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This policy is designed to prevent the risk that the Foundation will not adequately protect children and vulnerable adults from harm as beneficiaries of Carmistin Foundation programs.
The purpose of this document is to describe the principles by which the Foundation protects its beneficiaries, as well as the accountability process for Foundation employees and partners.
This policy standard applies to the Carmistin Foundation, its grantees and their project partners. Failure to comply with this policy may result in withdrawal of funding, loss of future contracts with the Carmistin Foundation or disciplinary action.
The Carmistin Foundation recognises that the well-being of all beneficiaries and the communities in which we work is of paramount importance. Everyone we come into contact with in the course of our work, especially children and vulnerable adults and regardless of age, disability, gender, racial heritage, religious belief, sexual orientation or identity, is entitled to equal protection from all types of harm or abuse.
The Carmistin Foundation and everyone who works for or with us has a responsibility to promote and protect the welfare of beneficiaries in all the activities we undertake. We will not tolerate any abusive or exploitative behavior by employees or anyone else involved in the delivery of our programs.
The Foundation must assess any event or activity it directly engages in from the perspective of the possible participation of children or vulnerable persons and put in place appropriate safeguarding procedures.
These principles apply to all those who work for the Carmistin Foundation, whether on a paid or voluntary basis, as well as to the Foundation's grantees and project partners.
Child - means any person under 18 years of age, regardless of age of consent in any specific local market;
Vulnerable adult - any person who is or may be in need of community care services because of disability, age or illness and who is or may be unable to care for or protect themselves from harm or exploitation.
The Trustees of the Carmistin Foundation are responsible for the implementation of the following control mechanisms within the Foundation and for their correct application in all Foundation projects.
All foundations must appoint a trustee to be responsible for governance and protection to ensure accountability. All Foundations must appoint a trustee to be responsible for governance and protection to ensure accountability. It is the responsibility of the trustee in charge to work with the Foundation team and ensure that safeguarding practices are implemented effectively. The appointment must be ratified by the Board of Trustees.
A safeguard risk assessment should be done prior to the start of any program to identify conditions that could cause or allow harm. Where risks are identified, appropriate mitigating measures must be taken. A list of higher risk programmes and partnerships should be documented, shared with the Safeguard Trustee and reviewed regularly to ensure appropriate risk management.
The President should review safeguard risks at least once a year. Evidence of the discussion should be documented in the minutes of the meetings.
All employees and contractors involved in the execution of Foundation projects must be aware of this Safeguard Policy. Any person working unsupervised with children or vulnerable adults must receive appropriate training. This training should include how to treat young people and vulnerable people with respect and dignity and how to behave when in a position of trust.
Agreements with grantees, partners or providers who may come into contact with children or vulnerable adults must include specific safeguarding terms. These terms must commit the other party to protect the grantee in accordance with the Carmistin Foundation Safeguarding Policy. The terms must also provide for the obligation of the other party to report any justified failure to safeguard the welfare of beneficiaries.
In addition, the other contracting party must provide the Foundation with a copy of its own safeguarding policy, which it is obliged to review periodically to ensure that it meets requirements. The Foundation will keep the safeguarding policy developed by its partners in case it needs to be reviewed in the future. If they do not have their own policy, they should be asked to confirm their commitment to the Carmistin Foundation Safeguarding Policy.
Any partner working with vulnerable beneficiaries should be monitored throughout the life cycle of a project to ensure that they are meeting their commitments in this area. At a minimum, any partner staff working with vulnerable beneficiaries should be properly trained by the partner to ensure that they know how to behave appropriately and report any suspected misconduct.
Any photography or filming, as part of the communication activity of the Carmistin Foundation's programmes, must comply with the Foundation's separate instructions on photography and filming. If you wish to publish any images or videos of beneficiaries, prior written consent must be received and retained from the beneficiary and the parent or legal guardian if the beneficiary is a child. Images and videos, if retained, must be stored securely to ensure they are not shared or used for any purpose other than that for which consent was given.
All local Foundations must have a mechanism for project partners and the public to report violations of this Safeguarding Policy If the partner organization does not have its own Safeguarding Policy, it is bound by this Carmistin Foundation Safeguarding Policy and it is fully applicable to it.
Any concerns raised by project partners or members of the public should be reported.