Child Protection Policy

INQUIRY FUSE Ltd (INQUIRY FUSE) (https://inquiry-fuse.eu/ ) is a Cypriot-based SME, specializing in Sports, Physical Education, Educational Technology, Science Education, and their interplay. INQUIRY FUSE aims to engage the student population and the public in meaningful formal, non-formal and informal learning experiences, through innovative educational solutions and actions, capitalizing on research outcomes. The INQUIRY FUSE team brings multidisciplinary expertise, including educational sciences, Educational Technologies, Sports and Exercise Science, and PE.

INQUIRY FUSE believes that child protection is crucial to ensuring that children under the age of 18 have the rights, information, and space in which they can express their views and communicate effectively with other children and adults. Children can only become empowered agents of change to improve their lives and that of their families and communities if they are safeguarded from abuse, discrimination and harm of any kind, be it physical, sexual, emotional or neglect. For this reason, INQUIRY FUSE is committed to supporting within its work the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC).

INQUIRY FUSE recognizes that all Founders, Managers, Employees, and Representatives and those of partner organizations coming into contact with children have a fundamental duty of care towards them. INQUIRY FUSE condemns all forms of abuse and violence against children that can be perpetuated outside and inside the organization. INQUIRY FUSE promotes effective actions aimed to ensure children’s well-being and protection, focusing on the prevention of physical and mental abuses and all forms of violence against children.

This Child Protection Policy is grounded on:

Mission, vision and value of the organization;
Child protection Policy the UN Child Rights Convention (Art. 19);
General Comment No. 13 (2011) of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child – the right of the child to freedom from all forms of violence;
Keeping Children Safe: A Toolkit for Child Protection (2011).

Definitions under the Child Protection policy

Children

“For the purposes of the present Convention, a child means every human being below the age of eighteen years unless under the law applicable to the child, majority is attained earlier.” (Article 1 – OHCRH)

Abuse and Neglect

“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. […]

Violence against children includes all forms of violence against people under 18 years old. For infants and younger children, violence mainly involves child maltreatment (i.e. physical, sexual and emotional abuse and neglect) at the hands of parents and other authority figures. Boys and girls are at equal risk of physical and emotional abuse and neglect, and girls are at greater risk of sexual abuse. As children reach adolescence, peer violence and intimate partner violence, in addition to child maltreatment, become highly prevalent.” (World Health Organisation).

Child Protection policy Principles

The INQUIRY FUSE CPP principles have been designed in line with the principles detailed in the UNCRC and from Comment No. 13 (2011) of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child.

The main key principles of our CPP are:

No violence against children is justifiable;
All violence against children is preventable;
A child rights-based approach to child caregiving and protection requires a paradigm shift towards respecting and promoting the human dignity and the physical and psychological integrity of children as rights-bearing individuals rather than perceiving them primarily as “victims”;
The concept of dignity requires that every child is recognized, respected and protected as a rights holder and as a unique and valuable human being with an individual personality, distinct needs, interests and privacy;
Children’s rights to be heard and to have their views given due weight must be respected systematically in all decision-making processes, and their empowerment and participation should be central to child caregiving and protection strategies and programs;
The right of children to have their best interests be a primary consideration in all matters involving or affecting them must be respected, in particular when they are victims of violence, as well as in all measures of prevention.

Objectives

INQUIRY FUSE is committed to promoting child protection and preventing abuses in all actions directly implemented or supported by the organization, both in Italy and at the international level. We aim to ensure that all INQUIRY FUSE Managers, Employees, Representatives, and Partner organizations’ staff and representatives are aware of all aspects of child protection and the procedures for preventing, disclosing, reporting, and responding to abuses.

We strive to provide comprehensive support to all INQUIRY FUSE Managers, Employees, Representatives, and Partner organizations’ staff and representatives to meet their child protection responsibilities and engage positively with children and communities. Our goal is to avoid and prevent cases of abuse, violence, and neglect from occurring in any context. INQUIRY FUSE is committed to creating safe environments for children in all aspects of our work, including fundraising and program implementation, where children are respected, protected, and empowered as their capacities evolve. Our goal is to ensure that children are safe and protected from all forms of abuse. We strive to contribute to generating awareness in children about their rights and the role they play in the prevention, identification, disclosure, and management of abuses. We aim to empower children to speak up about any abuses they may encounter and to seek support when needed. We are committed to ensuring that fair, secure, and transparent reporting channels are put in place in all our programs. These channels fulfil the right of stakeholders to be heard, including children and those who work with them. Our goal is to ensure that everyone’s voices are heard and that any issues are addressed in a timely and effective manner.

Area of application

This CPP is applied to all Funders, Managers, Employees and Representatives who must comply with its requirements. The CPP will also be applied to all partner organizations, their staff and representatives to ensure that all children involved in potential activities will be protected from any forms of abuse and violence. Wherever required, INQUIRY FUSE is committed to improving its standards and setting out its policy according to more restricted measures to keep children safe and protected.

