On August 15, the deadline for implementing child protection standards (SOM) in all institutions working with children is approaching. Besides the obvious ones, such as schools, kindergarten or sports clubs, the obligation also applies to e.g. hotels or hospitals. The implementation of appropriate preventive and intervention procedures by these institutions is intended to lead ultimately to a reduction in the scale of violence and abuse against the youngest. – Child protection standards, being mandatory and pertaining to so many organizations and institutions, will bring about real social change, provided we consciously approach their preparation and implementation – stresses Agata Sotomska from the Give Children Strength Foundation.
The new regulations, based on amendments to laws on counteracting threats of sexual violence and child protection, require all child-focused institutions to implement certain rules and procedures aimed at protecting the youngest from violence and exploitation. These rules are intended to increase the chances of preventing child abuse or early detection of such incidences. The regulation entered into force on February 15 and introduced a six-month transitional period for the implementation of procedures.
– Child protection standards are a set of rules and procedures designed to ensure that the institutions where children stay or may stay are safe and considerate of the child’s well-being, also in the domestic sphere. Child protection standards apply to all institutions where children may spend time or which operate on behalf of children – not only educational institutions, sports clubs, cultural institutions, but also hotels and medical facilities – says Agata Sotomska, program coordinator for Child Protection Standards from the Give Children Strength Foundation, to Newseria Biznes Agency.
Standards should cover both preventive and intervention activities. The former refers to, among other things, the principles of safe relationships between employees and children. The rules also expand obligations related to obtaining information about persons employed or admitted to work with minors, including the obligation to present the employer with information from the National Criminal Register.
– The principles of safe recruitment aim to verify people who will work with children in terms of their criminal record, to ensure that adults allowed to work with children are not a threat to them. On the other hand, the principles of safe relationships define what behaviours towards the youngest are acceptable or desirable, and which are absolutely not approved of in our institution – explains the expert.
Thanks to the implementation of intervention procedures, staff should be able to respond appropriately to suspicions of child abuse both in the institution and in the child’s family. Staff training should include identifying situations that could lead to child abuse, recognizing its symptoms, and developing a support plan for the abused child.
– The aim is for staff to know what situations to respond to and what to do if they suspect a child is being abused, to stop potential violence as soon as possible. The procedures specify who to report the suspicion of abuse to, but also which external institutions and authorities should be informed – points out Agata Sotomska.
Moreover, in an institution that has implemented SOM, children also learn how to avoid threats in contacts with adults and peers – in the real world and on the internet. They have constant access to information on where to seek help in difficult life situations, and parents learn how to raise a child without violence and teach them safety rules.
The Ministry of Justice has prepared a model of child protection standards along with guidelines regarding their content. The procedures should be adapted to the specifics of the activity of a given entity and the scale of its operations.
– Many organizations have drawn their knowledge from ready-made solutions found on the internet, not translating them into their specifics, which caused some resistance connected with the fact that these rules did not reflect the practice of the organization. Therefore, we emphasize the need to consciously approach the development of such rules, to discuss them within the entire team, but also to talk to children, as they are able to say under what behaviors and circumstances they will feel safe – says the program coordinator for Child Protection Standards from the Give Children Strength Foundation.
As she adds, there were also many doubts about safe recruitment.
– One of the bigger problems reported to us by organizations working with children is which staff members to verify, whether it only applies to those who work directly with children or also to those who may have incidental contact with a child. Our recommendation in such situations is to conduct a risk analysis that will allow to evaluate to what extent the contact of this adult could be associated with a potential threat to the child’s welfare – explains Agata Sotomska. – Child protection standards are a new solution and like any change, they come with certain challenges and problems, yet they are not issues that organizations working with children on a daily basis cannot handle.
Failure to fulfill the obligation to introduce standards of minor protection in accordance with the law will be subject to a fine. In case of a first audit, it will be PLN 250 (approximately USD 60). In case of repeated neglect of the obligation to implement protection standards for minors, the fine will be no less than PLN 1,000 (approximately USD 240).
– As of 15 August this year, each organization supervising or operating a given facility or organization has the right to control the introduction of child protection standards, has the right to control whether employed staff were verified in the registers in terms of criminal liability. For non-fulfillment of these requirements, fines will be imposed, as well as a possible penalty of restricted freedom or even arrest for those who have not fulfilled their obligations – recalls the expert.
However, the key is not only the development of the document itself, but also its implementation, staff training and designating people in the entity responsible for its implementation. Importantly, standards must be regularly monitored and updated to ensure their effectiveness.
– Child protection standards, being mandatory and involving so many organizations and institutions, contribute to real social change, provided we consciously prepare for their implementation – evaluates Agata Sotomska.
Police data indicate that in 2023, over 62,000 Blue Card forms were filled in, and the number of domestic violence victims amounted to nearly 78,000, of which over 17,000 were children. According to the “Diagnosis of Violence Against Children 2023” by the Give Children Strength Foundation, 79% of children and teenagers have experienced violence or neglect at least once in their life. The most often reported incidents were: violence from peers (66%), violence from a close adult (32%), and sexual exploitation without physical contact (26%). According to the foundation’s internal data, in 2022 alone, the subject of violence and abuse was raised in more than one in eight contacts (12%) initiated by young people with a helpline for children and teenagers.
