Last updated: August 2025
Table of contents:
Policy statement
Purpose of the policy
Scope and definitions
Scope
Definitions
Our guiding safeguarding principles
Roles and responsibilities
Responsibilities of all Loop employees, volunteers, interns and consultants
Responsibilities of Safeguarding Focal Point(s)
Responsibilities of Leads
Responsibilities of the Board and General Director
Responsibilities of partners/host organisations
Breaches of this Policy
Prevention measures
Awareness, capacity building and training
Reporting mechanisms
Procedures for Responding to Reports
1. Receipt of report or disclosure
2. Initial assessment 13
3. Assigning roles and responsibilities for case management
4. Provision of support to survivors and referrals
5. Protection or security risks assessment
6. Decision on next steps
7. Investigation Management
8. Outcome of investigations
9. Appeal
10. Case Closure
Monitoring and Learning
Safeguarding is central to Loop’s mission and encompasses all measures, policies, and procedures designed to prevent and respond to harm and abuse. It protects the health, dignity, well-being, and human rights of individuals, especially children, young people, and vulnerable adults, so they can live free from any types of abuse or harm, including neglect and exploitation.
Loop’s core objective is to provide a safe and trusted space for communities and service users to share feedback, report abuse or harm or raise concerns. Our platform is designed to empower users to speak out without fear, ensuring that their voices are heard and acted upon responsibly.
At the same time, Loop as an organisation, along with all its staff, board members, and partners, commits to upholding the highest standards of integrity and accountability. We recognise the power dynamics inherent in our work and pledge to ensure that no harm, abuse, or exploitation occurs in our interactions with community members, service users, or stakeholders.
Feedback from service users, communities, and partners is critical to the continual improvement of our platform and services. A robust safeguarding policy ensures that all concerns are addressed in a timely and survivor-centred manner, that individuals are protected, and that lessons learned from incidents inform the ongoing development of our systems, processes, and practices.
All Loop team members, board members, consultants, contractors, volunteers, and partner organisations are expected to embody active accountability and ensure safety as a priority in all interactions. Upholding these principles is fundamental to maintaining trust, credibility, and the effectiveness of our core mission and service.
This policy aims to:
This policy applies to all Loop team members, board members, consultants, contractors, volunteers, and partner/ host organisations working with or on behalf of Loop.
The Loop Safeguarding Policy covers safeguarding in its broadest sense, including the prevention of sexual exploitation, abuse, and harassment (PSEAH), child safeguarding, and adult safeguarding.
The policy applies to all settings where Loop operates, both online and offline, whether during or outside working hours, and extends to interactions with feedback authors, partner organisations, stakeholders and community members.
Any actions by Loop employees or associated personnel outside of working hours that contradict the principles of this Safeguarding Policy will be considered a breach of the policy and subject to appropriate review and accountability measures.
A safeguarding complaint can be made by any supporter, partner organisation, community or individual with whom we work, or any member of the public whether an individual, company or other entity, from anywhere in the world. Ensuring our stakeholders (Governing Board, affected populations, service providers, partners, donors, etc) are able to hold us to account, will improve the quality of our work in all areas.
In summary, the Safeguarding policy:
Abuse is a deliberate act with actual or potential negative effects upon a person’s safety, well-being, dignity, and development. It is an act that takes place in the context of a relationship of responsibility, trust or power.
Adult abuse is the violation of an individual’s human and civil rights by any other person or persons. We take safeguarding adults to mean upholding the rights of adults to live in safety, free from abuse and neglect. To achieve this, we may take or prompt action to minimise risks, prevent and/or stop abuse and/or neglect. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, as well as relevant Dutch legislation and applicable international legislation and guidelines, will inform our work on Safeguarding.
At-risk adults are any person aged 18 years and older who may be at risk of abuse or exploitation due to their dependence or reliance on others for services, basic needs, or protection, and according to context, for example, in humanitarian situations.
Child is a person below the age of 18
Child abuse is defined as any form of maltreatment of a child. This can be abuse or neglect of a child by inflicting harm, or by failing to act to prevent harm. Children may be abused in a family or in an institutional or community setting, by those known to them or, more rarely, by others. Abuse can take place wholly online, or technology may be used to facilitate offline abuse. Children may be abused by an adult or adults, or another child or children.
