By signing below, I, the volunteer (or volunteer’s legal guardian), acknowledge that entry into this agreement (“Agreement”) with the organization (“Organization”) comprised of Harvesting In Spanish (HIS), Iglesia Templo Piedras Vivas (TPV), and Asociación Amigos para Latinoamerica (AMILAT) is in consideration of my participation as a volunteer, and confirm my understanding and agreement to the following:
Definitions: Children are individuals under the age of 18 years old. Youth are individuals from 18 years old to 24 years old. These definitions are in line with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Safeguarding children is a collective responsibility that we take seriously in our children’s home, school programs, and medical center. Policies help establish guidelines and procedures for preventing child abuse, ensure a safe environment, and protect everyone in our ministry community including you. Policies not only protect the children and youth, but also protect you from putting yourself in a situation that could have the unintentional appearance of harm or be culturally interpreted as such, and to protect from allegations of inappropriate conduct.
Any breach of these guidelines will be taken seriously and investigated. This may result in immediate termination of your volunteer service, and/or referrals to relevant authorities such as the police and social services. Mistaken belief regarding the age of a child or youth is not a defense.
Childrens’ background: The children in the Shalom Children’s Home are present due to judicial orders in coordination with Social Services. Some do not have family due to death or abandonment. In other cases, there are children who have been separated from their family by Social Services due to a situation where they were at risk. We are pleased to be their family, and to welcome you to our big Shalom Home family as well. In most cases, our older children, the youth, grew up in the Shalom Home from a young age.
Activities: We appreciate attention to the children that communicates that they are loved, and that has the intention of teaching and encouraging. Activities that you would like to do with the children and youth such as Bible studies/devotionals, arts & crafts, sewing, baking, sports, games & puzzles, singing and playing instruments, etc. are welcome, and we invite you to coordinate days/times for such activities with our executive staff and Director of the children’s home.
Climbing trees: The children are not allowed to climb trees and fences, please do not encourage them to do so; or to engage in any sport or game that could be physically rough or harmful.
Swimming: Children and youth may go in the swimming pool with you, upon permission from the Director of the children’s home. Only separate swimming is permitted, girls with girls, and boys with boys. All swimmers must wear a rashguard or T-shirt over their swimming suit, and girls also wear shorts.
No entry to personal living quarters: The children’s personal living quarters, the houses where they have their bedrooms and bathrooms, are limited only to them and the children’s home staff. Likewise, the apartments for visiting volunteers are your personal quarters, and are limited only to you and other visiting volunteers assigned to those quarters.
Visiting volunteers may not go into the children’s and youth living quarters, unless accompanied by authorized children’s home staff; and children, youth, and staff may not enter visiting volunteer apartments.
All interaction and activities with children and staff may be held in the public common areas of the basketball court, front parking lot benches, and the Home’s dining room and conference room. For protection and transparency, no individual interaction with the children or youth may take place unless in an open and public space in the aforementioned locations.
Psychological counseling: Some of the children and youth have lived through emotional or physical trauma. We ask that you avoid intentionally asking them specifics about their personal backgrounds or why they came to live in the Home. If the child or young person voluntarily confides in you, you may listen, provide biblical encouragement, and pray with them. Again, this type of interaction can only take place in public common areas as specified above, and where you both are visible to staff and/or other children.
A male professional counselor may provide counseling to a female child or youth, only with the presence of another female. A female professional counselor may provide counseling to a male child or youth, only with the presence of another female or male.
No specific therapy or counseling may be provided to children or youth, unless by licensed professionals, and only in coordination with our Home’s psychologist who is aware of each child’s situation and needs.
Spiritual topics: Sharing God’s Word with our children, youth and staff is a blessing and encouraged. Focus may be given to Bible stories and principles that can be learned from them, as well as topics that edify in developing the fruit of the spirit.
We request that topics adhere to our statement of faith and that any topic related to doctrine be cleared with senior staff before proceeding with the topic. We have staff who are from various evangelical backgrounds, and there may be other missionary volunteers serving at the same time as you who also are from different denominational backgrounds. We prefer to focus on what we share in common as Christian believers.
Discretion and good judgment: In the course of conversation with children and youth, sharing personal experiences from past abuse that you have overcome in the hopes of providing encouragement may prove to be disturbing versus helpful. Any types of personal situations related to abuse that you consider may be helpful should be shared with the senior staff for evaluation before sharing with others. Please remember that your visit is temporary, and that most children and youth have been involved in an on-going process of therapy.
Contact information: Please do not provide your personal or business contact details such as email address, physical address, social media handles, or phone numbers.
Young people may try to convince you and may even say that others have already given them their contact information. Do not be swayed, please respect our guidelines of interaction with our children. Part of their upbringing in our Home is to teach them to respect other’s privacy, as well as to grow up being responsible for themselves without dependency. The Home strives to equip the children and youth with education and skills so that as adults they can work to support themselves.
Never accept contact requests or engage via personal social media with children or youth you have met through our organization, whether that be in the children’s home, school programs, medical center, church, or community outreach.
Formal communication may take place with children and youth through monitored channels of communication through our organization, such as our child sponsorship program.
Romance and sexual advances: Absolutely no flirting, romantic ideations, or sexual advances or engagement will be tolerated with any of the children, youth, or staff. Any inappropriate situation involving children and youth may lead to being reported to legal authorities in El Salvador and immediate removal from the Shalom Children’s Home.
Gifts and money: Please do not directly give items, money/tips to the children, youth, staff, students, or patients, unless coordinated ahead of time with our senior staff. Our senior staff will gladly provide advisement on this matter so that giving is culturally and organizationally relevant, fair, and transparent.
Electronics: Please do not allow your electronics to be handled by our children and staff. As is normal with children and youth especially, they will be interested and curious to see what’s on your phone or laptop; however, we ask that you refrain from allowing your items to be handled or borrowed.
The children and youth have a computer lab that is available to them on campus, and some college-age youth have their own laptops.
Photos and social media/protection of privacy: Salvadoran law prohibits photos of children and youth to be posted in social media or published in public venues unless they are unidentifiable and if there is written authorization from the child’s legal guardian. Photos for publication should be taken from behind or side, or from a distance; no names may be associated with photos, and no full names may be used in text descriptions of the children or of your visit and work.
Thank you for your support and respect for our policies related to interaction with and safeguarding children. At the same time, any violation of them may lead to termination of volunteer service and notification of authorities.
As we all work collectively for the safety of our children, if you become aware of someone who is violating these policies, please notify the Director of the respective ministry program (children’s home, school, or medical center), and senior organization staff. No person who makes a report in good faith will be subject to retaliation of any sort and are subject to the protection afforded by our Whistleblower policy.