Standards for the Protection of Minors

Acting on the basis of Article 22b of the Act of May 13, 2016, on counteracting threats of crime of a sexual nature and the protection of minors (consolidated text Journal of Laws of 2023, item 1304), and Article 7 point 6 of the Act of July 28, 2023, amending the Family and Guardianship Code and certain other laws (Journal of Laws of 2023, item 1606), the Director of the Non-Public Preschool Kids Corner in Wrocław, as of February 15, 2024, introduces the "Standards for the Protection of Minors" (hereinafter referred to as the "Standards"), whose primary goal is to ensure the safety of minor students, care for their well-being, consider their needs, and take actions in their best interest.

Standard 1– The preschool has developed, adopted, and implemented the Standards for the Protection of Minors, which specify:

Principles of safe recruitment of personnel;
Procedures for responding to harm;
Procedures and individuals responsible for receiving reports, documenting, and taking further assistance actions;
Principles for establishing a support plan for a minor after harm is disclosed;
Principles of safe relationships between staff and minors, including prohibited behaviors;
Principles of safe relationships among minors, including prohibited behaviors;
Principles of using electronic devices with Internet access;
Procedures for protecting children from harmful content and threats on the Internet, including protection of image and personal data;
Principles of dissemination and evaluation of the Standards.

Standard 2– The preschool follows the principles of safe recruitment of personnel.

Standard 3– The preschool has implemented and applies intervention procedures known and accessible to all staff. Each staff member knows whom to report information about harm to minors to and who is responsible for intervention actions. Contact details for local institutions responsible for preventing and intervening in cases of harm to minors are provided to each preschool staff member.

Standard 4 – The preschool monitors and, if necessary, evaluates the provisions of the Standards at least once every 2 years, consulting with staff, students, parents, legal guardians, and updates them accordingly.

Chapter 1 - General Provisions

The purpose of the Standards for the Protection of Minors is:
1. To draw the attention of school staff, parents (legal guardians), and cooperating entities to the need for intensified efforts to protect minor students from harm;
2. To define the scope of duties of Preschool Kids Corner staff in actions taken to protect students from harm;
3. To develop an adequate procedure for use during interventions in cases of suspected harm to minors;
4. To introduce enhanced preventive and educational activities to ensure the protection of youth from violence.
As part of their duties, the institution's staff pays attention to the risk factors of child harm, monitors the child's situation and well-being, and follows the principles outlined in the Standards.
The use of any form of violence against a child by the staff is unacceptable.
The entire school staff, as well as students and their parents (legal guardians), are familiarized with the Standards, following the procedures specified in the content of the Standards.
The school director appoints Ms. Kinga Mironiuk, a teacher at Kids Corner Preschool, as the person responsible for monitoring the implementation of the Standards, responding to signals of their violation, evaluating and modifying the provisions of the Standards, and maintaining a register of interventions and reports.
The director is responsible for monitoring the security of teleinformatics devices with Internet access.

Whenever the Standards for the Protection of Minors refer to:

Standards – this should be understood as the Standards for the Protection of Minors at Kids Corner Preschool;
Institution – Kids Corner Preschool in Wrocław;
director – this should be understood as the director of Kids Corner.
Minor – this should be understood as a person who has not reached the age of 18 and has not entered into marriage;
Staff – this should be understood as individuals employed at Kids Corner Preschool, volunteers, trainees, individuals with whom civil law contracts have been concluded;
Teacher – this should be understood as a teacher, educator, and other educational staff employed in the institution.
Guardians – this should be understood as teachers and teacher’s help to whom direct care of the student has been entrusted;
Parents – this should be understood as parents, as well as legal guardians of the student and individuals (entities) exercising foster care over the student;
Students – this should be understood as students of the preschool;
Pedagogical council – this should be understood as the school body consisting of all educational staff.
Harm – this should be understood as any intentional or unintentional action or inaction of an individual, institution, or society as a whole and any result of such action or inaction that violates the equal rights and freedoms of the student and/or disrupts their optimal development.

The following forms of harm are distinguished:

• Physical violence – violence that results in actual physical harm to a minor or poses a potential threat to it. This harm occurs due to the action or inaction of a parent or other person responsible for the minor, or from a person whom the minor trusts or who has authority over them. Physical violence against a minor can be a repetitive or one-time occurrence;

• Psychological violence – it is chronic, non-physical, harmful interaction between a minor and a guardian, including both actions and omissions. This includes emotional unavailability, emotional neglect, a relationship with a minor based on hostility, blaming, defamation, rejection, inappropriate developmental or inconsistent interactions with the minor, failure to perceive or recognize the individuality of the minor, and psychological boundaries between the parent and the minor;

• Sexual exploitation – involving a minor in sexual activity that they are unable to fully understand and give informed consent to, and/or for which they are not developmentally mature and cannot legally consent in a valid manner and/or which is inconsistent with legal or societal norms. Sexual exploitation occurs when such activity occurs between a minor and an adult or between minors, if these individuals, due to age or degree of development, are in a relationship of care, dependence, or power;

• Neglect of a minor – chronic or incidental failure to meet their basic physical and psychological needs and/or failure to respect their basic rights, leading to disturbances in their health and/or difficulties in development. Neglect occurs in the relationship between a minor and a person who is obligated to care for, educate, care for, and protect the child.

