STEP 1 – RECEIVING A REPORT AND GATHERING OF INITIAL INFORMATION

The counselor and/or School Director will follow initial steps to gather information about the reported incident. Risks to the safety and well-being of the student should be assessed as soon as possible in order to take immediate protective measures for the child and to prevent future incidents.

In all cases, follow-up activities will be carried out in a manner that ensures effective documentation of information and maintains strict confidentiality. If there is a concern of immediate risk to the child or family members, the following internal procedures should be carried out with a sense of urgency, as described below.

The following procedure will guide the administration:

1. Engage in conversation with the child or adolescent and the counselor to gather more information (only if strictly necessary).
2. Ensure the physical and emotional safety of the student.
3. Inquire about other possible victims.
4. Report the case status to the School Director as quickly as possible, especially if there is a perception that the student is in imminent danger.
5. The School Director will activate the "Comprehensive Care Route" according to the type of situation presented.
6. Observe the student as needed by the teacher, nurse, counselor, and/or administrator.
7. Interview the healthcare professional and/or other staff members as necessary and document information related to the case.
8. Review the student's history at the school as necessary.
9. Report the case status to the CNG Director and the Child Protection lead.
10. Inform parents or guardians.
11. Meet with the School Coexistence Committee to report on the case if it is a Type II or III situation.
12. Determine the course of follow-up actions, which may include:

Most cases of suspected abuse or neglect will be handled by school counselors, such as those involving:

• • Student-to-student relationships
  • Parenting skills related to discipline of the student at home
  • Student-parent relationships
  • Mental health issues such as depression, low self-esteem, grief

Some cases will be referred to external resources and investigation, for example:

• • Mental health issues such as depression, psychosis, dissociation, suicidal ideation
  • Severe and ongoing physical or neglectful abuse
  • Sexual violence

In extreme cases where the family does not cease the abuse or if concerns about the child or adolescent's safety persist, CNG will report to the relevant administrative and judicial authorities.

• • Collect additional internal information.
  • Internal action plan.
  • Consult with legal advisors, law enforcement, and embassies.
  • Report to the alert system.
  • Report the case to the competent administrative and judicial authorities.
  • Closure of the case.

In the event that the report of abuse or neglect involves a teacher or staff member, CNG will follow policies and procedures to ensure the safety of the student and uphold professional ethical behavior, following due process for the accused as established in the Personnel Manual. The actions taken may include:

• • Opening and conducting a disciplinary labor process
  • Reporting to the police and competent judicial authorities
  • Immediate administrative withdrawal
  • Full internal or external investigation

STEP 2 - FOLLOW UP

1. After a reported and/or verified case of domestic violence or child abuse, the Principal  and counselor will collaborate to make a follow-up plan that may include:

• Maintaining contact with the student and the family to provide appropriate support and guidance.
• Providing ongoing support to the student’s teachers.
• Supplying resource materials and strategies for teachers to use.
• Keeping in touch with external therapists to update on the student's progress at the CNG.

2. Reporting the status of the case to the School Director and the Child Protection lead.
3. Determining the course of follow-up actions, which may include:
   • Ensuring increased monitoring
   • Implementing an internal action plan
   • Closing the case

All documentation of the case will be kept in the confidential records file of the CNG Director. Records sent to transferring schools may include a notice that there is a confidential student file. CNG will make every effort to share only information that is necessary to protect the student.

Note: When a situation becomes public or high-profile and causes greater disturbance, the school will seek to provide counseling support to members of the school community, including the students, teachers, administrative staff, parents, etc.

STEP 3 - MITIGATION AND PREVENTION

The CNG School Coexistence Committee will review the presented case, without knowing the name of the student, and assess the necessary measures for the prevention and mitigation of these types of situations.

Our values and commitment to child protection are reflected in our institutional policies and protocols, which include:

• CNG's expectations for child protection during overnight trips
• Professional Boundaries Policy
• Electronic Communication and Social Media Protocol - CNG's policy on the use of electronic communications and social networks
• Code of Honor and Disciplinary Policy
• Coexistence Manual
• Security protocols
• Emergency Reaction plan
• Enrollment, transportation contract
• "Socio-emotional Learning" curriculum
• Workshops for parents on the protection of students
• Training for CNG's teachers and staff.

RESOURCES FOR REPORTING CASES OF SUSPECTED CHILD ABUSE FOR MINORS WHO ARE NOT STUDENTS OF THE SCHOOL

Te Protejo was launched in May 2012 as the direct helpline in Colombia responsible for receiving and processing reports of situations that affect children under 18 years of age in Colombia, especially related to child sexual abuse material (Colombian Law 679 of 2001). Other situations that can be reported to Te Protejo include child exploitation, bullying, cyberbullying, inappropriate content in media, sale of alcohol and psychoactive substances in schools, neglect, abuse, and violations of the Child Labor Law 1620 of 2013. Te Protejo has a website, www.teprotejo.org, and a free application for smartphones. The website is in Spanish, but the analysts can speak and understand English

The Line 141 is a national toll-free helpline provided by the Instituto Colombiano de Bienestar Familiar (ICBF) for any adult or child in need of reporting an emergency, filing a complaint, or seeking guidance on cases of child abuse, sexual violence, bullying, child labor, or substance abuse, among many other situations that threaten or affect the life and integrity of a child.

Another mechanism for reporting, available in English, is NCMEC's CyberTipline, the centralized online system in the United States for reporting child exploitation. Public and electronic service providers can report suspicions of online child sexual solicitations, non- family child sexual abuse, child sexual abuse material, commercial sexual exploitation of children in travel or tourism, child trafficking, obscene material sent to children, deceptive domain names, deceptive words, or digital images on the internet. All information collected by Cybertipline pertaining to other countries will be shared with NCMEC's law enforcement partners in other parts of the world. Reports can be made at: http://www.missingkids.org/gethelpnow/cybertipline

TO CONCLUDE

CNG remains committed to promoting a safe environment and protecting all children under our care. Based on this commitment, CNG maintains this Children and Adolescent Protection Manual, provides key information to parents and guardians regarding child protection, teaches children appropriate skills and knowledge related to domestic violence and child abuse, provides annual training for all staff on key responsibilities, and makes every effort to implement strict hiring practices to ensure the safety of children. Additionally, CNG utilizes the "Directory of Comprehensive Care Protocols for School Coexistence and the Exercise of Human Rights, Sexual and Reproductive Rights" developed by the District Coexistence Committee of Bogota, D.C.

We are very grateful to many national and international schools, consultants, and ICMEC (International Centre for Missing and Exploited Children) for their work and training sessions that have informed us about the organization and content of this manual