Student Protection Policy

Procedural Guidelines

Table of Contents

  1. Introduction
  2. Definitions
  3. Mechanisms
  4. Reporting Mechanisms
  5. Reporting of Incidents
  6. Reporting Channels
  7. Role of the Student Protection Officer (SPO)
  8. Emergency Protocol
  9. Investigation Procedures
  10. The Ethics Committee
  11. Ethics Committee Selection Criteria
  12. Role of the Ethics Committee
  13. Severity of Incidents
  14. Investigation Protocol

Introduction

The following are guidelines for investigating reports and reporting incidents. These guidelines apply to all volunteers, sponsors, students, staff, and other stakeholders of ISIVCF TT. All stakeholders must comply with these guidelines. The SPO and General Secretary shall be responsible for ensuring compliance with the guidelines

Definitions
  • Student: Any child under the age of eighteen (18) years and any person actively pursuing a course of study in a learning institution.
  • Minor: A student who is under the age of eighteen (18).
  • Staff: An individual who is employed by Inter-School and Inter-Varsity Christian Fellowship (ISIVCF)
  • Sponsor: A teacher at an academic institution who oversees the activities of an Inter-School Christian Fellowship Club.
  • Volunteer: A person who freely offers to support activities of ISIVCF but is not a staff member or sponsor.
  • Stakeholders: Any non-student and non-staff person who interacts with ISIVCF and/or its students or Staff, including but not limited to parents, and registered members.
  • Clubs: Any group of students duly authorised by the academic institution and gathering in the name of ISIVCF.
  • Camps: Any group activity duly authorized and gathering in the name of ISIVCF extended for more than twelve (12) consecutive hours at one (1) or more locations
  • Abuse: Any form of maltreatment as identified in the Holy Bible as well as the laws of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, including but not limited to The Children Act, The Children’s Authority Act, The Education Act, and the Sexual Offences Act and other relevant references including but not limited to, the United Nations Convention on the Rights of a Child.
  • Ethics Committee: A Board sub-committee commissioned to safeguard the integrity of ISIVCF TT and ensure measures are taken to mitigate against presenting risks arising from matters brought before the committee. It includes upholding godly and ethical standards while addressing and advising on ethical issues.
  • Conflict of interest: Direct involvement in any activity (such as student ministry activities),  which would compromise or give the appearance of impropriety or competing interests regarding the goals and objectives of the committee.
  • Reporting Mechanism: The means through which incident reports are received.
  • Investigative Mechanism: The means through which reports are investigated.
  • Incident: Any action or occurrence that compromises the safety and protection of students involved in ISIVCF.
  • Incident Report Form: The document that must be completed to lodge a report in the central repository.
  • Central Repository: The virtual platform or portal where reports are lodged and stored.

Mechanisms

The following procedures shall be administered to receive reports and conduct investigations.

Reporting Mechanisms

Reporting of Incidents

  • All reports shall be treated with utmost confidentiality.

  • All reports must be officially made.

  • For a report to be considered official, it must be documented on the ISIVCF Incident Report Form and lodged in the online central repository provided by ISIVCF.

  • Reports can be made by any individual either online, via telephone or in person.

  • The SPO shall be the reporting contact for student safety concerns.

  • The SPO and General Secretary shall be responsible for ensuring that the procedures are adhered to.

  • The SPO shall lodge all reports in the central repository along with the incident reporting form provided by ISIVCF.

  • The designated staff shall notify the Ethics Committee through the General Secretary of any reports lodged in the central repository.

