Standards for the Protection of Minors

Attachment No. 1
to the regulation No. 06/2024 of the President of the Management Board
of the Hospital Company in Kamień Pomorski Ltd.

Standards for the Protection of Minors
at the Hospital in Kamień Pomorski Ltd.

Chapter I
General Provisions

These standards for the protection of minors (hereinafter referred to as "standards") particularly specify:

1) rules ensuring safe relationships between minors and the facility's staff or the organizer, and in particular prohibited behaviors towards minors;
2) rules and procedures for intervention in cases of suspected harm or information about harm to a minor;
3) procedures and persons responsible for reporting suspected crimes against minors, notifying the guardianship court;
4) rules for reviewing and updating the standards;
5) scope of competence of the person responsible for preparing the facility's or organizer's staff to apply the standards, rules for preparing this staff for their application, and the method of documenting this activity;
6) rules and methods for providing parents or legal guardians and minors with access to the standards for familiarization and application;
7) persons responsible for receiving reports of incidents threatening minors and providing them with support;
8) method of documenting and rules for storing disclosed or reported incidents or events threatening the welfare of minors;
9) requirements regarding safe relationships between minors, particularly prohibited behaviors;
10) rules for using electronic devices with access to the Internet;
11) procedures for protecting children from harmful content and threats on the Internet and in other forms;
12) rules for establishing a support plan for a minor after the disclosure of harm.

Chapter II
Explanation of Terms

1. An employee of the Hospital in Kamień Pomorski Ltd. (hereinafter also referred to as "the Hospital") is a person employed under an employment contract or a civil law contract.
2. Persons cooperating with the Hospital in Kamień Pomorski Ltd. are interns, volunteers, and trainees.
3. A child is a person until the age of 18.
4. A child's guardian is a person entitled to represent the child, in particular, their parent or legal guardian. According to this document, a guardian also includes a foster parent.
5. Parental consent for the child means the consent of at least one of the child's parents. In the absence of agreement between the child's parents, they should be informed of the need to resolve the matter by the family court.
6. Child abuse is understood as the commission of an unlawful act or a punishable act to the detriment of the child by any person, including an employee of the Hospital in Kamień Pomorski Ltd., or the threat to the child's welfare, including neglect.
7. The person responsible for the standards is an employee supervising the implementation of the standards at the Hospital in Kamień Pomorski Ltd.
8. Personal data of the child includes any information that allows the identification of the child.

Chapter III
Identifying and Responding to Risk Factors for Child Abuse

1. Employees of the Hospital in Kamień Pomorski Ltd. possess the appropriate knowledge and, in the course of their duties, pay attention to risk factors and signs of child abuse (also using information and communication technology).
2. Every employee of the Hospital in Kamień Pomorski Ltd. who has contact with children is verified for criminal records regarding crimes against sexual freedom and morality.
3. In the event of identifying or suspecting the occurrence of risk factors or signs of child abuse, the employees of the Hospital engage in conversation with the child's parents/legal guardians, providing information about available support options and motivating them to seek help.
4. All employees and collaborators of the Hospital in Kamień Pomorski Ltd. who, in connection with their official duties, receive information about child abuse or other related information, are obliged to maintain confidentiality, excluding information provided to authorized institutions in the context of intervention actions.

Chapter IV
Rules for Safe Relationships Between Staff and Children

1. The paramount principle of all actions taken by the staff is to act in the best interest of the child, caring for their safety and in their best interest. This is done within the framework of applicable law, internal regulations of the institution, and their competencies.
2. The staff treats the child with empathy and respect for their dignity, needs, and intimacy.
3.The child has the right to receive information about their health status and the medical actions being taken, using simple language adapted to the child’s age, situation, and level of development.
4.It is unacceptable to use violence against a child in any form. A child must not be humiliated, yelled at, neglected, or insulted.
5.The principles of safe relationships between staff and children apply to all employees, interns, and volunteers. Familiarity with and acceptance of these principles are confirmed by signing a declaration.

Chapter V
Intervention procedures in cases of child abuse.

