Overview In stages 1-4 we have covered the steps involved in introducing child
protection, the organisational foundations required, the development of a
child protection policy and procedures and the implementation of these
policies and procedures. We have therefore completed the construction of
the house. However, it now needs to be protected against ‘bad weather’ /
obstacles and challenges.

You may encounter obstacles and challenges at any of the 6 stages

outlined in this Toolkit, but you will be in a better position to identify these
and respond to them now that you are clear as to what is involved in each
of the previous stages. Stage 5 of this toolkit therefore focuses on identifying
and responding to obstacles and challenges to the development and
implementation of child protection policies and procedures.

5
Dealing with obstacles
6
4

1 2
The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves 101
 Stage 5 - Dealing with obstacles and challenges
Objectives
Upon completion of this module you will be able to:
1) Identify possible obstacles and challenges to implementing child protection policies and
procedures in your organisation.
2) Identify strategies or steps you can take to overcome these obstacles and challenges (internal and
external).

1 Additional material
Additional materials are available to support the information provided in the main text as additional handouts:
APPENDICES
 Examples of obstacles and solutions to implementing child protection policies and procedures from CSC
members workshop, October 2003 - Appendix 18
POWERPOINTS

2  For facilitators (on CD-Rom) if the toolkit is to be used in a training context

3 Introduction
Common obstacles which may be experienced by organisations in relation to implementing child protection policies
and procedures which we will look at in more detail are 22:
 Fear
 Denial
4 


Lack of resources
Complacency
 Entrenched culture

Other obstacles may relate to corruption in organisations, organisational hierarchy- engaging the whole organisation
rather than just a few individuals, child protection issues being seen as another layer of bureaucracy, cultural taboos
and people feeling insulted etc. (See Appendix 18 for further examples of possible obstacles and solutions).
5

22. [adapted from Choose with Care - A Handbook to Build Safer Organisations for Children, Bernadette McMenamin, Paula Fitzgerald, ECPAT
Australia, 2001

102 The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves
COMMON OBSTACLES

LACK OF ENTRENCHED
FEAR DENIAL COMPLACENCY
RESOURCES CULTURE

Example • Of discouraging • Provides the • Financial and • Based on lack • ‘Occurs

volunteers perfect human resources of understanding of particularly in older
environment for the nature of abuse organisations or
• Of having to deal abuse to flourish • Reliance on organisations
with child abuse volunteerism • Lack of managed by one
• Is disempowering commitment to the or two long-term
• Of casting and dangerous • Lack of time to organisation / workers’
suspicion dedicate to programme

• Of creating more
work &
developing and
sustaining policies • A sense that child
abuse happens
• Can create the
illusion that
everything in the
1
bureaucracy elsewhere organisation is
controlled and
• Of loss of trust and ‘known’ inside
spontaneity of staff and out: “In fact,
denial and
complacency
can flourish in this
environment” 2
• Challenge to
‘deconstruct old
and outdated
organisational
habits without
losing the
uniqueness of
the programme’ 3
Best • Knowledge and • Acknowledge that • People are • Re-focus people’s • Review of
Antidote participation child abuse can informed and attention on the programmes;
and does occur; involved, and aims of the networking with
• Stress the learn about how understand that organisation (e.g. similar groups
benefits of child and why it occurs; ‘creating and for the benefit of for new and
protection policies
& procedures
take decisive steps
towards an open
environment
maintaining a
child safe
environment must
children) and ask:
“If safety and well-
being of children
fresh ideas on
programme
management.
4
be at the centre are not at the
of the organisation’s centre of the
activity’ organisation’s
programme /
• That policies and activities, then
procedures make why not?”
sense, are easy to
follow and are
kept up-to-date
5

The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves 103
 DEALING WITH BARRIERS

1) Identify them & bring them out into the open

2) Brainstorm ideas of how barriers can be removed or managed
3) Try not to view barriers as a disadvantage, but rather as a natural part of the process of change and review
4) Work openly and sensitively, allowing views and concerns to be raised

One way of identifying and responding to barriers is shown through the diagram below which represents a
process which you can undertake. This process is also explored in practice in Exercise 16 overleaf
‘Identifying obstacles and solutions’

1
DEALING WITH BARRIERS

Solutions
Vision /Goal

3
Obstacles

Steps forward and back

104 The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves
PRACTICAL EXERCISES STAGE 5, SECTION 5.1
Exercise 16: Identifying obstacles and solutions
Aim To identify obstacles that are relevant to your organisational context and
brainstorm solutions to these obstacles

Duration 40 minutes

Task Divide into groups and identify problems / challenges / obstacles and
solutions using the footsteps exercise (see diagram on the previous page).
Draw these on flip-chart paper:
1
STEP 1 Identify your vision (represented by the sun).

STEP 2 Identify what progress you are making towards your vision (these
are your footsteps forwards.)
2
STEP 3 Identify obstacles that are blocking you from your vision (these
are represented by bricks forming a wall).

STEP 4 See if any of the obstacles can be taken away/ if any of the bricks
can be moved (possible solutions). For those obstacles/bricks
which cannot be removed, identify other ways in which you can
get round or over them (ladder).
3

The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves 105
 FACILITATORS’ TIPS FOR STAGE 5
Present Stage 5, in the form of a powerpoint or using other methods (see powerpoint 13 on the CD-Rom).
Introduce Exercise 16 as part of the presentation.

The following pages can be photocopied as handouts for participants to take away with them:
• Handout of Stage 5

Facilitators’ Tips for Exercise 16

 Set the scene by telling participants that they are going to go on an imaginary journey towards the
sun / towards a brighter future for child protection in their organisation. Describe the task in terms
1 of a journey.

 This exercise could also be organised so that different groups focus on the 7 different areas of the
policy and any obstacles in relation to these areas. In a second stage, participants could be asked
to widen their discussions to include the overarching obstacles such as those discussed above.

 Be sure to allow enough time for this exercise as it is likely to raise many concerns which might not
previously have been expressed.
2  Be prepared to openly acknowledge obstacles and concerns that people have. Be honest in
admitting that sometimes, it will not be easy to overcome some obstacles. Encourage discussion
within the wider group to stimulate ideas to overcome obstacles and try to provide as much
guidance as possible. At the end of the exercise, be sure to emphasise that the positive aspects
of child protection / the ‘vision’ (building a child-safe organisation) outweigh the possible obstacles
that might be encountered along the way.

3  Depending on local cultural circumstances, participants can actually draw around their own feet in
order to show steps forward and backwards!

 This exercise works equally well with adults and children and is a more interesting and more visual
version of the common ‘Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats / Constraints’ exercise
(SWOC / SWOT). However, a simple SWOC / SWOT brainstorm can be used instead.

 Participants should be encouraged to display their pictures on the wall afterwards and to feed back

4 to the plenary group.

106 The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves
STAGE 6
MONITORING AND EVALUATING
CHILD PROTECTION POLICIES
AND PROCEDURES
Overview In stages 1-5 we have learnt how to introduce, develop and implement child
protection policies and procedures and to confront challenges and obstacles.

Once we have built the house we need to ensure it is properly maintained

and does not fall into a state of disrepair. It may require further work and
modification. This represents the need to monitor and evaluate your
organisational child protection policies and procedures.

Stage 6 introduces the concepts of monitoring and evaluation from scratch.

It is not necessary to have previous knowledge of developing monitoring
and evaluation systems. The process of checking, known as monitoring,
is an important aspect of ensuring that your child protection policies and
procedures really work effectively. Based on the information you collect in
your monitoring activities, you need to be able to decide whether you can
improve or revise your policies and procedures so that your organisation
remains a child-safe organisation.

5
6
Monitor and evaluate
4

1 2

The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves 107
 Stage 6 - Monitoring and evaluating child protection
policies and procedures
Objectives
Upon completion of this module you will be able to:
1) Define the following terms: monitoring, evaluation, indicators
2) Understand the importance of participatory monitoring and evaluation
3) Develop the monitoring section of your organisational action plan

Additional material
1 Additional materials are available to support the information provided in the main text as additional handouts:
APPENDICES
 Participation of children in developing, implementing and monitoring child protection policies and
procedures - Appendix 2
 Tips for overall impact assessment in monitoring and evaluation - Appendix 15
 Sample of a detailed monitoring and evaluation framework for child protection policies and procedures -

2 Appendix 16
POWERPOINTS
 For facilitators (on CD-Rom) if the toolkit is to be used in a training context

3
Definitions
Monitoring
4 This is the systematic and continuous collection and analysis of information about the progress of a piece of work
over time.
This process identifies a project’s strengths and weaknesses, and helps to provide an understanding of the
reasons for these, so that decisions can be made to resolve any limitations. The main elements of monitoring are
project inputs, performance and progress.

5 A good monitoring system should include both process monitoring and impact monitoring:

A. Process Monitoring, for:

 Reviewing and planning work on a regular basis
 Assessing whether activities are carried out as planned
 Identifying and dealing with problems as they arise

6 E.g.
 Checking to see that personnel records are up-to-date, that job descriptions for new positions include
reference to child protection etc.
 Checking to see that training has been undertaken according to schedule.
 What constitutes appropriate forms of discipline is discussed and clarified.
 Regular meetings with personnel and children include the opportunity to discuss child protection thus
providing an opportunity for all personnel and children to raise problems and to document action that needs
to be taken by the Child Protection Officer or others in order to resolve the problem.

108 The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves
B. Impact Monitoring, for:
 Measuring progress towards meeting objectives
 Identifying need to change objectives (not relevant in this case as the objectives will always remain constant:
to protect children in your care)
 Changing work in response to shifting circumstances without altering overall direction.

E.g.
 Assessing the effectiveness of your child protection policy and procedures in terms of working towards a
child-safe organisation / identifying changes that your child protection policy and procedures have brought
about for children in your care.
 Adapting your policy and procedures to make sure that all children are protected at all times, even if your
programme / work shifts into a new area such as child sponsorship, starting up a fostering / adoption
scheme, opening up a residential shelter, working with new groups of children (e.g. sexually abused and
exploited children, children with disabilities, children who have been involved in conflict situations.)
1
When planning and undertaking monitoring, it is often easy to overlook impact monitoring at the expense of process
monitoring.

Other terms
Other terms which are frequently used in the context of monitoring and evaluation (M&E): 2
Review
This is the assessment at one point in time of the progress of a piece of work or a particular aspect of a piece of
work. Reviews can be extensive or in-depth, formal or informal and can be carried out internally or externally.

3
Evaluation
Aims to establish the outcome of the programme/project in relation to its stated objectives and expected impact.
This is usually seen as an external activity carried out at the mid-term point or at the end of a project, but it also
includes on-going evaluation built into the project and self-evaluation by partners. Evaluations usually include
examination of the project design (objectives and plan), implementation (inputs and outputs) and results
(outcomes/impacts) (Barton 1997)
4
There is a considerable amount of overlap in these processes and sometimes the phrases are used by different
individuals and agencies to mean slightly different things. Sometimes, monitoring, evaluation and taking action to
correct a situation may take place almost simultaneously.

Indicators
Indicators are the basis for measuring that progress is being achieved with regard to the implementation of your
5
programme or initiative. You need to decide on a set of indicators that are ‘objectively verifiable’ (i.e. that more
than one observer would come to the same conclusion regarding progress/or not).

Examples of Indicators:
1) What would be a good indicator to check whether job applicants for vacancies are informed about the
organisation’s child protection policy? 6
• Existence of child protection policy is mentioned in the job advertisement; the child protection policy is sent
out with job descriptions; applicant information includes a self-declaration of criminal convictions etc.
2) What would be a good indicator to check the overall progress of the organisation towards becoming ‘child-safe’?
• Children report feeling ‘safe’ as measured by a specially designed questionnaire; all staff demonstrate good
knowledge of behaviour guidelines, who to report to in case of an incident; staff can identify improvements
that have taken place in relation to child safety since implementation of the policy etc.

The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves 109
 DEVELOPING A PARTICIPATORY MONITORING FRAMEWORK
For participatory M&E (PM&E) to be successful, inclusive approaches need to be planned from the outset. PM&E
differs from more conventional approaches to monitoring and evaluation in that it seeks to engage key project
stakeholders more actively in reflecting and assessing the progress of the project and in particular the achievement
of results. In contrast, conventional M&E is often judgmental with outsiders determining the state of a project and
proposing recommendations from an outsider’s perspective.

Stakeholders should be involved in selecting indicators to measure change, defining what will be evaluated, who will
be involved, when it will take place, the participatory methods for collecting information, analysis to be used etc.

Remember to involve
children in M & E,

1 See Appendix 2

2 Developing a PM&E framework for your child protection policy and procedures
In order to develop your monitoring framework for your organisation’s child protection policy, it may be helpful to
consider the following questions:
1) What exactly do you need to know to be able to monitor the different elements of your child protection policy
and procedures?
2) What are the indicators which show you what it is you need to know?
3 3) When should this monitoring be conducted - i.e. how often?
4) How should this monitoring be done? (What techniques, data analysis/ review)?
5) Who will facilitate / take the lead on the monitoring of the different components? And who will this person be
held accountable to?
6) How will you involve stakeholders in this monitoring process (discussion on what you need to know,
participation in indicator design, involvement in taking responsibility for monitoring activities)?
7) Who has authority to react to / act on the information collected?

4
To develop an M&E framework according to the guidance given here, see Exercise 17, p112 - Building M&E
into the organisational action plan. See the tips below for practical guidance on monitoring.

TIPS FOR MONITORING

5 1) Keep personnel paperwork records up to date.
2) Keep a log of training / briefing sessions held with names, dates, content of training and suggestions for
improvement of future sessions.
3) Keep a log of queries that are received by the Child Protection Officer in relation to child protection issues,
including information on who made the query, date, nature of the query, how the query was dealt with, who
else was informed (if relevant) and any follow-up actions needed. This information can be used to improve
training sessions / develop ‘frequently asked questions’ (FAQ) sheets etc.
4) Use annual staff reviews as an opportunity to discuss child protection issues with staff (see section above on
6 Personnel Management for more details).
5) Child protection can be included as an agenda item in regular staff and management meetings (for example
every week, month, 3 months or 6 months, depending on the nature of the organisation).

In addition to process M&E, to be fully effective, your M&E strategy should include some impact M&E. See
Appendix 15 for examples of questions to assess the overall impact of your child protection policy and procedures
within your organisation. For a sample of a more detailed M&E framework, assessing both process and impact, see
Appendix 16.

110 The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves
Stage 6 - Key Learning Review
You should now be familiar with the following topics:
1) The definition of the following terms: monitoring, evaluation, indicators
2) The importance of participatory M&E
3) How to develop the monitoring section of your organisational action plan
1

The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves 111
 PRACTICAL EXERCISES: STAGE 6
Exercise 17: Building monitoring and evaluation into the
organisational action plan
Aim To complete the columns of the organisational action plan relating to
monitoring and evaluation

Duration 40 minutes

1 Task Return to the organisational action plan from page 89 and Exercise 13.
Complete the next 3 columns in relation to the actions you have already
identified23:
1) Who will check it’s been done?
2) How will you check it’s been done effectively?
3) Indicator (evidence which shows the action has been done)

2 Think of ways to make sure that this M&E is as participatory as possible.

The type of M&E in these columns is likely to be ‘process M&E.’

23. The last column (How will you improve the action / what will you do differently next time?) is where you need to record the lessons learned from
the monitoring process as you go along.

112 The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves
FACILITATORS’ TIPS FOR STAGE 6
Present Stage 6, in the form of a powerpoint or using other methods (see powerpoint 14 on the CD-Rom).
Introduce Exercise 17 as part of the presentation.

The following pages can be photocopied as handouts for participants to take away with them:
• Handout of Stage 6

Facilitators’ Tips for Exercise 17

 The completed Oragnisational Action Plans could be displayed on the walls so that participants can
see plans developed by each other.

 Be prepared to assist groups / individuals with examples for indicators (this is often the most
challenging aspect of M&E.

 Make it clear to participants that this action plan / M&E plan does not necessarily represent the
organisation’s final plan: the aim of this exercise is to demonstrate how to develop an M&E plan.
The actual plan for an organisation will involve much broader consultation within an organisation.

The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves 113
APPENDICES

APPENDIX 1: Recognising signs of abuse P116

APPENDIX 2: Participation of children in developing, implementing and monitoring
child protection policies and procedures P118
APPENDIX 3: Dealing with sensitivities about child abuse P123
APPENDIX 4: Examples of behaviour guidelines P124
APPENDIX 5: Alternative forms of discipline P127
APPENDIX 6: Anti-bullying policy, ChildHope P134
APPENDIX 7: Examples of guidelines on communications about children P138
APPENDIX 8: Participatory facilitation P141
APPENDIX 9: Guidelines on recruitment P144
APPENDIX 10: Education and training (Training Needs Analysis Worksheet) P147
APPENDIX 11: Allegations from a child – listening to a child’s disclosure of abuse P149
APPENDIX 12: Reporting and reaction protocol: Recommended guidelines P150
APPENDIX 13: Sample report form for suspected abuse P152
APPENDIX 14: Ramifications of misconduct P154
APPENDIX 15: Tips for overall impact assessment in monitoring and evaluation P155
APPENDIX 16: Sample of a detailed monitoring and evaluation framework for
child protection policies and procedures P157
APPENDIX 17: Statement of commitment P158
APPENDIX 18: Examples of obstacles and solutions to implementing child protection policies and
procedures from CSC members workshop, October 2003 P159
APPENDIX 19: ChildHope self-audit tool P162
APPENDIX 20: Child protection for disabled children P166
APPENDIX 21: Child abuse case studies – newspaper articles P170
APPENDIX 22: Sample guidelines for child sponsorship P174
APPENDIX 23: Selected articles from the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child P176
APPENDIX 24: Core child protection principles and values P178
APPENDIX 25: Child protection – children’s drawing used in Exercise 4 P179
APPENDIX 26: 3-Day training schedule for training course on developing and implementing
child protection policies and procedures P181
APPENDIX 27: Quiz for use in training course P184
APPENDIX 28: Course evaluation form P185
APPENDIX 29: ‘Snakes and ladders’ game P187
APPENDIX 30: References / further reading P189

The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves 115
APPENDIX 1: Recognising signs of abuse1
“Recognising indications of potential abuse is complex and there is no simple checklist to allow easy recognition.”2
“There are potential warning signs that [you] can be alert to but they should be observed and assessed with care.”3
“It should not be automatically assumed that abuse is occurring, and talking to the child may reveal something quite
innocent. It is important, however, not to dismiss significant changes in behaviour, fears, worries, and physical
indicators a child is exhibiting. [...] Do not ignore these signs, but remember it is not your role to become an
investigator.”4 Report any concerns to the designated child protection contact in your organisation.

Possible signs of physical abuse5: Possible signs of neglect9:

• Bruises, burns, sprains, dislocations, bites, cuts • Frequent hunger
• Improbable excuses given to explain injuries • Failure to grow10
• Injuries which have not received medical • Stealing or gorging food11
attention6 • Poor personal hygiene
• Injuries which occur to the body in places which • Constant tiredness
are not normally exposed to falls, rough games, • Inappropriate clothing, e.g. summer clothes in
etc.7 winter
• Repeated urinary infections or unexplained • Frequent lateness or non-attendance at school
tummy pains8 • Untreated medical problems
• Refusal to discuss injuries • Low self-esteem
• Withdrawal from physical contact • Poor social relationships
• Arms and legs kept covered in hot weather • Compulsive stealing
• Fear of returning home or of parents being • Drug or alcohol abuse
contacted
• Showing wariness or distrust of adults
• Self-destructive tendencies
• Being aggressive towards others
• Being very passive and compliant
• Chronic running away

Possible signs of emotional abuse12: Possible signs of sexual abuse:

• Physical, mental and emotional development • Age inappropriate sexualised behaviour
is delayed (Sense International, 5.2.3)
• Highly anxious • Physical indicators
• Showing delayed speech or sudden speech (general and in genital and anal areas)18
disorder • Behavioural indicators (general and sexual)
• Fear of new situations which must be interpreted with regard to the
• Low self-esteem individual child’s level of functioning and
• Inappropriate emotional responses to painful development stage19
situations
• Extremes of passivity or aggression
• Drug or alcohol abuse
• Chronic running away
• Compulsive stealing
• Obsessions or phobias13
• Sudden under-achievement or lack of
concentration14
• Attention seeking behaviour15
• Persistent tiredness16
• Lying17

116 The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves
Possible signs of concern regarding adult behaviour:

• A person in whose presence a child or children becomes unusually distressed or agitated can be a cause for
concern (Sense International, 5.2.5)
• A member of staff, volunteer, or parent asking a child to lie about anything
(especially if it is about meeting that child) is a cause for concern (Sense International, 5.2.7)
• Any member of staff, volunteer, or parent who asks you to lie about a situation involving a child - particularly if
that child looks distressed - is a cause for concern (Sense International, 5.2.6)
• Any person who persistently fails to follow the organisation’s Code of Conduct / behavioural protocols
(detailed in the child protection policy) is a cause for concern, particularly if reasons are evasive (Sense
International, 5.2.4)
• Private (i.e. outside of work) meetings between a child and a member of staff or volunteer are a cause for
concern (Sense International, 5.2.8).

