No governing organization for child protection exists, but there are basic practices that all U.S. nonprofits working with children should adopt. They include a child protection “safeguarding” policy, criminal background checks, and basic staff & volunteer training. In a 2014 survey of international nonprofits, less than half had safeguarding policies or utilized background checks on a regular basis. While 54% did have someone trained in child protection, few had all of their staff and volunteers trained.
The Protection from Sexual Abuse and Exploitation (PSEA) Taskforce of the Inter-Agency Standing Committee, an advisory group to the UN and international aid community formed in 2011, has produced guidelines for organizations and agencies to implement in order to prevent abuse within their organizations. They include:
- Policy
- Code of Conduct
- Training
- Hiring Procedures for Staff who work with children
- A Position at the organization specifically assigned to handle abuse & exploitation
- Reporting Mechanisms
All of these should be adopted into Minimum Standards that all international nonprofits working with children have and enforce. These are incorporated into the Child Protection Toolkit to assist organizations with implementation.
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