Legal

Child Protection Policy

Our safeguarding standards: safe recruitment, code of conduct, consent before photography, mandatory reporting under POCSO, and how to raise a concern about a child.

1. The welfare of the child comes first: before the reputation of the Foundation, the convenience of an adult or the wishes of a funder.
2. Every child has an equal right to protection, whatever their caste, religion, gender, disability or background.
3. We work inside the government school system, alongside headmasters and School Management Committees, and we never take custody of a child.
4. Every concern is taken seriously, recorded and acted on. None is resolved informally.
5. The law is our minimum standard, including the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012 (POCSO), the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015, the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009 and the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023. We are guided by the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

3. Safe recruitmentLink to the section 3. Safe recruitment

Before anyone takes up a role that involves contact with children, we:

• check their identity and take two references, at least one of them professional;
• ask them to sign a self-declaration about any past criminal proceedings or allegations;
• require police verification for any role with repeated or sustained contact with children, renewed every three years;
• give them our child protection induction, and ask them to sign this policy and the code of conduct.

No one is placed while their checks are outstanding, incomplete or flagged — regardless of seniority, a donation or a deadline.

4. Code of conductLink to the section 4. Code of conduct

Everyone covered by this policy must:

• work in the open and in pairs, within the school's own supervision and during school hours;
• treat every child with respect, patience and fairness, and use positive, non-violent ways to manage behaviour;
• respect children's privacy, especially when they are changing, using the toilet or unwell;
• report any concern about a child's safety the same day, even when unsure (section 7).

Everyone covered by this policy must never:

• be alone with a child out of sight and hearing of another adult, including in a closed room or a vehicle;
• hit, shake, humiliate or threaten a child, or use discriminatory or sexualised language with one;
• touch a child in a way that is inappropriate or unnecessary for the activity;
• give an individual child money, personal gifts or lifts, or invite a child to their home;
• contact a child privately by phone, messaging app or social media, or ask for a child's number;
• photograph or film a child on a personal device, or share images of children outside our consent process;
• use alcohol, tobacco or drugs around children, or arrive at a school under their influence;
• ask for or accept any favour, payment or benefit from a child or their family.

5. Safe programmesLink to the section 5. Safe programmes

• Activities take place at the school, in open or visible spaces, with the headmaster's knowledge and a teacher nearby.
• Health camps are run by qualified medical staff, with a teacher present, and a woman staff member present for girls.
• Scholarship home visits are made by two staff members, with a parent or guardian present.
• Transport for children, when it cannot be avoided, is arranged through the school, with two adults and written parental consent.
• Partners who deliver activities with us must have safeguarding arrangements at least as strong as ours.

6. Photographs, stories and personal dataLink to the section 6. Photographs, stories and personal data

• Consent is taken on a written form in Telugu, explained aloud to the parent or guardian, before any photograph or video is taken. It records the uses agreed to (internal records, website, social media, print, press) and an expiry date. Children old enough to understand are asked too, and a refusal is respected.
• Media showing an identifiable child is private by default. Our systems allow it to be published only while a linked consent is granted, in scope and unexpired, and unpublish it automatically when consent is withdrawn or expires.
• Location data is stripped from every photograph when it is uploaded.
• We never publish a child's full name together with their school, village and family circumstances, or anything else that could be used to locate them.
• We show children with dignity: as students with names and ambitions, never as objects of pity.
• Children's personal data is handled under our Privacy Policy, with verifiable parental consent, and is never used for fundraising or tracking.

7. Reporting a concernLink to the section 7. Reporting a concern

If you see, suspect or are told something that suggests a child may be at risk:

1. Make sure the child is safe. If there is immediate danger, call 112.
2. Listen, don't investigate. Let the child speak, don't ask leading questions, don't promise to keep a secret, and write down what was said, in the child's words, as soon as you can.
3. Report it the same day to our Child Protection Focal Point at safeguarding@aksharaspoorthi.org. If the concern involves the Focal Point, report directly to the trustees at grievance@aksharaspoorthi.org.
4. Keep it confidential. Share information only with the people who need it to protect the child.

Anyone — a child, a parent, a teacher or a member of the public — can raise a concern, anonymously if they prefer. Childline India (1098) is available 24 hours a day.

8. How we respondLink to the section 8. How we respond

• Where a concern suggests a sexual offence against a child, reporting to the Special Juvenile Police Unit or the local police is mandatory under Section 19 of the POCSO Act, and failing to report is itself an offence under Section 21. We make that report without delay and without first conducting an inquiry of our own.
• Other concerns are referred to the Child Welfare Committee, the school authorities or the police, as the situation requires.
• The child's safety, wishes and well-being guide every step. We help the child and family reach counselling, medical and legal support.
• Anyone against whom an allegation is made is removed from all contact with children while the matter is investigated. This protects the child; it is not a finding of guilt.
• Proven misconduct leads to dismissal or the end of the volunteer or partner relationship, and to referral to the authorities.
• No one who raises a concern in good faith will suffer for it. Retaliation is itself a serious disciplinary offence.

9. Training and awarenessLink to the section 9. Training and awareness

Everyone covered by this policy completes child protection induction before placement and a refresher every year. Every school we work with has the Focal Point's contact details, and children are told, in ways suited to their age, that they can speak up.

10. Records and reviewLink to the section 10. Records and review

Consent forms, background-check records and safeguarding reports are stored securely, with access limited to named people and logged. Safeguarding records are kept for at least seven years, or until the child turns twenty-five, whichever is later.

The Board of Trustees reviews this policy every year and after any serious incident.

11. ContactsLink to the section 11. Contacts

Child Protection Focal Point — safeguarding@aksharaspoorthi.org
Escalation to the trustees — grievance@aksharaspoorthi.org
Childline India — 1098 (toll free, 24 hours)
Emergency — 112