CHILD PROTECTION POLICY
OF THE TAUBE CENTER FOR JEWISH LIFE & LEARNING

The Taube Center for Jewish Life and Learning Foundation recognizes that child protection is possible thanks to the engagement of all our staff members. Children’s well-being is paramount for us and we believe that all children have the right to be protected from all forms of abuse. Child Protection is everyone’s responsibility. We recognize that we have a fundamental duty of care towards all children we engage with including a duty to protect them from abuse. We aim to achieve this through compliance with child protection laws in Poland. Child protection is regulated nationwide by national and international acts including: the Constitution of the Republic of Poland, the Penal Code and the Code of Criminal Procedure, and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). These laws define child abuse as the violation of the rights of a child. In Poland, child abuse is a serious crime and can be punishable by imprisonment.

I Guiding Principles of Child Protection:

  1. Having zero-tolerance for child abuse.
  2. Protecting children’s rights and their best interests.
  3.  Placing the child as the first priority when dealing with all identified or suspected cases of child abuse.
  4. Empowering and educating children on their rights, personal safety and steps they can take, if there is a problem.
  5. Integrating child protection into all aspects of our organizational strategy, structures and work practice

II Child protection policy:

Taube Center’s Child Protection Policy is made up of several components, all with the goal of keeping children and youth safe. It includes agency-specific child protection protocols, guidelines for reporting incidents, steps for preventing abuse, training for staff and volunteers, the rules we follow for using information in print and web materials and safety measures for sponsor-beneficiary interactions. 

III Child protection protocols:

The Taube Center has its own child protection protocols that are based on Polish and EU laws on child abuse, procedures that are required by local law. The Taube Center keeps a list of relevant local authorities (Police and adequate public prosecutor’s office) to whom child abuse cases are reported and a list of partner organizations to contact that can provide the appropriate support services for victims.

In specific, the rules of the child protection protocol are as follows:

  1. Complaints of child abuse by the Complainant and/or Informant must be lodged confidentially at the Taube Center’s Executive Director, either in writing including email, or verbal via telephone or in person, directly with the Executive Director and / or with the designated Child Protection Officer.
  2. The Taube Center’s Executive Director is Ms. Helise E. Lieberman, and is responsible for implementing Child Protection Policy in the Taube Center, and can be contacted via email: helieberman@centrumtaubego.org.pl.
  3. The Executive Director of the Taube Center designates Ms. Kaja Siczek as the Taube Center’s Child Protection Officer, and can be contacted via email: ksiczek@taubejewishheritagetours.com.
  4. Once a complaint of child abuse has been lodged to the Child Protection Officer the recipient of the complaint must immediately notify the Executive Director for purposes of registering the complaint.
  5. The date(s), time(s), facts of the alleged child abuse and other pertinent details must be promptly recorded by the recipient of the complaint.
  6. After receiving the complaint, if signs of a criminal offence, transgression or a crime are noted, the Child Protection Officer and / or Executive Director shall refer immediately the child abuse complaint to the Police and / or the public prosecutor’s office for further public investigation.
  7. The Child Protection Officer and / or Executive Director must also inform the Complainant and Complainant’s parent(s) or guardian(s) that the Complainant is entitled to lodge the same complaint to the Police or other law enforcement agency.
  8. Additionally, the Child Protection Officer and / or Executive Director may appoint a case officer who shall further investigate internally the complaint, promptly and in strictest confidence, and who will produce the preliminary investigation report.
  9. The Child Protection Officer and / or Executive Director shall be the case officer in charge of the investigation for the complaint of child abuse inside the Taube Center’s office.
  10. The case officer must ensure that all information and records pertaining to the child abuse complaint are kept confidential.
  11. The case officer must ensure that the Complainant and Complainant’s parent(s) or guardian(s) are informed and understand the relevant procedure in dealing with the child abuse complaint.
  12. Upon receiving the complaint of child abuse and compiling the preliminary investigation report, provided there is sufficient evidence to proceed with the matter, the case officer must comply with the procedure for the ‘misconduct’ until the ultimate determination of the culpability of the alleged perpetrator(s).
  13. A Complainant and / or Informant who lodges a complaint of child abuse that is false and / or vexatious commits a ‘misconduct’ and shall be subjected to relevant disciplinary proceedings.

IV Reporting incidents:

For all reported child-abuse incidents, Taube Center requires that the child’s best interest be the first priority. In addition, all incidents must be dealt with promptly, and they must be handled in a confidential manner that does not harm the victim or the person reporting the abuse.

V Preventing abuse:

Preventing abuse entirely is the ultimate goal for any organization. We believe that we must do everything in our power to reduce cases of abuse as much as possible to help ensure children’s safety. The key to our strategy is education:

– Allowing all children and teens the opportunity to participate in programs regardless of gender, sexual orientation, disability, ethnicity or religion.

– Encouraging and supporting children, staff, and community members to report cases of abuse.

– Incorporating child protection information into Taube Center’s programs. In this way, we reach a broader audience and reemphasize the importance of protecting children.

VI Measures taken to protect children:

Preventing abuse entirely is the ultimate goal for any organization. We believe that we must do everything in our power to reduce cases of abuse as much as possible to help ensure children’s safety. The key to our strategy is education:

– Allowing all children and teens the opportunity to participate in programs regardless of gender, sexual orientation, disability, ethnicity or religion.

– Encouraging and supporting children, staff, and community members to report cases of abuse.

– Incorporating child protection information into Taube Center’s programs. In this way, we reach a broader audience and reemphasize the importance of protecting children.

VII Obligatory background checks:

To ensure proper conduct during work with children the Taube Center is informing prior to employment that it will conduct background checks of persons recruited to work with minors. A background check should be required when working with vulnerable groups such as kids and fragile individuals. Moreover, employers in Poland are required by law to recruit personnel who have no relevant convictions for specific positions, notably those involving minors and vulnerable individuals. Employers who recruit ineligible workers may risk legal action and penalties.

The background check includes specific:

  1. A criminal background check on an individual that is normally undertaken before the person
    embark on a position that include work with children. It is used to ensure that the individual is of good character, has no prior convictions that would make them untrustworthy, and does not endanger the safety of minors. When it comes to dealing with children, one of the most critical considerations is their safety. Employers may improve workplace safety by avoiding hiring someone with a criminal record or a history of violence.
  2. A professional social media check that reduces risks and looks for behavior such as bullying, racism, nudity, and excessive harsh language in a candidates internet presence. In summary, all potential applicants for positions that include work with children should be subjected to a social media check prior to the interview stage, so any red flags or other concerns may be raised with the job candidate during the interview.
Considering all of the above points, and not in contradiction with them, in addition to what is described, the Taube Center will try in every possible way to ensure that the child’s best interest is paramount in all our activities and projects concerning or in which children will participate.