The Province L’Hermitage certified by Keeping Children Safe

The Marist schools and social works of the Province L’Hermitage have received the Keeping Children Safe (KCS) certification which accredits the Institution as a network that offers safe spaces for children and young people and respects their rights. In total, in the whole Province we have certified all the educational works, a total of 44 between schools and social works.

To certify schools and social works with KCS means to apply the international standards of this prestigious independent international non-profit organization in the defense and protection of children. The KCS standards value the commitment of people working with children and youth to ensure that their organizations fulfill their responsibilities under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child to protect children from all forms of abuse, neglect, exploitation and violence.

These globally recognized standards are based on having policies that express institutional commitment, identifying the responsibilities of all staff in an institution, establishing quality protection procedures that provide for safe environments, sensitizing and training adults, working towards the empowerment of children and young people, and periodically reviewing protection measures.

Marists involved in a change of Institutional culture

The Marists have long been fully involved in a change of institutional culture, free and convinced, which leads us to work tirelessly in the process of prevention and protection of the rights of children and young people at all levels of our educational works. In fact, since 2011 we have been developing and implementing protocols for the prevention and protection of children in all stages of schools and social works, and working on protection with specific teaching materials from Pre-school-3 years to High School.

Marists of Catalunya

In Catalunya, the Maristas are collaborating with other organizations that have objectives similar to theirs. Among others, Marists have participated in the drafting of the standard of the Spanish Association for Standardization (UNE) taking part in a work group named Prevention of violence against minors and people in vulnerable situations and they have been part of the team of experts who have created a guide to implement a child protection policy for all primary and secondary schools in Spain.

With this networking the Marists intend to contribute to the change of mentality and organizational culture of what is understood as “safeguarding policy”, that is, everything that favors that the rights of children and young people are not only respected, but that the boys and girls themselves are recognized as subjects of rights and protagonists, with their participation, of the implementation of any policy of prevention, promotion and protection of their inalienable rights.