1.In the event that a Hospital employee suspects that a child is being abused, the employee is obliged to:
1)provide necessary assistance in life-threatening and health-threatening situations;
2)inform the child’s parents/guardians about the suspicion of abuse;
3)provide information about options for obtaining help or support and the right to obtain a free medical certificate establishing the causes and nature of bodily injuries related to violence or neglect.
2.Actions taken and carried out towards the child must be conducted in the presence of a parent or legal guardian, unless due to the nature of these actions it is impossible, or there is reasonable suspicion that the parent or legal guardian is the perpetrator of the abuse.
3.In cases of suspected domestic violence against a child, where there is suspicion that the parents/guardians are the perpetrators, actions involving the child should, if possible, be conducted in the presence of an adult close to them.
4.Actions involving a child suspected of being affected by violence should be conducted, if possible, in the presence of a psychologist.
5.The employee reports the suspicion of abuse to the appropriate institutions depending on the nature of the reported case:
1)to the prosecutor's office or police;
2)to the appropriate family court;
3)to the chairperson of the relevant Interdisciplinary Team by sending the "Blue Card - A" form, thereby initiating the procedure in cases of domestic violence.
6.The further course of action is within the competence of the institutions indicated in the preceding paragraph.
7.Documentation related to the intervention procedure is placed in the child’s medical documentation.

Chapter VI
Principles of internet access protection.

1.On the Hospital premises, a child uses the internet with the consent of a parent/legal guardian and on a device provided by them.
2.In cases of suspected harm to a child using modern technologies, including the internet (the child accessing sites containing dangerous content, publicizing the child's image in a harmful or humiliating way – cyberbullying), actions are taken in accordance with Chapter V of the standards.

Chapter VII
Principles of child image protection.

1.The personal data of the child is protected in accordance with the provisions of the European Parliament and Council Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of April 27, 2016.
2.Detailed rules for processing the personal data of child patients in the Hospital are governed by the Personal Data Protection - GDPR available in the Hospital's secretariat and on the hospital's website at: www.szpitalkamien.pl/ochrona-danych-osobowych.
3.Capturing the child's image (filming, photographing, recording the child's voice) on the premises of the facility and its publication is permitted with the consent of the child's parent/legal guardian. The same applies to media representatives preparing materials on the hospital premises.
4.If the child’s image is merely a detail of a whole, such as: a gathering, landscape, public event, consent from the parent/guardian is not required.
5.Providing a media representative with contact details for the child's guardian is only possible with the knowledge and consent of that guardian.

Chapter VIII
Monitoring the application of standards.

1.The President of the Hospital appoints the Chief Nurse as the person responsible for implementing and applying the standards.
2.At the request of the person mentioned in the previous paragraph, the Quality Officer monitors the implementation of the standards, responds to signals of violations of the standards, and proposes changes to the standards.
3.The person referred to in paragraph 2 of this chapter conducts an annual survey among Hospital employees to monitor the level of implementation of the standards.
4.In the survey referred to in paragraph 3, Hospital employees can propose changes to the standards and indicate violations of the standards within the organization.
5. The person referred to in paragraph 2 of this chapter compiles the surveys completed by employees and collaborators. Based on this, they prepare a monitoring report, which is then submitted to the President of the Hospital.
6. At least once every two years, an assessment of standards is conducted to ensure their alignment with current needs and compliance with applicable regulations. The conclusions from the assessment must be documented in writing.

7. The President of the Hospital introduces necessary changes to the standards and announces the new wording of the standards to employees and collaborators.

Chapter IX
Final provisions

1. The standards come into effect on the date of signing.
2. The announcement of the standards is made by posting on the Hospital's website and displaying on the notice board, also in a shortened version intended for children.
3. The announcement of the standards for the facility's employees is made by sending the text electronically to the Managers, who are obliged to forward this document to their subordinate employees, and to provide evidence of the employees' acknowledgment to the HR Department.
Attachments:

Attachment No. 1. Declaration of no criminal record and commitment to adhere to basic child protection principles.
Attachment No. 2. Declaration regarding the country or countries of residence over the last 20 years. Attachment No. 3. Declaration in case of lack of information from the criminal record.
Attachment No. 4. Policy for the protection of minors at the Hospital in Kamień Pomorski Sp. z o.o. along with principles for safe contact with minors – shortened version.

Attachment No. 1 to the Standards for the protection of minors
at the Hospital in Kamień Pomorski Sp. z o.o.