FOOTNOTES TO APPENDIX 1
1 This material has been based on information compiled from Sense International Child Protection Policy, section 5.2.and ECPAT Australia, Choose
with Care, pp.34-35 and materials from the Methodist Church.
2 Sense International Child Protection Policy, section 5.2.1.
3 Sense International Child Protection Policy, section 5.2.2.
4 ECPAT Australia, Choose with Care, p.34.
5 ECPAT Australia, Choose with Care, p.34.
6 Churches’ Child Protection Advisory Service - Guidance to Churches, July 2003
7 ibid
8 ibid
9 ECPAT Australia, Choose with Care, p.35.
10 Churches’ Child Protection Advisory Service - Guidance to Churches, July 2003
11 ibid
12 ECPAT Australia, Choose with Care, p.35.
13 Churches’ Child Protection Advisory Service - Guidance to Churches, July 2003
14 ibid
15 ibid
16 ibid
17 ibid
18 Detailed indicators are outlined in ECPAT Australia, Choose with Care, p.36.
19 Detailed indicators are outlined in ECPAT Australia, Choose with Care, p.37.

The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves 117
APPENDIX 2: Participation of children in developing,
implementing and monitoring child protection policies and
procedures
What is child participation?
Participation: “being a part of a process or playing a role in a process”
Child participation: “anyone below the age of 18 taking part in a process or playing a role in a process at his / her
level, according to their evolving capacities. Children and young people thinking for themselves, expressing their
views effectively, and interacting in a positive way with other people; it means involving the children in the decisions
which affect their lives, the lives of the community and the larger society in which they live.”20

Why is it so important?
Child participation is one of the 5 umbrella rights of the UNCRC - refer back to Stage 2 Section 2.1: Foundation
Stone 2. It must be seen particularly in the light of Article 2 (non-discrimination). Care must be taken to ensure that all
children are given equal opportunities to participate, regardless of their sex, ethnicity, sexual orientation, whether
abled or differently-abled, caste, social status, HIV status or any other status.

Not only is child participation an essential right, but it also has very practical benefits in relation to child protection
because:

The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves

• One way of doing this is to ensure that children acquire specific skills and information in relation to child
protection, so that they are empowered to protect themselves in situations of risk. Such skills and information
might include: understanding what constitutes ‘good touch’ and ‘bad touch’, appropriate and inappropriate
behaviour and guidelines, and knowledge of and ability to use organisational reporting procedures

• A second way to empower children to protect themselves is to ensure active, ethical and meaningful child
participation at each stage of developing, implementing and monitoring your child protection policies and
procedures. This will not only help to ensure that your child protection policies and procedures are relevant
and effective, but will also help to develop children’s participation skills in general.

How do we empower children to protect themselves and involve them in developing and implementing
child protection policies & procedures?

The following table represents what child participation and empowerment might look like in practice in relation to
child protection. The activities shown in the table overleaf are suggestions only.

Note on sensitivity when working with children on child protection issues:

• All activities involving children’s participation in relation to child protection issues must be handled with great
sensitivity - especially role-plays and discussions. See Foundation Stone 5 on sensitivity and Appendix 3.
• Children’s participation should be informed and voluntary and age-appropriate - i.e. they should know what
they are being asked to do and they should not be forced to do anything they don’t want to.
• Children should be made aware that they can stop participating in an activity / discussion at any point.
• Children should be made aware that there is someone they can talk to if they feel uncomfortable about
anything.
• Boys and girls may feel differently / react differently to discussions about child protection; this needs to be
taken into account and may require gender and age-segregated discussion groups.
• Children mutually agree that discussions that include personal stories should not be shared outside the
discussion room.
• Children should never go away from a session on child protection feeling unclear or upset. Make sure that
there is plenty of opportunity for children to ask questions / air concerns.

20 Adapted from Save the Children UK training materials for West Africa.

118 The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves
 WHAT ARE THE HOW DO YOU WHAT ACTIVITIES AND MATERIALS CAN HELP
CHARACTERISTICS EMPOWER CHILDREN IN WITH THIS?
OF AN YOUR ORGANISATION?
EMPOWERED
CHILD IN
RELATION TO
CHILD
PROTECTION?

Is able to input into Child-friendly meetings are set [See below for more detailed examples on
development, up with children to elicit their developing and implementing different elements of
implementation views on issues such as: the policy].
and review of child behaviour guidelines - inc.
protection policies peer abuse / bullying, For children’s input into monitoring and evaluating
& procedures communication guidelines, risk the policy and procedures, ensure that children are
assessment for different included in discussions, either in separate meetings
activities / environments, ways where the information is guaranteed to be
of displaying information within accurately reported to the adult meetings, or in
the organisation, mechanisms child-friendly joint meetings. Children can also use a
for feedback on the suggestions box, etc.
implementation of child
protection policies &
procedures

Knows the Orientation given to children e.g. Groups discussions (possibly gender and age
difference between themselves on all relevant segregated) giving examples of types of touch /
‘good touch’ and aspects of the organisation’s secret where the children divide them into 3 columns
‘bad touch’ / child protection policies and (‘good’, ‘bad’ and ‘don’t know’) or where they have to
understands that procedures run to a designated spot in the room for ‘good’, ‘bad’
their body is their and ‘don’t know’; use of pictures of the human body /
own and that it dolls / puppets to explore some of these issues
doesn’t ‘belong’ to
anyone else / Practice saying ‘no’ to different types of situation /
understands what is resisting pressure where a child feels uncomfortable -
a ‘good secret’ and i.e. “come with me and steal some glue”; “would you
a ‘bad secret’ / like to come to my house for a private maths lesson
when it is OK to tonight?”
pass on a secret

Knows what Develop behaviour Discussion: what do the children like / dislike about
behaviour to code of conduct behaviour in the playground, classroom, shelter, at
expect from together with the meetings etc.? Do they all agree? Can they come to a
personnel and children consensus which feeds into the organisation’s
from each other policies? How do they think breaches of the code
and how they should be dealt with? How do they think the
themselves should information should be written up / documented &
treat others displayed? Are they allowed to check and comment
on the final written / illustrated version?

The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves 119
 CHARACTERISTICS HOW TO EMPOWER ACTIVITIES AND MATERIALS
...CONTINUED ...CONTINUED ...CONTINUED

Understands how Involve children in the In a group session, children are shown
personal information development of examples of how information and photographs
about his/herself can be communication guidelines. about them are used by organisations (those
used and feels Children’s consent is sought in working directly with children and those
comfortable and able to relation to the use of supporting / funding them) about children for
say ‘no’ to use of information in a way that is different purposes - i.e. for fundraising, for
personal information / easy to understand by the reporting to donors, for media, for advocacy,
images about his/herself child, which clearly outlines for public campaigns etc. Children agree to a
how the information will be list of ‘do’s’ and ‘don’ts’ / guidelines. How do
used, and which gives them a they think breaches of the code should be
genuine option / choice / dealt with? How do they think the information
option to opt out. should be written up / documented &
displayed? Are they allowed to check and
comment on the final written / illustrated
version?

Practice saying ‘no’ to different types of

situation / resisting pressure where a child
feels uncomfortable - i.e. “Can I take a photo
of you?”; “Can I use a photo of you in a
newspaper with a story about how you came
to this shelter?”

Knows how and when to There are clear procedures Design a child-friendly orientation session,
speak out if s/he feels in place - which are made including role plays, on the child protection
uncomfortable clear to children and young policy and procedures: 2 or more children
people - regarding who to can volunteer to act out a situation (e.g.
report allegations to. bullying in the playground, a member of staff
Ensure that children are losing their temper) which the other children
taken seriously. can give advice in terms of what to do next.

Children are encouraged to draw a picture of

/ name one or two adults in the organisation
that they trust / feel they can talk to (this
Children have access to a picture does not necessarily need to be
Knows who to turn to
number of responsible adult shared with others). What would they do if
if they feel
personnel with whom they their favourite person was not around?
uncomfortable
might develop a relationship of
trust. All of these adults have Involve older, literate children to assist in
been trained on how to listen to creating child-friendly versions of the
children and how to respond to organisation’s child protection policy.
allegations from a child.
Ask children’s opinion about how and where
Knows that there’s Children have been oriented on information should be displayed.
a system in place to the organisation’s child protection
respond to policy (in an age-appropriate /
inappropriate child-friendly way) and are
behaviour by other familiar with the processes in
children or staff place. Such information may be
clearly displayed for children -
such as a flowchart on a notice
board for example.

Is able to advise Encourage open discussions in the Use role plays and stories where a
their friends on organisation on child protection sense of solidarity, friendship and
what to do if they issues between staff and children responsibility for others is encouraged.
feel uncomfortable and between children themselves -
open and aware culture.

120 The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves
 OBSTACLES AND SOLUTIONS IN RELATION TO CHILD PARTICIPATION IN CHILD PROTECTION

OBSTACLES SOLUTIONS

Reluctance to talk about child protection Break down taboos through the promotion of an ‘open and aware’
issues at all, let alone with children culture within the organisation where issues are discussed
transparently. Discuss child protection with staff first so that they
are comfortable before they speak with children on the issue.

Children not consulted in general, let alone Organisational training for senior management on participation in
in relation to organisational policy general and staff empowerment / democratic decision-making.
Training also for senior management and staff working directly
May be seen as disrespectful and / or a with children on child participation, possibly with the assistance of
threat to organisational hierarchy partner organisations, and prioritising the exchange of information
between organisations on the importance and benefits of
In some organisations, not even the junior participation in general and child participation in particular.
staff are listened to, let alone children

There may be strong cultural or religious Sensitive discussions need to explore personal views and beliefs
beliefs which perpetuate children’s low and how these impact on day to day work with children and
status in society whether these views ensure that the best interests of the child are
being met. Involvement of cultural and religious leaders in
information exchange, discussions and training opportunities.

It may be difficult to develop child Child participation should be a core value of your work with
participation due to lack of financial (and children therefore all programme and organisational budgets
therefore human) resources need to reflect the real costs of child participation. International
donors increasingly insist on evidence of child participation
and are willing to fund such work.

Takes a long time and slows down the An organisational action plan allows for additional time from the
process of developing policies and outset of the planning process. Remind stakeholders that
procedures children are central to the process of developing relevant and
effective policies.

Staff may not have the appropriate skills to See training option above. Consider mentoring options with more
facilitate sensitive & meaningful child experienced staff partnering those who are less experienced.
participation / organisations may lack Prioritise exchange of experience with other organisations through
experience in ‘translating’ policy information visits, workshops and information exchange.
into child-friendly language

Lack of understanding and skills to involve Explore options for specialist support and training - i.e. information
differently-abled children / children with exchange with organisations that work with disabled children such
communication challenges as Action on Disability and Development: http://www.add.org.uk
See also Appendix 20 and 30.

Concern for age-appropriate discussions Orient staff on different approaches to use with children of
/ vocabulary - i.e. sex organs / parts of different ages, genders and education levels.
the body, etc.

The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves 121
 It is difficult to develop meaningful Ensure that your stakeholder mapping accurately distinguishes
participation when working with between different sub-groups who are affected by the policy (i.e.
constantly changing / itinerant children children in the schools programme, children in longer term
(e.g. street children) who come and go residential care, children accessing drop-in centres). Then ensure
from shelters that your consultation approaches are appropriate with each group.
For example, some can be involved in a series of ongoing / longer-
Difficult to orient all children on the term consultations while others may only realistically be able to
organisation’s policies and procedures - participate in a one-off event.
i.e. those who are only in contact with
organisation for a very short time and/or Display information as clearly / visibly / eye-catchingly as possible
who may be under the influence of and use peer approaches to orient children. Adapt child protection
drugs, etc. orientation procedures to suit individual needs on a case-by-case
basis.

122 The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves
APPENDIX 3: Dealing with sensitivities about child abuse
(Information on Adult Sensitivity adapted from “ Choose with Care” - A Handbook to Build Safer Organisations for
Children, Bernadette McMenamin, Paula Fitzgerald, ECPAT Australia, 2001, pp. 28-29)

It is important to raise the issue of child abuse and its prevention within your organisation without creating suspicion
and alarm. Some people may feel very threatened or uncomfortable about the issue of child abuse.

Many projects/programmes have had long term participation by people who have developed intimate friendships
and bonds. This intimacy is often based on trust and being part of a community. Sometimes these groups find it
impossible to contemplate abuse occurring in their programme. People also may have privacy concerns about
undergoing screening and police checks.

Guidelines on how to introduce the issue of child abuse prevention

• Take it slowly
• Acknowledge and respond to people’s concerns
• Acknowledge their discomfort in dealing with child abuse
• Create plenty of opportunities for discussion
• Make educational materials available on child abuse and child sex offending
• Reassure people that the process is not about distrusting each other but protecting children and safeguarding
the organisation
• Reassure people that the screening of staff and volunteers will be managed professionally and confidentially
• Use “what if” scenarios - they can be useful in assisting people to think realistically about the possibility of risk
in their work
• Show examples (media clippings, reports) of child abuse occurring in other organisations
• Show examples of other organisations’ child protection policies and procedures
• Be firm and focussed about the need to introduce child protection measures
• Involve people and encourage ownership of the process

It is important to explain the benefits of becoming a child safe organisation:

• The importance of being preventative rather than reacting to an unfortunate incident after it happens
• The moral and legal imperatives of protecting children in your care
• The damage an incident of abuse would do to the children, their family, people within and outside the
organisation, as well as to the organisation itself
• How the introduction of safeguards will protect children, staff, volunteers and the organisation
• The satisfaction that your organisation is doing all that it can to protect children

Sensitivity in relation to activities with children on child protection issues

• All activities involving children’s participation in relation to child protection issues must be handled with great
sensitivity - especially role-plays and discussions. See Foundation Stone 5 on sensitivity
• Children’s participation should be informed and voluntary - i.e. they should know what they are being asked to
do and they should not be forced to do anything they don’t want to
• Children should be made aware that they can stop participating in an activity / discussion at any point
• Children should be made aware that there is someone they can talk to if they feel uncomfortable about
anything
• Boys and girls may feel differently / react differently to discussions about child protection; this needs to be
taken into account - may require gender and age-segregated discussion groups
• Children mutually agree that discussions that include personal stories etc. should not be shared outside the
discussion room
• Children should never go away from a session on child protection feeling unclear or upset. Make sure that
there is plenty of opportunity for children to ask questions / air concerns

The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves 123
APPENDIX 4: Examples of behaviour guidelines
Example 1: ChildHope Behaviour Code of Conduct
(An essential component of ChildHope’s Child Protection policy)

This aim of ChildHope’s Behaviour Code of Conduct is to protect children from abuse. By setting standards for
appropriate behaviour it also protects people who come into contact with children from unfounded accusations of
improper conduct.

It clarifies unacceptable forms of behaviour that will result in a formal enquiry and which could lead to disciplinary
measures being taken, or criminal proceedings instituted. Additionally, the Code of Conduct gives guidance on
expected standards of behaviour of adults towards children, and also of children towards other children.

This Code of Conduct applies to ChildHope staff and anyone acting as a representative of, or on behalf of,
ChildHope who may come into direct contact with, or be responsible for, bringing children into contact with adults.

Minimising Risk Situations

NEVER
• Condone or participate in behaviour that is illegal or unsafe

TRY NOT TO
• Be alone with a single child, including in the following situations: in a car, overnight, in your home, or the home
of a child
• Show favouritism or spend excessive amounts of time with one child

TRY TO
• Avoid placing yourself in a compromising or vulnerable position
• Be accompanied by a second adult whenever possible
• Meet with a child in a central, public location whenever possible
• Immediately note, in a designated ChildHope Child Protection Log Book, the circumstances of any situation
which occurs which may be subject to misinterpretation by a third party
• Avoid doing something that could be misinterpreted by a third party

Sexual Behaviour
NEVER
• Develop physical/sexual relationships with a child
• Behave physically in a manner that is inappropriate or sexually provocative
• Engage in or allow sexually provocative games with children to take place
• Do things of a personal nature that a child could do for him/herself, including dressing, bathing, and grooming

Physical Behaviour
NEVER
• Hit or otherwise physically assault or physically abuse a child

DO
• Wait for appropriate physical contact such as holding hands, to be initiated by the child
• Ask permission from children before taking photographs of a child/children except under exceptional
circumstances, based on the child/children’s best interest, where this might not be possible or desirable

124 The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves
Psychosocial Behaviour
DO
• Be aware of the power balance between an adult and child, and avoid taking any advantage this may provide

DO NOT
• Use language that will mentally or emotionally harm a child
• Suggest inappropriate behaviour or relations of any kind
• Act in any way that intends to embarrass, shame, humiliate or degrade a child
• Encourage any inappropriate attention seeking behaviour, such as tantrums by a child
• Show discrimination of race, culture, age, gender, disability, religion, sexuality, or political persuasion

Peer Abuse
DO
• Be aware of the potential for peer abuse
• Encourage ChildHope partners to develop special measures/supervision to protect younger and especially
vulnerable children
• Avoid placing children in high-risk peer situations (eg. Unsupervised mixing of older and younger children)

DO NOT
• Allow children to engage in sexually provocative games with each other

Physical Environment
DO
• Encourage partners to develop clear rules to address specific physical safety issues relative to the local
physical environment of a project (eg. For projects based near water, heavy road traffic, railway lines)

What to do if you suspect or witness an abuse/ potentially abusive behaviour

Immediately bring to the attention of the partner (this may not always be appropriate) and ChildHope any instance of
witnessed or suspected abuse, and any action or behaviour that could be construed as poor practice or potentially
abusive.

Example 2: from Mkombozi, Tanzania

Code of conduct for Mkombozi staff / volunteers / consultants

Staff / volunteers / consultants and partners should always

• Be aware of situations that may present risks to children and manage these
• Plan and organise their work and workplace so as to minimise risks
• As far as possible be visible in 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
• 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
• Be a positive role model
• Be loving / caring / responsible
• Demonstrate encouragement / motivation
• Show equal treatment between girls and boys
• Try as much as possible to involve children in decision-making. Allow children to make their own decisions,
particularly about their own lives

The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves 125
 • Be good role models of how to be with children both in our homes or working places
• Be sensitive to acts of abuse, and aware of children’s concerns and complaints
• Respect children’s dignity in homes, workplace and centres
• Listen carefully to children
• Act on children’s concerns / problems immediately
• Act fairly on matters that involve children and adults together
• Play a positive role in safeguarding children and promoting their safety
• Endeavour to provide advice and clear guidance to children. Offer appropriate advice and guidance

Unacceptable adult behaviour in relation to children

Staff / volunteers / consultants should never
• Spend excessive time alone with children away from others
• Take children to their home, especially when they will be alone with you
• Hit or otherwise physically abuse children
• Develop physical or sexual relationships with children or any client of Mkombozi (Sexual abuse)
• Use language, make suggestions or offer advice, which is inappropriate, offensive or abusive
• Behave in a manner, which is inappropriate or sexually provocative
• Have a child / children with whom they are working stay the night at their home unsupervised
• Sleep in the same bed as a child with whom they are working
• 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 different treatment or favour particular children to the exclusion of others
• Perpetrate psychological and emotional abuse
• Expose children to pornography
• Expose children to hazardous work
• Stigmatise children
• Exploit children through child labour, sex work and domestic work
• Discriminate between children of different genders e.g. punishing pregnant schoolgirls, favouring boy / girl child
• Neglect children e.g. not meeting children’s needs, not offering adequate care to children
• Infringe children’s rights e.g. to privacy and confidentiality
• Employ children under the age of 18 or those who have not completed their primary school
• Involve children in harmful practices e.g. female genital mutilation
• Involve children in sexual relationships
• Beat or otherwise assault children

126 The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves
APPENDIX 5: Alternative forms of discipline
The use of various forms of violence to discipline children is a common occurrence
throughout the world.
Definition of physical punishment21

Corporal/Physical Punishment
These two categories of punishments can occur separately or together:
• Corporal or physical punishment and the threat of it includes hitting the child with the hand or with an object
(such as a cane, belt, whip, shoes); kicking, shaking, or throwing the child, pinching or pulling the hair; forcing
the child to stay in uncomfortable or undignified positions, or to take excessive physical exercise; burning or
scarring the child;
• Humiliating or degrading punishment takes various forms such as psychological punishment, verbal abuse,
ridicule, isolation, or ignoring the child

What does Physical Punishment Include?

Although there has not been much research on physical punishment, children tend to say that violent words can be
as painful as a beating, and that physical punishment can take many forms, not just being slapped or hit with a stick.

In the Save the Children Handbook - How to Research the Physical and Emotional Punishment of Children, Save the
Children Southeast Asia Region, 2004, they describe physical punishment as including:

• Punishment or penalty for an offence, or imagined offence, and/or acts carried out for the purpose of
discipline, training or control, inflicted on a child’s body, by an adult (or adults) - or by another child who has
been given (or assumed) authority or responsibility for punishment or discipline. This includes:
• Direct assaults in the form of blows to any part of a child’s body, such as beating, hitting, slapping or
lashing, with or without the use of an instrument such as a cane, stick or belt;
• Other direct assaults on a child’s body, such as pinching, pulling ears or hair, twisting joints, cutting and
shaving hair, cutting or piercing skin, carrying or dragging a child against his or her will;
• Indirect assaults on a child’s body, through using adult power, authority or threats to force a child to perform
physically painful or damaging acts, such as holding a weight or weights for an extended period, kneeling
on stones, standing or sitting in a contorted position;
• Deliberate neglect of a child’s physical needs, where this is intended as punishment;
• Use of external substances, such as burning or freezing materials, water, smoke (including from
smouldering peppers), excrement or urine, to inflect pain, fear, harm, disgust or loss of dignity;
• Use of hazardous tasks as punishment or for the purpose of discipline, including those that are beyond a
child’s strength or bring him or her into contact with dangerous or unhygienic substances; such as tasks
including sweeping or digging in the hot sun, using bleach or insecticides, unprotected cleaning of toilets;
• Confinement, including being shut in a confined space, tied up, or forced to remain in one place for an
extended period of time;
• Any other act perpetrated on a child’s body, for the purpose of punishment or discipline, which children
themselves define as corporal punishment in the context of their own language and culture; identified
through scientific participatory research with children;
• Witnessing any form of violent conflict resolution;
• Threats of physical punishment

The section overleaf explores some of the common arguments for physical punishment. Although these arguments
mainly focus on parents’ reasons for hitting children, these attitudes of parents are the same attitudes that individuals
take with them into the workplace. Hence children who come into contact with adults in schools, social services
institutions, the juvenile justice system, non-government shelters and activities, medical facilities etc. will often
experience discipline which involves some degree of physical punishment from adults.

