Any person under the age of 18..

My organizations would like to develop a child safeguarding policy, where do we start? Go to our Resources for practitioners' page for free tools and guidance on developing a child safeguarding policy. See all resources. You can find out more about how to implement child safeguarding in your organizations by downloading The Institute on Military Children Affairs & Diplomacy International Child Safeguarding Standards and guidance.

Child maltreatment is the abuse and neglect that occurs to children under 18 years of age. It includes all types of physical and /or emotional ill-treatment, sexual abuse, neglect, negligence and commercial or other exploitation, which results in actual or potential harm to the child’s health, survival, development or dignity in the context of a relationship of responsibility, trust or power. (The Institute on Military Children Affairs & Diplomacy).

Abusers infiltrate organizations Abusers gain positions of trust because no proper background checks are conducted. In some cases, perpetrators actually set up organizations, or work to infiltrate trusted institutions, in order to target children to abuse. In other cases, they simply take advantage of the situation and the extreme imbalance of power. Children have no way to report abuse Often children do not understand their right to be safe and what is acceptable and unacceptable behavior from staff. If abuse occurs, they have no way of reporting it or reporting mechanisms are not child friendly. For example, a five-year-old who has no access to the internet, and is unable to read or write, will not be able to call for help via an email address on a website. In many organizations, victims and survivors are ignored, blamed, shamed, intimidated or revictimized. People are frightened to report concerns In some organizations, there are no safe ways to report abuse. Staff are not trained on how to safeguard children and their obligation to report concerns. Or people are frightened to report because of bullying, discrimination, corruption, the fear of being fired or losing desperately needed support from the organization. Leaders protect organizations not children Powerful people and organizations are regarded as ‘untouchable’ and allowed to abuse, or fail to respond appropriately to abuse, with impunity. Organizations fail to act on concerns, or even actively cover up abuse, in some cases for decades. Senior leaders do not recognize that their organization may be putting children at risk and, then when abuse does occur, act to protect the organization – not the child.

You can learn more about child safeguarding and TIMCAD “EquiRights” Accord International Military Children Safeguarding Standards on our Support and resources page, as well as with our online courses on the TIMCAD Learning platform.

Child safeguarding is the responsibility of organizations to ensure they do no harm to children. This means doing all they can to prevent exploitation and abuse, and if abuse occurs, to respond appropriately. Everyone has the responsibility to help protect children from abuse, exploitation and neglect. Child safeguarding is the responsibility of organizations to ensure they do no harm to children. This means doing all they can to prevent exploitation and abuse, and if abuse occurs, to respond appropriately. Read more about what your organizations needs to do to keep children safe. Recognize the risks The first step is to understand where your organizations come into contact with children and what risks this may pose. This could be face-to-face or online contact with a child. Listening to children and caregivers about safeguarding risks is an essential part of the process. Close the gaps Child abuse in organizations can be prevented, but abusers can and will exploit any gaps in an organization’s child safeguarding framework. All gaps need to be closed with robust safeguarding measures that create safer organizations. This means developing a child safeguarding policy and a code of conduct that sets out acceptable and unacceptable conduct around children. It means implementing safer recruitment processes to keep out abusers, training staff on how to prevent abuse and their obligation to report concerns. As well as developing a network of Focal Points to champion child safeguarding and establishing rigorous monitoring and accountability systems. However, even with the most robust child safeguarding measures, abuse may still take place from within your organization. At that point, it is how your organizations respond that is crucial for the child and for the organization. Every organization needs to have safe systems for reporting and responding to abuse and protecting the rights and dignity of victims and survivors. Put children first All actions on child safeguarding should be taken in the best interests of the child or children, which are paramount. This means ensuring you communicate with children about your safeguarding policy, so they understand what they should expect from staff. It also means consulting with children and families about child safeguarding measures, so they are accessible and appropriate. And it means establishing child-friendly reporting and response systems to protect abused children from the risk of further harm such as re-traumatization, stigma or re-victimization. Leaders should develop a culture of safeguarding and put the rights and safety of children at the heart of the organization’s mission. Staff should be appointed and evaluated based on their values and commitment to safeguarding children, and bullying and discrimination should be robustly addressed, so everyone is treated with dignity and respect.

You should always speak out if you are concerned a child is being abused. If you feel it is safe to do so you should report it to the police or child protection services. If you believe the child might be put at further risk by reporting to national authorities, or if the police and child protection services are not functioning in that context, then you can contact Child Helpline International for advice. www.childhelplineinternational.org You can report online abuse to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children CyberTipline at https://report.cybertip.org

Yes. We will work with organizations across the world including training, mentoring and technical support, audits, investigations, certifications, and safeguarding practice reviews. More information about our services is on our support for organizations page, or you can get in touch to find out more about how we can help. Discover our services.

