At Teach For India, the safety and well-being of every child remains a non-negotiable pillar of our mission. Over the past 15 years, our collective commitment to child protection has been strengthened, deepened, and transformed by the magnitude of challenges our children encounter, and the resilience of our response.
OUR COMMITMENT TO
CHILD SAFETY
Our vision is to create classrooms where every child feels safe, heard, and supported, not only in moments of crisis but as a daily lived experience. We remain deeply committed to upholding each child’s voice, dignity, and right to protection by strengthening the systems that enable their well-being.
WHAT DOES THIS LOOK LIKE?
WHAT DOES THIS
LOOK LIKE?
01
Consciously embedding child safety into classroom culture, ensuring it becomes a consistent and visible part of students’ everyday experience.
02
Scaling targeted trainings and reflective spaces for Fellows and Staff to deepen understanding, build accountability, and embed protection practices in their core responsibilities.
03
Expanding engagement with parents and communities through School Community Relations (SCR) to cultivate a shared commitment to student safety beyond the classroom.
UNDERSTANDING TEACH FOR INDIA’S CHILD PROTECTION POLICY
Teach To Lead has adopted a comprehensive Child Protection Policy (CPP) requiring organisation representatives to conduct themselves appropriately with children who participate in our programmes, as well as take reasonable measures to ensure the safety of our children. Our Child Protection Policy is designed to safeguard children from multiple types of harm - physical, emotional, sexual, etc. - and ensure that all incidents are addressed promptly, holistically and effectively.
This policy aims to define the behaviours and actions that constitute child abuse. Additionally, it lays out the organisation's expectations for behaviour, the scope of application of the policy, and guidelines for reporting and redressal.
This policy aims to define the behaviours and actions that constitute child abuse. Additionally, it lays out the organisation's expectations for behaviour, the scope of application of the policy, and guidelines for reporting and redressal.
WHAT CONSTITUTES CHILD ABUSE?
Child abuse or maltreatment constitutes all forms of physical and/or emotional ill-treatment, sexual abuse, neglect or negligent treatment or commercial or other exploitation, resulting in actual child abuse or maltreatment constitutes all forms of physical and/or emotional ill-treatment, sexual abuse, neglect or negligent treatment or commercial or other exploitation, resulting 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.
(Source: A report of the consultation on child abuse prevention, WHO, Geneva, 29-31 March 1999).
(Source: A report of the consultation on child abuse prevention, WHO, Geneva, 29-31 March 1999).
Scope of Application of the
Child Protection Policy
Child Protection Policy
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Our CPP is applicable to all part-time and full-time employees (including but not limited to Staff, Fellows, Interns) of Teach To Lead and any other person who has been bound to the Child Protection Policy as per their contractual agreement with Teach To Lead.
This policy will be shared with and explained to all school HMs/Lead teachers. Our government schools are governed by their respective state-level Child Protection Policies. Additionally, we encourage our low-income private schools to adopt this policy if they do not have a similar one of their own.
This policy will be shared with and explained to all school HMs/Lead teachers. Our government schools are governed by their respective state-level Child Protection Policies. Additionally, we encourage our low-income private schools to adopt this policy if they do not have a similar one of their own.
Our Child Protection Ecosystem
On-Boarding Staff and Fellows:
• All Fellows and Staff must self declare previous cases of criminal offence and child mistreatment as part of their application to Teach To Lead.
• All Fellows and Staff will undergo child protection awareness training.
• Enforce child safety guidelines that are required to be followed by the Staff and Fellows during excursions, picnics and educational tours. Our Field Trip Policy is included in Annexure 6.
• Ensure that all Fellows and Staff sign a copy of the Child Protection Policy.
• Attempt to ensure that visitors to a school are accompanied by a Staff Member or a Fellow.
• Where the organisation undertakes any research on children or collects data on them, ensure that children are not harmed or traumatized in any way during the process.
• Partnerships to Support Implementation where possible - Partner with organisations to conduct age-appropriate sessions on the personal safety of Students (including modules/materials on body parts, online safety, protection from child abuse and services available for the protection of children). Partner with organisations working in the area of child abuse and child rights, to support Staff and Fellows in effective implementation of the CPP.
Redressal Mechanisms: This includes assigning responsibility to specific individuals or groups of individuals within the organisation to ensure procedures and arrangements are in place for effective implementation of the policy and redressal of child abuse complaints.
• All Fellows and Staff must self declare previous cases of criminal offence and child mistreatment as part of their application to Teach To Lead.
• All Fellows and Staff will undergo child protection awareness training.
• Enforce child safety guidelines that are required to be followed by the Staff and Fellows during excursions, picnics and educational tours. Our Field Trip Policy is included in Annexure 6.
• Ensure that all Fellows and Staff sign a copy of the Child Protection Policy.
• Attempt to ensure that visitors to a school are accompanied by a Staff Member or a Fellow.
• Where the organisation undertakes any research on children or collects data on them, ensure that children are not harmed or traumatized in any way during the process.
