Compassion and Child Protection

Compassion and Child Protection

Thank you for caring about the privacy and protection of all our sponsored children.

Just like you, we recognise the safety and wellbeing of children is foundational to their healthy growth and development. As a result, Compassion has a zero-tolerance policy for child abuse. We take the protection and privacy of all children involved in our program seriously.

Christ-centred: God loves children, and so do we! His heart for children is at the heart of our commitment to nurture and encourage every Compassion assisted child.

Child-focused: Every child has the right to grow and develop in a safe environment. No violence against children is justifiable. All violence against children is preventable.

Church-based: The local church should be a safe place for children of all backgrounds. Well trained, on-the-ground child advocates play a vital role in protecting vulnerable children from abuse.

God loves children. And so do we!

With more than 1700 passages relating to children in the Bible, children play an important role in God’s Kingdom. The Bible recognises the vulnerability of children to neglect, abuse and injustice, and urges us to not overlook their needs, suffering and presence.

All children are loved by God, and it is vital that they are nurtured and valued in their formative years.

God loves His children, and so do we. That’s why Compassion is deeply committed to child protection.

A global commitment to protect children

In countries that deliver program:

  • Specialist Child Protection Staff members are employed at each national office.
  • Background checks and robust child protection training are required for all staff and volunteers who have contact with children and/or child information, including hiring and onboarding for contractors.
  • Training and community awareness seminars help to educate community leaders, caregivers and parents about child protection practices.
  • Child protection responsibilities are included in every job description.
  • Child protection practices are integrated into key processes at all levels: local, national and international.

In Australia:

  • Background checks and robust child protection training are required for all staff and volunteers who have contact with children and/or child information, including hiring and onboarding for contractors.
  • Children’s personal information and privacy are protected through rigorous practices.
  • All relevant checks, including working with children checks and police checks, are undertaken before visitors visit Compassion assisted children.
  • Trained local staff members accompany visitors to child development centres.
  • A comprehensive Child Protection Code of Conduct must be agreed to by every visitor from Australia when they visit a Compassion assisted child.

How we ensure children are protected

We are committed to demonstrating effective child protection practices at all levels of the organisation, including:

  1. Providing specific interventions when needed
  2. Providing on-the-ground training for all staff and volunteers
  3. Maintaining a secure, anonymous reporting and follow-up system for abuse and malpractice
  4. Facilitating communication through secure technology
  5. Holding firm to a commitment from the entire organisation to maintain every child and family’s privacy and dignity 

Do you have a concern about child protection?

If you have a concern or complaint regarding any of Compassion’s operations or child safety issues in Australia or overseas, please call us on 1300 22 44 53 or email compassion@compassion.com.au.

We take your concerns seriously and will investigate thoroughly and provide you with a response in writing.

If you would like to remain an anonymous whistleblower and make a complaint, we will make every effort to keep your identity confidential and only reveal it where necessary.

Please email your complaint to:

risk@compassion.com.au | chairman@compassion.com.au

FAQs

  • How do I know that my sponsored child is a real person?

    Every child registered with Compassion’s program is a child in need, known to the local workers at the child development centre and a part of the community. Local staff work hard to develop a strong relationship with every child and their family. They keep detailed records for all children registered, including information such as their academic performance and development, health progress, goals, interests and more. Staff from the national Compassion office visit child development centres regularly, review records and audit the centre’s accounts to ensure accountability.

    We encourage you to continue to build your friendship with your sponsored child. Write to them as much as you can, encourage them to write to you, ask how you can pray for them and ask them to pray for you. As your friendship grows, you’ll know they’re a real person who is benefitting greatly from your support.

    From 2021, new child protection and privacy measures mean that you will only see your sponsored child's preferred name on all the letters you receive. Be assured that your sponsored child is still the same child—it’s just that we won’t use to their surname anymore to better protect their privacy. We ask that you only use your first name in all your communications with them, so your own privacy is better protected as well.

  • Can I connect with my sponsored child online?

    Please don’t try to find your sponsored child online—please use Compassion’s channels to communicate with your sponsored child. This helps to ensure that your privacy is protected—and your sponsored child is as safe as they can be.

    Please don’t respond to requests for connections or “friend requests” if your sponsored child or their family finds you on social media. If this happens, please let us know and we will ask local staff to work with the child and their family to ensure they understand our communication guidelines.

    These simple steps will help to protect you both from the risk of your information and communication falling into the wrong hands.

  • My sponsored child knows my full name. Is this a problem?

    In an increasingly tech-enabled world, we recognise the importance of ensuring both sponsored children and their supporters can encourage one another in a safe environment.

    If your sponsored child has previously had access to your full name, you do not need to be concerned. Removing your surname from your sponsored child's view is a proactive response to a higher level of privacy, not as the result of any specific incident. We have always taken the protection of your personal information seriously, and this change is a step to ensure that can continue to be the case.

    If you do have any concerns about the privacy of your personal information, you can call us on 1300 22 44 53.

  • I sponsor with a group/business/church and that’s the name that appears on our letters. Do I need to do anything to meet the increased privacy measures?

    Increased privacy and child protection measures will mean sponsors' and sponsored children's names won't be printed in full. Instead, sponsors and children will choose their first or preferred name to be shown on all their letters.

    In the case of a church, business or other group, your sponsored child’s name will change—that is, only their preferred name will appear—but your group’s name on your letters and other materials will stay the same.

    We encourage you to write and sign off your letters using that same name (for example, “From all the team here at BUSINESS NAME” or “With love from your church family here at CHURCH NAME”). This ensures that individual people’s privacy is protected. If you sign with a personal name (for example, “From Simon and the team here at BUSINESS NAME”) then please use your first name only. Please don’t include surnames or other identifying details.

    If you have any other questions or concerns, please speak with your local Compassion staff member or you can call us on 1300 22 44 53 and we'd be happy to help you.

  • My sponsored child only knows me by my last name. Do I now have to only use my first name when writing to them?

    We understand that some long-time sponsors have always written to their sponsored child using only their surname, such as ‘Mr. & Mrs. Brown’. Due to the new changes to privacy and protection, we will now share only your first name with your sponsored child and ask you to do the same. As data privacy is an issue of increasing importance in many places in the world, Compassion needs to respond in a global and uniform way.

    Research has shown that using first names only reduces the ability for sponsors and sponsored children to make contact outside of the secure Compassion environment by 95%. This helps us to continue to protect the privacy of both the children in our program and you as a supporter.

    We apologise if this means you will need to change the way you sign-off your letters. We understand that it may mean your sponsored child has access to your full name for a time, but by making these changes now we can ensure the best outcomes in the future. We’re grateful for your ongoing support as we make this change to better protect all sponsors and sponsored children.

    If you are ever contacted by your sponsored child outside of normal Compassion channels, please call us on 1300 22 44 53 so we can take appropriate action. Read more