21 How to Research the Physical and Emotional Punishment of Children, Save the Children Southeast Asia Region, 2004

The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves 127
WHY PEOPLE HIT CHILDREN: ANSWERING COMMON ARGUMENTS22

ARGUMENT 1 Parents’ right to do as they think best with their children is sacred: any interference or legal
restriction will destroy family privacy.

The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child recasts the concept of parents’ rights as a concept of parental
responsibility which includes responsibility to protect the rights of the children themselves. Although the assertion of
children’s rights seems an unwarranted intrusion to people accustomed to thinking of them as parents’ possessions,
other aspects of inter-personal violence within families - including behaviour between husbands and wives - is
already subject to social control and/or law almost everywhere.

ARGUMENT 2 In many societies, almost all parents sometimes hit their children and always have done.

Generations of parents cannot be wrong. Parents hit children because they were hit as children. Children identify
with their parents or parent figures - that is the basis of all family bonds - so they cannot afford to believe that what
parents do is ‘wrong.’ Even cruelly abused children seldom see themselves as victims, but as wrongdoers who
merited those punishments. Many grow up expressing gratitude to punitive parents. Most will repeat the pattern of
their own childhoods when they become parents.

ARGUMENT 3 Children must be taught to obey and physical punishment is necessary to accomplish this.

The assumption that physical punishment is effective in modifying children’s behaviour is based on a misreading of
everyday experiences and a misunderstanding of popularised psychological research. The idea that children will stop
doing wrong if they are hit for it has been wrongly ascribed a pedigree going back to the great figures in
behaviourism and learning theory. When a child keeps getting into danger, both professionals and parents may feel
that a smack will ‘teach him/her a lesson’ and the fact that the child stops exploring seems to prove the point. But
that ‘lesson’ is only a real contribution to discipline if the child’s FUTURE behaviour is altered.

To change behaviour we have to do several things that punishment cannot do: motivate children to do something
different from what impulse or inclination suggests; ensure that they understand what that different and desirable
behaviour is and that it is open to them, and make sure that choosing to behave that way brings some reward. The
slapped child is hurt, angry and humiliated. S/he knows s/he has done wrong but s/he neither knows nor cares what
s/he should have done instead and should do in the future. When s/he stops crying s/he will start exploring again
and the cycle will repeat.

ARGUMENT 4 Even if physical punishment is not effective it should not be outlawed because little smacks and
spankings are in no way dangerous, do not cause real pain and are entirely unrelated to abuse.

Physical punishment that does not cause pain or discomfort is a tautology. If it does not hurt it is not punishment. If
such blows are not really intended to cause pain, why are they not directed at the punisher’s thigh instead of the
child’s?

In the large body of international research concerning physical punishment no single study suggests that it does
good, numerous studies suggest that it does harm. The following are some of the points made again and again:
• Hitting children is physically dangerous because children are small and fragile relative to punishing adults.
Misplaced or dodged blows that are intended to be light sometimes cause ruptured eardrums or falls. Shaking
babies or toddlers can cause concussion, brain damage and death.
• Mild punishments in infancy are so ineffective that they tend to escalate as children grow. The ‘little slap’ of
babyhood often becomes a real spanking by four years and a belting by seven.
• While not all physical abuse of children is a simple escalation of physical punishment, parents convicted of
cruelty frequently explain that their ill-treatment of the child began with disciplinary intent.
• Physical punishment can be emotionally harmful to children. Research especially indicts messages confusing
love with pain, anger with submission: ‘I punish you FOR YOUR OWN SAKE’; ‘I hurt you BECAUSE I LOVE
YOU’; ‘My punishments make you feel angry and humiliated but you must bottle up your anger, submit,
pretend remorse.’

22 Arguments extracted from - Hitting People Is Wrong - And Children Are People Too, Radda Barnen, published by EPOCH-Worldwide

128 The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves
 • An enormous body of research shows that aggression breeds aggression. Children subjected to physical
punishment are more likely than others to be aggressive to siblings; to bully other children at school; to take
part in aggressively anti-social behaviour in adolescence; to be violent to their spouses and children and to
commit violent crimes. National commissions or committees in the United States, the Council of Europe,
Germany, and Australia have all recommended ending the physical punishment of children as the most
effective single way of reducing all violence in society.

ARGUMENT 5 Even if physical punishment does not prevent aggressive behaviour, it is still the best way to punish
it; children who bite should be bitten; older children who bully others should be beaten.

Psychological research shows that where there is a contradiction between an adult’s words and actions, children
pay more attention to what is done than to what is said. If there is one circumstance above all others in which
physical punishment is most likely to produce aggression it is the use of physical punishment FOR aggressive
behaviour. Even while the punishing parent’s words say ‘you are not to hit other people,’ the hitting hand
demonstrates the opposite.

ARGUMENT 6 Many parents are under stress from difficult socio-economic conditions. Forbidding physical
punishment would add to that stress and should await better standards of living.

This argument is a tacit admission of an obvious truth: physical punishment is often an outlet for the pent-up feelings
of adults rather than an attempt to educate children. In most parts of the world parents urgently need more social
and economic support than they get, but however real adults’ problems may be, venting them on children cannot
be justifiable, nor is there any reason why children’s protection from physical punishment should await improvements
in their parents’ lives.

In any case, hitting children is seldom an effective stress-reliever. Most parents who hit out in temper feel guilty; most
who discipline by painful punishment wish that they could find other ways; few find pleasure in the company of
angry, crying children. Life in families that eschew physical punishment in favour of more positive discipline is
generally less stressful for all.

ARGUMENT 6 If adults are not to hit children, what alternatives will ensure good discipline?

Alternatives to physical punishments are not different punishments but an approach to ‘discipline’ which is positive
rather than punitive. Research clearly shows that effective control of children’s behaviour does not depend upon
punishment for wrong-doing but on clear and consistent limits that prevent it. Thereafter good discipline - which
must ultimately be self-discipline - depends on adults modelling and explaining the behaviour they prefer; having high
expectations of children’s willingness, and realistic expectations of their developmental ability, to achieve it, and
rewarding their efforts with praise, companionship and respect.

Alternatives which might be used to prevent the use of physical punishment23

An ideal scenario is one in which the parents or adults working with children try to establish from the beginning
specific attitudes, taking into consideration the evolving capacities of the children:
• Establish clear, coherent and consistent limits with the child, in order to show them what they can do and
what they cannot do;
• Dedicate time during the day to be with them;
• Try to take decisions together with children, explaining when appropriate, why the children’s suggestions
cannot be accepted;
• Listen to and respect the opinion of children, and stimulate their autonomy;
• Praise the things they do well and, when a criticism is necessary, talk about the wrong action and not about ‘a
problem of the person’;
• Try to put yourself ‘in their shoes’ in order to understand why they are behaving or thinking in a particular way;
• Understand the evolving capacities of children (ie. Capabilities according to their age) and let them to assume
tasks or responsibilities according to their evolving capacities.

23 Translated and adapted from - We can All care without Violence - A practical Guide for Families and Communities, Draft 2003.
PROMUNDO, Brazil - to be published by SCF Sweden in 2005

The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves 129
Positive Discipline Without Hurting or Humiliating Children - Some Principles24

• Positive discipline requires confidence from parents: confidence that you really are the most important people
in your children’s lives, and confidence to see bringing children up as a matter of family cooperation, rather
than adult authority and childish obedience.

• People learn much more through cooperation and rewards than through coercion and punishment: think of
yourself. Punishments don’t motivate people to try harder or do more; they make people upset, angry and
obstinate instead. Your child is a person and also learns more from rewards than punishments. The rewards
don’t have to be things like presents or sweets; what children really want is parental attention. They want you
to notice them, talk to them, share your life with them, acknowledge and affirm the positives in them.

• Positive discipline means working with children, not against them:

• Children are your apprentices In learning how to behave, show and tell them how It is done.

• Keep them safe while they grow: give them secure limits they can test but not overturn. Make sure the baby
can’t reach the fire; the toddler cannot open that forbidden gate; the older child is holding your hand before
you reach the road.

• Keep them secure while they learn: give them their say, listen to them, respect their point of view, but don’t
let them bore or blackmail you into giving in against your better judgment.

• Children need your attention and will do anything to get it. The more you give when they are being
a pleasure, the less they will try to force from you by being a pain. Do you always answer when
they speak or only when they whine? Positive discipline means trying not to be negative:

• ‘Do’ works better than ‘don’t’: rewards work better than punishments.

• Show and tell what they should do - not just what they shouldn’t.

• Explain your real reasons - ‘because I say so’ teaches nothing for next time.

• Try to say ‘yes’ and ‘well done’ at least as often as ‘no’ and ‘stop that’. · Be as ready to praise behaviour
you like as to scold for behaviour you don’t.

• Rely on rewards like hugs and jokes, not punishments like smacks and yells.

• Ignore minor silliness and ‘cheek’. The more you nag the less they’ll listen.

• When they do something wrong explain what it is and how to put things right.

• Even when you dislike your child’s behaviour, never suggest that you dislike your child.

What it is necessary to know and do to avoid conflicts with children?25

One of the most important things that helps to avoid or reduce conflicts is to know and understand the stages of
child development, as well as the characteristics, limits, and responses that are necessary at each of these stages.
Lack of knowledge of these stages frequently generates unreal expectations in adults ie. They expect results that are
not possible: they expect children to understand or undertake something for which they are not prepared, or
alternatively attempt to explain to children that they are not capable of doing something that they could in fact do.

Without an understanding of the limits imposed by children’s development, adults tend to become infuriated with the
things that children can or cannot do.

Some professionals that study children’s development suggest that the development of a child occurs at three levels:
biological, cognitive (knowledge) and emotional/social. This means that children need food and care, but also other
equally important things, such as the necessity to feel that people love them, that they are protected, and the fact
that they are living in a caring environment. The place and the people with whom they have relationships are equally
important.

24 From Hitting People is Wrong - CRIN website - http://www.crin.org/resources

25 Translated and adapted from - We can All care without Violence - A practical Guide for Families and Communities, Draft 2003. PROMUNDO, Brazil
- to be published by SCF Sweden in 2005

130 The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves
The first and strongest contact that a child has is with his or her family. The family is usually defined as the group of
people that have ties of affection, shared blood and co-existence with the child. Regardless of the composition of
the family, it is the first influence on children in terms of transmitting values and the customs of a society. From day-
to-day the child receives the first lessons and internalises society’s values, in other words, how a person should
behave. Hence it is said that the family reproduces cultural values in the next generation, since the lessons are
transmitted from one generation to the other.

Following on from the family, there is contact with friends, the school, the media etc. From these sources, the child
learns more about life and living in groups, acquiring new knowledge, new rules and accepting that he or she is part
of a community, accepting responsibility for his or her personal behaviour and decisions, and learning to recognise,
understand and express emotions and care for others etc.

The following table contains some characteristics of children between 0 - 11 years, in three different stages of their
development:

CHARACTERISTICS ADVICE

From birth until 2 years old

• The baby depends completely and all the time on • When the baby cries, be patient and discover
adults. why he/she is crying. Check he/she is not hungry,
• Crying is one of his/her communication methods. dirty, feeling cold, hot or in pain. A baby
• In this stage of development, physical contact is sometimes cries because he/she wants to be
very important for the baby’s development. close to his/her mother, father or guardian.
• Being in the mother’s lap gives the baby security. • Do not allow other children to take care of the
• The child does not manage to share his/her toys baby, even for a moment.
when playing with other children. • Between 1 and 2 years old, the baby does not
understand well what people say, but
understands very clearly when an adult talks to
him/her with affection.

(continued overleaf)

The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves 131
 From 2 to 3 years

• The child starts to show his/her will and is very • Avoid accidents. Try to create a safe
curious. environment for children to play. Keep any
• In this stage, the exploration of different spaces dangerous objects removed (medicines,
and objects is necessary and important for the cleaning products, alcohol, breakable things, or
development of his/her knowledge (however stay others that could be eaten, and sharp objects).
close to the child to avoid accidents). Cover the sockets.
• The child needs to learn the things he/she can and • Children should not be left alone in places such
cannot do. Be prepared to say ‘no’ many times. as wet toilets, near to the kitchen, windows or
• The child starts learning to control his/her toilet the front door.
habits and asking to go to the toilet. You can start • If the child is in a nursery, try to be well informed
training him/her in personal hygiene and stopping about the place and the personnel, and attend
to use nappies step by step. any activities at the nursery. Maintain this
• He/she understands many things that are asked, approach throughout the child’s school life.
but can refuse to do them.

From 3 to 5 years

• The child is very active; talks alone; invents • Always explain your reasons when you say ‘no’.
“imaginary friends”; collaborates with his/her • Teach your child through play. Always play with
parents and teachers and waits for their him/her.
approval. • When going out with the child, take things with
• In this stage the child is calculating the limits of you to stimulate interest, such as a toy.
what he/she can or cannot do • Answer the questions about sex in a simple
• The child becomes accustomed to touching their manner.
intimate parts and asking how babies are born.

From 6 to 11 years

• The children start to relate to society and conflicts • It is the moment when parents and educators
within the family or at school can occur. should present clear values and limits to
• The child is now capable to listen to and children’s behaviour. They must allocate
understand others’ reasons. responsibilities according to age.
• Children like to relate to other children through • It is always good to explain the importance of
chatting or playing. They also like to explore the studies and the routine.
world by running and jumping. Progressively, it is • The parents, brothers, sisters, and other
easier to share his/her toys. members of the family are taken as examples
• It is a stage with lots of accidents, fights with (behaviour). The family attitudes say more than
brothers and sisters, lots of activity. words sometimes.
• He/she is aware about the attitudes/ behaviour that • Although it is necessary to establish limits, be
society expects from a man and a woman. clear about the importance of respecting other
• The influence of a peer group of friends is people and following rules, it is also important to
increasingly stronger. acknowledge and value good behaviour and to
praise children for their achievements.
• It is important that the child participates in family
decisions, and that his/her desires and
willingness are taken into account.
• The parents should agree with regards to the
rearing of their children. As a child gets older, it is
easier for him/her to notice contradictions
between his/her parents.

132 The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves
Further Resources
www.cei.net/~rcox/hitting.html

The Centre for Effective Discipline: www.stophitting.com has useful resources such as:
• “28 Ways to teach non-violence, kindness, and peacefulness to children” by Dr. C. Landy,
www.stophitting.com/disathome/28ways.php
• “10 Guidelines for raising a well-behaved child”, www.stophitting.com/disathome/10guidelines.php
• “Kids creating peace pledge”, www.stophitting.com/disathome/LandyKIDScreatingPEACE.php
• “Peace-teaching parenting pledge”, www.stophitting.com/disathome/PEACETeachingParentingPledge.php
• Webpage on “Religion and discipline”, www.stophitting.com/religion/ (N.B. Christian only)

Radda Barnen (Save the Children, Sweden) - information about corporal punishment
www.rb.se/eng/Programme/Exploitationandebuse/Corparalpunishment/1412+What+we+think.htm

Radda Barnen (Save the Children, Sweden), A Crowley, C Vulliamy “Listen up! Children talk about smacking”. The
report presents the views and experiences on ‘smacking’ of over 70 young children, aged 4 - 10 years, living in
Wales.

Radda Barnen (Save the Children, Sweden), “We can work it out: parenting with confidence”. Training material for
parents www.savethechildren.org.uk/onlinepubs/workitout/

The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves 133
APPENDIX 6: Anti-bullying policy, ChildHope
Purpose of this paper
This paper was researched and written for ChildHope by Steve Waller and adapted by ChildHope. ChildHope is extremely grateful to him and to those agencies that
offered him their support and full and open access to their information.

This initiative for this work is borne from the child protection concerns of some of ChildHope’s partners in the field,
and it is designed for them.

Many of ChildHope’s partners work with children in a variety of settings, including:

• Street schools
• Drop in centres
• On the street, by day and night
• Emergency feeding shelters
• Day or night shelters
• Children’s hostels
• Formal or non formal education settings
• Vocational training institutes
• Refugee camps, and
• Internally Displaced Peoples’ camps

The power and authority that is implicit - and often explicit - in the nature of adult / child relations, behoves
professional organisations to maximise the protection and defence of the rights of children. As active - and often
leading - members of civil society, NGOs have a particular responsibility to set an example of best practice with
regard to child protection.

Child protection issues are an important element of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, and are increasingly
regarded as mainstream development concerns. This guideline is designed to support ChildHope’s partners in
considering and addressing an important aspect of child rights. ChildHope has a child protection policy, which is
available upon request.

It is important to note that this is a guideline and not a policy in its own right. However, ChildHope is happy to work
with its partners to help them develop policies that are both culturally appropriate and consistent with the Convention
on the Rights of the Child.

Guidelines for developing an anti-bullying policy

Bullying is a difficult issue to tackle, largely because it is generally a hidden one. Child victims of bullying are often
afraid to talk about it for fear of the bully or awkwardness to admit they are being bullied. One research study found
that 50% of people being bullied tell no one26. But the long-term affects can contribute towards a negative effect on
self-esteem and sometimes depression can result. There is therefore a responsibility to all for tackling it when it
happens. Developing an anti-bullying policy is a way of addressing the issue and a good step forward.

A framework

The aim of these guidelines is to give some steps and practical suggestions that can be considered and then
adapted to the specific context of work. Five questions to be considered therefore form the framework for these
guidelines. These have been adapted from a support pack for developing anti-bullying policies in schools (produced
by the Scottish Council for Research in Education). Other good practice ideas by agencies that have specialised on
this subject have been added in to each section.

26 From a research study where 1000 questionnaires were carried out in 10 schools in Scotland - ‘Bullying in Scottish secondary schools’ by
Andrew Mellor (1989)

134 The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves
Active involvement
Involvement in developing the policy should include all the staff and also the client group, where possible,
as only commitment to the policy by all will make it effective and ensure bullying is addressed openly.27
Involvement of young people in the solution has been seen as a key factor in making an anti-bullying policy
successful.

Question 1 To consider what counts as bullying

A first step is to gain an awareness of the amount of bullying that is taking place and the nature of it. A practical
point to consider is to agree a definition of what behaviour counts as bullying, as different people may have different
views (their own experience may play a part in this). Below is a list of possible behaviours that could be thought of as
bullying:

Types
1 Physical assault (violence)
2 Teasing, for example calling names
(verbal bullying can be as harmful as physical bullying)
3 Exclusion from peers
4 Spreading rumours
5 Harassment (where seen as different from others)
6 Forcing to hand over money
7 Threatening
8 Initiation ceremonies to someone new
9 Gang-bullying
10 Witnesses watching and laughing (as may encourage the process)

(It may not be bullying when two children of approximately equal strength or confidence are fighting. Bullying usually
involves an imbalance of power in the situation, where one person is using their power to hurt or exploit the other).

There are a few key questions that staff may need to consider:

• How much bullying is there?

• Where it is happening?
• When is it happening?
• What do staff and young people think should happen?
• What strategies could be used for dealing with it?

A key question is how an effective needs assessment can be made sensitively. One effective way in a residential
project is through developing the one-to-one relationships of trust with the children so they feel more confident to
talk about the problems and situations they are facing. The system of allocating time for one-to-one sessions with
residents could be useful for this - empathy and active listening skills are key qualities for making these sessions
work.

Also, developing some form of regular group work sessions within a project can help children to get used to talking
about sensitive issues. Group work is a useful strategy for bringing hidden problems into the open to be shared and
dealt with effectively.

27 Anti-bullying network: 'Bullying in communities' (an information paper)

The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves 135
Question 2 Aims of the policy

Ideally an anti-bullying policy should include both

1 Approaches for prevention of bullying

2 Intervention where bullying occurs

[Other relevant policies and procedures of the organisation/ project may also need to be taken into account when
developing an anti-bullying policy. For example a child protection policy, and the rules for the project].

Question 3 What the policy would cover?

• Raising awareness of the issue - one approach to raising awareness on bullying is through developing some
form of social education on the issue. [There are some practice models for this within the UK, and further
information can be supplied if requested].

• Creating opportunities to talk about bullying - the most effective ways for this are through one-to-one
support with the children and also through group work. However, if group work is developed it may be useful
to allow time for the process of an effective group to form and for openness and trust to be established within
the group time, before more sensitive topics like bullying are introduced.