Declaration of no criminal record
and commitment to adhere to basic child protection principles

I, .......................................................................... PESEL number .............................................
declare that I have not been convicted of a crime against sexual freedom and morality, nor crimes involving violence against minors, and that no criminal or disciplinary proceedings are currently underway against me in this regard.
Furthermore, I declare that I have familiarized myself with the standards for the protection of minors at the Hospital in Kamień Pomorski Sp. z o.o. and I commit to adhere to them.
I am aware of the criminal liability for submitting a false declaration.
..........................................................................
(date and signature)

Attachment No. 2 to the Standards for the protection of minors
at the Hospital in Kamień Pomorski Sp. z o.o.

Declaration
regarding the country or countries of residence over the last 20 years

I, .......................................................................... PESEL number .............................................
declare that:
*
I have not resided in the last 20 years in any other countries than the Republic of Poland and the country of citizenship.
*
I have resided in the last 20 years in other countries than the Republic of Poland and the country of citizenship, specifically in the following countries ………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

I am aware of the criminal liability for submitting a false declaration.
…..…………………………... …………………………………….
(place and date) (legible signature)

*Delete as appropriate
If a person has resided in a country other than the Republic of Poland and the country of citizenship, they are required to submit a certificate from the National Criminal Register regarding crimes specified in Chapters XIX and XXV of the Penal Code, in Article 189a and Article 207 of the Penal Code, as well as in the Act of July 29, 2005 on counteracting drug addiction (Journal of Laws of 2023
item 172 and from 2022 item 2600), or for corresponding prohibited acts defined in foreign law.
Legal basis: Article 21 paragraphs 5, 7, and 8 of the Act on counteracting threats of crime of a sexual nature and protecting minors of May 13, 2016. (Journal of Laws of 2023 item 1304 consolidated text with later amendments),

Attachment No. 3 to the Standards for the protection of minors
at the Hospital in Kamień Pomorski Sp. z o.o.

Declaration
in case of lack of information from the criminal record

I, the undersigned ……………………………………………………………………………
PESEL number ..………………………………..…………………………………….….……
I d e c l a r e
•
that the law in the country of citizenship ………………………………….. (insert name of country/countries) does not provide for the issuance of information from criminal records or does not maintain a criminal record;
•
than the law in the country where I resided .............................................. (enter the name of the country/countries) does not provide for the preparation of information from criminal records or does not maintain a criminal record.
I declare
I have not been legally convicted in any of the countries listed below for prohibited acts corresponding to the crimes defined in Chapters XIX and XXV of the Penal Code, in Article 189a and Article 207 of the Penal Code, as well as in the Act of July 29, 2005, on combating drug addiction, and I have not been subject to any other ruling stating that I have committed such prohibited acts, and that there is no obligation arising from a court ruling, another authorized body, or law to comply with a prohibition on holding any or specified positions, performing any or specified professions, or activities related to the upbringing, education, recreation, treatment, providing psychological advice, spiritual development, practicing sports, or pursuing other interests by minors, or regarding their care.
I am aware of the criminal liability for submitting a false declaration.
……………………..………… ……………………………………..
(place, date) (legible handwritten signature)
Legal basis: Article 21, paragraph 5, paragraphs 7 and 8 of the Act on counteracting threats of crime related to sexual abuse and protecting minors dated May 13, 2016 (Journal of Laws of 2023, item 1304 consolidated text with later amendments)

Appendix No. 4 to the Standards for the protection of minors

in the Hospital in Kamień Pomorski Ltd.
Policy for the protection of minors

in the Hospital in Kamień Pomorski Ltd.
1. Safe recruitment of staff.

Every employee, regardless of the form of employment and working hours, is verified for criminal records for crimes against sexual freedom, morality, and crimes against children. The same principle applies to students undergoing internships at the Hospital and volunteers.
2. Protection of the image of minors.
In the Hospital premises, any recording of a child's image (recording the child's voice, taking photos, or filming) without the written consent of the child's guardian is strictly prohibited.
3. Principles of safe staff-child relationships
A set of rules ensuring proper relationships between staff and children.
4. Rules for using the Internet.
The Hospital's internet network is secured against dangerous content and is not accessible to children.
Rules for safe contact between staff and minors

- information for children.
1. You are in our Hospital because you need help. Doctors, nurses, paramedics, physiotherapists, technicians, and many other specialists are here ready to help children. You are very important to us and we will do our best to help you recover quickly.

