Child Protection Policy
Important instruments of the Child Protection Policy are the Child Protection Handbook (available in English and Spanish), the Code of Conduct (from page 26 in the Child Protection Handbook), the Visitor Planning Information (English and Spanish), ), the guidelines for risk assessment, for the evaluation of doctor and partner projects as well as the Monitoring and Evaluation Guide (English and Spanish) to ensure the effective application of the Child Protection Policy.
The Executive Committee, Board of Directors and employees including doctors travelling to the projects abroad are obliged to submit the signed Code of Conduct and the extended police clearance certificate.
There is a Child Protection Officer at the headquarters of our partner organisation German Doctors and a Child Protection Representative in every project.
Doctors travelling to the projects receive the Child Protection Handbook by email for guidance. The local employees have been and continue to be trained on the topic and sign the Code of Conduct. The implementation of the Child Protection Policy is reviewed through continuous monitoring.
Contacts are maintained with local child protection institutions to care for children and adolescents affected by abuse who are discovered during medical consultations and in the setting of the projects. The partner projects of Swiss Doctors - i.e. the projects that receive financial and advisory support without staff - are motivated to introduce child protection guidelines if they do not have any yet.