It is important that all Lifewords staff and others who have contact with children and adolescents:
– Be aware of situations that may present risks and manage them
– Plan and organize the work and the workplace to minimize risks
– As far as possible, stay in view when working with children/adolescents
– Ensure that there is a culture of openness that allows any questions or concerns to be addressed and discussed
– Ensure that there is a sense of accountability among staff, so that bad practices and potentially abusive behavior are brought to attention
– Talk to children/adolescents about their contact with staff or others and encourage them to address any concerns
– Empower children/adolescents – talk to them about their rights, what is acceptable and unacceptable, and what they can do if there is a problem

In general terms it is inappropriate for anyone in contact with children/adolescents:
– Spending too much time with a child/teenager
– Being alone with children/adolescents, without the accompaniment of someone else from the team
– Take the children/teenagers into your home, especially when you will be alone with them
– Acting with discrimination, prejudice, oppressive behavior or language regarding: race, culture, age, gender, disability, religion, sexuality, or political positions

The Lifewords team and others never should:
– Physical hitting or punishment of children/teenagers or any other humiliating and offensive treatment
– Develop physical/sexual relationship with children/adolescents
– Developing relationships with children/adolescents that could in any way be considered exploitative or abusive
– Acting in a way that may be abusive or that puts the child/adolescent at risk of abuse

Staff and others should avoid actions or behavior that could be construed as malpractice or potentially abusive. For example, they should never:
– Using language, making suggestions, or offering advice that is inappropriate, offensive, or abusive
– Behaving physically in an inappropriate or sexually provocative manner
– Making a child or teenager with whom you are working come to stay overnight at your home unsupervised
– Sleeping in the same room or bed with a child/teenager they are working with
– Do for the children/teenagers personal things that they can do for themselves
– Tolerating or participating in behavior with children/adolescents that is illegal, dangerous, or abusive
– Acting with the purpose of shaming, humiliating, devaluing or degrading children/adolescents, or perpetuating in any way any kind of emotional abuse
– Discriminate, show differential treatment or favor specific children/teenagers to the exclusion of others

In virtual counseling with the Bolsa Verde app the educator should use the Zoom application and:
– Schedule the conversation for an appropriate time, between 7 am and 8 pm, and only when there is a family member or responsible adult at home who knows about the ongoing activity.
– In case of any inappropriate behavior, inform the child/adolescent that you will be interrupting the conversation. Terminate the Zoom meeting immediately, and discuss this with the child or teen’s guardian as soon as possible.