• Supervision of key areas - one particular area to consider is how to effectively supervise the night times, to
prevent bullying occurring then. What is important is that all are involved (or consulted in someway) in the
process of discussing the most effective way forward for this, not only all the staff, but also all the children
themselves.28

• Developing peer support - a way to help encourage the children to take care of one another, and to create
an environment where they can help others to be able to report bullying when it occurs. The systems for night
supervision need to consider child protection issues as well, and how this could also link into a child protection
policy.

• Procedures for investigating incidents and guidelines for listening - it may be useful for staff to listen to all
involved including witnesses and bullies. Useful actions to take:

• It is important to really listen to the person (not to make assumptions of what has happened)
• To problem-solve and take some action
• It is helpful to let the child know what you will do with the information they give you and keep in
communication with them (if the person being bullied discloses information and then does not know what
will happen next it may create fear for them)
• It is recommended to make a record of incidents of bullying, and also to follow up afterwards to make sure
the situation has stopped.

Some further ideas for staff listening and issues in supporting someone when they have been bullied are listed in the
Appendix.

Question 4 Who is going to do what?

To make the policy happen in practice it is useful to identify specific responsibilities for taking it forward.

Question 5 Communicating the policy to everyone involved?

The best way to communicate the policy is for everyone to feel that they have some ownership of the policy. One
idea to consider is whether there are appropriate ways for some involvement of all those involved in the project in
discussing the first four questions.

Internet resources

A recommended agency is the Anti-Bullying Network, who are based in Scotland.

Web site address www.antibullying.net

28 The Anti-Bullying Network on the issue of night cover in residential projects recommended the involvement of all any decisions made.

136 The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves
Appendix - Helpful and unhelpful responses to bullying29

Staff Some actions that staff can take when dealing with a situation of bullying

Helpful actions
• To listen to all involved
• If advice is given it needs to be practical
• Modelling a non-bullying environment, therefore avoiding calling the children any names or putting them down
in any way.

Unhelpful actions
• To trivialise or patronise them when a child reveals that they are being bullied
• To ignore the situation
• To give inappropriate advice, for example to tell the victim to fight the person who is bullying them, as the
victim would then risk being seen as a bully.

Key messages that a victim of bullying needs to hear

• “It’s not your fault” - The child being bullied may need help to recognise this. The person doing the bullying can
make the child feel that it is their fault it is happening. The victim may also feel that they need to change, when
the problem is actually with the bullying behaviour

• “You do not have to face this alone”- Isolation is a big effect of bullying and the stigma that the person is being
bullied may create an obstacle in asking for help.

Person being bullied

The following are some helpful actions recommended for the person who is being bullied to take

Helpful actions
• Talk to someone they trust
• Seek friendships - different / more
• Recognise it is not their fault
• Taking some action.

Unhelpful actions
• Dealing with it alone
• Taking no action about it
• Believing all said about them
• Exaggerating what has happened.

Peers and witnesses

It is helpful for the peer group of someone being bullied to know why it is important for them to act (due to the
potential harmful effects to the victim if bullying carries on)

Helpful actions
• Encourage the victim to talk to an adult (and to offer to accompany if they are afraid to)
• Befriend the victim (as will need this when being bullied)
• It is helpful to not let those who are bullying think that you’re too afraid to act.

Unhelpful actions
• To tell the victim to deal with it alone.

Person who is bullying

Someone who is bullying other children has often either been bullied themselves or may be unhappy in their own life.
While not accepting the behaviour, staff can help them to understand why they are bullying others, and to help them
deal with the real issues.

29 These are adapted from materials by the following organisations: Anti-bullying Network, Scottish Council for Research in Education, and Child Line.

The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves 137
APPENDIX 7: Examples of guidelines on communications
about children
ChildHope Communications Guidelines

Within its fundraising and publicity materials, ChildHope will sometimes be required to use text and imagery from its
projects around the world. In so doing, it recognises that it has a responsibility to the children that are portrayed. To
this end, ChildHope looks on all children as human beings, who are the subject and receivers of human rights and
will respect these rights at all times.

In communications about children, the following therefore, applies:

• Every child has a right to be accurately represented through both words and imagery. The organisation’s
portrayal of each child must not be manipulated or sensationalised in any way, but provide a balanced
depiction of their life and circumstances. Children must be presented as human beings with their own identity
and dignity preserved.

• ChildHope will avoid the following:

• Language and images that could possibly degrade or victimise or shame children
• Making generalisations which do not accurately reflect the nature of the situation
• Discrimination of any kind
• Taking pictures out of context (e.g. pictures should be accompanied by an explanatory caption where
possible and should be relevant to any accompanying text).

• Where children are indeed victims, the preservation of the child’s dignity must, nevertheless, be preserved at all
times. The organisation should attempt to depict a balance between victimisation and empowerment by using
necessary tools, such as ‘before’ and ‘after’ shots.

• In images, children should not be depicted in any poses that could be interpreted as sexually provocative.

• Personal and physical information that could be used to identify the location of a child within a country and
cause them to be put at risk will not be used on the organisation’s website or in any other form of
communication for general or public purposes. Where it is necessary to use case studies to highlight the work
of ChildHope, names of children will be changed.

• Permission will always be sought from the child/children themselves before taking photographs, except under
exceptional circumstances, based on the child/children’s best interests, where this may not be possible or
desirable.

• To the greatest extent possible, the organisation will acquire informed consent/the permission of the child,
child’s guardian and/or NGO responsible for the child, before using any image for publicity, fundraising,
awareness raising or other purpose. The purpose should be made clear to the consent giver.

• As far as possible, people (including children) should be able to give their own accounts, rather than have
people speak on their behalf. People’s (including children’s) ability to take responsibility and action for
themselves should be highlighted.

• Information about a child/children’s life and photographs of children (including information stored on the PC)
will be kept in secure files. Access to these should be limited to those that need to use them during the course
of their work.

• Individuals or organisations that request the use of ChildHope’s resources, such as photographs, will be
required to sign an agreement with the organisation as to the proper use of such materials. Suggested
wording of this agreement is next:

138 The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves
ChildHope UK Photo/Photo Negative/Slide/Resource Lending

ChildHope UK is pleased to lend you the resources detailed below, for the purpose listed. They are lent on the basis
that you or your organisation uses them specifically for the purpose agreed. In order to comply with our child
protection duties, we reserve the right to cancel this agreement if we feel that the use of ChildHope’s materials
breaches the organisation’s agreement or infringes on the rights of the child/children in the photograph.

DESCRIPTION AGREED USE OF RESOURCE

I have borrowed the above photographs from ChildHope UK.

I agree to abide by ChildHope’s policy as outlined above.

Signed

Date

Lent By

The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves 139
Guidelines on communications about children
International HIV/AIDS Alliance

In all its communication and publicity materials, the International HIV/AIDS Alliance upholds the responsibility to treat
children as individuals with rights, who should be treated with dignity and self worth. The following constitutes
guidelines on communications about children:

• Children shall be accurately represented either verbally or in images in ways that do not amount to
manipulation or sensationalism.
• Children are not to be depicted in images or poses that might be regarded as sexually provocative.
• Informed written consent from a child or parent or person with parental responsibility will be obtained before
any photographs, recordings, statements or other information identifying the child (personal data) is recorded,
disclosed or otherwise used.
• In particular children are not to be depicted in images or poses that might identify them as HIV positive without
their informed consent.
• The purpose for which images or information on children is to be obtained must be clearly explained and
understood, and the consent must be recorded on an approved consent form and informed consent must
come from the child or person able to give valid consent (by signature on a consent form).
• A copy of the consent form shall be retained by the Alliance, and use of the personal data shall be carefully
monitored and kept secure and within the control of the Alliance.
• In particular where external contractors or consultants record personal data, such as photographs and moving
images, the Alliance shall be careful to impose this policy on such contractors and ensure that future use of
such personal data is retained by the Alliance. For example, this may be ensured by license or assignment of
copyright to the Alliance in specific contracts.
• All such personal data will only be retained for as long as it is relevant and necessary to do so, and shall be
destroyed thereafter.
• Duties of confidentiality and data protection legislation (including the Data Protection Act of 1998) shall be
followed when handling child related personal data.
• Information that may be used to identify or locate a child and place their life in danger in their country of
residence or elsewhere should not be made available in public media like websites and magazines.
• To the extent possible, children have to be allowed to give their own account or views on issues as opposed
to adults or institutions speaking for them.
• Information on child abuse cases shall only be shared on a “right to know” and “need to know” basis in
accordance with data protection legislation. (Parents, guardians and primary care givers have the right to know
while child protection designate, HR officers and others directly involved in investigations, like the police, have
a need to know).

Declaration

I have read and fully understood the Alliance guidelines on communication about children and agree to adhere to the
guidelines as defined above.

Name

Title

Signature

Date

140 The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves
APPENDIX 8: Participatory facilitation30
What is facilitation?
Facilitation involves managing group dynamics and discussion in face-to face situations. A facilitator who works in a
participatory manner creates an enabling and trusting environment in which all people present feel safe to discuss
the issues concerned. Attitude and behaviour are what differentiates a facilitator from a trainer/teacher; the facilitator’s
role is much more one of ensuring that all voices are heard, that no one dominates, that conflict is diffused and
possible agreements are reached, rather than a focus on providing input to the group.

When might you need to facilitate?

You may need to facilitate group discussions as part of a workshop for introducing the project; project training;
monitoring and evaluation.

Involving children
Care must be taken if you want to involve both adults and children in the same group to ensure that children feel
comfortable, that they have given their informed consent to be involved, that the discussion is meaningful to them
and that they feel able to contribute their opinion. You might feel that it is more appropriate to work with a group of
children separately, using different approaches. However, whether in mixed or separate groups, children’s opinions
and concerns should be given equal value to those of adults.

The pros and cons of participatory facilitation

Advantages
• Allows all concerned to voice their views
• Creates enabling environment conducive to sharing and learning
• Reaches vulnerable and ‘invisible’ groups
• People are motivated:
• If their experience is valued and drawn upon,
• If they are allowed to participate in an activity,
• If this experience is seen to have immediate relevance to them.

Disadvantages
• Not a good medium if your messages require much input
• Bad facilitation skills can leave lasting impression
• Need a competent facilitator

30 Adapted from IMA Training Materials

The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves 141
Guidelines for facilitators
1 The skilled facilitator knows when to be dynamic and when to be receptive so as to strike a balance
between directing people and encouraging people’s self-reflection.

2 Think about how the following variables will affect the way you manage the group:
• group size
• group dynamics (e.g. gender, hierarchy, age, experience, personalities)
• domination by/marginalisation of some members
• presence of senior person

3 Types of communication

REMEMBER NON-VERBAL COMMUNICATION REMEMBER VERBAL COMMUNICATION

Maintain eye contact with everyone in the group Ask open-ended questions that encourage
when speaking. Try not to favour certain responses. If a participant responds with a simple yes
participants. or no, ask ‘why do you say that?’

Move around the room without distracting the Ask other participants if they agree with a
group. Avoid pacing or addressing the group statement someone makes.
from a place where you cannot easily be seen.

React to what people say by nodding, smiling, or Be aware of your tone of voice. Speak slowly and
engaging in other activities that show you are clearly.
listening.

Stand in front of the group, particularly at the Paraphrase statements in your own words. You can
beginning of the session. It is important to check your understanding of what participants are
appear relaxed and at the same time be direct saying and reinforce statements.
and confident.

Be sure that participants speak more than you do.

Let participants answer each other’s questions. Say

‘does anyone have an answer to that question?’

Encourage participants to speak and provide them

with positive reinforcement.

Avoid using slang or other ‘special’ language.

Keep the discussion moving forward and in the

direction you want. Watch for disagreements and
draw conclusions.

Summarise the discussion. Be sure that everyone

understands the main points.

142 The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves
 4 Preparation
a) Consider your target group characteristics. Think about number of participants and how they will be
arranged into groups.
b) Identify topic, plan the aims and objectives. (It is important to be clear about what you want to have
achieved by the end of the session).
c) Plan your introduction, what do you need to consider in this section?
d) Plan any instructions for the group and the time allowed.
e) Arrange visual aid equipment if needed.
f) Plan seating: everyone in the group should be able to see each other’s faces.

5 Delivery
a) Introduce yourself, the topic, link the discussion to previous learning or experience; explain the purpose of
the discussion; establish rapport.
b) State aims and objectives.
c) Give instructions - explain what is expected of the group and state time allowed.
d) Present first point for discussion as an open question. Allow a period for thought.
e) Feed in more prepared questions as required. Guide the group to keep to the point.
f) Listen carefully to contributions and use to build discussion as needed.
g) Make sure that all participants, including the quiet ones, have a chance to participate.
h) Make notes of major points for the summary.

6 A major challenge for facilitators is how to draw quieter people into the discussion. There are a variety of
methods a facilitator can use to ensure equal participation, for example:
a) Distribute 2-3 cards to all participants before the discussion, and state that whenever someone speaks,
they ‘use up’ a card and need to hand it in. Once you have used up your cards you cannot speak any
more on that subject. This limits the contributions of the more ‘vocal’ participants and ensures that everyone
gets a similar chance to voice their opinions.
b) Work using tree diagrams and problem trees, and brainstorming for suggestions rather than putting people
on the spot and directly questioning individuals. The purpose of these techniques is to create the first step
of engagement for ensuring participants’ contributions.

7 Tips for success:

Do
• Trust in other people and their capabilities
• Have patience and good listening skills
• Be confident but not arrogant
• Have respect for the opinion of others, and do not impose ideas
• Use questions that encourage thought and participation
• Be aware of the behaviour of the group
• Keep the whole group involved

Do not
• Rush
• Lecture
• Criticise
• Interrupt
• Dominate
• Sabotage

The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves 143
APPENDIX 9: Guidelines on recruitment
CHILD PROTECTION - STAFF RECRUITMENT
It is strongly advisable to state that you have a child protection policy in the wording of any job
advertisements. This will demonstrate your commitment to child protection issues and will act as a
deterrent to individuals seeking out organisations with weak protection procedures.

Suggested wording for job advertisements:

“[Name of org] recruitment and selection procedures reflect our commitment to the safety and protection of children
(or prevention of child abuse) in our care / activities / programmes.” [Taken from ECPAT Australia]

OR (shorter version for expensive ads!) “[Name of org] has a child protection policy in place”

OR “Candidates will be expected to comply with [name of org’s] child protection policy”

Suggested wording for application forms:

Applicants are expected to comply with [name of org’s] child protection policy. This includes:
1 Signing a personal declaration stating any criminal convictions, including spent convictions. [See attached for
sample form]. This declaration must be returned with the application form.
2 Providing the name and contact information of two character references they have known for no less than two
years, excluding family members. [See attached for sample form]. This declaration must be returned with the
application form.

Successful candidates will be expected to comply with the following as a condition of employment:
3 Both acceptance of and commitment to our Child Protection Policy and Code of Conduct for working with
children.
4 Satisfactory clearance through a police check conducted by the Criminal Records Bureau where applicable.

Guidance on addressing child protection issues in interviews:

Prior to interview:
1 Ideally, all of the shortlisted candidates for interview will have already signed a statement of criminal convictions
which has revealed no problems in relation to child protection [see suggested template].
2 The recruitment procedure can also include a requirement to sign a statement of commitment to the
organisation’s Child Protection Policy which includes a statement that they would be prepared to undergo a
police referece check if appointed. The purpose of this up-front, transparent approach even prior to interview
is to deter abusers from applying to the organisation in the first place.

During the interview:

1 However, according to good practice, the interview should also be seen as an opportunity to assess
candidates’ suitability in relation to child protection. The Child Protection Officer should remind the interview
panel of some basics in relation to child abuse, e.g. that abusers look completely ‘normal’, are often very
skilled at deception, salesmanship and ‘grooming’ (of organisations as well as individual children).

144 The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves
 2 Therefore, bearing in mind the principles of an equal opportunities interview (i.e. everyone should be asked the
same questions without discrimination), the interview panel should pay attention to:
• gaps in employment history (if the candidate has had a career working in children’s issues)
• frequent changes of employment or address (if the candidate has had a career working in children’s issues)
• reasons for leaving employment (especially if this appears sudden)
• it’s also good practice to get clarification on any duties or accomplishments that come across as ‘vague’ in
a CV in relation to work with children)
• keep an eye out for body language and evasion, contradiction and discrepancies in answers given (although
this must be interpreted in context and in a spirit of common sense)

3 It is important in the interview that the issue of child abuse is openly discussed and that the interview panel
reinforces that the organization has a comprehensive child protection policy and procedures in place.
Transparency is an important part of abuse prevention: an abuser may decide that there are not enough
opportunities to offend in an open and aware culture.

4 All applicants should have read the policy already prior to interview (and preferably have signed a commitment
to it). The interview panel could use this as an opportunity to see if the candidate has read the policy properly
and whether they have understood it. The interview panel can ask them their opinion of it / ask specific
questions about it. This reminds the candidate that the organization takes the policy seriously.

5 Direct and challenging questions encourage self-selection (i.e. candidates withdrawing themselves from the
process). Suggested / possible direct questions (adapted from ECPAT ‘Choose with Care’). The exact
questions should obviously be adapted to suit the type / level of seniority of the position being applied for:
• Have you ever worked anywhere where a colleague abused a child? What happened and how was it
handled? What did you think of the way it was handled? Would you have handled it differently yourself?
• Are you aware of our Child Protection Policy? What do you think of it?
• When might it be appropriate and inappropriate to be alone with a child (on, say, an overseas project visit)?
• How and when might it be appropriate to comfort a child?
• What sort of things might make a photograph of a street child inappropriate for publication in our
organisation’s annual report? [the interview panel should be looking for things like: inappropriate clothing; if
the photo depicts prostituted children / children in conflict with the law their faces should be blurred and
their names changed; was the photo taken (and - in an ideal world - used!) with the child’s permission? etc.]
• Is there anything that we might find out about during reference checks that you’d like to talk about?

6 Warning signs as listed by ECPAT include (but are not limited to):
• overly smooth presentation or keenness to please
• poor listening or rapport or communication skills
• strange or inappropriate questions / statements about children
• expresses an interest in spending time alone with children / in working with children of a particular age or
gender
• excessive interest in child photography
• background of regular overseas travel to destinations where child sex tourism is prevalent

7 However it may be none of these. Signs might not be clear. “The skilled paedophile may not be detected by
gut feelings or obvious warning signs. They may simulate the very person you had in mind for this job.” But
don’t give up - remain alert: “Remember, listen to your gut reaction but harness it with good practice!” [ECPAT
Australia - ‘Choose with Care’].

8 In spite of these questions, the interview should be sure to end on a positive note!

9 Also, a final reminder that under Equal Opportunities law, an organisation is not allowed to discriminate against
anyone on the grounds of age, gender, marital status, race, religion, sexual preference, disability etc...

The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves 145
[NAME OF ORGANISATION]
Character References

Please provide the name, address and contact number of two character references you have known for no less than
2 years, excluding family members.

Referee Name
Address

Email
Contact Number

Referee Name
Address

Email
Contact Number

Declaration of Criminal Convictions

Do you have a prosecution pending or have you ever been convicted, bound over or cautioned by the police or
received a formal reprimand or final warning for any offences, including road traffic offences? Yes ___ No ___

If yes, please provide details, including those prosecutions or convictions considered ‘spent’, and declare any
previous investigations or allegations made against you. These will be kept confidential by the designated Child
Protection Officer at [name of organisation], who will assess whether they pose any risk or not in relation to child
protection.

“I declare that the information I have given is complete and true and understand that knowingly to make a false
statement may result in termination of any agreement held between myself and [name of organisation].’’

Signed

Print name

Date

146 The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves
 147
CONSORTIUM FOR STREET CHILDREN: WORKSHOP FOR CHILD PROTECTION OFFICERS - 29.9.04
TRAINING NEEDS ASSESSMENT IN YOUR ORGANISATION - WORKSHEET
BY WHEN? WHO WHO WILL HOW WILL YOU
PRIORITY

WHO NEEDS WHAT DO THEY NEED TO KNOW?

TRAINING? (name / (type of training e.g.: induction for existing WILL CHECK DO IT?
APPENDIX 10: Education and training (Training Needs

position) staff; induction for new staff; briefing prior TRAIN IT’S BEEN MATERIALS /
to overseas travel; briefing prior to THEM? DONE? METHODOLOGY
recruitment process; specialised briefings
(communications / publicity / sponsorship
etc.)

The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves

Analysis Worksheet)
PERSONNEL - TRAINING / ORIENTATION
Please note, these guidelines relate to UK NGOs supporting partners/ project overseas.

a) Conduct a training needs assessment for personnel associated with the organisation which identifies who
needs to be trained, what type of information they need to know, who will conduct the training, by when, and
the materials needed to conduct the training. [See suggested template above].

b) In consultation with stakeholders, establish a timetable for the training of personnel.

c) There are likely to be different types of training / orientation needed. For example:
I. Initial / basic awareness raising and training on the organisation’s child protection policy for existing
staff and associated personnel;
II. Initial / basic awareness raising and training on the organisation’s child protection policy for new staff
and associated personnel as and when they join the organisation;
III. General refresher training for personnel (perhaps once a year) to remind personnel of procedures in
place and to update on any new developments;
IV. Overseas briefings for personnel due to travel overseas on project visits etc. to remind personnel of
behaviour codes of conduct and use of photography (communications guidelines) and reporting
procedures in the event that the visitor may witness abuse whilst overseas;
V. Specialised briefings / training for particular audiences such as sponsorship staff, communications, media
and fundraising staff on the use of images and case studies etc.

d) Ensure that participants have plenty of opportunity to ask questions and discuss issues of concern as part of
the training. The trainer should know where they can go for advice if they need additional help in answering
these questions (e.g. local organisations with expertise on child protection, ChildHope, CSC UK).

e) Where possible, get feedback from the participants on how the briefing / session went with suggestions for
future improvement.

