Child Safety Policy
Sixty children will spend eight evenings online with adults who are, in most cases, strangers to their families. Their parents are trusting SPPC. This policy is how we honour that trust.
No adult is ever alone with a child, in any channel, at any time. Not in a session, not in a chat, not in a call. Every interaction between an instructor and a child happens where another adult can see it.
The one rule everything else follows fromThis policy exists to make harm difficult, to make concerns easy to raise, and to protect volunteers from being placed in situations that could be misread. Most of what follows is not about bad actors. It is about removing ambiguity. It applies to every adult who comes into contact with a child during this camp: instructors, the lead facilitator, moderators, and administrators. There are no exceptions for seniority or reputation.
The ten non-negotiables
Breach of any of these ends an instructor's involvement in the camp immediately. There is no warning system. This is not because we expect the worst of anyone; it is because a policy with exceptions protects nobody.
Two adults, always
Every session has a minimum of two adults present: the lead facilitator and the session instructor. If the second adult does not appear, the session does not run. There is no version of this camp where one adult is alone with a room of children.
No one-to-one contact. Ever.
No private messages, no direct messages on any platform, no phone calls, no personal WhatsApp, no email between an instructor and a child. If a child contacts an instructor privately, they do not reply. They forward it to the Safeguarding Lead.
No contact outside camp channels
Instructors do not add children on social media, do not accept requests from them, and do not create outside groups. Any continued contact after the camp ends is not permitted.
Everything happens where it can be seen
All communication with children happens in the session itself or in the moderated portal channel. If it cannot be seen by another adult, it does not happen.
Instructors never hold a child's contact details
Instructors are not given, and must not ask for, a child's phone number, email, home address, school name, or social handles. If a child shares this in chat, the moderator removes it.
Cameras are optional for children
No child is ever required to turn on a camera. Instructors keep their own camera on. A child who prefers audio or chat only participates on equal terms.
Chat is moderated at all times
A moderator watches the chat for the whole session. Personal information, private contact attempts, and anything inappropriate is removed. The instructor teaches; they do not moderate.
Say nothing you would not say in front of the parents
Sessions are recorded and parents are, in effect, in the room. Comments on a child’s appearance, family, religion or personal circumstances are out of bounds.
If a child discloses harm, do not investigate
Listen. Do not question, probe, or promise confidentiality. Report it to the Safeguarding Lead the same day.
If unsure, ask
A volunteer who raises an awkward question early is doing the right thing. Raise it with the Safeguarding Lead before the session, not after.
Vetting, stated plainly
Every instructor completes all of the following before their session. No exceptions for seniority, reputation, or a personal recommendation.
- Identity and background verified. Full legal name, city and country, employer, and a CV or professional profile.
- Signed self-declaration. A signed statement that they have never been convicted of, or investigated for, an offence involving children, and are not barred from working with minors in any jurisdiction.
- Policy read and signed. This document, signed and returned before teaching.
- Safeguarding briefing. A short briefing with the Safeguarding Lead before the first session.
We collect as little as possible.
Enrolment data
- Enrolment happens only through a parent or guardian's SPPC member account. A child cannot enrol themselves.
- We collect only: child's first name, age, school year, track, and guardian consent.
- We do not collect the child's phone, email, home address, school name, photograph or ID.
- Instructors see first names in the session, and nothing more.
Recordings
- Sessions are recorded to protect both children and volunteers.
- Recordings are available to enrolled parents, through the portal, for 7 days after each session.
- SPPC then retains a single secured copy, accessible only to the Safeguarding Lead, for 90 days, for safeguarding purposes only, after which it is deleted.
- Children's cameras are optional, so most children will not appear on the recording.
One named person is responsible.
Anyone — instructor, facilitator, parent, or child — can raise a concern. For this camp, the named Safeguarding Lead is Rehan Sherwani. Every concern comes to the Safeguarding Lead, who decides the response. The Safeguarding Lead is a separate person from the lead facilitator by design: the person running the room is never the person a concern about the room is reported to.
This is an operational safeguarding policy, version 1.0. It has been prepared with care and is subject to ongoing legal review under the Personal Data Protection Law (PDPL). For any question, contact [email protected].
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