Safeguarding is the responsibility of organisations to make sure their staff, operations, and programmes do not harm children and adults nor expose them to abuse or exploitation, as aligned with the terminology used in the Multilingual Safeguarding and PSEA Glossary. It requires organisations to take all reasonable steps to prevent harm from occurring; to protect people, especially vulnerable adults and children, from that harm; and to respond appropriately when harm does occur.
Sexual Exploitation is the actual or attempted abuse of a position of vulnerability, differential power, or trust, for sexual purposes, including, but not limited to, profiting monetarily, socially or politically from the sexual exploitation of another (Secretary General's Bulletin on Special Measures for Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse (ST/SGB/2003/13)).
Sexual Abuse is the actual or threatened physical intrusion of a sexual nature, whether by force or under unequal or coercive conditions. Sexual activity with children (persons under the age of 18) is considered sexual abuse regardless of the age of majority or age of consent locally (Secretary General's Bulletin: Special Measures for Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse (Secretary General's Bulletin on Special Measures for Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse (ST/SGB/2003/13)).
Sexual harassment is any unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature that might reasonably be expected, or be perceived, to cause offence, humiliation, or distress. Such conduct is considered harassment when it interferes with work, is made a condition of employment, or creates an intimidating, hostile, or offensive environment. While often involving a pattern of behaviour, it may also consist of a single incident.
In assessing whether conduct constitutes sexual harassment, the perspective of the person experiencing the behaviour must be considered. Sexual harassment is the manifestation of a culture of discrimination and privilege based on unequal gender relations and other power dynamics. Sexual harassment may involve any conduct of a verbal, nonverbal or physical nature, including written and electronic communications. Sexual harassment may occur between persons of the same or different genders, and individuals of any gender can be either the targets or the perpetrators. Sexual harassment may occur outside the workplace and outside working hours, including during official travel or social functions related to work. Sexual harassment may be perpetrated by any colleague, including a supervisor, peer or a subordinate (Secretary-General’s bulletin: Addressing discrimination, harassment, including sexual harassment, and abuse of authority (ST/SGB/2019/8)).
Loop also acknowledges that sexual harassment is a continuum of unacceptable and unwelcome behaviours and practices of a sexual nature that may include, but are not limited to, sexual suggestions or demands, requests for sexual favours and sexual, verbal or physical conduct or gestures, that are or might reasonably be perceived as offensive or humiliating. Sexual harassment has widely been understood to relate to the workplace, but is also included in the spectrum of behaviours that are not acceptable conduct by our staff, be it in the workplace or with affected populations (CHS Alliance: PSEAH Implementation Quick Reference Handbook).
Survivor is a person who has experienced or been subjected to a harmful act, such as gender-based violence, sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, or other protection violations including physical, emotional, or psychological abuse.
Zero tolerance to SEAH
Loop has a zero tolerance policy to sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment. All Loop staff, consultants, host organisation staff and advisory and governing board members, must commit to the Inter Agency Standing Committee (IASC) Core Principles on protection from SEA:
Do No Harm
Loop is committed to ensuring that no one is harmed by our staff, services, actions or communication. The principle of Do No Harm underpins all safeguarding and operational practices, including:
Best interests of the child
Children’s needs, rights, and best interests are paramount. We commit to ensure that our actions and decisions in response to child safeguarding concerns and breaches of this Policy will be guided by the principle of “the best interests of the child’, prioritizing their protection and well being and their participation in a manner appropriate to their age and maturity.
Survivor-centred approach
Loop commits to a survivor-centred approach in all safeguarding activities, in accordance with the guidance in the CHS Foundation Paper ‘Victim/survivor-centred approach to protection from sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment’. Using a survivor-centered approach means that the survivor’s rights, needs and wishes are prioritized in every stage: from the initial reporting or disclosure of a concern, during investigations, and when offering support or referring the survivors to support services. The key elements of the survivor-centred approach build on the guiding principles of safety, confidentiality, respect and non-discrimination.