148 The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves
APPENDIX 11: Allegations from a child - listening to a child’s
disclosure of abuse31
General points

• Accept what the child says

• Keep calm
• Don’t panic
• Don’t seek help while the child is talking to you
• Be honest
• Look at the child directly
• Do not appear shocked
• Let them know that you need to tell someone else
• Assure them that they are not to blame for the abuse
• Never ask leading questions
• Try not to repeat the same questions to the child
• Never push for information
• Do not fill in words, finish their sentences, or make assumptions
• Be aware that the child may have been threatened
• Take proper steps to ensure the physical safety and psychological well being of the child. This may include
referring them for medical treatment or to a psychologist
• Make certain you distinguish between what the child has actually said and the inferences you may have made.
Accuracy is paramount in this stage of the procedure
• Do not permit personal doubt to prevent you from reporting the allegation to the designated child protection
officer
• Let the child know what you are going to do next and that you will let them know what happens32

Things to say

• Repeat the last few words in a questioning manner

• ‘I believe you’
• ‘I am going to try to help you’
• ‘I will help you’
• ‘I am glad that you told me’
• ‘You are not to blame’

Things not to say

• ‘You should have told someone before’

• ‘I can’t believe it! I’m shocked!’
• ‘Oh that explains a lot’
• ‘No not...he’s a friend of mine’
• I won’t tell anyone else’
• ‘Why? How? When? Where? Who?’

At the end of the disclosure

• Reassure the child that it was right to tell you

• Let them know what you are going to do next
• Immediately seek help, in the first place from the designated child protection officer
• Write down accurately what the young person has told you. Sign and date your notes. Keep all notes in a
secure place for an indefinite period. These are essential in helping your organisation/ Social Services/ the
Police decide what is best for the child, and as evidence if necessary
• Seek help for yourself if you feel you need support

31 Methodist Church Guidelines: Listening to a Child's Disclosure of Abuse and including some points from Tearfund Child Protection Policy,
May 2001, Section C
32 Anti-Slavery International draft Child Protection Policy, Oct 2002, 'Raising and reporting of child abuse'.

The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves 149
APPENDIX 12: Reporting and reaction protocol:
Recommended guidelines
Sample management flowchart for reporting suspected abuse33

Concerned about suspected, witnessed, reported or

potential abuse of a child/children from the
organisation/project by one or more of the following:
• member or members of staff
• visitors to the project
• another child/children in the project

Discuss your concerns with the designated If your concerns involve this specific person,
person/main contact in your organisation go to the next most appropriate person
(preferably on same working day): i.e.: a Senior Manager
Name Name
Title Title
Location Location
Contact Details Contact Details

Action will be taken by the designated child protection officer

or manager (this may require consultation with more senior
management) to ensure the child is safe as a priority and
then to investigate the matter, guided by the CPP and
procedures. [See additional text below for further guidance].
Additional referral contacts could be made as appropriate.

Social Services Child Protection Team Local Police

33 Adapted from tools and resources found in the child protection policies of SENSE International, Save the Children UK and Tearfund.

150 The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves
Further guidance
• If your concerns involve immediate harm to a child, act without delay, as inaction may place the child in further
danger.

• If you know any information about the maltreatment of a child, it is your responsibility to tell someone.

• ‘In certain instances there will be the obligation for the organisation and its staff and others to report concerns
to the appropriate external bodies. This will usually occur as a consequence of the reporting procedure.
However, if urgent action is required in order to protect children then it may be prior to the reporting
procedure’.34

• The responsibility for investigating allegations of child abuse in many countries rests with the Police and local
Social Service Department. The organisation’s designated child protection officer may seek legal advice, the
advice of the Social Services or Police in deciding whether a formal referral to the authorities is necessary. If it
is decided that external reporting should not take place then there must be a clear rationale for that decision
which should be recorded. The decision not to report in such circumstances should be unanimously approved
by the relevant management personnel - e.g. Executive Director, Operations Director and the Child Protection
Officer.35

• Reports that are made maliciously or not in good faith shall warrant strict disciplinary action in line with the
Human Resources staff manual.36

• The process leading to decision making should be well documented and all facts or written allegations and
responses kept on file.37

• When a case is immediately dropped, the reasons for doing so shall be communicated to the person who
reported the matter.38

34 Tearfund Child Protection Policy, May 2001, Section C (Reporting - Making Reports).
35 Adapted from Tearfund Child Protection Policy, May 2001, Section D (Responding).
36 HIV/AIDS Alliance Child Protection Policy January 2005
37 HIV/AIDS Alliance Child Protection Policy January 2005
38 HIV/AIDS Alliance Child Protection Policy January 2005

The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves 151
APPENDIX 13: Sample report form for suspected abuse39
If you have knowledge that a child’s safety might be in danger, please complete this form to the best of your
knowledge. Please note that child protection concerns must be reported directly to the designated child protection
officer immediately (preferably within the same working day). You may wish to complete this form before contacting
the designated child protection officer in your organisation’s reporting process or you may wish to complete the
report after contacting the designated child protection officer. This report is to be used as a tool to develop the most
un-biased information-based report possible. For confidentiality reasons, the report should be written and signed
solely by you. It should only be sent only to the designated child protection officer. It will be held in a safe and secure
place and treated in the strictest confidence.

1 About You

Your name

Your job title

Workplace

Your relationship to the child

Contact details

2 About the Child

Child’s name

Child’s gender

Child’s age

Child’s address

Child’s guardians

3 About your Concern

Was the abuse observed or suspected?

Is this concern based on first hand information or information divulged to you by someone else?

(If so who?)

Did the child disclose abuse to you?

Date of the alleged incident

Time of the alleged incident

Location of the alleged incident

Name of alleged perpetrator

39 Based on tools and resources from Child Protection Policies of SENSE International and Tearfund.

152 The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves
Job title

Nature of the allegation

Your personal observations (visible injuries, child’s emotional state, etc.)

[N.B. Make a clear distinction between what is fact and what is opinion or hearsay]

Exactly what the child or other source said to you [if relevant] and how you responded to him or her
[Do not lead the child. Record actual details]

Any other information not previously covered

Were there any other children/people involved in the alleged incident?

Action Taken

Signed

Date

The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves 153
APPENDIX 14: Ramifications of misconduct
Suggestions of general points to include in the ‘Ramifications of misconduct’ section of a child protection policy:

• If an allegation of a violation of the policies, guidelines, principles or practice of child protection is made
concerning a named individual from a verifiable source against any employee, contractor, trustee, officer, intern
or volunteer, they may be suspended from all activity / association with the organisation pending the outcome
of an independent investigation. Staff will continue to receive full pay during this time.

• Depending on the outcome of the independent investigation: ‘If it comes to light that anyone associated with
[the organisation] commits acts in relation to children - whether within or outside the context of [the
organisation’s] work - which are criminal, grossly infringe children’s rights, or contravene the principles and
standards contained in this document, the organisation will take immediate disciplinary action and any other
action which may be appropriate to the circumstances’. This may mean, for example, for:
• Employees - disciplinary action / dismissal
• Volunteers, trustees, officers and interns - ending the relationship with the organisation
• Partners - withdrawal of funding / support
• Contractors - termination of contract

• ‘Depending on the nature, circumstances and location of the case, [the organisation] will also consider
involving authorities such as the police to ensure the protection of children and criminal prosecution where this
is appropriate.’40

• The decision to suspend is not subject to challenge. When investigating and determining the concerns or
complaints, the process should always be fair and any adverse determination should be open to challenge
through an appeals process.

It would be useful to include more specific information regarding the ramifications of specific types of misconduct in
relation to child protection so everyone is clear from the outset what the consequences of any type of abuse will be.

Organisations will need to decide the kind of responses or disciplinary action to be taken for different levels of
offence. For example, if a member of staff verbally humiliates a child (and depending on whether this is the first time
they have committed this offence or not), the type of action taken by the organisation may not necessarily be
suspension but could be a verbal warning, followed by a monitoring of this member of staff for a specific period.

40 Adapted from Save the Children UK Child Protection Policy, 1999, Section 1.4 (Responsibilities Under this Policy)

154 The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves
APPENDIX 15: Tips for overall impact assessment in M&E
1 Risk
To measure changes in risk to children following implementation of child protection policies and procedures:
Re-evaluate the risks you identified as part of your initial risk assessment - are there fewer risks than before? Is the
level of these risks lower, the same or greater? Are there any existing or new risks in the organisation that are not
covered by current policy and procedures which need to be dealt with?

2 Knowledge
• Check you staff’s knowledge about child abuse
• How to respond to / report alleged abuse for both children and staff
• Knowledge of behaviour guidelines for both children and staff
• Do relevant staff know about recruitment procedures / media / communications guidelines?
• Knowledge of opportunities available for training
• Do staff know who the child protection officer is?
• Is each person aware of their child protection responsibilities within their particular role?

3 Attitude
• How seriously do people take child protection issues in the organisation?
• How openly is child protection discussed in the organisation?
• How much are children respected as individuals?
• Do staff think that children should be consulted on child protection issues?
• How proactive are people at all levels of the organisation, including children, in feeding into / improving child
protection policies and procedures?

4 Practice
• Are lessons learned from the successes and challenges of implementing child protection policy and
procedures, are they documented, and are they acted on?
• What do children feel has changed in the project since child protection issues have been introduced?
• What do staff feel has changed in the project since child protection issues have been introduced?
• Have there been changes to the physical environment to increase safety (e.g. play areas have been cleared of
hazardous objects and are made secure from outsiders; fire exits have been identified and labelled and fire
drills have been carried out; electrical wiring has been made safe etc?
• How safe do children feel overall in the project (see example of questionnaire below)?

YES NO

1 Have you had an accident at the project in the past year? ✓

2 Have you been frightened by another child in the project in the past year? ✓

3 Have you been frightened by an adult in the project in the past year? ✓

The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves 155
 YES NO

4 Have you been hurt by another child in the project in the past year? ✓

5 Have you been hurt by an adult in the project in the past year? ✓

6 Has another child in the project made you feel humiliated (stupid, useless,
worthless) in the past year? ✓

7 Has an adult in the project made you feel humiliated (stupid, useless, worthless)
in the past year? ✓

8 Has an adult in the project asked your opinion about the best ways to keep children
safe in the project in the past year? ✓

9 Is there an adult in the project that you would speak to if you had a
secret problem?
✓

10 Do you feel safe here in this project? ✓

This tool may highlight incidents which have already been responded to as part of the CPP and procedures, but it
may also identify areas that need to be addressed. If the child/children have indicated feeling unsafe in any of the
situations listed above, then further investigation will be needed to identify problems in more detail.

156 The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves
 157
Elements of What do we need to Indicator Who should take How should we What happens to
CPP / overall know to assess the responsibility monitor/collect the the information
impact effectiveness? for measuring this? relevant information? once it is collected?
procedures incorporating elements of both process and

Review of CPO’s CPO’s

evaluation framework for child protection policies and

For example: Have police reference Police reference Child

Recruitment checks been conducted check filed in Protection personnel files Manager Manager
APPENDIX 16: Sample of a detailed monitoring and

satisfactorily before post personnel file, Officer’s

has been offered? time taken Manager
documented
Does the job advert Job advert Child Protection Review job Ad
include a statement Officer (CPO)
informing applicants of
your CP policy?

The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves

For example: Are reporting and These processes Agreed staff team Regular questions CPO CPO
reporting reaction processes are clearly with child/youth to different groups to
and reaction standardised, clearly documented and member of staff review
processes outlined and made understood by all nominated by
available to all children, staff, children
representatives to volunteers, interns
include reporting and etc.
storing information
For example: Do children feel safe in In a randomly CPO Questionnaire CPO line CPO,
overall the organisation? distributed manager CPO line
implementation questionnaire, manager,
of CPP and children indicate project
impact assessment

procedures feeling safe in manager

10/10 specified etc.
areas
APPENDIX 17: Sample statement of commitment
STATEMENT OF COMMITMENT
to [name of organisation’s] Child Protection Policy

Staff, contractors, trustees, officers, interns, volunteers & visitors

“I, [name] , have read and understood the standards and guidelines outlined in this
Child Protection Policy. I agree with the principles contained therein and accept the importance of implementing child
protection policies and practice while working with [name of organisation]

Print name

Job title / role

Signature

(Date)

158 The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves
APPENDIX 18: Examples of obstacles and solutions to
implementing child protection policies and procedures
(Consortium for Street Children members workshop,
October 2003)
OBSTACLES SOLUTIONS

Advocating the need for a CPP Advocating the need for a CPP effectively
effectively • Process of developing and implementing policies and procedures has to be
• People who have been involved for 30 yrs participatory to raise awareness and develop widespread ownership; process
feel affronted by requests / entrenched org. is as important as actual policy
culture / inflexible stakeholders • Systematised, regular and formal training and awareness raising
• Trustees who don’t think we need to do • CSC members can come/work together; working with other org. of a similar
this; difficulty in accessing trustees to agree size and resolving related issues
to policies and procedures • Leading by example, with partners play donor card, but must begin to
• Having to educate people about its discuss; Funding; Charity Commission; CSC requirement; gentle persuasion
importance • Raising of awareness: advocate for administrative funding for this - BOND
• Involving partners in CPP (lobbying network) and CSC could help
• Changing the organisation’s culture to • Selling the policy as a positive tool rather than a negative obligation: bottom
recognise the need for CPP line is the best interests of the child; refocus on aims of org. and the human
• Getting all levels on board; staff, trustees, side rather than the minutiae -i.e. ‘Why are we doing this’, rather than ‘do not
volunteers, fundraisers; lack of wider be alone with a child’..; remind everyone that it’s every team’s responsibility
understanding in the organisation of CPP • Recruitment references
• Is everybody in the org. coming from the • Encourage volunteers that it is in their best interests
same place / same understanding of what • Dialogue with CSC
a CPP is?
• Danger of imposition of one perspective
• Lack of priority in a huge org. with many
priorities
• Who and why do we buy into this?

Resources - human/financial Resources - human/financial

• Lack of time (with regard to staff time, • Working with other org. of a similar size and resolving related issues
discussing, developing and implementing • Designated part of someone’s work plan
policies, doing interviews for overseas • Commitment and resources from top of org. CEO, trustees, etc.
visits etc.) • Build up from a core ‘skeleton’ document based on the essentials: larger orgs
• Constraints on fundraising (e.g. direct will be able to commit to more than smaller ones [Please note: this is what
mail) the CSC policy is trying to do - identify the ‘essentials’ and the ‘desirables’]
• So many people involved • Simplify / provide pro forma examples [CSC policy has already started to do
• Makes recruitment more complex; this]
inability to conduct proper checks on • IPPF has a ‘self-assessment’ tool for overseas partners that is broader than
staff and trustees before appointment CP issues that may be useful for others (CSC to obtain and circulate)
• The magnitude and responsibility to • Prioritise emails - clearly mark those which are important [Please note: CSC
enforce CPP Secretariat makes concerted efforts to do this by making subject headings
• Need resources to cascade policy to very clear; CSC relies on members to make intelligent decisions about which
partner orgs emails are of interest to them / which ones to delete; CSC does not currently
• Accessing appropriate training for all staff have the capacity to deliver a tailor-made email service to individual members,
(and budget implications) given the wide variety of members’ interests and the limited secretariat
• Getting a balance between CP and capacity although this may be possible at a later stage linked to re-
programme delivery development of the website.]
• Other legitimate priorities competing for
limited time and resources
• Lack of expertise

The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves 159
 OBSTACLES SOLUTIONS

Implementation/Communication with Implementation/Communication with overseas partners and also internally

overseas partners and also internally • Internally everyone must know that it’s a requirement
• Not having a policy • CSC members can come/work together; working with other org. of a similar
• Getting a policy implemented size and resolving related issues
• Differing values held by staff constraining • Selling the policy as a positive tool
implementation; guaranteeing that staff • Transparency; documentation and the guiding principle of the best interests
involved have the same principles and of the child; regular monitoring
practice • Reader-friendly and child-friendly versions available; make sure it’s translated
• Fitting new procedures into an existing as necessary; get it ‘crystal marked’ for plain English
system / applying CPP effectively to • Debate leading to minimum / essential standards
people already working in our org. • Ownership by whole staff, volunteers
• Practical application of CPP can • Step by step approach e.g. code of conduct
sometimes be challenging (i.e. ensuring • Encourage partners to have their own policy
that staff are not alone with a single child) • Self-assessment tool for overseas partners
• Practical implications: who keeps forms • Dialogue with CSC
etc. in the office? • Simple / sample procedures and checklists
• How to engage with overseas partners • Have a named person as a sounding board on issues that are unclear
with very limited capacity (e.g. small
grassroots African NGOs)
• Monitoring overseas partners
• Do partners have same vision/goal for
child’s protection?
• Autonomy of partner org.
• Diversity of partner org.
• Ensuring consistency of approach and
practice among partner organisations

Culture Culture
• Interpreting the level of abuse within • Participatory consultation
cultural perspectives/values • Transparency
• People who claim the CRC is a western • Increased levels of mutual understanding and dialogue
based convention and disagree when it • CRC has been universally ratified by all governments (unless you’re
comes to some of this culture working in Somalia or the US)
• Regional / cultural definitions of child • [‘culture’ is not static; need to question also whose ‘culture’ it is - are
abuse: different benchmarks of what definitions / decisions / practices about behaviour based on the culture of
constitutes ‘abuse’ etc. those in power (according to gender, age, social standing etc.), or on
those who are most (often negatively) affected by such decisions?]

Insurance Insurance
• What are we responsible for? • We all might have to take out insurance plans (explore in more detail)
• Magnitude of responsibility to enforce CPP • Clear set of procedures
• Difficult balance between covering our • Having a named person who has direct responsibility for CPP in your org.
backs and protecting frightened children • Transparency; documentation and best interests of child; regular monitoring
• Who monitors who? Who monitors the • Debate leading to minimum standards
head of the org? • Define and accept limitations according to agreed, transparent roles - can’t
do everything: observer / whistleblower; clearly delineated lines of
responsibility - ‘firewalls’
• Important not to over commit, but meet the essentials

160 The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves
 OBSTACLES SOLUTIONS

Image/Fundraising Image/Fundraising
• Campaigning/fundraising demands • Involve fundraisers / marketers in the policy development and education
dramatic cases/images process
• Image policies sometimes at odds with • Refer disputes to the named child protection officer
fundraising

Does it work? Does it work?

• CRB does not cover most offenders • Foundation in the best interest of the child: we have a duty to do the best
• Practical reality: can’t solve all issues / we can. No system is foolproof, but having a policy and procedures can
however good the policy and procedures, help towards prevention
they are not 100% safe
• How much does a policy protect - or
merely divert?

Misc. Misc.
• Police check bureaucracy - backlog, • Other reasonable measures need to be implemented (such as self-
waiting for checks declarations of criminal convictions and references) to avoid over-reliance
• Partner org. already have a CPP which on the CRB which is very inefficient
differs widely to one that is acceptable to • Strengthen system of briefing and de-briefing for overseas visits (important
us psychological support element)
• WVI has capacity - building system in • Make sure training etc. is kept updated (important for larger organizations)
place - national offices adapt WVI policy • [For larger / more complex organizations / those with relations with national
• International office CPP does not apply to offices etc., enter into dialogue with CSC on a case by case basis to
national offices which are independent negotiate / adapt as necessary]
• Amnesty International is a membership
org. anyone can join and also join
Children’s HR Network; so many people
involved (250 local groups, 590 schools,
100 universities) - how can you control CP
issues?
• Not having a CPP and procedure in place

The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves 161
APPENDIX 19: ChildHope self audit tool
ChildHope child protection self-audit tool for partners
(adapted from CSC Child Protection Policy, Appendix 1 Essential and Desirable Components of a Child Protection Policy, and Setting the Standard, 2003)

Organisation Date
A In Place B Partially Done C Not in Place - tick in appropriate box below

OVERALL QUESTIONS A B C PLEASE ADD ANY

COMMENTS HERE

Does your organisation have a written child protection

policy?

Is the policy written in a clear and easily understandable

way?

Does the policy cover all staff, volunteers, interns,

trustees, consultants and children?

Is the policy publicised, promoted and distributed widely?

Does the policy describe the organisation’s

understanding and definitions of abuse?

Elements of the policy:

RECRUITMENT
Is commitment to your child protection policy a
condition of employment?

Do successful candidates sign a personal declaration of

criminal convictions?

Are successful candidates required to have a police

reference check?

Do all candidates have to provide 2 character references

who have known them for over 2 years (not family)?

Do your job advertisements make reference to your

child protection policy and conditions?

Do you check references and question candidates about

suspicious gaps in their employment history?

Are those people responsible for recruiting and selecting

representatives familiar with child protection issues?

Do you have policies and procedures for recruiting

representatives who have contact with children, and for
assessing their suitability to work with children?

Is there an induction process for all staff, interns,

volunteers, trustees, consultants, fundraisers etc which
includes familiarisation with the child protection policy and
procedures?

