Child Protection Policy

WHY A Child Protection Policy?

Sport2Be's objective is to offer equal opportunities to all children, girls and boys, so that they can develop and integrate into society and the world of work, in accordance with the International Convention on the Rights of the Child (CDE) and the National Action Plan for Children adopted in 2005 by the federal government and the governments of the Regions and Communities.

Our organisation is committed to respecting and ensuring respect for children's right to protection from all forms of abuse (CDE, Art. 19). The aim of this policy is to protect the children involved in our activities.

This document :

• helps our teams, donors and partners to fulfil their responsibility to protect children by adopting appropriate behaviour and reporting questionable behaviour;

• prevents ill-intentioned people from being associated with Sport2Be's work;

• provides for rigorous measures for those guilty of child abuse.

IMPORTANT DEFINITIONS

• A child is any person under the age of 18 years (CDE, Art 1).

• Child abuse: any form of physical or emotional ill-treatment, sexual abuse and exploitation, neglect, commercial or other exploitation of a child. This notion encompasses any act or omission, whether intentional or unintentional, committed by an individual, an institution or as a result of a process, which results in actual or potential harm to a child's well-being and dignity or impairs the child's prospects for safe and healthy development into adulthood.

• Child Protection: the preventive and reactive responsibilities and measures taken by Sport2Be to protect children from harm that may be caused to them as a result of their association with Sport2Be, their contact with Sport2Be staff, associates and visitors, and/or their participation in Sport2Be activities.

WHO IS CONCERNED ?

Sport2Be's child protection policy applies to all staff (operational support and sports and development coaches), all associates (members of the Board of Directors and General Assembly, volunteers, Sport2Be sponsors and donors, workers, consultants, suppliers and representatives of partner organisations or local authorities), visitors (journalists, media, researchers, celebrities, etc.) likely to come into contact with children through Sport2Be and managers (members of staff with specific child protection responsibilities).

All must respect the conditions.

PRINCIPLES

Our child protection policy is based on a series of principles derived from the CDE, including the following:

• All children have the same rights to protection from abuse and exploitation (CDE, Art. 19); to life, survival and development (CRC, Art. 6); to realise their potential (CDE, Art. 27); and to express their views freely, which will be taken into account in accordance with their age and maturity (CDE, Art. 12 and 13).

• Inequalities and discrimination must be combated: children shall be treated with respect, irrespective of their sex, national or ethnic origin, religious or political beliefs, age, mental or physical health, sexual preference or identity, family, socio-economic and cultural status, or of their conflict with the law (CDE, Art. 2).

• Everyone has a responsibility to support the care and protection of children. (CDE, Art. 3).

Our child protection policy is also based on the principle that Sport2Be has a special responsibility towards the children involved in its activities.

No child should suffer harm as a result of their involvement with Sport2Be as a participant in Sport2Be's sporting activities, as a participant in the Job2Be programme, in an event organised by Sport2Be, in a fundraising campaign or in Sport2Be's advocacy activities.

These particular responsibilities extend to all individuals or organisations associated with Sport2Be. Anyone working with Sport2Be or associated with Sport2Be's work must therefore be aware of and comply with the provisions of this policy.

RESPONSABILITieS

Everyone who works for and has dealings with Sport2Be is responsible for safeguarding children. The responsibilities outlined below are mandatory for those covered by this policy.

Sport2Be staff, associates, visitors and managers undertake to:

• Never abuse a child or put a child at risk of harm.

• Respond to suspected abuse in accordance with this policy and the procedures outlined in the Sport2Be Coach Manual.

• Report any child abuse or child protection concerns in accordance with this policy and the procedures outlined in the Sport2Be Coach Manual.

• To co-operate fully and confidentially in any investigation of suspected abuse.

• Contribute to the creation of an environment where children are respected and encouraged to talk about their problems and their rights.

• Always respect children's rights, integrity and dignity, take their best interests into account and never put them at risk of harm. For example: when photographing or filming children, or communicating with them or about them, ensure that this is done in accordance with Sport2Be's rules on the subject.

• Never disclose, or encourage the disclosure of, information that identifies families or participants in Sport2Be activities by any means (including print, photos and social media) unless such disclosure is in accordance with Sport2Be policies and procedures and/or with the express consent of Sport2Be.

• Only make contact with a child or members of a family associated with the work of Sport2Be after informing Sport2Be management (including visits, emails, letters).

Sport2Be staff also undertake to :

• Comply with the behaviour described in the Sport2Be coach manual.

• Organise visits by Sport2Be and Job2Be coaches/press/visitors with participants in Sport2Be activities in a protected area chosen by the local Sport2Be office. This can be a sports ground occupied by Sport2Be, or the child's home, with the consent of the family and on the advice of the local office staff.

• Pass on the contact details of a coach from the association to former participants if they are 18 years of age or older only with the prior approval of the coach.

• Ensure that Sport2Be associates sign and adhere to the Child Protection Policy throughout their involvement with Sport2Be.

• Ensure that Sport2Be staff who have reported a child protection concern or are accused of child abuse receive appropriate care, support and protection in dealing with all aspects of the case, including safety issues and potential reprisals.

OUTSIDE INTERACTIONS WITH SPORT2BE

Sport2Be does not intend to dictate the value systems of its employees, associates, visitors and managers in their personal lives. However, their actions outside of interactions with Sport2Be that are deemed to be inconsistent with our child protection policy will be considered a violation of this policy.

IMPLEMENTATION, MONITORING AND SANCTIONS

Ultimate responsibility for compliance with our child protection policy rests with Sport2Be's managers, directors and Board of Directors. Sport2Be has also appointed a reference in this area. This is Tanguy Nève (tanguy@sport2be.org), Founder and CEO of Sport2Be. We also regularly check that the rules are being followed.

Any failure to comply with this policy or these responsibilities may result in the following sanctions:

• For Sport2Be staff or managers: disciplinary action which may result in dismissal.

• For associates or visitors of Sport2Be: sanctions up to and including termination of all relationships, including contractual and partnership agreements with Sport2Be.

Where appropriate: legal or other action as deemed appropriate in the circumstances.

If there is any doubt about the conduct of a member of staff, associate, visitor or manager and/or if there is a breach of the child protection policy, an investigation will be opened in accordance with this policy and in one of two ways:

• either the person concerned will be brought before the statutory authorities for criminal investigation in accordance with the law of the country where the alleged offence takes place;

• either Sport2Be will take the matter up in accordance with disciplinary procedures. This may result in disciplinary action being taken against the Sport2Be employee or manager concerned.

It is important to know that if a case of alleged child abuse is legitimately reported, and after investigation it is found to be unfounded, no action will be taken against the reporter.

On the other hand, appropriate sanctions will be applied in the case of false and malicious accusations.