We commit to ensure that our procedures are designed in a way that ensure confidentiality, reduces the risk of re-traumatizing the survivor, promote support and well being at any stage, seeks informed consent from survivors and explain implications and limitations when they exist, and that their protection and safety is evaluated and addressed during the entire process. Support will be offered to survivors and complainants according to our survivor-centred approach and regardless of whether a formal response is carried out (e.g. an investigation).
Compliance with Safeguarding standards
Loop is committed to adhering to established international safeguarding standards to ensure the protection and well-being of all individuals engaging with our organization.
Shared responsibility
Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility. All Loop staff, board members, consultants, contractors, volunteers, and partners must be aware and adhere to this policy. Everyone has a responsibility to prevent harm and abuse, regardless of their position and roles in Loop. Every one should actively contribute to creating a safe environment, identifying and reporting risks, and promoting a culture of safeguarding and accountability.
Regardless of the role or team they are a part of, safeguarding is the responsibility of all of Loop staff and associated personnel
Breaches of the Safeguarding Policy are taken very seriously, and they will be assessed through a fair investigation process, and outcomes will determine the appropriate actions. Loop will take swift and appropriate actions with any employees or related personnel found to have violated this policy. These may include disciplinary action, up to and including termination of employment (for staff), contract (for contractors and consultants), roles (for Board members) or engagement (for volunteers). Safeguarding failures are explicitly defined as gross misconduct under Loop’s disciplinary procedures.
Where appropriate, and following a risk assessment for all parties involved, Loop may also refer cases to relevant authorities, including law enforcement.
Loop is committed to ensuring protection against retaliation. No staff member, partner, or individual will face negative consequences for raising a safeguarding concern in good faith. Retaliation itself will be treated as a serious breach of this policy. Anyone who retaliates against an individual for making a good faith report will be subject to disciplinary action up to and including termination.
Loop is committed to taking proactive steps to prevent safeguarding risks before they occur. Prevention is central to creating a safe environment. Key prevention measures include:
Safe Recruitment: Loop has a Recruitment Policy that strongly emphasizes safer recruitment procedures, mainstreaming safeguarding in all steps of the recruitment process, including for PSEAH. This includes:
Partnerships: Safeguarding expectations are integrated into all partnership agreements and due diligence processes. Loop works only with partners who commit to safeguarding standards and ensures regular dialogue and support on safeguarding compliance.
Performance Reviews: Safeguarding is embedded in performance management and feedback processes. All employees are required to demonstrate their commitment to safeguarding as part of their annual performance review. Leadership and management must also demonstrate their active efforts in creating and maintaining a safe, respectful, and inclusive environment.
Training and Awareness: All staff, partners, and communities are made aware of safeguarding standards through regular training, awareness campaigns, and communication efforts, ensuring that everyone understands their role in preventing harm. Please see the section on Awareness, capacity building and training for more details.
Training and capacity building
Training our staff, partners and volunteers is a critical step in ensuring effective safeguarding of children and adults. All staff must complete an online Safeguarding Essentials course, Child Safeguarding in humanitarian settings and UNICEF's online PSEA course within their first two weeks of employment and all staff must receive refresher training in safeguarding at least once a year, in a language that they understand well.
This training should be context-specific wherever possible, which means that it should cover safeguarding issues that are common in different areas, include additional information, for example on FGM, Child Labour, Child Marriage or the use of physical and humiliating punishment in schools, as well as the ‘core’ safeguarding issues. Staff should familiarise themselves with their country specific safeguarding risks.
In the event of a change in role, training relevant to the new role must be completed prior to starting the new role. If this has not been provided for you, please speak to your manager to organise it immediately.
Loop also commits to support staff acting as safeguarding focal points to receive additional and appropriate training to handle their roles and responsibilities.
In addition to staff training during onboarding and throughout the year, Loop will regularly raise awareness about safeguarding and this Policy through internal communications. Awareness materials are developed in clear and accessible formats for staff and are displayed in all offices where they exist. Particular emphasis is placed on ensuring staff know how to report safeguarding concerns.