Do new trustees and volunteers have to sign up to your

child protection policy?

162 The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves
 EDUCATION & TRAINING A B C PLEASE ADD ANY
COMMENTS HERE

Is there an induction process for all representatives which

includes familiarisation with the child protection policy and
procedures?

Are all representatives provided with opportunities to learn

about how to recognise and respond to concerns about
child abuse?

Is training on behaviour guidelines and communication

guidelines available for staff?

Is training provided to those responsible for dealing with

complaints and disciplinary procedures relating to child
abuse and inappropriate behaviour towards children?

Are those people responsible for recruiting and selecting

representatives provided with training and written
guidance on safe recruitment practice?

Is training available on acceptable and unacceptable

sharing of information on children?

Do new employees and representatives receive child

protection training within 3 months of starting?

Do you regularly re-evaluate and update your child

protection training and education?

MANAGEMENT STRUCTURE
Do you have a designated person who is responsible for
implementing your child protection policy?

Is there ongoing supervision, monitoring and support for all

staff?

Do you have regular, formal staff evaluations?

Is the disclosure of personal information about children

restricted to only those staff who need to know?

Is there a policy in place for appropriate use of information

technology (i.e. email, websites, internet) to make sure that
children are not made vulnerable to abuse and
exploitation?

Does your board of trustees or executive body assume

overall responsibility for ensuring the implementation of
your child protection policies and procedures?

Do managers and senior staff promote a culture that

ensures children are listened to and respected as
individuals?

Do you hold regular internal and external project

inspections?

The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves 163
 PLEASE ADD ANY
BEHAVIOUR PROTOCOLS A B C
COMMENTS HERE
Do you have a code of conduct for staff behaviour towards
children?

Does the code of conduct specifically state the following

• Never abuse a child in any way
• Never develop a sexual relationship with a child?

Does the code offer further guidance on the following

• Minimising risk situations (e.g. avoid placing yourself in
a compromising position)
• Sexual behaviour (e.g. do not engage in or allow
sexually provocative games)
• Physical behaviour (e.g. wait for child to initiate
physical contact such as holding hands)
• Psychosocial behaviour (e.g. do not use language to
humiliate a child)
• Peer abuse (e.g. supervise younger or vulnerable
children)
• Physical environment? (e.g. clear rules for projects near
railway lines)

Are the consequences of breaching the code clear and

linked to organisational disciplinary procedures?

Is the code of conduct displayed prominently for all

organisation representatives to read?

Is there a child friendly version of the code of conduct

accessible to children?

Are children adequately supervised and protected at all

times?

Are checks made to assess family suitability where

children are placed in host families, in relation to child
protection?

Are disciplinary measures/sanctions non-violent and non-

humiliating to children?

COMMUNICATION GUIDELINES
Is information provided in a format and language that can
be easily understood by all service users, including
children?

Are children made aware of their right to be safe from

abuse?

Does everyone in your organisation know who is the

designated person for child protection and how to
contact them?

Are children (and parents) provided with information on

where to go to for help and advice in relation to abuse,
harassment and bullying?

Have you developed communication guidelines to ensure

you provide an accurate and balanced portrayal of
children with an emphasis on dignity?

164 The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves
 COMMUNICATION A B C PLEASE ADD ANY
GUIDELINES...cont COMMENTS HERE
Do the guidelines refer to the following
• Accurate representation of children (e.g. avoid
sensationalising text or images)
• Appropriate use of language (e.g. avoid degrading,
victimising or shaming language)
• Dignified images (e.g. children appropriately clothed
and not in sexually provocative poses)
• No personal or physical information to identify location
of a child that could put them at risk to be put in
communications
• Permission from children? (e.g. always seek permission
before taking photos)

Do you acquire permission from the child or guardian

before using images or case studies for publicity,
fundraising or awareness raising?

Have you established a system of signed consent for use

of pictures and other visual materials by external
individuals and organisations that includes the
ramifications of misconduct?

REPORTING AND REACTION

Are there clear written procedures which provide step by
step guidance on what action to take if there are concerns
about a child's safety or welfare?

Is there a standard process and a standard form for

recording incidents, concerns and referrals, and storing
these securely?

Is there a process for dealing with complaints by

parents/carers and by young people about unacceptable
and/or abusive behaviour towards children with clear
timescales for resolving the complaints?

Does your organisation take appropriate steps to protect

the child from further harm?

Do you have relevant contact details for child protection

services, social services department, police, emergency
medical help and helplines readily available and easily
accessible to all staff and representatives?

Do you provide guidance to all staff and representatives

on confidentiality and information sharing?

Are there guidelines for ensuring that when dealing with

allegations from a child, that the child is treated with
respect?

Do you have any arrangements for providing support and

supervision to those (both staff and children) affected
during and following an allegation?

RAMIFICATIONS OF MISCONDUCT
Do you have clear guidelines on the ramifications of
different types of misconduct?

Do the guidelines include what steps to take when taking

disciplinary action, including an appeals process?

The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves 165
APPENDIX 20: Child protection for disabled children
All organisations working with children should be aware of the particular vulnerabilities of disabled children as well as
the specific challenges to their participation in the development and monitoring of policies.

Defining disabled children41

Disabled children include those with movement, speech, visual, hearing, learning/intellectual, hidden and multiple
impairments who are made disabled by being discriminated against and excluded. Children with mild impairments
can be severely disabled by lack of access to their basic needs and rights.

Please note - definition: the term ‘disabled people’ is preferred to the term ‘people with disabilities’

“Disabled people use the word disability to refer to prejudice and discrimination, just as racism and sexism refer to
the prejudice and discrimination experienced by Black people and women. This is why the term ‘disabled people’ is
used rather than ‘people with disabilities’ as, usually, the latter term really means ‘people with impairments’.
Politicised disabled people wish to assert what society does to them, thus challenging the practice of identifying
them according to their functional limitations (impairments).”

A) Why are some children particularly vulnerable to intentional or unintentional harm?

Protecting disabled children42

Disabled children are more vulnerable to abuse and may need greater protection for a number of reasons. They may
be dependent on others for eating, dressing, going to the toilet and getting around. Although the great majority of
carers have the child’s best interests at heart, some carers will use their vulnerability as an opportunity to abuse
them.

Disabled children are particularly vulnerable to abuse

• They are more likely to attend residential institutions

• They are dependent on other people for their care
• They sometimes don’t understand that they are being abused
• They may not have the opportunity to tell people what is happening
• Their difficulties with communication can make it hard to tell what is happening to them

Disabled Children are abused in many different ways. Examples include:

• Lack of basic care - inadequate food, shelter, health care

• Lack of opportunities to develop, restriction of freedom, lack of social interaction
• Abandonment (often to an institution)
• Degrading treatment - being ostracised, name-calling and other insults
• Excessive medical or rehabilitative ‘treatment’
• Violence
• Sexual abuse

We all know about physical and sexual abuse. But there are also more subtle forms of abuse such as:

• The child being deprived of a suitable communication system

• The child being deliberately prevented from seeing people outside the institution when they are living away
from home

41 Save the Children Disabled Children’s Rights - a Practical Guide (2001)

42 Adapted from NSPCC Website - Disabled Children and Child Protection - www.nspcc.org.uk

166 The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves
In addition, disabled children are at particular risk of sexual abuse

• Disabled children are at far higher risk of sexual abuse than non-disabled children, according to research
carried out in Europe and North America.

• Ample anecdotal evidence confirms that this is also the case in other parts of the world.

• Disabled children are much less likely than non-disabled children to have access to sex education, either
because they do not attend school, or because they are seen as ‘asexual’.

• Initiatives to protect children from abuse rarely include disabled children in their remit.

Bangladesh: Sexual abuse of the disabled girl, particularly of the adolescent, has been identified as one
of the most vulnerable situations for disabled children. Almost all the disabled girls revealed incidents of
sexual abuse ... [in individual interviews]. Sexual abuse varied from indirect abuse to even rape. In most
cases the disabled girls informed of repeated and continuous disturbance by street boys, even elderly
people who proposed, used words to stimulate them sexually, offered money for mutual sex, etc. There
has even been a case of sexual harassment by a traditional healer when he had more close access and
interaction with the disabled girl in the name of treatment. All these make families feel anxious and
insecure. All these result in multiple barriers for the disabled girl. She is disabled because of her
impairment and even more being a girl with disability.43

Facts about disabled children and abuse

• Abuse of disabled children is widespread and exists across all cultures.

• Disabled children are twice as likely to be abused within their families as non-disabled children.

• Disabled children are not regarded as children. It is common for disabled children to be identified primarily by
their impairment, rather than as children first who happen to have an impairment. As a result, approaches to
working with disabled children tend to focus mainly on treating the impairment, rather than on addressing the
broader needs and rights of the child.

• There is a strong link between disabled children being undervalued, and their abuse.

• Protection should not be confused with overprotection. Over-protection focuses on the child’s vulnerabilities
and weaknesses, sees the child as a passive recipient of provision, dependant on the goodwill and charity of
others and can leave the child just as vulnerable as before.

• Cruel behaviour, which would provoke outrage if it were practised on a non-disabled child, is more likely to be
accepted towards a disabled child.

• The seriousness of emotional abuse cannot be underestimated. It is destructive to the child’s self-esteem and
reinforces the child’s feeling of inferiority.

• Sometimes, it can be hard to tell when a disabled child is being abused. People might think a child is behaving
differently just because of his or her disability and not realise they are being abused.

Communication problems
Many disabled children have communication difficulties, like hearing or speech problems. Some disabled children
lack the personal, social and sexual education to know that they are being abused. It’s very important that they are
taught about abusive behaviour, and shown how to communicate about it if it happens to them. Remember, some
alternative communication systems may not include the words children need to describe intimate or abusive acts.

43 Centre for Services and Information on Disability (1999) Street Children with Disabilities: situation analysis and need assessment of street children
with disabilities in Dhaka City. Dhaka: CSID/Save the Children Sweden.

The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves 167
What to look out for
As a disabled child may not be able to tell you they are being abused, here are a few things to look out for. They do
not necessarily mean that the child is being abused, but if you notice anything you may wish to check it out further:

• Sudden unexplained changes in behaviour

• Signs of general distress or agitation
• New or unexplained marks or bruising
• Sexualised behaviour
• Loss of appetite
• Self-harming
• Soiling

Deaf children
Deaf children may not have sufficient communication skills or the vocabulary to describe what is happening to them.
They can be particularly vulnerable because:

• Sometimes their method of communicating involves more direct touching

• They may be away from home, for instance in a residential school
• Deaf children, especially those with an additional disability, are further exposed to a larger amount of touching
contact

B) What special measures need to be taken to protect disabled children?

In light of the particular vulnerabilities of disabled children to different forms of abuse, concerns need to be taken
seriously and organisations can work proactively to prevent abuse from taking place. Practical steps to improve
practice include:

a) Emphasising non-discrimination
b) Emphasising de-institutionalisation
c) Listening to children’s views
d) Ensuring special communication needs are met
e) Appointing a Specialist Child Protection Adviser
f) Including disability issues in child rights programming

a) Emphasising non-discrimination
An increasing number of countries have non-discriminatory legislation in place, whether in the form of separate
disability legislation, or by including issues related to disabled children in all legislation relevant to children. Some
countries have outlined strategies for implementation and detailed guidelines describing how legislation is to be
implemented in practice.

Practical steps towards implementing non-discrimination are a constant theme of many of the examples of good
practice.

For example, organisations can begin by implementing non-discrimination in all areas of child protection, such as by
ensuring disabled children can participate in the design and implementation of child protection policies and
procedures and have equal access to information on how to protect themselves from abuse.

b) Emphasising de-institutionalisation
Recognising that large institutions are not the best places for children to grow and develop, but that getting rid of
them is not achieved overnight, efforts are being made to improve practice in existing institutions in a way that
provides a more suitable environment for children. Approaches include:

• Re-grouping children within existing institutions into smaller ‘family style’ groups or units, where children with a
mix of ages, gender and abilities live in small groups with house-parent/s.
• Replacing large institutions with smaller family group homes, sometimes in the community.
• Improving practice in protection against abuse of disabled children in institutions.
• And in the longer term, developing alternatives to institutionalisation.

168 The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves
c) Listening to children’s views
Disabled children can and do express their views on issues of concern to them. Adults can learn to listen to their
views, and to take them seriously. The process of participation benefits the disabled child and brings its own value -
encouraging the child’s ability to have their say in shaping events, and to participate actively in a democratic society.
• A key to ensuring respect for the ‘best interests of the child’ is to listen to the views of disabled children
themselves.
• Listening to the voice and opinions of children can form an integral and informative part of improving the
practice of inclusive programmes and services.

d) Ensuring special communication needs are met44

Communication is the exchange of thoughts, ideas, and feelings. Language is one means of communicating but it is
not the only one. Humans communicate in a variety of ways such as by using body language, hugging, laughing,
kissing, eye pointing, blinking, intonation, humming, volume, crying, running away and so on. Every child can
communicate in some way and the responsibility lies with carers and consultation workers to develop their own
language in order to communicate with disabled children.

As well as ensuring they are able to relate to children, consultation workers need to ensure children’s perception of
their role is clear, that safety issues are taken into consideration and that practical arrangements such as the setting,
involvement of parents/guardians, negotiating consent, session timing and recording are thought out prior to
consultation taking place. Consultation workers also need to be aware of their own belief systems that may colour
interpretation.

e) Appointing a Specialist Child Protection Advisor

It is advisable to appoint a specialist Child Protection Adviser with specialist experience in child protection and with
disabled children. It is also important to ensure that the necessary support is put in place and that lines of
communication are established as soon as possible.

f) Including disability issues in child rights programming

The best way to ensure that there is a ‘disability perspective’ in all your work is to involve disabled children and their
families in decision-making throughout the project.

The following steps can also be taken to include disability issues in child rights programming:
• Analysis from a child rights perspective
• Aiming for a child-friendly environment
• Inter-sectoral approach
• Advocacy/policy dimension

For further information on including disability issues in child rights programming you should consult Save the Children
Disabled Children’s Rights - a practical Guide (2001).

Other resources
“It doesn’t happen to disabled children” Child protection and disabled children (report of the National Working Group
on Child Protection and Disability) - NSPCC, 2003 ISBN 1-84228-040-6 www.nspcc.org.uk/inform

For General reading on disability

• Still Missing? Vol 1: The experiences of disabled children living away from home, Jenny Morris, the Who
Cares? Trust, 1998
• Still Missing? Vol 2: Disabled children and the Children Act, Jenny Morris, the Who Cares? Trust, 1998
• Pride against prejudice: transforming attitudes to disability (The Women’s Press)
• Independent Lives? Community Care and disabled people (Macmillan)
• Gone Missing?: A research and policy review of disabled children living away from their families, Jenny Morris,
the Who Cares? Trust 1995, p32.]

44 Save the Children Learning to listen - consulting children with disabilities (2001)

The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves 169
APPENDIX 21: Child abuse case studies - newspaper
articles45
‘Father’ who shattered dreams of orphans46
Child sex ring won trust of children with friendly words and sweets

Audrey Gillan
Friday August 8, 2003
The Guardian

It was supposed to be a village for orphans of the Ethiopian famine, a shelter for children who had lost their parents
to the ravages of drought, crop failure and starvation. Here, they could eat plentifully and become part of one bigger
“family” of orphans and their carers.

Instead, this safe haven was targeted by a group of paedophiles led by a Briton, David Christie, a former aid worker
who was yesterday sentenced to nine years hard labour in jail in Addis Ababa for sexually abusing 15 boys in his
care. He was also found guilty of procuring five boys for two of his paedophile friends.

Christie came to work for the Swiss-based charity Terre des Hommes, Lausanne, (TdH) in July 1994, moving to
Ethiopia to become its children’s representative. He operated from two bases, one in the capital Addis Ababa and
the other at Jari, an eight hour drive away in the parched region of South Wollo.

What neither Terre des Hommes, nor the children, knew was that Christie had been convicted of a sexual offence in
Britain in 1965 when he was training to be a teacher. A court found that he had “groomed” a young boy and taken
him to a country lane where he put pressure on him to perform a sex act.

Another black mark would have been found had they known that Christie had worked for an organisation called
Acord (Agency for Cooperation and Research in Development) on a project in Uganda for children and families with
AIDS. His contract was terminated at the end of four years over his “management style”. He also worked on
projects in Togo and in Tanzania and spent time running a development project breeding tropical fish in Negombo,
Sri Lanka. While there, he was friends with a Canadian, Denys Benjamin.

In 1995, Benjamin was arrested in Sri Lanka for gross acts of indecency. Two weeks later, he was given work by
Christie as an English teacher at the children’s village in Jari. Benjamin was in Jari for only a few weeks when it was
discovered that he had spent the night with one of the orphans. The incident was reported to Christie who sacked
him and told him to leave the village immediately. The matter was not reported to the police, even though the boy
was only 12 and had been found almost naked.

Christie had hired Benjamin on the advice of his friend Mark Lachance, another Canadian and founder of Circus
Ethiopia, a group of acrobats, jugglers and other performers recruited from street children. In October 1998, 15
members of the circus sought asylum in Australia on the grounds that they had been sexually abused. They named
Lachance as their abuser. Ethiopian police were investigating when he killed himself.

In 1997, TdH dismissed Christie after he too was found to have taken one of the village boys to his bedroom. Other
men were also allegedly involved.

Despite Christie confessing to sexual abuse to TdH, and admitting “to having a single improper sexual relationship
with a project beneficiary”, the charity did not tell the Ethiopian authorities, and Christie was allowed to leave the
country. Instead it said Christie had left for “budgetary reasons”. Again it probably realised the terrible irony of the
situation it found itself in. But it now admits it made a grave mistake, and this year when fresh allegations of abuse
surfaced it did tell the authorities. A man is now the subject of an investigation.

45 The cases included here both relate to abuse by international paedophiles. Although there is a greater incidence of abuse of children by local staff
in organisations, documentation of local cases is difficult to find and the researchers for this Toolkit were unable to access any documented cases.
46 This article has been edited from its original form

170 The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves
Alemseged Gebre-Yohannes, deputy commissioner of the Ethiopian police, said his central investigation department
is looking into all the allegations. “I think this is a very organised kind of crime. We don’t know how many boys have
been abused,” he said. “We do wish Tdh had not allowed Christie to go, and he was made to face charges here.
He could have been a very useful deterrent for this kind of act. He could have got five to 10 years’ imprisonment.
The next person we catch will be prosecuted.”

TdH did, however, alert Scotland Yard to the possibility that he might be back in the UK. Christie did, indeed, come
back to Britain, and settled at an address in north London, changing his name by deed poll to David Allen and taking
a job as a taxi driver. Neighbours told the Guardian that he was often abroad, and that he was planning to leave the
country permanently.

Christie’s offences pre-dated the 1997 Sex Offenders Act, which allows British courts to try UK nationals for similar
crimes committed abroad. Frustrated by an inability to prosecute, Scotland Yard closely monitored his movements.
Colin Tucker, a British spokesman for TdH who was stung by criticism of his organisation, which famously works to
fight the problem of paedophilia across the world, began working to ensure that Christie could not exploit children
abroad. Information came to light that Christie was planning to travel to Zambia to begin working with a project. In
conjunction with the police, Mr Tucker informed the Zambian authorities, who could do nothing but deport Christie.
Presented with a ticket to the UK, Christie could not have imagined that on his stopover for refuelling at Addis Ababa
he would be removed from the aircraft and arrested for the sex crimes he thought he had walked away from.

A clinical psychologist, Tizita Gebreu, was employed by TdH to investigate the children’s allegations and help them
work through them. One of the children, Berihun Kebede, said: “We feel very sorry because we are the victims and
we are unhappy. If David didn’t admit it himself, no one would have told on him. They told us they liked us and loved
us, and we didn’t know it was wrong - Christie was like our father. Everybody liked him and trusted him and loved
him. We don’t have a mother or a father and we are poor, and they took advantage of us. We feel betrayed. We
were very proud to be Tdh children and now we are ashamed. We don’t want anyone to think we have been
sexually abused.”

From her work with children and staff she has concluded that paedophiles targeted the organisation and that they
had a very tight, closed system. “They were almost working a dictatorship here.” It was clear, she added, that the
children were longing for love and that Christie and others took advantage of their needs.

Shaking her head, she said: “I suspect I will find a lot more victims. It could be more than we think. We will just
have to give it time.”

After yesterday’s sentence, Det Supt Peter Spindler, of Scotland Yard’s child protection group, warned: “This
sentence sends a strong message to any British paedophile who choose to go and offend in countries where they
think they are out of our grasp. They are not.”

The ‘saviour’ of street children wanted on sex abuse charges47

Daily Telegraph
21 August 2004

A charity that provides shelters for street children in Tanzania and which is backed by British fund-raisers is being run
by a Briton wanted in India on charges of sexual abuse against young boys. Duncan Grant, 61, a former Royal Navy
reservist from a distinguished military family, is the subject of an international arrest warrant issued by the Indian
authorities two years ago.

They want to put him on trial over allegations that he beat and sexually abused street children at similar shelters he
ran in Bombay.

As the Indian authorities searched unsuccessfully for him, he was living in the Tanzanian capital, Dar es Salaam, and
had set up three shelters identical to his operation in India.

47 This article has been edited from its original form

The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves 171
As Grant was traced to Tanzania this week, it emerged that the British Jesuits, who had sent volunteers from some
of their schools, had suspended dealings with him.

