Effective Date: 14 August 2025
1. Introduction and Purpose
SoGood Community Platform is committed to creating and maintaining a safe and secure environment for all its users. This policy outlines our uncompromising commitment to the protection of children and young people from all forms of child sexual abuse and exploitation (CSAE).
The purpose of this policy is to:
- Establish a zero-tolerance stance on CSAE within the SoGood Community Platform app.
- Define the roles and responsibilities of all users, staff, and volunteers in protecting children.
- Provide clear procedures for reporting and responding to any concerns related to CSAE.
- Ensure that our platform and its functionality are used exclusively for their intended, safe, and secure purposes.
2. Scope
This policy applies to all users of the SoGood Community Platform app, including:
- Charity workers and employees
- Volunteers
- Stakeholders and partners
- Any person who accesses or interacts with the platform.
All users are expected to read, understand, and comply with this policy as a condition of their access to the app.
3. Definition of Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation (CSAE)
CSAE refers to any activity, including online interactions, where a child is used or exploited for sexual gratification or profit. This includes, but is not limited to:
- Grooming: The process of befriending and establishing an emotional connection with a child to prepare them for sexual abuse.
- Sexual abuse: Any sexual act, contact, or behaviour committed against a child.
- Production, distribution, or possession of child sexual abuse material (CSAM): This is illegal and strictly prohibited.
- Solicitation: Attempting to initiate sexual contact with a child online.
- Threats of harm: Using threats or coercion to force a child into sexual acts or to prevent them from reporting abuse.
4. Prohibited Conduct and Content
The following actions and types of content are strictly forbidden on the SoGood Community Platform app and will lead to immediate and irreversible action, including a permanent ban from the platform and a report to relevant authorities:
- Sharing or soliciting child sexual abuse material (CSAM).
- Engaging in grooming behaviour or inappropriate conversations with minors.
- Sharing personal or identifying information about children without explicit, documented consent from their parent or legal guardian, and for approved, safe purposes only.
- Any content that is sexually explicit or sexually suggestive involving a minor.
- Using the app to arrange any inappropriate in-person meetings with minors.
- Any other content or conduct that violates the spirit or letter of this policy.
5. Reporting Procedures
If you encounter or suspect any content or behaviour that violates this CSAE policy, you must report it immediately.
- Do not engage with the user or content.
- Take a screenshot or save the URL/content (if possible).
- Immediately use the in-app reporting function to flag the content or user.
- Alternatively, email the details of your concern to the designated SoGood Community Platform Safeguarding Officer at [Safeguarding Officer Email Address].
- Provide as much information as possible, including the user’s name, the date and time of the incident, and a description of the content or behaviour.
6. Action Upon Reporting
Upon receiving a report, the SoGood Community Platform team will:
- Immediately disable the user’s account and remove any violating content from the platform.
- A designated Safeguarding Officer will review the report and all evidence.
- Depending on the severity of the violation, we will report the incident to the relevant law enforcement agencies and/or child protection services.
- We will cooperate fully with law enforcement in any subsequent investigation.
7. Training and Awareness
SoGood Community Platform is committed to providing ongoing training to its staff and volunteers on the identification, prevention, and reporting of CSAE. We encourage all users to stay informed about online safety best practices.
8. Monitoring and Enforcement
The SoGood Community Platform uses a combination of automated systems and human moderation to monitor for and identify violations of this policy. Our team reserves the right to suspend or terminate any user account at its discretion if we believe they have violated this or any other company policy.
9. Legal & Regulatory Context
This policy is designed to align with and support relevant national and international laws and regulations concerning child protection. Our commitment is to ensure compliance and act as a responsible digital citizen in the fight against CSAE.