Happiness and Education for Life Organization (HELO) and Lotus Light Center for Community Advancement are charitable organizations dedicated to creating a secure and safe learning environment for all our students, staff, and volunteers. We believe safeguarding is a shared responsibility and are committed to protecting all our students from abuse, harm, and exploitation. This policy outlines our approach to safeguarding and the code of conduct that we expect all HELO and LLCCA staff and community volunteers, teachers, and members to follow.

Key Principles:

1. The safety and welfare of our students always come first.
2. We foster a culture that prioritizes safeguarding and encourages everyone to speak up about concerns.
3. We take all allegations of abuse or harm seriously and respond promptly and appropriately.
4. We ensure that all staff and volunteers receive safeguarding policies and procedures training and understand their responsibilities in reporting concerns.
5. We work with parents, caregivers, and relevant agencies to safeguard our students and promote their welfare.
6. We maintain the highest standards of conduct and professionalism in all interactions with students, parents, staff, and community members.

Procedures:

1. Recruitment and Vetting: All staff and volunteers are required to submit police checks from their home country or last place of residence country, undergo and may be required to provide references before starting work at HELO School and LLCCA. They may also be required to provide evidence of their qualifications, experience, and identity.
2. Training: All staff and volunteers receive training in safeguarding policies and procedures, recognizing signs of abuse, and reporting concerns. We ensure that all staff and volunteers understand their responsibilities in preserving and promoting the welfare of our students. At HELO School and LLCCA, regular professional development opportunities may also be available to enhance the skills of our staff and community members.
3. Reporting Concerns: All staff and volunteers are responsible for reporting concerns about our students’ safety and welfare. Staff and volunteers should first inform the designated safeguarding officer, who will take appropriate action to report further. We ensure all staff and volunteers understand how to report concerns and who to report them to.
4. Responding to Allegations: We ensure that all parties involved are treated with respect and dignity, take all allegations of abuse or harm seriously, and respond promptly and appropriately. Our responses adhere to our safeguarding policies and procedures, and we prioritize the welfare of our students.
5. Partnership Working: We work with parents, caregivers, and relevant agencies to safeguard our students and promote their welfare. Information is shared appropriately, and we collaborate to provide the best possible support for our students.

Code of Conduct

We expect all members of our community to adhere to the following code of conduct:

1. Respect and treat all students, staff, community members, parents, and others with dignity.
2. Ensure all interactions with students are appropriate and professional.
3. Avoid any behavior that is, or could be perceived as, abusive, discriminatory, or exploitative.
4. Always maintain confidentiality.
5. Refrain from any conduct that could compromise the safety or welfare of students.
6. Report any concerns about the safety or welfare of students promptly and appropriately to sophara2013@yahoo.com or via WhatsApp at +855 69 939 297.
7. Refrain from any conduct that could harm the school’s reputation.

Conclusion

Here, we provide a brighter future for underprivileged children and young adults in the Siem Reap Province through education. We adhere to this policy to keep our promise, which outlines our approach to safeguarding and the code of conduct we expect all HELO and LLCCA staff and community volunteers, teachers, and members to follow.

We regularly review this policy to ensure that it reflects the best safeguarding and professional practices.