01Our commitment
IPEC programmes are delivered in schools and involve children. The Council accepts that this places an unconditional obligation on it to protect the children it works with.
Every person acting for IPEC — employee, committee member, ambassador, volunteer, partner staff or contractor — is required to comply with this policy. Compliance is a condition of participation, not a matter of preference.
02Scope
This policy applies to all IPEC activity involving anyone under the age of eighteen, including programmes delivered in schools, events, online sessions, photography and the collection of information about children.
03Standards of behaviour
Everyone acting for IPEC must:
treat every child with respect and without discrimination;
work in an open and observable environment, and avoid being alone and unobserved with a child;
use the institution's own channels for any communication with a child, and never private personal channels;
report any concern about a child's safety immediately, and never undertake to keep such a concern confidential from those who need to act on it;
comply with the safeguarding requirements of the host institution as well as this policy.
No one acting for IPEC may use physical punishment, humiliation, or any form of physical, emotional or sexual abuse or exploitation, or behave in a manner that could reasonably be construed as such.
04Recruitment and screening
ReviewDefine the Council's screening requirements for anyone with direct access to children — references, self-declaration, and any verification the Board requires. State them here explicitly.
Everyone with direct access to children receives a safeguarding briefing before their first programme.
05Photography, video and consent
Photographs and video of children are taken only with the written consent of the institution and, where required, of a parent or guardian.
Images are used only for the purposes consented to. Children are not identified by full name and location together. Images are stored securely and are removed on request.
Where the Council publishes photographs of programmes, it does so in a way that presents children with dignity.
06Information about children
Personal information about children is collected only where necessary, through the participating institution, and is held in accordance with the Privacy Policy.
07Reporting a concern
Anyone with a concern about the safety or welfare of a child in connection with an IPEC activity should report it immediately.
Designated safeguarding contact: ReviewAppoint a named designated safeguarding lead and publish a direct contact route. This must be a person, not a general mailbox.
Concerns are taken seriously, recorded, and acted upon. Where there is reason to believe a child is at risk of harm, the matter will be reported to the appropriate statutory authority. Reporting obligations under Indian law, including the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012, are mandatory and will be met.
No one who raises a concern in good faith will be disadvantaged for doing so.
08Review
This policy is reviewed annually by the Board of Directors, and after any safeguarding incident.