Loop also ensures that the community is aware of reporting channels in case they have any concerns about Loop’s staff behaviour. Although Loop does not have daily direct interaction with communities, staff may still come into contact with them (e.g., by living within the communities we serve, facilitating focus group discussions, or joining activities run by other organisations). For this reason, Loop relies on partners who use Loop as a community feedback channel to include Loop’s reporting channels in their communications about Loop. This may be through leaflets, posters, or awareness sessions with the community. Loop provides partners with tailored support to create these materials and, where possible, assists with their dissemination. Additionally, Loop will share clear posts and guidance on how to submit feedback or safeguarding concerns via Loop’s website and official social media channels.
Reporting Safeguarding concerns to Loop is made available through several channels for communities, organisation's staff and partners. All doors are open for reporting a complaint, our channels include:
The purpose of these procedures is to provide clear structured procedures for dealing with reports of breach of Loop’s Safeguarding Policy, where the safeguarding violation is:
Given the sensitive nature of safeguarding concerns, confidentiality must be maintained at every stage of the response to a safeguarding concern report, and information shared on a ‘need to know’ basis only. Only the persons directly appointed and involved in safeguarding incident management are allowed to have access to information about the incident and the persons involved.
The procedures ensure that all reports are handled consistently, effectively, and in a survivor-centred manner, from initial receipt through investigation, referral, and follow-up.
Reports can reach Loop through the above methods. It may also be in the form of an informal discussion or rumour. If a staff member hears something in an informal conversation, a rumour, or develops a suspicion that may indicate a safeguarding concern, they must not dismiss it. Even if the information seems uncertain or incomplete, the staff member should still document what they have heard or observed and submit it using the Safeguarding Incident Report Form and/or send an email to the Safeguarding focal points at safeguarding@talktoloop.org. This ensures that the concern can be assessed properly by the safeguarding team.
If a safeguarding concern is disclosed directly to a member of staff, the person receiving the report should:
Staff members receiving a disclosure should be aware and sensitive to the fact that the person disclosing may not wish to give any details, possibly in fear for their own safety or the safety of others. Staff must never pressure or coerce the individual to provide additional information beyond what they are willing to share voluntarily.
This concludes the responsibility of the staff member receiving the report, as all further assessment, investigation, and follow-up actions are managed by the designated safeguarding team. The staff member receiving the report or disclosure must not attempt to investigate the allegation themselves, collect further details, or confront the alleged abuser.
2. Initial assessment
2.1 The Safeguarding Focal Point, in consultation with the Managing Director, should appoint a Decision Maker for handling this report. The Decision Maker should be a senior staff member, not implicated or involved in the case in any way. This may be the Safeguarding Focal Point, the Managing Director, or another senior staff member, depending on the circumstances.
2.2 Determine whether it is possible to take this report forward. The Decision Maker should first determine:
2.3 If the reported incident does not represent a breach of Loop Safeguarding Policy, but the report concerns a safeguarding issue linked to another organisation or entity, it will be treated as Sensitive Feedback and managed in line with Loop’s Framework for Handling Sensitive Feedback. Loop will ensure the report is safely and appropriately referred to the concerned organisation’s safeguarding focal point or to established mechanisms (e.g., the PSEA Network), while prioritising confidentiality and the safety of the person affected.
2.4 If there is insufficient information to follow up the report, and no way to ascertain this information (for example if the person making the report did not leave contact details), the report should still be documented and filed in case it can become of use in the future. Loop will still look at any wider lessons that can be drawn from the report.
2.5 If the report is a breach of Loop’s Safeguarding Policy and raises any concerns relating to children under the age of 18, Loop will seek child safeguarding expert advice immediately. If it becomes apparent that anyone involved is a child under the age of 18 at a later stage as for example during the investigation, the Decision Maker should pause the investigation and seek child safeguarding expert advice before proceeding to any next steps.
2.6 If the decision is made to take the report forward, the Decision Maker, in coordination with the Managing Director, will evaluate if Loop has the relevant expertise and capacity to manage the investigation in the safeguarding concern. If this expertise is not available in-house, they will immediately seek external support as required.
