Rise Safeguarding Policy

Rise supports promising young people and provides them with opportunities that allow them to work together to serve others over their lifetimes.

Purpose and Aim of Policy Statement
Scope of Policy Statement
Rise Designated Safeguarding Leads
Making a Safeguarding Report
Safeguarding through Effective Management of Concerns and Allegations
Rise Safeguarding Measures
Raising Concerns on the Management of Safeguarding Reports/Disclosures
Adjoining Policies and Processes
Relevant Resources
Rise Safeguarding Glossary

1. Purpose and Aim of Policy Statement

This policy and its adjoining policies set out our approach to safeguarding protections and what we will do should any safeguarding incidents occur.

2. Scope of Policy Statement

Who is covered by this policy?

The policy governs the conduct of all Rise Representatives and Rise Participants when interacting with Minors.

Who should apply this policy?

This policy is to be upheld by all Rise Participants and Rise Representatives, whether they have signed a contractual agreement or not and regardless of remuneration status.

If you are subject to this policy, you are expected to comply with the laws applicable to you and any safeguarding policies that may be in place at your organization. Where this policy is more stringent than applicable law or the safeguarding policies, if any, of your organization, this policy shall supersede with respect to interactions relating to the Rise program. If you believe that compliance with local law or other authorities would conflict with the terms of this policy, please notify Rise immediately via safeguarding@risefortheworld.org.

3. Rise Designated Safeguarding Leads

Designated Safeguarding Leads (DSLs) are responsible for reviewing and ensuring that safeguarding processes and procedures are upheld within an organization. Rise DSLs promote the safety and welfare of Rise Participants during all Rise-related interactions, including Rise-related programming and activities in person or online.

The DSLs identified below can be emailed collectively via safeguarding@risefortheworld.org.

Mark German, Executive Director
Eiko Tsukamoto, Director, Support Services
Patrick Kenani, Advisor, Support Services

4. Making a Safeguarding Report

4.1 What to do in an emergency

If a Rise Participant is in immediate danger (for example they are suicidal or they pose an imminent and serious risk to themselves or others), report immediately to the appropriate emergency services and then to one of the Rise DSLs as an immediate next step.

4.2 What to Do in Non-emergency Situations

All Safeguarding Reports that are not emergency situations should be reported to the Rise DSLs via safeguarding@risefortheworld.org, within 24 hours or the nearest business day of becoming aware of the issue. Do not try to investigate the matter yourself or approach anyone involved directly.

4.3 How to Deal with a Disclosure

If you are a Rise Participant and you receive or are aware of a safeguarding concern, please report it to a DSL within 24 hours or the nearest business day (you do not need to take the below steps).

If you are a Rise Representative and you receive a Safeguarding Report and the situation is not an emergency, you should follow the steps below:

Never promise a Rise Participant that you will keep the information they share with you a secret. Explain that you may need to share what they’ve told you with someone who will be able to help.
Let them know that only those who need to be informed, such as the DSL, will be informed and/or emergency services if it is an emergency.
Stay calm and do not overreact when a Rise Participant is disclosing possible harm to you. It is important that you do not show panic or anger.
Show you care by listening and don’t interrupt them. Reassure the Rise Participant that they have done the right thing by talking to you. Refrain from touching the Rise Participant to reassure them.
If the Rise Participant alludes to harm / abuse in a group setting thank them for sharing (if appropriate) and continue with the event. Do not draw attention to it and do not ask for further details publicly. It may be appropriate to interject to prevent further sharing of a disclosure in a public forum. Inform a DSL so that they can follow up with the participant in a more appropriate setting.
It is important to take notes immediately after a Rise Participant has made a disclosure. You do not need to remember every single word said, only keywords. Take note of the:
- Name of the Rise Participant and any other person / people present during the disclosure such as a guardian or a Rise Representative
- Date and time of the disclosure
- What the Rise Participant said, exact keywords if a verbal disclosure
- Information about any other parties involved, particularly of anyone involved in causing harm or creating safeguarding concerns
When taking notes, do not write your own opinions or extrapolations. Be as objective as possible. If you must include some interpretation, make it clear when you are doing so.
Ask questions to clarify statements made; do not ask leading or suggestive questions.
Do not make any promises on what will happen next, just let them know the information will be treated with confidence and passed on only to the relevant officials.
Never try to investigate the disclosure yourself, do not approach any individuals named in the disclosure—the DSL will take the matter on as soon as you have passed on your information.
The DSL will provide you with enough information to reassure you of the progress and outcome of the disclosure; it is unlikely that you will get further detailed information once you have passed on the disclosure—this is in order to protect the person / persons about whom the disclosure relates.

