CPF Child Safety Protocol
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Preamble …………………………………………………………………………………………………….….......
A. Protocol: Recruiting, screening and training those who will work with minors ………………………
A.1 Recruiting Procedures (To be inserted) ……………………………………………………………
A.2 Screening Procedures (To be inserted) …………………………………………………………….
A.3 Training Procedures (To be inserted) ………………………………………………………………
B. Protocol: Conducting activities with minors ………………………………………………………………
B.1 General Procedures (To be inserted) ……………………………………………………………….
B.2 Overnight Activities Procedures (To be inserted) …………………………………………………
B.3 Billeting Procedures (To be inserted) ………………………………………………………………..
B.4 xxx Procedures (To be inserted) ……………………………………………………………………..
B.5 xxx Procedures (To be inserted) ……………………………………………………………………..
C. Protocol: Responding to allegations regarding physical, emotional or sexual abuse ……………………
C.1 Procedures: Reporting ………………………………………………………………………………..
C.2 Procedures: Chapter Volunteers (To be inserted) …………………………………………………
C.3 Procedures: Branch Employees and Volunteers (To be inserted) ………………………………..
C.4 Procedures: National Employees and Volunteers (To be inserted) ………………………………
C.5 Reporting Abuse Diagram (To be inserted) ………………………………………….
D. Final Thoughts …………………………………………………………………………………………………..
E. Glossary of Terms ………………………………………………………………………………………………..
F. Appendices (To be inserted) ……………………………………………………………………..
PREAMBLE
Canadian Parents for French (“CPF”) is a non-profit corporation and registered charity established in 1977
and governed by a volunteer Board of Directors. CPF’s mission statement reads, “Canadian Parents for
French is the national network of volunteers which values French as an integral part of Canada and which
is dedicated to the promotion and creation of French-second-language learning opportunities for young
Canadians.”
All CPF activities for minors must contribute to the completion of the mission.
Youth-serving organizations like Canadian Parents for French strive to create a safe environment for youth,
employees, and volunteers so that youth can grow, learn, and have fun. CPF staff and volunteers have a
collective responsibility to ensure the safety of children and youth involved in CPF activities. Part of creating
a safe environment is making sure that youth are not harmed in any way; this responsibility includes
protecting children and youth involved with CPF from all forms of child abuse
Child Emotional Abuse is defined as both emotional abuse and emotional neglect. This might include
repeated attaches on a child’s sense of self-worth, insults, isolation, rejection, unrealistic expectations or
constant criticism. It might also involve terrorizing a child, such as threatening to kill the family pet. The
law also considers children at risk of emotional abusive if they live in situations of family violence.
Child Physical Abuse is defined as the use of unreasonable force against a child. What is considered
reasonable will depend on the age of the child, the severity of the actions and its lack of healthy corrective
purpose regarding the child’s behavior. This might include, for example, hitting, slapping, shaking,
choking, kicking or burning a child. It also includes any conduct by a caregiver that might put the child’s
life, health or well-being at risk.
Child Sexual Abuse is defined as any sexual act involving a child and an adult or another older child. This
might include fondling, touching, intercourse or exploiting the child sexually, such as taking pornographic
pictures or putting the child at risk of exploitation. This can also include non-physical forms of abuse such
as exhibitionism, exposure to pornography and voyeurism.
The goal of the CPF Child Safety Protocol is to ensure a positive experience for children, employees and
volunteers alike, by establishing clear child safety policies and procedures and by providing appropriate
training opportunities for employees, adult volunteers and teenage helpers who come into contact with
minors.
A. PROTOCOL: RECRUITING, SCREENING AND TRAINING THOSE WHO WILL WORK WITH
MINORS
CPF employees, adult volunteers and teenage workers who wish to participate in activities or programs for
minors will be required to complete an Application to Work with Minors Form to provide the personal and
confidential information necessary to perform security background checks and reference checks.
While this process understandably trespasses into the privacy of our lives, the security of our children
outweighs the personal invasion inherent with such investigations and disclosures. All personal information
that is disclosed voluntarily, the results of all security background and reference checks, and/or the refusal
of any person to participate in a program or activity in lieu of such disclosure requirements will be
maintained in the strictest confidence.
All written and verbal advertisements for opportunities to work with minors must include information
about CPF’s screening and supervisory processes. This is intended to deter potential abusers from applying for
staff or volunteer positions in order to gain access to vulnerable minors.