Reporting Channels
  1. ISIVCF shall provide accessible reporting with the option of anonymous reporting to encourage individuals to report concerns without fear of retaliation. This can include but is not limited to anonymous hotlines, suggestion boxes, or dedicated email addresses and ISIVCF shall ensure that these channels are easily accessible and widely publicized within its community.
Role of the Student Protection Officer (SPO)
  • The SPO is responsible for:
    • Managing all reports that are lodged on the central repository.
    • Ensuring these reports are responded to and investigated in a timely manner.
    • Appraising the Ethics Committee of reports.
    • Ensuring the Ethics Committee fulfils its mandate to:
      1. Review the reports.
      2. Ensure investigations are conducted where permitted to do so and documented.
      3. Present report findings and recommendations to the Board of Directors.
      4. Execute the approved recommendations.
      5. Communicate with the relevant stakeholders.
  • All reports shall be acknowledged and reviewed.
Emergency Protocol
  • In case of medical emergencies or any situation that threatens the safety of students (including incidents of violence), the SPO shall immediately contact the relevant authorities (i.e. medical attention, ambulance services, fire services, police services, social services etc) to ensure proper intervention. After the incident, the SPO shall lodge an incident report form to ensure that the Ethics Committee is aware of its occurrence.
  • Where the safety of students who are minors is threatened the parents or guardians shall be contacted as soon as possible.
  • In case of natural disasters, state emergencies and large-scale incidents happening during an ISIVCF camp or event at the campsite, the SPO will be guided by the emergency response plan of the Turning Point Campsite.
  • ISIVCF shall provide contact information for state authorities and emergency services that is readily available at all events and activities to all relevant stakeholders.
Investigation Procedures

The procedure for investigating matters shall be governed by the Ethics Committee.

The Ethics Committee

The Board of Directors shall be responsible for selecting the members of the Ethics committee guided by the following Selection Criteria.

Ethics Committee Selection Criteria

Members of the Ethics Committee shall possess the following skills and competencies:

  • Analytical skills
  • Problem-solving skills
  • Report writing skills
  • Ethical Principles
  • Integrity
  • Objectivity
  • Godly wisdom
  • Confidentiality

Members shall have work experience or a background in a suitable combination of the following:

  • Student or child protection
  • Investigating or treating with sensitive matters
  • Governance
  • Policy development
Role of the Ethics Committee
  • The Ethics Committee shall be responsible for ensuring all reports are responded to and investigations conducted in a prompt manner in accordance with the policy and procedural guidelines provided.
  • The SPO and the Ethics Committee members must not take on the role of subject matter experts and must engage the relevant state authorities to ensure appropriate intervention.
  • The Ethics Committee shall determine the approach to be taken and in so doing they may review or respond to relevant stakeholders, or they may delegate the investigation to a designate investigator.
  • The Ethics Committee must:
    1. Review all reports.
    2. Determine the veracity of reports.
    3. Determine the severity of the incident and the appropriate approach for the investigation.
    4. May delegate the investigation to a pre-approved investigator*.
    5. Shall liaise and cooperate with the state authorities as required.
Severity of Incidents

Severity of incidents shall be classified as follows:

  • Extreme: Incidents that pose an immediate and severe threat to student safety and wellbeing. Examples include:
    1. Death or permanent disability of a student or staff member within the school  
    2. environment.
    3. Sexual offenses or grooming for sexual conduct with a child under 18 years of age.
    4. Serious physical violence, psychological harm, neglect, or misconduct at ISIVCF
    5. events and activities.
  • High: Incidents that have a significant impact on student health, safety, or
    1. well-being but may not be as severe as extreme incidents. Examples include:
    2. Self-harm or threats of suicide.
    3. Injuries requiring hospitalization.
    4. Concerning mental health incidents requiring support.
    5. Abuse or risk of abuse, including online child abuse.
    6. Family violence or human rights abuse.
  • Medium: Incidents that have a moderate impact on student health, safety, or wellbeing, requiring attention and support. Examples include:
    1. Online bullying or inappropriate use of social media.
    2. Aggressive or anti-social behaviour.
  • Low: Incidents with a minimal impact on student health, safety, or wellbeing, which    can be managed locally without significant intervention. Examples include:
    1. Minor injuries like grazed knees.
    2. Slight interruptions to school operations, such as short power outages.
Investigation Protocol
  • All ISIVCF personnel who are named in the incident report shall be precluded from the review and all ISIVCF activities until the investigation has been completed and outcomes determined. Once the named individual has been proven innocent, they shall return to duties and the accusation will be struck from their records.
  • In the case where an official report is made in a school or institution, the SPO must follow the protocol and procedures of the school or institution. In this case the incident report form will be lodged in the central repository so that the Ethics Committee will be aware of the incident.