That followed concern expressed by some volunteers about the way some street children were being treated -
concerns which they passed to the British police and the Charity Commission.

Denying the allegations yesterday, Grant said they had been invented by the Bombay police, a lawyer and a rival
volunteer. “They cooked up some story that we were part of a paedophile ring and using the shelter for all sorts of
child abuse,” he said. “It was all nonsense.”

He said that at first he was determined to go back and clear his name “but my solicitor advised me not to because
she thought I would be arrested and locked away for years without a proper trial”. He said the boys had since
withdrawn the allegations.

The Bombay shelters received money through British schools and churches where Grant gave illustrated talks, and
from the British charity Rescue-a-Child.

The shelters were never formally registered with the Bombay state authorities but by 1999 they had a full
complement of some 50 to 60 boys aged from eight to 18. An official Indian report found the homes to be
“ramshackle and filthy and the children were being beaten indiscriminately”.

In 2001 when some of the children alleged that Grant and another Briton, his friend Allan Waters, had beaten and
sexually abused them, Bombay police began an investigation. By then both men had left India and an international
arrest warrant was issued in April 2002.

Waters, who is said to know Grant through the Royal Naval Reserve and who was a regular visitor to the Bombay
shelters, was arrested in New York last year when he triggered an Interpol alert at JFK airport on his way to
Bermuda.

Indian police are expected to travel to America next week to take custody of him after a New York judge confirmed
his extradition this week.

The British Jesuits said they immediately withdrew their gap year students when they learned of allegations about
mistreatment of children. They said they had later been told that an Indian high court judge had exonerated Grant.

When Grant established his Anchorage Shelters in Tanzania, they allowed gap year volunteers to go only after
carrying out a detailed inspection.

Ged Clapson, the Jesuits’ spokesman, said: “However, the students assigned to the Anchorage shelter project by
the gap year programmes in January this year expressed their concerns to their supervisor in London about the way
that some of the children were being treated.

“The matter was referred to the British Jesuit Provincial, who reviewed the reports from the students and . . .
decided immediately to withdraw gap year students from the shelters.

“Once they were safely back in Britain, the Provincial referred his concerns to the police. The Jesuits have also been
co-operating fully with a Charity Commission investigation into this and related matters.”

A student not part of the Jesuit programme defended Grant. Tom Baker, from Shropshire, who returned home on
Thursday after six months as a volunteer in Tanzania, said: “He is doing an amazing job.

“Without the shelters a lot of those boys would be dead. I am flabbergasted at the allegations. It is the first I have
heard of them. If anything like that had been going on, I would certainly have drawn attention to it. I can vouch for his
good character.”

172 The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves
Vicky Robertson, the chairman of Safe Havens-Tanzania, said she had not been involved with Grant in Bombay but
started raising money when he went to Dar es Salaam.

“Duncan Grant was represented to me with impeccable references,” she said. “When I started fund-raising for his
work in Tanzania I did not know about the allegations in India. I was told and, because of the references and
confidence I had in Duncan’s work, we decided these 240 children should not be deserted.”

Mrs Robertson, a retired lawyer from Norfolk, is about to visit the Dar es Salaam homes. She said: “I have every
confidence that there are absolutely no grounds for these abuse allegations. Street boys can be bought for five
pence halfpenny and you are talking about evidence in a third world country where corruption is rife. Do you think I
would support a charity where there is any suggestion of abuse? I have children myself.”

Aruna Buxton, a trustee of Rescue-a-Child, which gave grants to the Indian shelters, said no money had been sent
to Tanzania.

She said: “I was aware of the accusations that had been made against him but when we made inquiries there did
not appear to be any substance to them.”

Tanzanian police officers were sent to question Grant last night.

The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves 173
APPENDIX 22: Sample guidelines for child sponsorship
Recommended guidelines48:

1) Develop a comprehensive, user-friendly ‘Sponsorship Handbook’ that includes child protection standards to
be followed as well as specific guidelines for visits. Compliance with the standards outlined in this Handbook
must be compulsory.

2) Staff with responsibility for child sponsorship programmes / administration should, in addition to receiving
regular organisational child protection training, receive training in relation to the specific issues raised by
sponsorship such as communication guidelines, confidentiality of information (storage and communication),
reporting and response procedures in relation to unannounced / unaccompanied visits, detection of possible
irregularities in requests related to sponsorship etc.

3) If any concerns are raised in relation to a sponsorship application, the case will be discussed with the Chief
Executive before a decision is made. If the application for sponsorship is declined or sponsorship brought to a
close, the relevant programme manager will write to the individual advising them of the decision and the
reason. All consultation and decisions will be recorded.

4) A sponsored child’s history, picture folders and photographs of children must be stored in locked and secure
facilities to which a limited number of people have access.

5) All sponsor correspondence with a sponsored child must be reviewed for inappropriate or suggestive
comments, requests or obscenities, including political or religious comments that could cause offence, and to
ensure that letters do not contain the sponsor’s contact details. (This is to ensure that the sponsor is
protected from receiving begging letters from people unconnected with the sponsored child). Where the
sponsor writes in the child’s local language that cannot be screened by someone at the organisation, this is
clearly marked and the overseas partner / Field Office asked to check the content. In the event of
inappropriate correspondence being discovered, it will be returned to the sponsor explaining the
organisation’s concerns. The organisation reserves the right to decline sponsorship or sever the sponsorship
relationship.

6) At the time of sponsorship, sponsors must be advised that the organisation’s policy prohibits unannounced
visits. Sponsors requesting a visit must be asked to sign a statement that they have received and
understood the organisation’s visit policy.

7) A sponsor and his or her sponsored child must not exchange home addresses.

8) Staff must be aware of the organisation’s policy on the use of the World Wide Web. Sponsors must be
advised that information via the World Wide Web is provided as a service and is not to be downloaded or
redistributed to another site. Any posting on the World Wide Web must have a clear warning that the
information is not to be downloaded or redistributed for any reason. Such activity could subject the user to
legal action by the organisation.

9) The organisation will not facilitate the visit of any child to a sponsor’s country or facilitate the adoption of
children. Any request for such assistance will be tactfully declined.

10) The organisation reserves the right to terminate sponsors’ relationships with the organisation for child
protection or any other reasons.

SPONSOR VISITS TO THE ORGANISATION’S PROJECTS

1) In order to ensure that all possible steps are taken to protect sponsored children, their families and
communities, from those who may wish to exploit or abuse them, all sponsor visits will be arranged through
the organisation. Sponsors are encouraged to make their request to the organisation at least 8 weeks in
advance of the requested visit.

2) The organisation’s overseas partner / field office is required to refer any sponsor, or friend of a sponsor,
attempting to bypass this procedure to the organisation’s headquarters, and also to report the incident to the
organisation’s headquarters. The sponsor will then be contacted by the organisation.

48 Based on Plan UK and World Vision UK Child Protection Policies.

174 The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves
 3) On receiving a request to visit a project from a sponsor, the organisation will check the sponsor’s record. A
letter will be sent drawing attention to the visit guidelines outlined in the organisation’s Sponsorship Handbook.

4) The sponsor will be:

• required to obtain a Criminal Records Bureau disclosure check (if geographical jurisdiction of the CRB
applies): in the case of direct contact with children this will be a ‘Standard’ disclosure; in the case of indirect
contact with children this will be a ‘Basic’ disclosure;
• expected to sign the appropriate Statement of Commitment to the organisation’s Child Protection Policy as
a condition of the visit;
• expected to sign a personal declaration stating any criminal convictions, including those considered ‘spent’,
and declaring any previous investigations or allegations made against them with respect to child protection
issues (N.B. only convictions or history that might be considered dangerous to the safety or well-being of
children or their families will be considered as reasonable cause to decline sponsorship visits);
• expected to provide 2 contacts for referees;
• expected to provide the organisation with their passport number;
• expected to be interviewed by the organisation’s designated child protection person / Officer to ensure their
suitability for the visit. this briefing should include training on CSC’s Code of Behaviour and CSC’s guidelines
on communications about children (including use of images).

5) If a sponsor chooses not to comply with any of the requirements listed above the visit will be cancelled.

6) Sponsor and child details are then forwarded to the national office concerned. Staff from that office would
normally respond with permission for the visit.

7) Group sponsor visits will be subject to the same requirements above. Any sponsor wishing to join a group
visit must attend a briefing meeting with the organisation prior to departure. A Child Protection Officer will be
present during these briefings.

8) All visitors to the organisation’s projects must be advised of behaviour protocols that should reflect national
and local sensitivities. Visitors must sign and acknowledgement of receipt and understanding of these
protocols as part of their orientation before they visit the child.

9) The organisation’s partner / field office’s rules for visits to sponsored children must be observed. This may
require that a sponsor meet with a child in a central location such as the local organisation’s office.

10) While visiting projects, sponsors must be accompanied by a member of the local organisation’s staff, and will
not normally be allowed to stay overnight. During group visits, when there may be more sponsors than
members of staff to accompany them, child visits must be done in turn. Under no circumstances should
a sponsor be allowed to visit a child’s home alone.

11) Local staff must inform the organisation’s headquarters should a sponsor attempt to return, unchaperoned, to
a project on a subsequent occasion.

12) Sponsors and sponsored families should not exchange mailing addresses during visits.

13)The organisation will retain the right to cancel a sponsor’s visit at any time. Local staff must be informed if the
organisation’s staff have any suspicions, so that the situation can be monitored.

14) Communities and families participating in sponsorship programmes are advised of the organisation’s
procedures regarding sponsor visits. They are encouraged to report immediately any visit that has not been
arranged by the organisation’s staff or any request from a sponsor that encourages withholding information
from the organisation’s staff or other members of the community.

15) For overseas partners / field offices to be eligible to receive sponsor visits they should undertake to provide
the organisation with a Sponsor Visit Report following every visit. In the case of group visits the organisation
will prepare a report. (The visit must be reported in full detail giving both positive and negative information, as
the report may have a bearing on future requests). Project staff should be reassured that information
contained in reports remains confidential, and is not available to sponsors, and the organisation will make
clear that details should be included of any inappropriate behaviour. Actual or suspected cases of abuse or
inappropriate behaviour must be reported immediately to the organisation, and appropriate action taken.
This may include criminal investigation and potential severance of the relationship with the organisation.

16) In the case of any breach of the above guidelines, the organisation should be careful to thoroughly investigate
every case by contacting the child and their family, the in-country staff and the sponsor or person visiting.
Possible action may include bringing the sponsorship to a close and taking follow-up action with external
bodies as appropriate.

The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves 175
APPENDIX 23: Selected articles from the UN Convention on
the Rights of the Child (CRC)49
Taken holistically, the CRC provides a comprehensive framework for the protection, provision, and participation of all
children without discrimination to ensure their survival and development to the maximum extent possible. On the
understanding that CRC must be read as a whole, the following articles nevertheless form the specific basis of child
protection issues.

Article 1
For the purposes of the present Convention, a child means every human being below the age of eighteen years
unless under the law applicable to the child, majority is attained earlier.

Article 2
1 States Parties shall respect and ensure the rights set forth in the present Convention to each child within their
jurisdiction without discrimination of any kind, irrespective of the child’s or his or her parent’s or legal guardian’s
race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national, ethnic or social origin, property,
disability, birth or other status.
2 States Parties shall take all appropriate measures to ensure that the child is protected against all forms of
discrimination or punishment on the basis of the status, activities, expressed opinions, or beliefs of the child’s
parents, legal guardians, or family members.

Article 3
1 In all actions concerning children, whether undertaken by public or private social welfare institutions, courts of
law, administrative authorities or legislative bodies, the best interests of the child shall be a primary
consideration.
2 States Parties undertake to ensure the child such protection and care as is necessary for his or her well-being,
taking into account the rights and duties of his or her parents, legal guardians, or other individuals legally
responsible for him or her, and, to this end, shall take all appropriate legislative and administrative measures.
3 States Parties shall ensure that the institutions, services and facilities responsible for the care or protection of
children shall conform with the standards established by competent authorities, particularly in the areas of
safety, health, in the number and suitability of their staff, as well as competent supervision.

Article 6
1 States Parties recognise that every child has the inherent right to life.
2 States Parties shall ensure to the maximum extent possible the survival and development of the child.

Article 12
1 States Parties shall assure to the child who is capable of forming his or her own views the right to express
those views freely in all matters affecting the child, the views of the child being given due weight in accordance
with the age and maturity of the child.
2 For this purpose, the child shall in particular be provided the opportunity to be heard in any judicial and
administrative proceedings affecting the child, either directly, or through a representative or an appropriate
body, in a manner consistent with the procedural rules of national law.

Article 13
1 The child shall have the right to freedom of expression; this right shall include freedom to seek, receive and
impart information and ideas of all kinds, regardless of frontiers, either orally, in writing or in print, in the form of
art, or through any other media of the child’s choice.

Article 19
1 States Parties shall take all appropriate legislative, administrative, social and educational measures to protect
the child from all forms of physical or mental violence, injury or abuse, neglect or negligent treatment,
maltreatment or exploitation, including sexual abuse, while in the care of parent(s), legal guardian(s) or any
other person who has the care of the child.

49 See also information on the five umbrella rights of the CRC and a child rights-based approach to child protection in Stage 2, Section 2 of this toolkit.

176 The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves
 2 Such protective measures should, as appropriate, include effective procedures for the establishment of social
programmes to provide necessary support for the child and for those who have the care of the child, as well
as for other forms of prevention and for identification, reporting, referral, investigation, treatment and follow-up
of instances of child maltreatment described heretofore, and, as appropriate, for judicial involvement.

Article 25
States Parties recognize the right of a child who has been placed by the competent authorities for the purposes of
care, protection or treatment of his or her physical or mental health, to a periodic review of the treatment provided to
the child and all other circumstances relevant to his or her placement.

Article 32
1 States Parties recognise the right of the child to be protected from economic exploitation and from performing
any work that is likely to be hazardous or to interfere with the child’s education, or to be harmful to the child’s
health or physical, mental, spiritual, moral or social development.

Article 33
States Parties shall take all appropriate measures, including legislative, administrative, social and educational
measures, to protect children from the illicit use of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances as defined in the
relevant international treaties, and to prevent the use of children in the illicit production and trafficking of such
substances.

Article 34
States Parties undertake to protect the child from all forms of sexual exploitation and sexual abuse. For these
purposes, states Parties shall in particular take all appropriate national, bilateral and multilateral measures to prevent:
(a) The inducement or coercion of a child to engage in any unlawful sexual activity;
(b) The exploitative use of children in prostitution or other unlawful sexual practices;
(c) The exploitative use of children in pornographic performances and materials.

Article 36
States Parties shall protect the child against all other forms of exploitation prejudicial to any aspects of the child’s
welfare.

Article 37
States Parties shall ensure that: (a) No child shall be subjected to torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading
treatment or punishment. Neither capital punishment nor life imprisonment without possibility of release shall be
imposed for offences committed by persons below eighteen years of age.

Article 39
States Parties shall take all appropriate measures to promote physical and psychological recovery and social
reintegration of a child victim of: any form of neglect, exploitation, or abuse; torture or any other form of cruel,
inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment; or armed conflicts. Such recovery and reintegration shall take place
in an environment which fosters the health, self-respect and dignity of the child.

The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves 177
APPENDIX 24: Core child protection principles and values50
• The legal basis - the UNCRC: CSC’s Child Protection Policy is firmly based on the principles of the
UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. Taken holistically, the CRC provides a comprehensive
framework for the protection, provision and participation of all children without discrimination to ensure their
survival and development to the maximum extent possible. On the understanding that the CRC must be read
as a whole, the following articles nevertheless form the specific basis of child protection: 1 (definition of ‘child’),
2 (non-discrimination), 3.1 (the best interests of the child), 3.2 (duty of care and protection), 3.3 (standards of
care), 6 (survival and development), 12 (participation), 13 (freedom of expression), 19 (protection from violence),
25 (periodic review of placements), 32, 33, 34, 36, 37(a) (protection from economic exploitation, substance
abuse, sexual abuse and exploitation, ‘all other forms of exploitation’; torture, cruel, inhuman or degrading
treatment or punishment), 39 (physical and psychological recovery and social reintegration).

• The moral basis - a non-negotiable duty: The Consortium for Street Children believes that NGOs working
for street children’s rights have an absolute duty to protect this already vulnerable group from abuse,
mistreatment, and exploitation from within organisations intended for their benefit. This duty is imperative and
non-negotiable. Without adequate standards and mechanisms of protection in place, an organisation is not
only failing in its primary duty of care, but may also be negligently or recklessly fostering an environment of
abuse.

• An end to silence: Silence breeds abuse and exploitation of children. Paedophiles will seek out organisations
with weak communication structures and thrive where secrecy and shame prevail. Furthermore, without
proper policies and explicit procedures in place, NGOs are extremely vulnerable to false allegations of child
abuse. CSC therefore believes in:
• creating an environment where issues of child protection are discussed openly and are understood between
children and adults;
• promoting open lines of communication both internally and externally within and between organisations to
improve awareness and implementation of child protection policies and practices;
• creating a framework to deal openly, consistently and fairly with allegations concerning both direct and
indirect abuse.

• Children’s participation - a space and a voice: Creating a space where children feel able and willing to
speak out about abuse, free from abusers, empowers them to become actors in their own protection without
further discrimination or shame. “Children have the right to communication - to enable them to receive
information, to ask questions, to make choices, and to make decisions.”51 CSC believes that helping children
to find a voice is an essential step to helping them to claim their individual rights. Children will only benefit from
this policy if they are aware of their rights and are given the proper environment in which to exercise them.

• Taking it further: Child protection is not just about reading and signing a piece of paper: the policy sets out
guidelines and standards that must be put into practice. These include, amongst other measures: recruitment
procedures, review of management structures, creation of a space for children to speak out, staff training, and
development of transparent protocols. ‘Above all, it must be remembered that it is the children, not the
standards, that are sacrosanct; and although abuse must never be tolerated, the standards are no more than
a tool in the service of promoting the welfare of children.’52

• Capacity building: CSC understands the need for capacity building on issues of child protection and
appreciates the constraints and conditions under which organisations operate. CSC is committed to
undertake such capacity building in partnership with others.

• Challenging complacency: Resistance to addressing child protection issues may come from lack of
understanding of the nature of child abuse, lack of commitment to the organisation / programme, and a sense
that child abuse happens elsewhere. Organisations should ask themselves: “If safety and well being of children
are not at the centre of the organisation’s programme / activities, then why not?” ‘It is unfortunate and
unacceptable that it will take an horrendous incident to shock some organisations into action’. CSC will
challenge complacency as a matter of course.53

• These principles underlie all of the standards set out in this document.

50 Taken from the Consortium for Street Children’s Child Protection Policy, 2003.
51 Quoted from Sense International Child Protection Policy, Section 2.1.2
52 Setting the Standard: A common approach to Child Protection for international NGOs, anonymous INGO quotation, p.6.
53 Adapted, with selected quotations, from ECPAT Australia, Choose with Care, p.34.

178 The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves
APPENDIX 25: Child protection - child’s drawing
© Churches’ Child Protection Advisory Service (CCPAS) - Facing the Unthinkable - Video Work-Pack, Version 2 April 2000

PLEASE ENSURE THAT THIS PICTURE IS NOT LEFT LYING AROUND AT THE END OF THE SESSION

The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves 179
Briefing notes on child’s drawing
© Churches’ Child Protection Advisory Service (CCPAS) - Facing the Unthinkable - Video Work-Pack, Version 2 April 2000.

If you found the picture, and you knew who had drawn it (say, a 7-year-old girl) your response to the child should be
something like...

“This is an interesting picture. Can you tell me about it?”

What you should not do

You should not ask any other questions. You might put something into the child’s mind that was not there in the first
place. Examples would be if you said “What’s that between the legs?” or “Why is he holding knives?”, or “Is this a
picture of Daddy?” You shouldn’t say “Who’s this a picture of?” Don’t say “This is disgusting!” and screw it up!

These kind of questions assume that the child has drawn a picture of a particular person, that those pointy things
are knives or that there is something sinister about certain aspects of the drawing. He or she might have copied it
from another child!

By asking such direct or “leading” questions a child might be panicked or pressurised into giving a reply. They might
say the picture is of someone else because they have been threatened or bribed not to tell.

Parents should not be informed at this stage. They could be involved in abusive activities and this could result in a
child being silenced or threatened. Alternatively, they may not be implicated in any way, but their reaction could ‘tip-
off’ someone else who could silence the child or in other ways destroy an investigation which might need to take
place.

Further action

Assuming you ask about the picture (as suggested above) and the child responds, then note carefully what is said,
both in terms of exactly what you said to the child and the reply. Never press the child for information. Include in your
notes information on the circumstances surrounding the drawing of the picture. What had the group been doing /
discussing?

The child protection coordinator in your church or organisation should then be informed immediately. In these
circumstances the co-ordinator should take the picture to social services, together with any relevant information and
details of the child. The picture should not be shown to parents.

