Safeguarding
Safety is not a policy page. It's how we work.
Young people can only grow where they are genuinely safe. These are the commitments that shape every programme, mentoring relationship, and event we run.
Who this protects
- Everyone who takes part in an iBelong programme, event, or mentoring relationship — with particular care for anyone under 18 and for adults at risk.
- It applies to staff, volunteers, mentors, partners, and anyone representing iBelong in any setting.
Before anyone works with young people
- Written application and interview.
- Reference checks, including at least one who has seen the person work with young people.
- Background screening appropriate to the role and to Washington State requirements.
- Safeguarding induction before a first session, then refresher training on an ongoing basis.
How sessions are run
- No unsupervised one-to-one contact in a private space. Mentoring happens in visible, shared, or supervised settings.
- Communication with a young person happens through approved channels, and a parent or guardian can always see it.
- Clear boundaries on gifts, money, transport, social media, and photographs.
- A named safeguarding lead is responsible for every programme we run.
Raising a concern
- Anyone can raise a concern — a young person, a parent, a volunteer, a partner, or a member of the public.
- Use the contact form and mark it urgent, and we will respond as a priority.
- Concerns about immediate risk are referred to the appropriate statutory services. We do not investigate in place of them.
- If a child is in immediate danger, call 911 first. This website is not an emergency service.
Stories, photographs, and consent
- We never publish a name, photograph, or identifying story without written consent.
- For anyone under 18, guardian consent is required as well as the young person's own agreement.
- Consent can be withdrawn at any time, and we will remove the content.
- Sample stories on this site are clearly labelled as examples until real, consented stories replace them.
Information we hold
- Applications, contact messages, and prayer requests are stored privately and are visible only to administrators.
- Nothing submitted through a form is published on the website.
- We keep personal information only as long as we need it for the purpose it was given.
A note on this page
This is a public summary of our commitments. The full written safeguarding policy, including the named safeguarding lead and reporting flowchart, is maintained internally and shared with staff, volunteers, partners, and any family who asks for it.