5. Safeguarding through Effective Management of Concerns and Allegations

The DSLs will treat all Safeguarding Reports seriously; they will set up an inquiry and seek to bring a resolution (where possible) in a manner proportional to the concern raised.

The DSLs will protect individuals by limiting knowledge of the matter to only those who need to know either to inquire further or to bring about a resolution; aside from the DSLs, this may include Rise Senior Leadership, those asked by Rise to investigate the concern / allegation further, representatives of any Rise partner organization involved, local authorities and competent authorities that lawfully require the information. Allegations of abuse by Rise Participants will be treated with the utmost seriousness and passed on to the relevant authorities where appropriate and/or required.

6. Rise Safeguarding Measures

The Rise Program aims to keep Rise Participants safe through the following measures:

6.1 Fostering an open culture of reporting and whistleblowing

We proactively foster an open culture of ready reporting and in so doing empower the Rise Participants and Rise Representatives to maintain a safer environment for all.

No adverse action will be taken against any individual who makes a report honestly and in good faith. Retaliation against any individual for raising a concern in good faith under this policy, or against any witness who provides information in connection with a safeguarding inquiry, is strictly prohibited.

This policy must not be used as a mechanism to harm, harass, coerce, or retaliate against any individual. A report made without any credible basis, with the intent to damage an individual’s reputation, or for an improper purpose unrelated to a genuine safeguarding concern, constitutes a misuse of this policy.

6.2 A Simple Reporting Framework

We are committed to helping all Rise Representatives know who to contact about a safeguarding concern by making this information easily accessible and by lowering the bar to raising concerns. This includes providing well-advertised, simple and approachable reporting routes that are regularly reiterated.

6.3 Effective Action Following Reports of Safeguarding Infringements

Rise has trained DSLs who will be responsible for escalating any safeguarding concerns in accordance with this policy, and taking any other steps as required. The steps taken will be proportional to the concerns / allegations raised.

6.4 Promotion of Good Conduct between Rise Participants

The importance of respecting a diversity of backgrounds, opinions and orientations will be emphasized as outlined in the Code of Conduct that was signed by all Rise Participants and covers their full Rise journey.

6.5 Personal Information

Please review the Rise Privacy Notice for information on how we handle personal information. Please note that safeguarding issues may implicate exceptions to standard practices, including in connection with mandatory reporting, complying with investigation processes, or protecting individuals from imminent or serious harm.

7. Raising Concerns on the Management of Safeguarding Reports/Disclosures

All adults have a responsibility to report any concerns about poor or unsafe practice in relation to safeguarding. In the first instance, you can raise a concern to the DSLs as a group by emailing safeguarding@risefortheworld.org.

If you believe that safeguarding best practice is not being adhered to by Rise, including by the DSLs, or that such practice may put a Minor at risk, you should share your concern with the Rise Executive Director (executive@risefortheworld.org).

If the concern relates to the Executive Director, you should share your concern by emailing resposito@risefortheworld.org with all relevant documents and previous email chain(s) indicating the initial steps taken.

Concerns about poor practice are distinct from safeguarding concerns about the wellbeing of a Minor. Any safeguarding concerns about the well-being of a Minor, allegations of abuse or inappropriate conduct should be reported as in Section 4 of this policy.

8. Adjoining Policies and Processes

This policy should be read alongside the following other policies and processes which are designed, together, to provide a robust framework that keeps everyone interacting with the Rise program safer:

These adjoining policies can be found in the Rise Fellow Handbook and in the footer of the risefortheworld.org website. If you have difficulty accessing these policies, contact rise@risefortheworld.org.

9. Relevant Resources

For wellbeing support, Rise encourages Rise Participants to seek local wellbeing support as a first resort. Many universities, secondary schools, and communities offer wellbeing services free of charge. For example, the Child Helpline International has a list of organizations who provide support to young people going through difficult situations.