• Partnerships to Support Implementation where possible - Partner with organisations to conduct age-appropriate sessions on the personal safety of Students (including modules/materials on body parts, online safety, protection from child abuse and services available for the protection of children). Partner with organisations working in the area of child abuse and child rights, to support Staff and Fellows in effective implementation of the CPP.
Redressal Mechanisms: This includes assigning responsibility to specific individuals or groups of individuals within the organisation to ensure procedures and arrangements are in place for effective implementation of the policy and redressal of child abuse complaints.
Teach To Lead’s Measures to
Prevent Child Abuse
Prevent Child Abuse
1. City Child Protection Officer (CCPO): This is the nodal person in every city to ensure compliance to the CPP.
2. City Child Protection Committee (CCPC): This is a committee in a city to help the CCPO with redressal decisions and will conduct reviews (once every 2 months) of the working of the CPP in the city and implement any additional measures to strengthen child protection measures.
3. National Child Protection Officer (NCCPO): This is a person who oversees the policy at a national level to help the CCPCs with redressal decisions when escalated. He/she will conduct reviews (once every 3 months) of the working of the CPP in the organisation and implement any additional measures to strengthen child protection measures.
2. City Child Protection Committee (CCPC): This is a committee in a city to help the CCPO with redressal decisions and will conduct reviews (once every 2 months) of the working of the CPP in the city and implement any additional measures to strengthen child protection measures.
3. National Child Protection Officer (NCCPO): This is a person who oversees the policy at a national level to help the CCPCs with redressal decisions when escalated. He/she will conduct reviews (once every 3 months) of the working of the CPP in the organisation and implement any additional measures to strengthen child protection measures.
Expected Conduct
Expected Behaviour and Actions:
• Treat every child with empathy and respect, regardless of their race, colour, gender, sexuality, language, religion, religious belief, heritage, political/ other opinion, national/ ethnic/ social origin or property/ disability/ birth/ other status.
• Listen to children and respect their views.
• Ensure that physical contact with a child is respectful, culturally appropriate and essential to the purpose of your interaction with the child.
• Establish an atmosphere that fosters the development of children through your actions and words.
• Always take permission from children before taking their photos or videos.
• Keep all personal information about children or their parents/guardians confidential and secure and ensure that such information is dispensed to only those individuals who are legitimately entitled to it.
• Attend all the applicable training sessions and workshops on the CPP and child-related laws conducted by the organization. Ensure you implement the lessons learned from such sessions and workshops.
Prohibited Behaviour and Actions:
• Do not use language or behaviour towards children that is inappropriate, harassing, abusive, sexually provocative, demeaning, intimidating, offensive, discriminatory or culturally insensitive.
• Do not use any form of corporal punishment on children.
• Do not place a child in an environment where there is the risk of harm or abuse and do not harm or abuse any child physically, emotionally or sexually.
• Do not share with or show children (electronically or in any other form) inappropriate content including pornographic material or material encouraging crime, violence, terrorism, racism, sexism, self-harm, suicide, cruelty and gambling.
• Do not develop, induce or support physical or sexual relationships with children, in any way.
• Do not use or encourage the use of alcohol, drugs, cigarettes or other intoxicating substances while interacting with children or provide such intoxicating substances to children.
Do not develop any form of relationship or arrangement (financial or otherwise) with children which could in any way be deemed to be exploitative or abusive. Do not use child labour in any form.
• Treat every child with empathy and respect, regardless of their race, colour, gender, sexuality, language, religion, religious belief, heritage, political/ other opinion, national/ ethnic/ social origin or property/ disability/ birth/ other status.
• Listen to children and respect their views.
• Ensure that physical contact with a child is respectful, culturally appropriate and essential to the purpose of your interaction with the child.
• Establish an atmosphere that fosters the development of children through your actions and words.
• Always take permission from children before taking their photos or videos.
• Keep all personal information about children or their parents/guardians confidential and secure and ensure that such information is dispensed to only those individuals who are legitimately entitled to it.
• Attend all the applicable training sessions and workshops on the CPP and child-related laws conducted by the organization. Ensure you implement the lessons learned from such sessions and workshops.
Prohibited Behaviour and Actions:
• Do not use language or behaviour towards children that is inappropriate, harassing, abusive, sexually provocative, demeaning, intimidating, offensive, discriminatory or culturally insensitive.
• Do not use any form of corporal punishment on children.
• Do not place a child in an environment where there is the risk of harm or abuse and do not harm or abuse any child physically, emotionally or sexually.
• Do not share with or show children (electronically or in any other form) inappropriate content including pornographic material or material encouraging crime, violence, terrorism, racism, sexism, self-harm, suicide, cruelty and gambling.
• Do not develop, induce or support physical or sexual relationships with children, in any way.
• Do not use or encourage the use of alcohol, drugs, cigarettes or other intoxicating substances while interacting with children or provide such intoxicating substances to children.
Do not develop any form of relationship or arrangement (financial or otherwise) with children which could in any way be deemed to be exploitative or abusive. Do not use child labour in any form.
TAKING STEPS TOWARDS SAFER CLASSROOMS
