WE Child Protection Policy - 2019 public brie…

WE Child Protection Policy - 2019 public brie…

Protecting Our Most Important Partners WE Charity Standards and Policies for Protecting Children and Youth

Each year, hundreds of thousands of children and youth around the world partner with WE to take on local and global issues by: implementing WE Schools campaigns and events in their communities; attending WE Day; travelling the world with ME to WE international service trips; learning leadership skills at Take Action Camp; and listening to inspirational ME to WE speakers. The safety and well-being of the children and youth we partner with is our highest priority. That’s why WE has established a Child and Youth Protection Policy that ensures: • All Children and Youth shall be protected and empowered as agents of change; • All Children and Youth shall be protected from unauthorized disclosure of private information; • Any exposure of Children and Youth to the recognition of corporate, foundational, and governmental partnerships shall be thoughtful, be dutiful, and prioritize the best interests of Children and Youth. What is WE’s Child and Youth Protection Policy? The Child and Youth Protection Policy is an organization-wide standard that protects the safety and well- being of children and youth involved in WE programming. WE is honoring its responsibilities as an organization entrusted with the safety and well-being of children and youth involved in its programming. We are proud to hold ourselves to the highest standard of child protection and to work towards becoming the safest organization for youth to engage with. The policy and related training includes, but is not limited to: • How to identify signs of abuse • When and how to report a safety or child abuse issue • How to mitigate risk in WE programs, including: WE Day, Take Action Camp, speaking engagements, WE Schools programs, and ME to WE trips • What constitutes appropriate conduct when engaging with children and youth enrolled in WE programming (in person, by phone and online) How did WE develop its Child and Youth Protection Policy? The Policy was drafted with the assistance of renowned organization Plan to Protect, which is recognized as having the highest standard of abuse prevention and vulnerable sector protection. The People Operations and Culture Department and the WE Charity Child and Youth Protection Committee consult with independent third-party experts to support further policy development and to develop recommendations in the event of an incident. How is WE implementing its Child and Youth Protection Policy? All representatives of WE —staff, executive, and key volunteers—were required to take a training course on the Child Protection Policy when it was implemented in 2017. WE trains all staff during orientation, and all staff are required to read and sign our Code of Conduct. All staff who work directly with youth receive annual training. The Child and Youth Protection Policy is reviewed annually and updated as needed. • All Children and Youth shall be protected from abusive behaviour; • All Children and Youth shall be protected from harassing behaviour;

What are the key elements of the WE Child Protection Policy? 1. Protecting children and youth from physical, emotional, and sexual abuse, or neglect.

• If a child or youth discloses to a WE representative that they have experienced abuse, or if a representative observes indicators that point to potential abuse, the WE representative will: i. Take seriously all allegations and/or suspicions concerning abuse ii. Follow the guidelines outlined in their training for questioning the child or youth about the suspected abuse iii. Immediately report the suspected abuse to the relevant authority—eg local child protection services, or police—and inform their supervisor iv. Protect the confidentiality of both the victim and the accused • When a WE representative reports a case of suspected abuse against a child or youth, WE as an organization will: i. Provide support to the WE representative making the report ii. Protect the identity of the victim and the accused iii. Release information on a ‘need-to-know’ basis only iv. Remove the individual accused of abuse (if they are under WE control) from any duties involving interaction with children or youth, pending the outcome of investigation v. Ensure all investigations are conducted by a responsible external authority—no internal investigations. vi. Cooperate fully with any investigation 2. Bullying • Bullying is defined as unwanted, aggressive behaviour that involves a real or perceived power imbalance and is repeated or has the potential of being repeated. • WE has a zero tolerance anti-bullying policy. 3. Employment screening • Prior to employment with WE, all candidates undergo a rigorous screening process including reference checks, police background and vulnerable sector checks, and signing WE’s code of conduct. 4. Supervision of children and youth • For all WE programs and events where WE representatives are interacting with or supervising children or youth, the ratio shall be a minimum of two WE representatives for every 16 children under Grade 9 age, and two WE representatives for every 20 youth Grade 9 age and over. • For off-site trips, the ratios are halved to a minimum of two WE representatives for every ten children. • Where WE representatives are interacting with or supervising a group of children or youth of mixed gender, at least one of the WE representatives will be female if at all possible. • Representatives working with Youth must not have one-on-one or small group meetings behind closed doors. It is required that the door remains open or that the meeting take place in a room with, at minimum, an unobstructed window in the door.

• Representatives are never to be alone with a child in an unsupervised washroom and they are never to go into a cubicle with a child and shut the door. • Visitors attending WE events or program sites shall always be accompanied by a WE Representative. A visitor is never to be left alone with a child or youth participant 5. Discipline and group management • All discipline and group management will be conducted in a loving and caring environment. WE representatives receive training in how to properly administer disciplinary measures should they be in a position where it is necessary. • Where WE representatives are supervising children or youth, WE does not permit:

i. corporal punishment of a child by a staff person, student or volunteer ii. deliberate harsh or degrading measures that would humiliate a child or undermine their self-respect iii. depriving children of basic needs iv. locking or confining a child in a room separate from other children or adults

• When addressing disciplinary issues with a child or youth, WE representatives must do so in an open space that is visible and accessible to others. Wherever possible, the employee should arrange for a second WE representative to be present during such conversations. 6. Proper displays of affection for WE representatives working with children or youth: • All touch should be done in view of others. • Avoid: kissing, extended hugging, tickling or extended touching. • Touch should not be done in any area that would be covered by a bathing suit. 7. Communication with children and youth • Representatives shall meet with Youth only during the parameters of WE programming. • A supervisor must pre-approve WE Representatives that do one-on-one mentoring or counselling activity. • One-on-one mentoring sanctioned by WE must be done in public settings and only under the following conditions: i. A supervisor is informed of the time and place of the meeting prior to the meeting. ii. Parental permission is granted via written permission, implied permission (eg included in the message), or verbal permission (eg permission by phone and properly documented). iii. When separate transportation is arranged (avoiding isolation). iv. Documentation will be maintained and filed including permission from parents and notification to the supervisor • WE representatives will only communicate with children and youth online during business hours and when preapproved as part of WE programming. • Representatives should never independently contact a Child or Youth unless: i. such contact is necessary for the Representative to properly perform his or her duties expressly authorized by a WE director; or

ii. permission is secured via written permission, implied permission, or verbal permission from the parent and/or the Supervisor must be included in all communications whether in person, online, or through any other medium.

• WE representatives must also copy all communication with children and youth to the WE Child and Youth Protection Committee. • Ongoing communications with children and youth must be approved by a parent/guardian via written permission, implied permission (eg included in the message), or verbal permission (eg permission by phone and properly documented). • When communicating via social media, WE representatives will only contact children and youth on preapproved social media platforms using designated approved WE social media accounts. 8. Photography or videos • WE will not shoot photographs or videos which individual children or youth may be identified, without prior written approval, except in circumstances of public events such as WE Day where participants are notified in advance that participation implies consent. • WE will not post identifiable photos of children or youth on social media or web sites without permission. • WE will not tag identifiable photos with names or personal information unless parent/guardian consents in advance. 9. Computers and Devices • Wherever possible, children/youth will not be allowed access to electronic devices like computers or mobile phones, that belong to WE representatives. • Computers accessible to child or youth participants will be placed in open areas where the screen is easily visible. Users will be held accountable through the use of a sign- in/sign-out sheets and, if the computer has network access, a user password. • Wherever WE controls the internet network, internet filters will be installed on each computer to limit access to adult content.

FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE WE CHILD AND YOUTH PROTECTION POLICY, PLEASE EMAIL [email protected]