10. Rise Safeguarding Glossary

Abuse: Abuse is any action that intentionally harms or injures another person. Abuse can take many forms and the circumstances must always be considered. It may consist of a single act or repeated acts and may happen within a number of contexts. The following is a list of examples of the different types of abuse which may affect a person:

Physical Abuse is the intentional use of physical force against a young person’s body which may or may not cause physical injury.

Possible indicators may include bruises, burns, scalds, fractures and lacerations. These are usually unexplained, or explanations given do not seem to match the injury or may seem unlikely / implausible.

Emotional Abuse is emotional maltreatment of a person, which may have a severe and persistent negative effect on a young person’s emotional development. Emotional abuse may involve a person being threatened, called offensive names, humiliated, pushed beyond reasonable limits to achieve or do certain things, made to perform degrading acts, persistently ignored / neglected, or being exposed to distressing events or situations.

Possible indicators may include eating disorders, self-isolating behavior, a lack of social skills, having extreme outbursts of emotion, risky behavior such as running away, aggression towards others and severe low self-esteem.

Sexual Abuse is forcing or enticing a person to take part in sexual activities. It may or may not involve violence and the person may be unaware that what is happening is abuse. Sexual abuse may involve contact with the person (e.g., sexual touching) or no contact (e.g., forcing or encouraging a person to watch sexually explicit material).

Possible indicators may include pregnancy, using language not appropriate for their age, behaving in an overly sexualised manner, discomfort when sitting or walking and avoidance of spending time with certain individuals.

Neglect is not meeting a person’s basic physical and / or psychological needs. This can result in serious damage to the health and development of young people. Neglect can be difficult to spot, but persistent signs may be an indicator of possible abuse.

Possible indicators include a young person persistently appearing hungry or saying they are, stealing or hiding food, consistently looking dirty and unkempt, untreated injuries and an unsuitable home environment.

Bullying: Bullying happens when one person intentionally hurts another, either physically or emotionally, such as assaulting them, teasing, making threats, or name calling. Bullying is often, though not always, aimed at specific traits, for example appearance, race, religion, gender identification, or sexual orientation. Bullying can also happen online, which is called “cyberbullying.”

Identity-Based Harm: Identity-Based Harm is any act of harm motivated by the perpetrator’s conceptualization of their victim’s identity, for example their race, gender, sexuality, religion or political affiliation. Discrimination includes abuse, other forms of harassment, slurs or similar treatment, or hate crime / incident based on gender, disability, race, beliefs, gender identity, sexual orientation or other distinction.

Exploitation: Exploitation is any actual or attempted abuse of a position of vulnerability, differential power, or trust, for personal gain, including, but not limited to, profiting monetarily, socially, emotionally, or professionally. Exploitation can also be sexual.

Grooming: Grooming is when someone builds a relationship, trust, and emotional connection with a Minor so they can manipulate, exploit, and abuse them. Minors who are groomed can be sexually abused, exploited, or trafficked.

Anybody can be a groomer, no matter their age, gender, or race. Grooming can happen online or offline and it can be by a stranger or someone that is known. Grooming can take place over a short or long period of time.

Inappropriate or Explicit Material: Inappropriate content online can include many things that make someone feel unsafe, upset, uncomfortable, or confused, as well as content that is only suitable to mature audiences (18 or 21 and above, depending on country).

Minor: Individuals who are under the legally defined age of majority for safeguarding purposes in their local area, which in most jurisdictions is 18.

Rise Representatives: Staff, consultants, contractors, partner organizations, and any person acting on behalf of Rise.

Rise Participants: Rise Finalists, Rise Fellows, and any individual taking part in Rise activities who is not a Rise Representative.

Safeguarding Report: A report is information received by Rise about actual or suspected harm. This may have happened in the past or is ongoing. A report can be made to a Rise Representative or to a Rise Participant. All reports should be shared with the Rise Designated Safeguarding Leads (DSLs).

Safeguarding: The term “safeguarding” refers to the policies, procedures, and practices employed to protect Minors from all forms of harm, abuse, or exploitation.

Stalking: A pattern of unwanted behavior, directed at a specific person, which causes that person to change their routine or feel afraid, nervous, or in danger. Some examples of stalking behaviors include: repeated, unwanted phone calls, texts, messages, etc. that may or may not be threatening, posting messages or images of the person on social media or discussion groups, or collecting information about the person through friends, family, coworkers, or acquaintances.