2. You can tell us how you would like us to address you.
3. You have the right to know the name of the person who is treating or caring for you. You can ask them about it.
4. Feel free to ask how your treatment will proceed - we will try to explain everything.
5. We will treat you with respect. We will inform you if a procedure is going to be painful or unpleasant for you.
6. We will listen carefully to your opinions about our behavior towards you.
7. We will try to examine you gently and give you time to adapt to the hospital conditions, unless due to your health condition we need to act quickly.
8. Tell us if you need a hug or comfort. We will try to spend more time with you as we can. We will not hug you without your consent.
9. We will always ask for your opinion on matters where you have a choice.
10. Your mom, dad, or guardian can be with you all the time - if you need them.
11. You can bring your favorite stuffed animal.
12. If something happens that worries you, someone has hurt you, or crossed your boundaries with their behavior - tell the doctor or nurse and ask for help. We will solve this problem so that you feel safe.
13. You must understand that besides you, there are other patients in the Hospital who also need help.
14. The Hospital staff is obliged to respect your rights, especially to information, respect for dignity, and respect for your privacy.
Rules for safe contact between staff and child-patient

1. In contact with children, the Hospital staff demonstrates kindness, empathy, respect, cultural sensitivity, and a non-judgmental attitude.

1.W kontakcie z dzieckiem personel Szpitala wykazuje życzliwość, empatię i szacunek, wrażliwość kulturową i postawę nieoceniającą.

2. Every child has the right to have their parents/caregivers accompany them during treatment whenever they need.

3. In all actions taken towards the child, we are guided by their welfare and best interests, respecting their rights.

4. Direct contact with the child:

→ Before caring for the child, introduce yourself and tell them who you are.

→ Provide information in a language that the child can understand. Check if the child understands the situation and the consequences of the planned medical and therapeutic actions.

→ Ensure that the child knows they can ask staff questions.

→ In communication with the child, always tell the truth and remind others of the need to tell the child the truth.

→ Use alternative forms of communication with the child who needs it, especially with children with disabilities.

5. Ensuring agency for minors.

→ Address the child by their name in the form that the child suggests.

→ Remember that the child is the subject—do not talk to the child's parents/caregivers as if the child were not there.

→ Whenever possible, allow the child to make choices in situations where it is feasible.

→ Respect the child's right to change their mood or opinion.

6. Respecting the child's intimacy. → During medical examinations, cover parts of the child's body. A parent/caregiver should accompany the child during the examination.

→ Physical contact with the child, such as hugging or petting, can only occur with their consent or when they express such a need.

7. Cooperation with parents/caregivers.

→ Inform the child and parents about the rules in the Hospital. Emphasize the importance of adhering to these rules to minimize discomfort for all patients.

→ Ensure that the parent/caregiver always has up-to-date information about the child's health.

→ Collaborate with parents/caregivers in the process of preparing and calming the child, ask what the child likes and what irritates them.

8. Protecting children from harm.

→ React if you suspect that the child is being harmed.

→ If a parent/caregiver or another staff member threatens the child or belittles their needs, intervene and remind them of the communication rules with the child.

→ If something in the child's or parent/caregiver's behavior worries you, ask another person to participate in the visit/examination/procedure.

→ Ensure that only authorized individuals are present in the Hospital.

9. NEVER!!!

→ Do not violate the child's rights to intimacy and privacy. Do not disclose personal or sensitive information.

→ Do not discuss the child's situation over their head, ignoring their presence.

→ Do not restrict the parent/caregiver's ability to stay with the child. Do not underestimate that they know the child best. → Do not scare the child or blackmail them to induce cooperation.

→ Do not ignore or belittle the child's feelings, such as fear, anxiety about pain, or uncertainty in a new situation.

→ Do not lie to the child—do not say it won't hurt when it will.

→ Do not make hasty judgments about the child's family.

→ Do not assume that the child and their family know how the Hospital operates. You must provide the necessary information in this regard.

→ Do not allow situations where children or parents/caregivers feel discriminated against or receive a lower standard of care.

→ Do not shout, shame, humiliate, underestimate, or insult the child or their parents/caregivers.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION!

The President of the Management Board of the Hospital in Kamień Pomorski Sp. z o.o. informs that every confirmed case of child abuse in the Hospital, which may originate from the family environment, a person employed at the Hospital, or other individuals surrounding the child, will be reported to the appropriate authorities: Police, Prosecutor's Office, and the relevant Court. Child abuse can take various forms, such as bullying the child, shouting, physical punishment, humiliation, sexual exploitation, and neglect of the child's basic needs related to nutrition, hygiene, and health. None of these behaviors will be tolerated or downplayed in our Hospital.