Last updated: 12 March 2026
Scope and legal basis
This policy applies to board members, coordinators, contracted specialists, volunteers, students on placement and anyone representing the association. It is based on the Protection of the Rights of the Child Law of the Republic of Latvia, the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, and our Articles of Association.
Every person covered by this policy signs it before beginning work with children and receives an introductory briefing; a refresher is held annually.
Safe recruitment
Anyone working directly with children provides a criminal record statement and two references, and is checked against the statutory restrictions on working with children under Latvian law.
New volunteers work alongside an experienced coordinator for their first three sessions and are never alone with a child during that period.
Standards of conduct
Adults do not spend time alone and unobserved with a child. Activities take place in rooms that are visible or where a second adult is present.
No physical punishment, humiliation, shouting, discriminatory language or unnecessary physical contact is permitted, in any circumstances.
Adults do not contact participating children privately through personal phone numbers or social media, do not give personal gifts, and do not transport a child alone without written parental agreement.
Photographs and video of children are taken only with written parental consent and are never published with a child's full name, school or address.
Reporting a concern
Any concern — a disclosure by a child, a visible injury, a change in behaviour, or the conduct of an adult — must be reported to the safeguarding officer on the same day, in writing where possible. Concerns are never investigated informally by the person who received them.
The safeguarding officer records the concern, informs the chairperson, and where there is reason to believe a child's rights have been violated, notifies the Orphan's and Custody Court, the municipal social service, or the State Police, as required by Section 73 of the Protection of the Rights of the Child Law. Where there is immediate danger, 112 is called first.
An adult who is the subject of a concern is suspended from all contact with children while the matter is examined. This is a protective measure, not a finding of guilt.
Reports may also be made confidentially to the board by writing to torie-dixonxuxx@gmx.com marked 'Safeguarding', or by calling +371 28 333 352. Retaliation against a person who reports a concern in good faith is itself a serious breach of this policy.
Confidentiality and records
Safeguarding information is shared strictly on a need-to-know basis. Records are held securely for ten years and are accessible only to the safeguarding officer and the board.
Children and parents are told at the start of every programme that confidentiality has one limit: if a child's life, health or safety is at risk, we are obliged to inform the responsible authorities.
Review
The board reviews this policy annually and after any serious incident. The current version was approved by the board on 12 March 2026.