Child Protection Policy

Child Protection and Safeguarding Policy

Policy Version: 2.1 (Revised & Board Approved)

Effective Date: January 2026

Reviewed By: Board of Trustees & Legal Advisory Committee, Shiksha Seva Foundation

The Shiksha Seva Foundation operates under a strict zero-tolerance framework regarding any form of child abuse, exploitation, harassment, or organizational neglect. This comprehensive child protection policy establishes mandatory operational guidelines and behavioral boundaries to ensure a secure, transparent, and nurturing environment across all our educational and community development initiatives.

Mandatory Prohibitions and Behavioral Boundaries

• Staff must NOT spend unnecessary, unmonitored, or closed-door one-on-one time with a child outside of designated, transparent, and authorized educational activities.

• Staff must NOT invite children to their personal residences or arrange any interactions outside the official, documented scope of the foundation’s scheduled community programs.

• Staff must NOT administer any form of physical discipline, corporal punishment, emotional abuse, verbal degradation, or show exclusionary favoritism.

• Staff must NOT take, store, or distribute photographs, videos, or digital recordings of children without explicit, documented parental or guardian consent alongside formal internal clearance.

• Staff must NOT contact children via personal social media channels, private phone numbers, or unmonitored messaging apps. All operational updates must occur strictly through official, institutional communication channels.

HR (Human Resources) Policy

Our Human Resources department enforces rigorous, mandatory screening benchmarks during our hiring and onboarding processes to prevent any security risks to children. Our institutional safeguarding protocols require:

• Comprehensive background verification and official identity vetting for all prospective personnel and field volunteers.
• Compulsory professional reference checks focusing specifically on past interactions with vulnerable populations or youth settings.
• Local legal requirements for criminal record checks must have complied with staff Requirement – NOC, 2 Ref Certificate – school, last organization.
• Mandatory, ongoing training cycles on child rights, behavioral boundaries, and active child safeguarding protocols for our entire active workforce.

Donor and Partners Protocol

The Shiksha Seva Foundation (SSF) requires all corporate partners, institutional donors, and organizational affiliates to maintain identical safety standards. Because our work directly intersects with vulnerable communities, adherence to these clauses is a mandatory condition for all institutional associations.

• MoU & Agreement Binding: This safeguarding framework is an inseparable component of all organizational relationships. It must be formally integrated into every partnership agreement, contract, or Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) executed by the foundation.
• Confidentiality & Evidence Management: Partners may become privy to sensitive information concerning children. If a partner suspects or receives a report of child abuse, they must immediately document detailed, confidential notes of the circumstances. These records serve as critical legal evidence to protect the child during statutory investigations.
• Field Center Access Boundaries: Direct, unannounced visits to SSF centers are strictly prohibited; formal written permission must be acquired prior to any visit. Furthermore, donors and partners are banned from sharing personal contact details (phone numbers, social media) or making direct phone calls to the children.
• Data Privacy Restrictions: To protect the constitutional privacy of our beneficiaries, SSF enforces a strict zero-sharing mandate. The foundation will never share sensitive documents or identity credentials—such as Aadhar cards, PAN cards, personal photographs, or contact details—with any individual donor or external organization.

Media, Photography, and Social Media Framework

Digital advocacy must never compromise a child’s safety, dignity, or right to privacy. This sub-policy governs how media is captured, stored, and published across all traditional, official, and personal digital platforms.

• Risk-Aware Publishing (Do No Harm): No individual associated with SSF may publish a story, photograph, or video that could potentially put a child, their family, or their community at risk. This rule applies strictly even if the child’s identity is digitally concealed or their real name is omitted.
• Personal Social Media Accountability: The informal nature of personal social media accounts poses a distinct tracking risk through casual tagging or location sharing. Therefore, strict oversight is enforced on both official institutional channels and the personal social media accounts of staff, partners, supporters, donors, and journalists.
• Content Upload Mandate: No one associated with the foundation is permitted to upload identifiable images, geolocations, or sensitive personal histories of program beneficiaries to their personal digital profiles without explicit written authorization from the SSF Communications Desk. No photography or video recording is permitted at any center without prior clearance.