All prospective employees and adult volunteers will be required to complete an Application to Work with
Minors and to complete the entire screening process, even those who only volunteer occasionally. Youth
under eighteen (18) wanting to serve as teenage workers in any capacity with activities, studies or programs
for minors must complete a Teenage Volunteer Information Form and review the training materials
B. PROTOCOL: CONDUCTING CPF ACTIVITIES WITH MINORS
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All activities involving minors must be assessed, conducted and supervised in accordance with CPF’s riskbased procedures.
All employees, adult volunteers and teenage workers who conduct the activity must have completed the
appropriate screening and training, signed the CPF Code of Conduct, and follow CPF’s Child Safety Protocol
at all times.
C. PROTOCOL: RESPONDING TO REPORTS OR ALLEGATIONS REGARDING THE PYSICAL,
EMOTIONAL OR SEXUAL ABUSE OF MINORS
Any CPF employee or adult volunteer who has reasonable grounds to suspect that a child, youth or
vulnerable adult is, or may be in need of protection must report the suspicion to a protective agency or
police authority.
Any person who has reasonable grounds to suspect that a child is or may be in need of protection from
abuse has a duty to report the suspicion directly to a child-protection agency or police authority. The person
should not rely on another to make the report on his/her behalf.
Any CPF employee or adult volunteer who hears an allegation of abuse must also confide this to the
designated person at the CPF level at which the activity took place in accordance with the CPF Child Safety
Protocol.
D. FINAL THOUGHTS
Child abuse is not and will not be tolerated by CPF.
As an organization serving young people in Canada, CPF employees and adult volunteers have a collective
responsibility to ensure the safety of children and youth participating in CPF activities.
Employees and volunteers must also be alert to signs of neglect or abuse occurring to participants outside of
CPF-hosted outings. If there is suspicion that abuse or neglect is occurring elsewhere it must be reported to
the appropriate authorities. In cases of uncertainty, one must be prudent and contact the local childprotection authorities to discuss the situation.
In all cases, CPF should be informed. Volunteers at the Chapter level should contact their board or their
branch executive. Volunteers at the branch level should contact their board executive who in turn contacts
and informs CPF National.
All adult volunteers and employees involved in CPF activities must be aware of and adhere to provincial
legislation. CPF will ensure that adult volunteers and employees are aware of local authorities and how to
contact them.
E. GLOSSARY OF TERMS
‘Adult volunteer’ shall be defined as any person aged eighteen (18) or over who does not receive
remuneration for their work.
‘Child/Children’ shall be defined as individual(s) under the age of eighteen (18)
‘Child Abuse’ shall be defined as verbal, physical, emotional or sexual abuse of a minor
‘Child Emotional abuse’ shall be defined as both emotional abuse and emotional neglect. This might include
repeated attacks on a child's sense of self-worth, insults, isolation, rejection, unrealistic expectations or
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constant criticism. It might also involve terrorizing a child such as threatening to kill the family pet. The law
also considers children at risk of emotional abuse if they live in situations of family violence.
‘Child Physical Abuse” shall be defined as the use of unreasonable force against a child. What is considered
reasonable will depend on the age of the child, the severity of the actions and its lack of healthy corrective
purpose regarding the child’s behaviour. This might include, for example, hitting, slapping, shaking,
choking, kicking or burning a child. It also includes any conduct by a caregiver that might put the child's life,
health or well-being at risk.
‘Child Sexual Abuse’ shall be defined as any sexual act involving a child and an adult or another older
child. This might include fondling, touching, intercourse or exploiting the child sexually such as taking
pornographic pictures or putting the child at risk of exploitation. This can also include non-physical forms of
abuse such as exhibitionism, exposure to pornography and voyeurism.
‘Employer’ shall mean Canadian Parents for French (“CPF”) National Office, Branches, and Chapters or any
successor thereof.
‘Employee’ shall include full time, part time, volunteer or contract personnel.
‘Minor’ shall be defined as any individual under the age of eighteen (18)
‘Teenage Worker’ shall be defined as any person at least fourteen (14) years old or older, but under the age
of eighteen (18) enlisted to assist with the care of minors
‘Vulnerable Sector Check’ is a police record check designed to protect uncover the existence of a criminal
record and/or a pardoned sexual offence conviction.
F. APPENDICES (To be revised and inserted) – PHASE 2 Implementation Scheduled for April 2015 to
March 2016.
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