Our Policy
All children, young people, and minors (collectively referred to as ‘children’ under this policy) deserve the same protection regardless of age, race, ethnicity, nationality, disability, religious belief, sexual orientation, and gender identity. It is the responsibility of all Dragons employees and participants to do no harm to children and to engage in safeguarding, which is defined as actions that strive to protect children from harm, abuse, neglect, and exploitation.
The Child Protection Policy applies to individuals under 18 years old regardless of whether they are traveling with Dragons as students or are members of a local community that interacts with our staff and students during a program. All Dragons employees are expected to adhere to guidelines and best practices outlined in this policy (and related policies throughout the Instructor Manual), brief program participants on this policy before interacting with children outside the student group, and contribute to a positive environment that protects, supports, and safeguards children.
Child Protection Practices
- To the best extent possible, all Dragons staff members who are directly responsible for the protection, care, and well-being of children must undergo background and reference checks prior to employment.
- Dragons staff must conduct themselves appropriately with children/minors who they encounter during Dragons programs and take reasonable measures to ensure their safety.
- For organizations we partner with for learning-service/community engagement activities, Dragons staff should ensure partner procedures, as they relate to child protection, are in alignment with the approaches set out in this policy.
- As part of participant orientation and prior to activities which involve interactions with children, Dragons instructors must review the Safeguarding Code of Conduct stated below with program participants.
- When organizing community engagement activities (e.g. short-term volunteering, long-term placements with community organizations, etc.), activities such as the following should be avoided:
- Visiting or volunteering at children’s residential care institutions (e.g. orphanages, children’s homes, children’s villages, shelters, etc.).
- Unsupervised teaching of minors. While formal, pre-organized learning exchanges between students of a similar age are appropriate, activities such as direct classroom teaching to children under 12 years old without a qualified supervisor present should be avoided.
Safeguarding Code of Conduct
Safeguarding expectations for program participants and staff include:
- Behave with respect and maturity around children.
- Learn about and explore issues faced by children at the program site and follow best practices to avoid harm (e.g. in many places avoiding gifts or donations to children or refraining from purchasing items from child sellers is best practice).
- Do not use inappropriate (profane, foul, or derogatory) language or intimate gestures around children.
- Do not engage in rough play with children.
- Refrain from any action that could be considered abuse. This includes physical abuse (e.g. grabbing, slapping, or striking), verbal abuse (humiliating, degrading, threatening, or intimidating), sexual abuse (e.g. sexual gesturing, touching, or language), or mental abuse (e.g. neglecting, degrading, intimidating, or shaming).
- Do not do things for children that they should be able to do for themselves such as dressing, tying shoes, etc.
- Do not take photographs of children without permission or use the names or images of children on social media without informed consent from the child’s parent or legal guardian. Avoid photographs of children on the street or posing with children that are not well-known to the program participant or staff member.
- Immediately report any concern about the safety, welfare, or well-being of a child to a Dragons instructor or administrator.
Reporting Procedures
Dragons staff must immediately report any concern about the safety, welfare, or well-being of a child to their Program Director. If a staff member (or program participant) wishes to make an anonymous report, they may do so using the Dragons Workplace Commitments Incident Report which the Executive Director and the Dragons Administrative Ambassador can access. Dragons administrators are required to report concerns to the Executive Director.
Other Vulnerable Populations
We recognize that individuals over 18 years old may also be at increased risk of harm or exploitation. That might include those over 18 who identify themselves as unable to take care of themselves or protect themselves against significant harm, exploitation, or neglect; and/or a person that is understood to be at risk, which may be due to frailty, homelessness, mental or physical health problems, learning or physical impairments, is impacted by disasters or conflicts, and/or is a member of another marginalized group in the program location. Similar safeguarding practices as those listed above should be employed when interacting with these vulnerable populations.