Child Protection Policy (CPP)

1. Policy Statement

Projekta Malta is committed to ensuring a safe, respectful, and supportive environment for all children and young people participating in its activities. As an organisation implementing youth-focused projects, including Erasmus+ initiatives, we recognise our responsibility to safeguard and promote the welfare of all participants under the age of 18.

We adopt a zero-tolerance approach to all forms of abuse, exploitation, neglect, and harm.

This policy applies to:

  • Staff
  • Youth workers and facilitators
  • Volunteers and trainees
  • Group leaders
  • Partner organisations and external collaborators

It applies to all Projekta Malta activities, including:

  • Youth exchanges
  • Training courses and workshops
  • Events and mobility projects
  • Online and digital activities

 

2. Definitions

A child is any person under the age of 18.

Forms of harm include:

  • Physical abuse
  • Emotional or psychological abuse
  • Sexual abuse or exploitation
  • Neglect
  • Online/digital harm (including cyberbullying or grooming)

 

3. Safeguarding Principles

Projekta Malta commits to:

  • Prioritising the best interests of the child
  • Ensuring all children are treated with dignity and respect
  • Promoting safe, inclusive, and empowering environments
  • Taking all concerns and allegations seriously
  • Acting promptly, responsibly, and transparently

 

4. Roles and Responsibilities

Safeguarding Lead

Projekta Malta appoints a safeguarding focal point responsible for:

  • Receiving and handling safeguarding concerns
  • Ensuring implementation of this policy
  • Coordinating responses and liaising with relevant authorities

Safeguarding Contact:
Olga Attard
Email: olga@projekta.mt

All staff, volunteers, group leaders, and partners share responsibility for safeguarding children and must comply with this policy.

 

5. Safe Recruitment, Vetting & Partner Compliance

Projekta Malta applies safeguarding measures to all individuals and organisations involved in activities with minors.

Recruitment & Vetting

  • All youth workers, facilitators, group leaders, volunteers, and trainees must:
    • Provide a Police Conduct Certificate not older than 6 months
    • Provide references where relevant
  • Safeguarding responsibilities are included in role expectations
  • All personnel must read and sign the Code of Conduct prior to participation

Partner Organisations

  • All Erasmus+ project partners must:
    • Sign a Partner Agreement/Contract with Projekta Malta
    • Commit to safeguarding standards consistent with this policy
    • Ensure their staff and participants comply with child protection requirements

Group Leaders

  • Each group leader accompanying participants must:
    • Sign a Group Leaders Agreement prior to participation
    • Take responsibility for the safety, wellbeing, and behaviour of their group
    • Follow all safeguarding and reporting procedures

No individual or partner may be involved in activities with minors without fulfilling these requirements.

 

6. Code of Conduct

All staff, volunteers, group leaders, and partners must adhere to the following:

Expected Behaviour

  • Treat children with respect, dignity, and fairness
  • Maintain appropriate professional boundaries
  • Ensure activities take place in safe and supervised environments
  • Use appropriate and respectful language at all times

Prohibited Behaviour

  • Any form of abuse, exploitation, or discrimination
  • Being alone with a child in an inappropriate or unsupervised setting
  • Inappropriate physical contact
  • Private or inappropriate communication with minors
  • Taking photos or videos without proper consent

 

7. Reporting & Response Procedures

All safeguarding concerns must be taken seriously and reported immediately.

Procedure

  1. Recognise
    Identify signs of harm or receive a disclosure
  2. Respond
    • Remain calm
    • Listen carefully without judgment
    • Do not promise confidentiality
  3. Report
    • Inform the Safeguarding Lead (Olga Attard) immediately
  4. Record
    • Document facts clearly and accurately
  5. Refer (if necessary)
    • Escalate to relevant authorities or child protection services

Emergency Situations

If a child is in immediate danger, emergency services must be contacted without delay.

Confidentiality will be respected, and information will be shared only on a need-to-know basis in line with the GDPR.

 

8. Risk Management

Projekta Malta integrates safeguarding into the planning and implementation of all activities.

Measures include:

  • Conducting risk assessments prior to each activity
  • Ensuring appropriate supervision ratios
  • Providing safe accommodation and travel arrangements
  • Establishing clear group rules and behavioural expectations
  • Defining responsibilities for staff, partners, and group leaders

 

9. Online Safety & Digital Wellbeing

Projekta Malta recognises the importance of safeguarding children in digital environments and promotes responsible, safe, and balanced use of technology.

  • Online activities are conducted in moderated and structured settings
  • One-to-one online communication with minors is only permitted when necessary and must be:
    • Professional and appropriate
    • Conducted via official or traceable channels where possible
  • Personal social media accounts must not be used for private communication with minors
  • Communication must remain relevant, transparent, and time-bound
  • Participants are informed about safe online behaviour
  • Personal data is protected in accordance with GDPR

In addition, Projekta Malta promotes digital wellbeing practices across its activities. These include:

  • Encouraging balanced use of digital devices during activities
  • Promoting respectful and responsible online interaction
  • Raising awareness of risks such as cyberbullying, online exploitation, and misinformation
  • Supporting participants in developing healthy digital habits

Projekta Malta’s Digital Wellbeing Guidelines are publicly available on its website:
Projekta Malta Digital Wellbeing

 

10. Parental Consent & Emergency Contacts

For all activities involving minors—particularly those lasting more than one day or requiring overnight stays—Projekta Malta ensures that appropriate consent and safety procedures are in place.

  • A Parental Consent Form must be signed prior to participation
  • Parents/guardians are:
    • Informed about the nature, location, and duration of the activity
    • Provided with emergency contact information
  • The organisation collects and maintains emergency contact details for all minors
  • Relevant medical or dietary information is collected where necessary
  • Participation is not permitted without a completed and signed consent form

 

11. Training & Capacity Building

Projekta Malta ensures that:

  • All staff, volunteers, and collaborators receive safeguarding guidance prior to activities
  • Group leaders are informed of their safeguarding responsibilities
  • Safeguarding awareness is integrated into onboarding processes
  • Continuous improvement and learning are encouraged

 

12. Monitoring & Review

  • This policy is reviewed annually or following any safeguarding incident
  • Feedback from participants, staff, and partners is considered
  • Necessary improvements are implemented to strengthen safeguarding practices

 

13. Communication & Transparency

This Child Protection Policy:

  • Is publicly available on the Projekta Malta website
  • Is shared with all staff, volunteers, partners, and group leaders
  • Is communicated clearly to participants where relevant

 

14. Annexes (Available Upon Request / Internal Use)

  • Code of Conduct
  • Incident Reporting Form
  • Risk Assessment Template
  • Partner Agreement Template
  • Group Leaders Agreement Template
  • Parental Consent Form

 

This policy reflects Projekta Malta’s commitment to safeguarding and aligns with European standards, including those of Keeping Children Safe.