2.7 The Decision Maker is also responsible for clarifying what information will be shared, how it will be shared, and with whom, in relation to the case. Confidentiality must be maintained at all times, with information shared strictly on a need-to-know basis and communicated separately to each stakeholder
2.8 The Decision Maker, in coordination with the Managing Director, will check Loop’s obligations on informing relevant bodies upon assessing the safeguarding report. These include (but are not limited to):
Some bodies may require notification upon receipt of a report, others may require information upon completion of a case or in the form of annual summary data. When sharing information with any of these bodies, Loop will carefully consider confidentiality implications and ensure that any disclosure is done safely and appropriately. Internal consultation within the Loop team will be conducted prior to sharing information externally.
2.9 If at this or any stage in the process criminal activity is suspected, the case should be referred to the relevant authorities unless this may pose a risk to anyone involved in the case. In this case, the Decision Maker, in consultation with the Managing Director and the Safeguarding Focal Point, will determine the appropriate course of action. This decision must be informed by a thorough risk assessment considering the potential protection risks to all parties involved, including the survivor, the Subject of Concern, any witnesses, and Loop as an organisation. Any decision not to report allegations that may constitute a crime to the police or other statutory authorities must be recorded and must clearly state the reasons for non-reporting to the authorities.
3. Assigning roles and responsibilities for case management
For reports alleging a serious safeguarding violation, Loop will convene a Safeguarding Review Committee. This Committee may include:
All members of the Review Committee must sign an oath of confidentiality prior to participating. The Committee’s role is to review the report, assess risks, identify immediate actions, including immediate support requirements for the survivor and other stakeholders.
4. Provision of support to survivors and referrals
Loop will provide support to survivors upon informed consent and according to their expressed needs, whether or not an investigation is launched. Support could include (but is not limited to):
The Safeguarding Focal Point will coordinate support and referrals to external services where needed. All support decisions will be led by the survivor, and survivors will be kept informed of progress wherever possible and appropriate.
5. Protection or security risks assessment
Loop will assess all safeguarding reports for potential protection or security risks. For serious incidents, the Decision Maker, in coordination with the Safeguarding Focal Point and Managing Director, will undertake an immediate risk assessment for all stakeholders, including the Subject of Concern, witnesses, and the survivor and develop and implement mitigation measures as required.
The risk assessment should be done with the survivor-centred approach in mind as the survivor is better placed to determine what risks are there and how s/he suggests they are mitigated.
Loop will continue to update the risk assessment and plan on a regular basis throughout and after the case as required.
6. Decision on next steps
The Decision Maker will determine the next steps, and when applicable this should be based on recommendations of the Review Committee. These could be (but are not limited to):
7. Investigation Management
Where an investigation is required, Loop will:
8. Outcome of investigations
The Decision Maker makes a decision based on the information provided in the investigation report. Decisions relating to the Subject of Concern should be made in accordance with existing policies and procedures for staff misconduct.
The survivor will be informed of the top-line outcomes (substantiated or not) while maintaining confidentiality of the Subject of Concern in relation to any disciplinary action.
All outcomes, actions, and decisions will be documented securely.
9. Appeal
If, after the process is completed, the survivor or reporter feels that the outcome is unsatisfactory or that Loop has not properly addressed the report, they have the right to escalate their concern as follows:
Staff members who raise concerns in line with this policy and follow the proper reporting process will be protected from any negative consequences or retaliation, in accordance with Loop’s Whistleblowing Policy.
Loop will:
Loop is committed to continuously strengthening its safeguarding practices to ensure accountability. Monitoring of this policy and related procedures will be undertaken on an ongoing basis to track compliance, identify gaps, and highlight areas for improvement.
We learn from all incidents, reports, and investigations, and use these lessons to strengthen our safeguarding systems. This learning is documented and used to adapt or refine processes, tools, and procedures to better prevent and respond to safeguarding concerns.
A formal review of the safeguarding policy will be conducted annually, incorporating lessons learned, feedback from team members, partners, and stakeholders, as well as emerging best practices in safeguarding.