? ? ? Frontline workers must always take into account the best interests of the child:??
- The child must know what is happening to them and be given the opportunity to ask questions and receive answers they can understand.?During these steps, the presence of a linguistic-cultural mediator (LCM) can provide considerable comfort.??
- Children, particularly adolescents, should be part of the decision-making process on how to deal with mandatory reporting in the safest and most confidential way possible. This means that frontline workers should consider the child’s opinions and ideas on how to report the allegation. It doesn’t mean that the frontline worker and child can decide whether or not to make a report, but rather that they can help decide how and when to report it.??
- Frontline workers must not make promises they can’t keep. A child might say: “I have to tell you something, but you have to promise to keep it a secret”. The child's trust has most probably already been betrayed by a person close to them. The frontline worker must let the child know that they can trust them, but they must also inform the child that they may be obliged to share some of the information they have been told to protect the child, reassuring the child that they will discuss the details together. If the child discloses that they are being abused and that they are not safe, the frontline worker must talk to the designed protection authority and the child has to understand that the frontline worker cannot keep the information confidential.??
- All parties involved must be aware of their legal obligations, if any, and of the relevant professional codes of conduct to ensure that the child and those responsible for them are well informed about their position, their limitations, if any, and about confidentiality rules. Once the child or those responsible for the child are fully aware of the reporting obligations, the frontline worker can help the child to make informed decisions, keeping the relationship of trust intact.??
- Guidelines based on age and developmental stage of the childA child is the primary source of information about their personal situation. The degree to which a child feels heard not only ensures that a comprehensive and sustainable decision is taken, but it can also potentially empower the child in the process of taking ownership of their future development towards adulthood.??A child is entitled to be heard and to be part of the decision-making process.?Their views must be considered in line with their age and maturity.?Assessing a child's level of maturity requires very specific expertise, such as that of a developmental psychologist and an anthropologist – especially in the case of unaccompanied and separated children whose cultural references may be different to your own.??This kind of expertise may not be readily available, however. Without such expertise, the assessment of a child's maturity level may be inadequate and may negatively impact the child’s degree of participation. A prerequisite for the effective participation of a child in decisions that affect them is to support them by providing child-friendly information and procedures, guidance on the different options available, interpretation services, support from a guardian and, where appropriate, a legal representative.??If a frontline worker is not specialized in child protection, their role is to listen and comfort the child, put them in touch with someone they trust and share the information they have about the services available to them. The age categories below are only indicative and may change depending on level of maturity, development stage and other factors:??
- Adolescents aged 15 years and older are usually mature enough to make their own decisions and understand their own experiences.?A frontline worker’s role is to:?(1) listen to the adolescent sharing their experience, (2) help the adolescent get in touch with someone they can trust for ongoing support, and (3) provide information about available services and how to access them.??
- Children aged 6 to 9 years, and adolescents aged 10 to 14 years, may or may not be able to report experiences of violence on their own.?They may or may not be able to make decisions for themselves. A frontline worker’s role is to: (1) help them look for an adult they can trust to take the next steps, and (2) provide information about available services and how to access them.??
- Infants and children aged 0 to 5 years are not always able to recount experiences of violence, due to insufficient verbal communication skills. It is very likely that other people, such as friends, responsible adults, relatives, community members, etc., will come to a frontline worker for help with the child. A frontline worker’s role is to: provide information to the responsible adult(s) about available services and how to access them.?
UNICEF, IRC, Caring for Child Survivor Guidelines, 2015, available at: https://gbvresponders.org/response/caring-child-survivors/