Implication for INQUIRY FUSE

At INQUIRY FUSE, all staff and representatives, as well as partner organizations’ staff, associates, and representatives, are required to adhere to our Child Protection Policy. By respecting our Child Protection Policy, INQUIRY FUSE and all partner organizations working with us commit themselves to:

Providing a safe and protective environment for children.
Preventing and addressing all forms of abuse, violence, and neglect against children.
Promoting awareness of children’s rights and empowering children to speak up about any abuses they may encounter.
Ensuring that fair, secure, and transparent reporting channels are available for anyone to report any concerns or complaints about child protection.
Taking appropriate measures to investigate and address any reported cases of abuse, violence, or neglect against children.
Providing support and care to any children who have experienced abuse, violence, or neglect, in a timely and effective manner.

We take our responsibility to protect children very seriously, and we are committed to ensuring that all our staff, associates, and partners share in this commitment.

Awareness generation

At INQUIRY FUSE, we are committed to promoting open and free discussion about all issues related to child protection and the importance of keeping children safe from abuse and violence. To achieve this goal, we:

Provide our staff and representatives with adequate information about INQUIRY FUSE’s Child Protection Policy.
Adopt written guidelines for appropriate and inappropriate behavior of adults towards children, as well as for children’s behavior towards each other.
Establish clear roles and responsibilities regarding the monitoring of the respect and enforcement of INQUIRY FUSE’s Child Protection Policy.
Ensure that children are informed about their rights to be heard and to grow up free from all forms of physical and psychological violence.
Empower children to speak up about any concerns they may have and provide support for them in a safe and nurturing environment.

Prevention

At INQUIRY FUSE, we believe in the importance of safeguarding children and ensuring that all of our staff and partner organizations adhere to high professional standards. To achieve this goal, we:

Guarantee that high professional standards are applied during the selection of staff and partner organizations.
Provide adequate training on child protection to all staff, associates, and representatives, and ensure that child protection is a regular topic in all training programs.
Implement specific supervision mechanisms for staff, associates, and representatives who work directly with children as a space for open and free discussion about child protection concerns arising from any INQUIRY FUSE directly implemented or supported action.
Promote a safe, free, and open environment where children are encouraged to discuss their concerns and rights and express their point of view.
Conduct regular risk assessments to identify and mitigate potential risks to children’s safety and wellbeing in all INQUIRY FUSE activities and operations.
Never expose children to or place them at risk of harm while carrying out activities directly with children, taking images/pictures, or generating stories of children.

Through the implementation of these measures, we are committed to creating a protective environment for children and ensuring that their rights are respected and upheld at all times. All the above-mentioned measures will be applied in any activities involving children and minors.

Measures

The main measures envisaged by INQUIRY FUSE are:

Provide clear and easily accessible procedures to all staff and representatives for reporting any child abuse and child protection concerns. These procedures should be available in all languages spoken by the organization’s stakeholders.
Ensure child-friendly reporting mechanisms that enable children to report maltreatment, abuse, and violence in a safe and confidential manner. These mechanisms could include child helplines, child protection committees, or trained child protection focal points.
Guarantee that any child abuse or child protection concern is treated and investigated with the highest degree of confidentiality. All reports of abuse should be taken seriously and investigated promptly and thoroughly by competent staff trained in child protection.
Ensure that the reporter, potential offender, and victim are kept safe and provided with necessary psycho-social support. This could include referrals to specialized services, such as medical or counselling services, and ensuring that the necessary protection measures are put in place to prevent further harm or retaliation.
Regularly monitor the reporting mechanisms to ensure that they are effective and responsive to the needs of children and stakeholders. Feedback from children, families, and communities should be actively sought and used to improve reporting and response mechanisms.

Responding

INQUIRY FUSE is committed to implementing the following responding measures:

Conduct investigations on any concerns regarding the behavior of staff, associates, and representatives, as well as those of partner organizations, in accordance with local office procedures and Child Protection Policy
Disciplinary actions will be taken against staff, and representatives if found guilty, while the Partnership Agreement with partner organizations’ staff, associates, and representatives will be immediately terminated if proven guilty.
Take all necessary measures to ensure child protection and security in cases of proven child abuse and neglect and report such cases to the appropriate authorities.
Periodically review the policy, considering feedback and experience, to ensure that it remains effective in protecting children and responding to child protection concerns.
Ensure that all staff, associates, and representatives are trained in the Child Protection Policy and understand their roles and responsibilities in implementing it.
Cooperate with local authorities and organizations working on child protection issues to enhance the effectiveness of the responding measures.
Communicate the Child Protection Policy and responding measures to all relevant stakeholders, including beneficiaries, partners, and donors.

Contact Us

If you have any questions about this CHILD PROTECTION POLICY, please contact us:

By email: info@inquiry-fuse.eu

By visiting this page on our website: https://inquiry-fuse.eu/contact/

By phone number: +357 99728297