180 The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves
APPENDIX 26: Suggested training schedule for child
protection training using the toolkit
Draft 3-Day Session Plan: Implementing Child Protection for Non-Government Organisations

DAY ONE

TIME PERIOD TOPIC COVERED VISUALS NOTES54

09.30- 10.00 INTRODUCTIONS (and ice-breaker) Powerpoints (1)

(30 mins) Hopes & Fears, Sensitivity, Course rules (Intro section)
Happy / unhappy faces

10.00 - 10.30 WHAT IS CHILD PROTECTION? - What are Powerpoints (2) Exercise 1 -
(30 mins) we protecting children from? Stage 1,
Brainstorm - ball-throwing section 1.1
What is child protection?
Includes practical exercise - Exercise 1 - What
are we protecting children from? - (10 mins)
Compare ideas to standard definition

10.30 - 11.15 DEFINITIONS OF ABUSE Powerpoints (3) Exercise 2 -

(45 mins) Exercise 2 -Abuse or not Abuse? - (10 - 15 mins) Stage 1,
WHO definition of abuse section 1.2
Myths?

11.15 - 11.35 Coffee/Tea

11.35 - 12.00 WHY IS CHILD PROTECTION IMPORTANT? Powerpoints (4) Exercise 3 -

(25 mins) Presentation of key reasons. Stage 1,
part 1) Exercise 3- True or False? Attitudes to child section 1.3
protection policies & procedures - (10 mins)

12.00 - 12.45 part 2) Group discussion of 2 case studies per Exercise 4 -

12.45 - 13.00 group Exercise 4 - Case Studies - (45 mins) Stage 1,
(60 mins) Plenary feedback (15 - 20 mins) section 1.3

1300 - 1400 LUNCH

14.00 - 14.30 [Optional - discuss or highlight TdH case study -

(30 mins) Appendix 21 / other scare story]
Summary session - elicit questions / concerns
Learning points review

14.30 - 15.30 RISK Powerpoints (5) Exercise 5 -

(60 mins) Definition of risk, risk management Stage 1,
How to do a risk assessment - Exercise 5 - Risk section 1.3
Analysis - (part 1 - 30 mins, part 2 - 20 mins)

15.30 - 15.45 Tea/Coffee

15.45 - 16.00 CP OVERVIEW - intro to 6 stages Powerpoints (6)

(15 mins) Fable / parable of the house
Build up picture of house overall to introduce the
6 Stages

54 In the Notes section, the Facilitator can write in the relevant page numbers from which to photocopy handouts in this column if not providing
participants with the toolkit

The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves 181
 TIME PERIOD TOPIC COVERED VISUALS NOTES

16.00 - 17.15 Stage 2: 6 foundation stones Powerpoints (7) Exercise 6

(1 hr, 15 mins) Presention plus Exercises 6 - Confidentiality - (3 and 7 -
mins), Exercise 7 - Chinese Whispers - (5 - 10 mins) Stage 2,
section 2.2

17.15 - 17.30 WRAP UP

(15 mins) Summary
Feedback

DAY TWO
09.30 - 10.00 Day 1 recap
(30 mins) Agenda for Day Two

10.00 - 10.30 Stage 3 - Developing CPP & Procedures: Powerpoints (8)

(30 mins) Section 3.1 - Introduction to 7 elements of a
child protection policy - Handout for
participants to read about sub-sections of 7
elements in detail (10 mins reading time) (with
space to add more which will use in Ex.10)

10.30 - 11.45 Section 3.3) - Stakeholders - presentation Powerpoints (9) Exercise 8 &
(including followed by 9 - Stage 3,
coffee/tea) Exercise 8 - Stakeholder mapping - (25 mins) Section 3.3
(1hr 15 mins) Exercise 9 - Stakeholder Ranking - (10 mins)
Participants present stakeholder maps to plenary

11.45 - 13.00 Section 3.3 - Role play to determine Exercise 10

(1hr 15 mins) Essentials & Desirables - Exercise 10 - (45 - Stage 3,
mins) based on 7 elements of a CPP using Section 3.3
handouts of detailed 7 elements, followed by
Plenary feedback - justifications & voting - input
to one document agreed in plenary and filled in by
facilitator using projector.
[Homework = to read Appendix 8]

13.00 - 14.00 LUNCH

14.00 - 14.15 Section 3.3 - pros and cons of other Powerpoints (10) Exercise 11
(15 mins) consultation methods - Set Exercise 11 - The - Stage 3,
pros & cons of different approaches - (15 mins) as Section 3.3
homework. Ball-throwing reminder

14.15 - 14.45 Optional Exercise to include if participants are Exercise 12

(30 mins) from organisations who have a child protection - Stage 3,
policy - Exercise 12 - Self audit - (30 mins) Section 3.4
(Other alternatives:
1) Substitute Exercise 11.
2) May need more time after lunch to finish off the
plenary 7 elements document)
3) Start subsequent session earlier to allow more
time for Stage 4, Section 4.2)

182 The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves
 TIME PERIOD TOPIC COVERED VISUALS NOTES

14.45 - 15.30 Stage 4), Section 4.1) - Stages of Powerpoints (11) Exercise 13
(45 mins) Implementation/ Action Plan - Exercise 13- - Stage 4,
Organisational Action Plan - (25 mins) Section 4.1

15.30 - 15.45 Tea/ Coffee

15.45 - 17.30 Stage 4), Section 4.2)- Child Protection in Powerpoints (12) Exercise 14
(1hr 45 mins) Practice - Responding to Situations - Stage 4,
Presentation followed by Role play - (20 mins) by Section 4.2
Facilitators (Section 4.2) followed by feedback. Then
divide into groups to discuss/ role-play
Exercise 14 - Possible Situations - (30 mins)
(Exercise 15 - Chisomo Case study - homework/
optional)

DAY THREE
09.30 - 10.00 Summary of Days One and Two
(30 mins) Agenda for Day Three

10.00 - 11.00 Stage 6 - Obstacles and solutions - Powerpoints (13) Exercise 16

(1 hour) Exercise - 16 - Identifying Obstacles & - Stage 5
solutions - group work based on 7 areas - (40
mins). Presentation of obstacles/ solutions on
flipcharts, feedback (20 mins).

11.00 - 11.15 Summary / learning points (Draw attention to

(15 mins) handouts on ideas to overcome common
obstacles)
Feedback

11.15 - 11.30 Tea/Coffee

11.30 - 12. 45 QUIZ - (Appendix 27 - 1 hour) Recap on course -

(1hr 15 mins) team games

12.45 - 13.45 LUNCH

13.45 - 14.00 Stage 5 - Monitoring & Evaluation Powerpoints (14) Exercise 17

(15 mins) Recap - M&E in the context of the house - Stage 6
14.00 - 14.45 Presentation: what, why, who & how of monitoring
(45 mins) (inc. pros and cons of different approaches)
Exercise 17- Building M&E into Organisational
14.45- 15.30 Action Plans - 40 mins (individuals fill out
(45 mins) monitoring framework tool & display flipcharts on
walls)

15.30 - 15.45 Tea/coffee [circulate / view other groups’ flipcharts]

15.45 - 16.15 Group feedback to plenary on M&E frameworks -

(30 mins) 10 mins each x 3 groups

16.15 - 17.00 Revisit True/False Q’aires

(45 mins) Verbal Feedback on course
Check against personal objectives
Course evaluation q’aires
Introduce take-away toolkits

The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves 183
APPENDIX 27: Quiz on child protection for use in training
course
TEAM QUIZ55
WHAT IS CHILD PROTECTION & WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?
1 Give a definition of child protection.
2 Give a definition of child abuse.
3 What 2 types of ‘harm’ can be done to children?
4 Apart from visible injuries, list:
a. 1 sign of possible physical abuse
b. 1 sign of possible emotional abuse
c. 1 sign of possible sexual abuse
5 What does the phrase ‘an organisation’s duty of care’ mean?
6 Give 4 features of a ‘child-safe’ organisation.
7 True or false:
a. A child protection policy should only apply to staff who have direct contact with children.
b. Paedophiles will be deterred from applying to your organisation if the job advertisement states that you
have a child protection policy in place.
c. Women never sexually abuse children.
8 Give 3 reasons why child protection policies and procedures are important.

RISK
9 Definitions:
a. Give a definition of risk.
b. Give a definition of risk management.
10 What are the 4 steps of doing a risk assessment?
11 What are the 2 questions you need to consider when deciding whether something is low, medium or high
risk?

BUILDING A CHILD-SAFE ORGANISATION

12 What are the 6 stages of building a child safe organisation?

SIX FOUNDATION STONES

13 What are the 6 foundation stones?
14 What are the 5 umbrella rights of the CRC that make up the ‘table’ in a child rights-based approach?
15 Why is consultation important?
16 What are 2 benefits of transparency in an organisation?
17 What was the name of the person who originally owned the office plant?(!)
18 Why is it so important to be sensitive when discussing issues of child protection?
19 In what circumstances should confidentiality be breached - give one example.

SEVEN ELEMENTS OF A CHILD PROTECITON POLICY & PROCEDURES

20 What are the 7 elements of a child protection policy and procedures?
21 Why should you be concerned about gaps in employment history?
22 Who should be given training on behaviour guidelines?
23 List one guideline you should include in your communication guidelines.
24 Why is a standardised reporting form useful / important?

MISCELLANEOUS
25 Identify 3 common obstacles to implementing child protection policies and procedures.
26 List 2 things a good facilitator should do.
27 Give an example of what you should not say to a child when they disclose abuse to you.
28 List a possible sign of concern regarding the behaviour of a member of staff.
29 Why is it important to have an action plan in relation to child protection?

55 This quiz can be adapted and used as a team revision game as part of a training session.

184 The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves
APPENDIX 28: Course evaluation form for child protection
training course
CONFIDENTIAL COURSE EVALUATION FORM
This evaluation form is to get your opinions at the end of the course and to help us in planning this course in the
future. We would like you to spend a few minutes filling it in.

Name of Course How to develop, implement, monitor and evaluate child protection polices and procedures

Please rate on a score of 1-5 (1 being poor, 5 being excellent)

Mark out of 5
1 Value of this topic in relation to my job
2 The usefulness of the subject matter
3 The presentation methods used
4 Trainers’ ability to transfer knowledge
5 Atmosphere conducive to participation
6 My opinions were listened to
7 Value of the handouts
8 Use of audio-visual instructional media

PLEASE ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS IN YOUR OWN WORDS

9 Are there any extra topics that you think could be included in the course?

10 Is there anything you think should have been dropped from the course?

11 What did you enjoy most about the course?

The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves 185
 12 What did you dislike most about the course?

13 What aspect of the course did you find most useful?

14 What aspect of the course did you find least useful?

15 Was the length of the course TOO LONG/TOO SHORT/CORRECT?

16 Do you have any comments to make about the administrative arrangements for the course? (e.g. room, food).

17 Do you have any other comments to make?

Thank you for completing this evaluation form.

186 The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves
APPENDIX 29: ‘SNAKES & LADDERS GAME’
This game has been designed for use by adult staff who have undergone training or orientation on child protection. It
can be used during or after training as a ‘refresher’ activity or as a light hearted end to the course / reminder about
child protection - e.g. at occasional staff / child protection monitoring meetings.

Instructions
You will need
• a counter for each player
• a numbered die / ‘spinner’
How to play
• Each player chooses a small object (such as a coin or a stone) for their ‘counter’.
• All players start off the board.
• Each player rolls the dice in turn. The highest number starts. That player places their counter on the correctly
numbered space.
• Each player takes it in turns to roll the dice and to follow the instructions on the space on which they land.
• If you land on a space which has a ‘ladder’, move up to the space indicated at the top of the ladder. If you
land on a space which has a ‘snake’, go down to the space at the bottom of the snake.
• In order to finish, you must roll the exact number you need in order to land on space 20. If you do not roll the
exact number needed, try again on your next go.

TURN OVER TO PLAY!

The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves 187
 17
You are feeling unwell.
18 19
You leave a child’s personal
20
Question time:
The doctor advises you to file open on a desk while you fellow players must ask
remain at home for the day. go for lunch. you a question on child
Move back 3 spaces
protection. If you answer
it correctly you have finished!
If you get the answer wrong,
move back 2 spaces.

16
Question time:
15
A child comes to you to
14 13
A colleague is not at work
fellow players must ask report that they feel today. You have heard
you a question on child uncomfortable with a new rumours that this is because
protection. If you answer member of staff. You respond she caned a child in the
it correctly, move forward to the child sensitively and project yesterday. You spread
2 spaces. If you get the follow the correct reporting this rumour to 3 other people.
answer wrong, move back procedures outlined in your
2 spaces! child protection policy.

09
You meet with a journalist
10
Your director asks you to
11
You participate in a risk
12
Congratulations! You have
who wants to interview a develop a behaviour code analysis which identifies been given a promotion
child in your project. You of conduct. You spend 2 key changes to be made based on your excellent
discuss your organisational days writing this without and you take responsibilty work on child protection.
guidelines on behaviour and involving the children in your for improving the physical Move forward 2 spaces.
communication and get them project or your colleagues. safety of children in the
to sign an agreement to abide project.
by these guidelines.

08 07
You still don’t have feedback
06
Question time:
05
A child comes to you to report
on your draft child protection fellow players must ask you a that they feel uncomfortable
policy from the social question on child protection. If with a new member of staff.
workers / child care workers you answer it correctly, move You panic, tell the child to
in the organisation. This forward 2 spaces. If you get stop telling stories and you
delays you. Miss a turn. the answer wrong, miss your fail to report the matter to
next turn! the child protection officer.

01
You agree an action plan
02
Question time:
03
It’s your birthday.
04
for developing your child fellow players must ask you Congratulations!
protection policy and a question on child protec- Roll again.
procedures involving all tion. If you answer it correctly,
staff, children, management move forward 2 spaces. If
committee and other you get the answer wrong,
stakeholders miss your next turn!

188 The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves
APPENDIX 30: References/ further reading
1) Child Protection Handbooks
Choose with Care - A Handbook to Build Safer Organisations for Children,
McMenamin, B. & Fitzgerald, P. (2001) ECPAT Australia
www.ecpat.net/eng/ecpat_network/cwc_booklet.pdf (Introduction only)

Setting the Standard: A common approach to Child Protection for international NGOs,
Christian Aid, EveryChild, NSPCC, People in Aid, Save the Children UK, Tearfund (2003)
www.peopleinaid.org/download/Setting%20The%20Standards.pdf

Guidance to Churches - Protecting Children and Appointing Children’s Workers,

Churches’ Child Protection Advisory Service (2003)
www.ccpas.co.uk/

2) Child Abuse
Definitions
Are you worried about the safety of a child?,
NSPCC (2002)
www.nspcc.org.uk/documents/safetyofchild.pdf

Report of the Consultation on Child Abuse Prevention,

WHO (1999), p.15
www.who.int/entity/violence_injury_prevention/media/en/235.pdf

Alternative forms of discipline

10 Guidelines for raising a well-behaved child,
The Centre for Effective Discipline
www.stophitting.com/disathome/10guidelines.php

28 Ways to teach non-violence, kindness, and peacefulness to children,

Landy, Dr C. (1997)
www.stophitting.com/disathome/28ways.php

Hitting People Is Wrong - And Children Are People Too,

Save the Children Sweden & EPOCH-Worldwide
www.neverhitachild.org/whyhit1.html

Listen up! Children Talk: About Smacking,

Crowley, A. & Vulliamy, C. (Save the Children Sweden 2003)
www.rb.se/NR/rdonlyres/4885EA47-E61C-47D4-9BB5-45A96735280F/0/ListenupChildrentalkaboutsmacking.pdf

We can All care without Violence - A practical Guide for Families and Communities,
PROMUNDO (2003 - drafts available in Spanish and Portuguese, final versions due to be published in 2005 by SCF Sweden.)
www.promundo.org.br (Portuguese)
www.promundo.org.br/materia/view/81?languageCode=en (English)

We can work it out: parenting with confidence,

Save the Children Sweden
www.savethechildren.org.uk/onlinepubs/workitout/

The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves 189
Corporal Punishment
How to Research the Physical and Emotional Punishment of Children,
Save the Children Southeast Asia Region (2004)
seapa.net/external/resources/resource%20handbook.zip
What We Think,
Save the Children Sweden
www.rb.se/eng/Programme/Exploitationandebuse/Corparalpunishment/1412+What+we+think.htm

Bullying
Anti-Bullying Network www.antibullying.net/

Child Line www.childline.org.uk/extra/Bullyingindex.asp

Scottish Council for Research in Education www.scre.ac.uk/bully/

Case studies
David Christie
Charity’s haven for famine children destroyed by paedophile scourge,
The Guardian (1999)
www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,3604,282752,00.html

Ethiopia arrests deported British paedophile,

The Guardian (2001)
www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,3604,538612,00.html

‘Father’ who shattered dreams of orphans,

The Guardian (2003)
www.guardian.co.uk/child/story/0,7369,1014481,00.html

Duncan Grant
The ‘saviour’ of street children wanted on sex abuse charges,
The Daily Telegraph (2004)
www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml;sessionid=VBWEXSX4ZQL5BQFIQMFSM54AVCBQ0JVC?xml=/news/
2004/08/21/wgrant21.xml&secureRefresh=true&_requestid=58460 (have to register to read the article)

3) Disabled Children
It doesn’t happen to disabled children - Child protection and disabled children,
NSPCC (2003)
www.nspcc.org.uk/inform/downloads/ItDoesntHappenToDisabledChildren.pdf

Disabled Children’s Rights - a practical Guide,

Save the Children Sweden (2001)
http://www.crin.org/resources/infoDetail.asp?ID=2251&flag=report

Street Children with Disabilities: situation analysis and need assessment of street children with disabilities in Dhaka
City. Dhaka,
Centre for Services and Information on Disability (CSID) & Save the Children Sweden (1999)

Learning to listen - consulting children with disabilities,

Save the Children UK (2001)
www.savethechildren.org.uk/temp/scuk/cache/cmsattach/482_Learning_to_listen.pdf

190 The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves
4) Child Protection in Emergencies
Useful Organisations to contact
Save the Children
www.savethechildren.org.uk/

ECPAT (End Child Prostitution, Child Pornography and Trafficking of Children for Sexual Purposes)
www.ecpat.net/eng/index.asp

WorldVision International
www.wvi.org/wvi/home.htm

Case Studies
Child Protection in Darfur
Save the Children UK
www.savethechildren.org.uk/temp/scuk/cache/cmsattach/1793_SCUKDarfur%20Protection%20ReportSep04.pdf

Child Protection Response in Asia and South East Asia,

Save the Children USA
www.savethechildren.org/emergencies/asia_child_protection_overview.asp

5) Child Protection Policies and Procedures

Child Protection Policy,
ChildHope UK (2004)
www.childhopeuk.org/

Child Protection Policy,

Consortium for Street Children (2003)
www.streetchildren.org.uk/

Child Protection Policy,

International HIV/AIDS Alliance (2005)
www.aidsalliance.org/

Child Protection Policy,

International Save the Children Alliance (2003)
www.savethechildren.net/alliance/resources/child_protection.pdf

Child Protection Policy,

Plan UK (2003)
www.plan-uk.org/about/terms/childprotectionpolicy/

Child Protection Policy,

Tearfund (2001)
www.tearfund.org/

Child Protection Policy,

WorldVision
www.worldvision.org.uk/aboutworldvision/childprotectionpolicy/?ExpandMode=ExpandAll

CIDA’s Action Plan on Child Protection,

Canadian International Development Agency (2001)
www.acdi-cida.gc.ca/INET/IMAGES.NSF/vLUImages/pdf/$file/child_protection.pdf

The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves 191
Guidelines: Listening to a Child’s Disclosure of Abuse,
Methodist Church
www.methodist.org.uk/index.cfm?fuseaction=information.content&cmid=164

Raising and reporting of child abuse - Draft Child Protection Policy,

Anti-Slavery International (2002)
www.antislavery.org/

6) UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC)

For the full text of the CRC see www.unicef.org/crc/crc.htm

Two Stumbling Blocks to CRC Monitoring: the Four ‘General Principles’ and ‘the Definition of the Child’,
Abramson, B (2003)

7) Child Participation
IMA Training Materials on Participatory facilitation methods
www.imainternational.com/

So you want to consult with children? A toolkit of good practice,

International Save the Children Alliance (2003)
www.savethechildren.ca/en/whatwedo/toolkit/childconsult_toolkit.pdf
So You Want to Involve Children in Research? A toolkit supporting children’s meaningful and ethical participation in
research relating to violence against children,
Save the Children Sweden (2004)
www.savethechildren.ca/en/whatwedo/toolkit/children%20and%20research.pdf

8) Child Rights-Based Approach

A Human Rights Approach to Development: A Source Book,
ActionAid (2003)
www.crin.org/docs/resources/publications/hrbap/ActionAid_HR_Approach.doc

Child Rights Programming Materials Compilation (CD-rom), compiled for the CRP Coordinating Group,
Save the Children (2004)

An Introduction to Child Rights Programming - Concept and application,

Save the Children UK (2000)
www.crin.org/docs/resources/publications/hrbap/intro_child_rights_programming.pdf

Child Rights Programming - How to Apply Rights-Based Approaches in Programming,

International Save the Children Alliance (2002)
www.crin.org/docs/resources/publications/hrbap/Alliance_CRP_Handbook.pdf

Human Rights-Based Approaches to Programming,

Child Rights Information Network (CRIN)
www.crin.org/hrbap/

A Child Rights-Based Approach to Programming and Advocacy, taken from ‘An Outside Chance: Street Children
and Juvenile Justice - an International Perspective’,
Marie Wernham, Consortium for Street Children, (May 2004)
www.streetchildren.org.uk/resources/details/?type=publication&publication=18

192 The best way to protect children is to empower them to protect themselves