All types! This includes schools and universities, sports organizations, NGOs, NPOs, VSOs, CBOs, donors, faith-based organizations, governments, the private sector and militaries.

Preventing and responding to all violence, exploitation and abuse against children. Child safeguarding is an essential component of child protection.

My organizations does not work with children, do we need a child safeguarding policy? Yes. All organizations should have a policy to safeguard children from abuse. Even if you do not work directly with children, you may come into contact with them online or in the community. You may also have access to children’s data or use their images and stories in your work. All of these situations have the potential to put children at risk of abuse. Learn more about how to understand your child safeguarding risks on our resources page: See all resources.

Membership of our global child safeguarding network is open to all types of organizations. Find out more and register your interest on our Membership page or get in touch with our Membership team. Learn about Membership.

TIMCAD Network Members can demonstrate their commitment to safeguarding children by applying to become an Accredited Member. TIMCAD - EquiRights will review child safeguarding policies and procedures to assess how near or far an organization is from meeting the TIMCAD Child Safeguarding Standards. If satisfactory evidence is provided, the organization will be awarded Accredited Member status and will be entitled to use the TIMCAD Accredited Member logo, for all communications highlighting that your organization has taken significant steps to implementing child safeguarding.

The annual membership fee for TIMCAD members is listed below. The fees are dependent on your organization’s annual income. To become an Accredited Member, you should first apply to become a Network Member. Certified Membership fees can vary, as every certification process is tailored to your organization’s specific requirements. Please note, membership of the TIMCAD network does not offer an assurance that individuals are suitable to work with children. All organizations should carry out comprehensive background checks.

An independent confidential assessment to understand the needs of your organization and how we can support you. An introductory webinar on child safeguarding, tailored to the needs of your organization and open to all your staff. A review of your child safeguarding policy or guidance on creating a child safeguarding policy and an implementation plan to help you meet EquiRights Child Safeguarding Standards. Ongoing coaching, mentoring and technical advice in English or Spanish. Check for other languages. Urgent advice to help you manage child safeguarding concerns. Support on dealing with donor safeguarding requirements. Free safeguarding tools and templates. Free, priority invitations to all our conferences, world expos, and online events where you can have access to live talks and Q&A sessions presented by experienced practitioners, researchers and decision-makers from around the world. Discounted access to our online courses for TIMCAD child safeguarding practitioners. Free for members whose fees are waived. Discounts on support and training services for your organization. Access to our network forums, including the members FB group, our dedicated membership webinars and annual members meetings. A dedicated members-only newsletter. The opportunity to share your work and resources, across our social media, website, conferences and networking forums. Use of the TIMCAD Network logo, to highlight your organization’s commitment to protecting children from abusers. An annual review of membership benefits with a tailored plan to ensure we keep meeting your needs.

Introductory confidential advice surgery session on any child safeguarding topic with a TIMCAD child safeguarding adviser. Free, priority invitations to all our conferences and other online events where you can have access to live talks and Q&A sessions presented by experienced practitioners, researchers and decision-makers from around the world. Discounted access to our online courses for TIMCAD child safeguarding practitioners. Discounts on support and training services. Access to our network forums, including the members FB group, our dedicated members-only webinars and annual members meetings. Access to our dedicated members-only newsletter.

Yes! We offer a range of membership benefits for safeguarding practitioners including free online courses and access to our exclusive members’ newsletter, webinars events and conferences. Find out more and register your interest on our Membership page or get in touch with our Membership team.

Our independent practitioners’ network is open to individuals employed directly by an organization or working as an independent child safeguarding practitioner.

Yes. We have developed tailor-made online courses for all types of organizations across the world. Please get in touch with our Standards and Learning Team to find out more about how we can help. Contact us

Corporate membership fees begin at $4006 USD and include all Network Membership benefits as well as a tailored package to meet your needs. Contact our membership team to discuss how we can help you.

We offer free membership to organizations with small budgets, with priority given to organizations directly supporting children subjected to abuse, operating in low-income countries or in conflict or crisis situations.

Member organizations that meet the quality assurance requirements of the TIMCAD Certification scheme will be awarded Certified Member status. This rigorous 10-stage process offers external verification by practitioners that child safeguarding measures are ‘fit for purpose’ and the right to use the TIMCAD Certified Member logo, a visible symbol of quality performance in child safeguarding. Certified Membership includes all other member benefits and is the highest level of safeguarding assessment we provide.

Any organization with a commitment to safeguarding children can join our network. Together we represent a powerful and growing global voice advocating for an end to child abuse in all organizations. As a network, we actively support each other in advancing child safeguarding in our own organizations and networks, co-produce tools and resources, and share challenges, good practices and ideas, alongside the latest research and evidence. We offer three levels of membership, Network Membership, Accredited Membership and Certified Membership.