Child safe volunteering resources

A key part of child protection is preventing harmful volunteering and tourism practices that impede on the safety and wellbeing of children, such as orphanage tourism. We have compiled a list of resources and tool kits to facilitate communication and knowledge sharing on the subject.

Resources

Rethinking Short-Term Missions (leaving unethical mission trips behind)
A website that provides an ethical framework to consider potential harm in short-term missions and volunteering efforts. Resources also exist for volunteers and organisations to continue this conversation.

Child-Safe Tourism
A website that has been established by Fiji Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation. The site is full of resources and tips to support tourist operators and visitors in ethical practice to ensure no harm is done to children.

Re-Think Orphanages Resource Library
Re-Think Orphanages is a global cross-sector coalition working to prevent family separation and the unnecessary institutionalisation of children by shifting the way countries engage with overseas aid and development. Their resource library supports travel-based organisations, schools, faith-based organisations, charities and businesses to responsibly redirect their support away from orphanages

Partnerships with Overseas Orphanages
A PDF resource developed by Re-Think Orphanages ACFID Community of Practice to assist organisations and businesses in Australia who have orphanages in their supply chains.

Orphanage divestment resources for volunteering and travel sectors.
A PDF resource developed by Re-Think Orphanages that provides guidance in transitioning away from support to orphanages.

Community-based child safe tourism toolkit
A PDF tool kit developed by AVI, filled with resources for communities to strengthen child safety measures within tourism activities. Examples are from Fiji, but learnings are applicable globally.

Do No Harm Tool Kit for the Tourism Sector
A tool kit developed for businesses, not-for-profit, and government sector that supply goods or services to the tourism, hospitality and travel sector. 

Round Table Human Rights in Tourism - ‘Get Started Tool Kit’
A tool kit helps to identify human rights risks and integrate ways to protect human rights in operations and supply chains.

AVI Position on Residential Care for Children
A PDF outlining AVI’s position to proactively support organisations re-thinking traditional models of children’s care and support transitions towards family/community-based alternatives.