child protection

our commitment to child protection

Lille Fro Foundation Limited (ACN 135 5001 521) (Lille Fro) recognises that by the nature of its work, it is at risk of being targeted by those wanting to exploit or harm children.

Lille Fro considers child abuse unacceptable in all circumstances and is committed to ensuring that all possible and necessary steps are taken to acknowledge the rights and protection of all children (a person under the age of 18 years) with whom we work.

guidelines

Lille Fro is committed to the welfare of children and their protection from abuse and exploitation. This commitment is detailed in our Child Protection Policy. We also uphold the UN Convention of the Rights of the Child (1989), Article 19.

Every person who shares in the work of Lille Fro (including staff, volunteers, contractors, and supporters) also shares in the responsibility to take every precaution to protect the children and families we serve.

In order to help protect the privacy, dignity and personal safety of every sponsored child, Lille Fro has developed the following guidelines in line with our Child Protection Policy.

our policy

The Lille Fro Child Protection Policy includes:

• child image display guidelines;
• child protection on the Lille Fro website; and
• sponsor mail monitoring.

Please contact us if you have any further questions,

• phone: +61 3 9813 2488
• fax: +61 3 9813 3811
• email: privacy@lillefrofoundation.org

child image display and copying guidelines

displaying photos of your sponsored child

You are encouraged to and welcome to display photos of your sponsored child at your home or personal space at work/business to share your experience of helping a child in need. This way you can share with others how your sponsored child grows and develops with support from you and from Lille Fro.

If you are a group, school or business/corporate sponsor and would like to display information about your sponsored child for group sharing or fundraising purposes please contact us.

copying photos of your sponsored child

Lille Fro is required by law and by our own policies to limit the distribution of information and images of sponsored children. If you sponsor a child, you may enlarge a photo of your sponsored child to display it at home or your personal space at work/business, along with basic personal information (name, age and country only), but before doing so, you must obtain our written permission.

If you sponsor a child as a part of a group, you can make additional copies of the photo to give to each financially contributing member of that group. Once again, though, you'll need our written permission.

online publishing and emailing photos of your sponsored child

Lille Frø takes potential abuse of child photographs on the web very seriously. Emailing and publishing photos and personal information of your sponsored child online creates risks to the privacy, dignity and personal safety of the child. We ask you not to place your sponsored child's photo and/or personal information (age, last name, geographical location, health, education or other) on a website (internet or intranet) or email it to others.

By agreement with each particular country and community, Lille Fro is allowed to display child photos and information on the Lille Fro website only.

child protection on our website

Lille Fro is committed to protecting the security, privacy, and dignity of the children whose parents, guardians and community leaders have graciously allowed to be a part of our child sponsorship programs.

The policies below describe how we protect children in relation to the web sponsorship process.

child security

Children have the right to be completely secure from the fear or reality of any potential abuse (either physical or emotional) resulting from an inappropriate contact by a sponsor or any other person.

You will notice as you proceed through our sponsorship site that we release only limited information about the children. We don't include last names, community names or locations, or any other information that might identify the location of the child. We intentionally withhold this information until after the identity of the sponsor is verified.

By agreeing to become a child sponsor, you also agree not to attempt to contact a sponsored child, his or her family or community members or their school or teachers in any manner other than that prescribed and permitted in advance in writing by Lille Fro.

Telephone calls, emails or unplanned visits to the child's residence, community and their school are not permitted without the prior written permission and oversight of Lille Fro. Letters and packages can be sent by post subject to our policies and guidelines on corresponding with your sponsored child.

child privacy

We take potential misuse of child photographs on the web very seriously. Children and their families must be assured that Lille Fro is protecting the integrity of the information about themselves that they've given us, including photographs.

Privacy also demands that children, their families and communities be shielded from any potential inappropriate contact from sponsors or others.

For this reason, downloading, copying, or replicating photos or other information relating to children and their communities on this website is not permitted without our prior written permission. Child profiles are presented for the purpose of conveying appropriate information about the sponsorship relationship, and are not to be distributed.

Our photos of children are encoded with a digital watermark. They can't be downloaded and unauthorised access to the source data has been blocked. Lille Fro monitors the web for inappropriate use of these images and we're committed to pursuing every available legal recourse to stopping their misuse.

child dignity

The lives of children, their families, and members of their community should be represented with accuracy and dignity. We consider the children we work with as our partners, working with us to help bring holistic transformation to communities living in poverty. We seek the full, informed consent of parents, guardians, and/or community leaders for a child's participation in our child sponsorship programs.

promoting lille fro child sponsorship

We welcome those who wish to help us find new sponsors. On our website you'll find banner ads and clickable links that you can download and place on your website to encourage others to sponsor a child.

sponsor mail monitoring

Sponsorship is a wonderful opportunity to share in our work through the eyes of a particular child and their family, and many strong friendships can develop. Many of Lille Fro's sponsors correspond with their sponsor child and some even visit their sponsored child.

mail from sponsors

To ensure harmful relationships do not develop Lille Fro ensures that correspondence between sponsors and sponsored children comes via Lille Fro.

Communications from sponsors are screened to intercept inappropriate written or visual material that raises child protection concerns. As Lille Fro is a non-denominational organisation we also need to check for political or religious comments that could cause offence or be illegal.

mail from children

We also protect the privacy of our sponsors by checking that letters do not contain their contact details. This could invite begging letters from people unconnected with the sponsored child. Any correspondence we cannot send will be returned to sponsors explaining our concerns and actions. Copies of correspondence may be held on file by us.

screening guide

Below is a guide that outlines the type of content that Lille Fro looks for when screening sponsor mail.

• Sexual or sexualised language.
• Excessive use of familiar terminology such as ‘love' (NOTE: it is acceptable for a sponsor to finish their letter ‘Love Michael').
• Adult content/issues such as:
  • swearing
  • violence
  • exploitation
  • sex
  • relationship / family / financial problems
• Inappropriate photos and images (containing nudity, images of a sexual/intimate nature, exploitative).
• Religious content (sponsors mentioning their religion is appropriate - preaching and evangelism, sending bibles or discriminating against another religion is not).
• Racist language of any sort.
• Political content.
• Requests for gifts from the sponsored child/family other than the usual letter, drawing or handicraft.
  Invitations to come to Australia.
• Offers of direct financial and other assistance.
• Complaints about Lille Fro (NOTE: We accept that sponsors may have complaints about Lille Fro but they should be directed at / to Lille Fro staff not to sponsored children, their communities or school).