Chapter 2 - Documentation of Fulfilling the Obligation to Screen Employees before Allowing them to Work with Minors in terms of Meeting the Conditions of Non-Conviction for Crimes against Sexual Freedom and Morality

The standard is the recruitment of both pedagogical and non-pedagogical staff in accordance with the principles of safe recruitment, and the employer strives for the best possible verification of the candidate's qualifications, including their attitude towards values shared by the school, such as the protection of children's rights and respect for their dignity.
The institution ensures that individuals employed in it, both pedagogical and non-pedagogical staff, including those working based on contracts, volunteers, interns, and trainees, have the appropriate qualifications to work with children and do not pose a threat to them.
In each case, the institution must have data allowing the identification of the person employed by it, regardless of the basis of employment, i.e., the first name(s) and surname, date of birth, and contact details of the employed person.
According to Article 21 of the Act on Counteracting Threats of Crimes of a Sexual Nature, the employer, before concluding a contract, checks the candidate in the Registry of Perpetrators of Crimes of a Sexual Nature 1 (registry with limited access) and in the Registry of persons with regard to whom the State Commission for clarifying cases of actions directed against sexual freedom and morality towards a minor below 15 years of age.
The employer is obligated to demand from the employed person or another person (volunteer, trainee, etc.) before allowing them to perform activities with minors in school, a certificate from the National Criminal Register 2 regarding non-conviction for crimes specified in Chapter XIX and XXV of the Criminal Code, in Article 189a and Article 207 of the Criminal Code 3, and in the Act on Counteracting Drug Addiction.
The candidate submits statements about their full legal capacity and the exercise of public rights; about non-conviction and ongoing pre-trial, judicial, and disciplinary proceedings, in accordance with the template in Annex 1.
If a person has citizenship other than Polish, they submit to the employer:

under the penalty of criminal liability, a statement about the country/countries of residence in the last 20 years, other than the Republic of Poland, and the country of citizenship;
if they lived in other countries within 20 years than the Republic of Poland and the country of citizenship, information from the criminal records of those countries obtained for professional or volunteer activities related to contacts with children.

It is permissible for the candidate to submit, under the penalty of criminal liability, a statement that the law of a given country does not provide for the issuance of information on non-conviction and/or does not maintain a criminal record, and a statement that they have not been finally convicted in that country.
The clause "I am aware of the criminal liability for making a false statement" included in the statements attests to the liability for making a false statement and replaces the notification of the authority about the criminal liability for making a false statement.
Statements, printouts from registers, and certificates from the National Criminal Register are attached to part A of the employee's personal file or to the documentation of the volunteer/intern. In the case of data from the Register of persons with regard to whom the State Commission has issued a decision on entry in the Register, it is sufficient to print the webpage where there is a notification that the checked person is not listed in the Register.

Chapter 3 - Principles Ensuring Safe Relationships between Minors and Staff, Especially Prohibited Behaviors towards Minors

The fundamental principle of the relationship between minors and school staff is to act for the well-being of the student, with respect for their dignity, consideration for their emotions and needs, and in their best interest.
School staff operate solely within the framework of applicable universal law, internal school regulations, and their rights and competencies.
The principles of safe relationships between staff and children apply to all employees (both pedagogical and non-pedagogical), interns, trainees, and volunteers.
The basic standards defining the principles mentioned in point 3 include, in particular:

maintaining a professional relationship with students and responding to them in a non-threatening, situation-appropriate, and fair manner to other students;
demonstrating patience and respect in communication with students, emphasizing understanding of their feelings, not forcing confessions, expressing interest, support, and readiness to talk;
not leaving the student unrestricted freedom, setting clear boundaries for behavior and expectations, enforcing consequences for non-compliance, teaching that responsibility lies with the student, and consequences result from their actions;
responding appropriately to the situation and the psycho-physical abilities of the student;
considering the needs of the student and adapting educational requirements to the individual developmental needs and psycho-physical abilities of students, including adjusting methods and forms of work for students with special educational needs, disabled students, and gifted students;
treating students equally regardless of gender, sexual orientation, disability, social status, cultural, religious, and worldview background;
physical contact with the student is only possible as a response to the real needs of the student at that moment, considering their age, gender, cultural context, and situational context. Physical contact (e.g., hugging) must always be with the consent of the student;
establishing rules and principles of group work, clearly defining requirements and expectations for the student, and responding firmly to undesirable behavior;
staff participation in professional development in the field of preventing violence against minors, interpersonal communication, diagnosis of risk factors indicating the possibility of violence against minors;
staff control over their own emotions;
contact with students takes place only during working hours of the teacher-guardian and concerns educational or care-educational purposes, and if there is a need for a meeting with students outside working hours, inform the director or section manager and obtain the consent of the parents of the minor student;
if the student and their parents are close relatives to the employee, they maintain confidentiality of all information concerning other students of the school.

In the relationship between staff and minor students, the following are specifically prohibited:

using violence against the student in any form, including physical punishment, using a power relationship, or physical advantage (intimidation, coercion, threats);
shaming, humiliating, disrespecting, and insulting students;
raising one's voice, yelling at students, inducing fear in them;
disclosing sensitive information (image, information about family, medical, legal, etc. situation) about the child to unauthorized persons, including other students;
behaving inappropriately in the presence of students, such as using vulgar language, making offensive remarks, and referring in speech to sexual attractiveness;
establishing any romantic or sexual relationships with students, making inappropriate proposals, directing sexual comments, jokes, gestures, and providing students with erotic and pornographic content, regardless of its form;
favoritism towards students;
capturing the child's image (filming, voice recording, photographing) for the private needs of the employee;
proposing alcohol, tobacco products, or illegal psychoactive substances to students, consuming them together with students or in their presence;
inviting students to their place of residence.

Chapter 4 - Principles and Procedures for Intervening in Suspected Abuse or Having Information about the Harm of a Minor

1. In the preschool setting, the standard is:

1) Training all staff in the legal and social obligation to report possible criminal activities, with particular emphasis on crimes against minors; in the role of educational staff in preventing domestic violence; and in recognizing risk factors for child harm.
2) Providing all staff with a list of contact details for local support institutions dealing with child protection and providing assistance in life-threatening situations, collaborating with these institutions (e.g., social welfare center, community police, child help centers, support centers, NGOs, police, family court, crisis intervention center, healthcare facilities).
3) Maintenance, by the person specified in Chapter 1 para. 5 of the Standards, of documentation cards for the course of the event and cards for events threatening the well-being of minors, with templates provided in Annexes 2 and 3 to the Standards.

2. Intervention procedures have been developed for the Standards in cases of harm to a minor student in the form of:

1) Peer violence;

2) Domestic violence;

3) Harmful actions towards a child by a school employee.

3. Preventive activities are organized to prevent violence, including cooperation with psychologists and/or extracurricular institutions (Police, Municipal Guard, NGOs, etc.).

4. Procedures referred to in para. 2 are attached as Annex 4 to the Standards.

Chapter 5 - Procedures and Persons Responsible for Reporting Suspected Crimes against Minors, Notifying the Guardianship Court, and Initiating the "Blue Card" Procedure

1. The Director of Kid’s Corner Preschool is responsible for reporting suspected crimes against students and notifying the guardianship court. Information about the person responsible for reporting is posted on the notice boards in the facility.

2. In the event that the staff receives information that a student may be harmed, the disclosing person prepares an official note on the obtained information, findings, and passes the information to the person mentioned in para. 1, who then creates an event documentation card. Further procedures are carried out in accordance with the Chapter 4 procedures.

3. The person responsible for initiating the "Blue Card" procedure (filling out the "Blue Card - A" form) is the Director of Kid’s Corner.

4. In the case of neglect by parents or their parenting inadequacy, it is appropriate to notify the family court to examine the family situation.

5. In the event of a threat to the health or life of a child or the person closest to them, the disclosing person immediately calls the emergency number 112.

6. All school employees who, in the course of performing their professional duties, obtain information about the harm of a student or related information, are obligated to keep this information confidential, except for information provided to authorized institutions.

Chapter 6 - Requirements for Safe Relationships between Minors, Especially Prohibited Behaviors

1. The basic principle of relationships between minors and between adult and minor students is to act with respect, considering the dignity and needs of minors.

2. The standard is to create a school life atmosphere that promotes tolerance and a sense of responsibility for one's behavior.

3. Students are engaged in activities where they have the opportunity for active participation, collaboration, and the development of a team approach.

4. Specifically prohibited behaviors include:

1) Using violence against any student in any form;

2) Using vulgar, offensive language;

3) Humiliating, insulting, or offending other students;

4) Inappropriate behavior, such as using vulgar words, gestures, jokes, making sexually suggestive comments;

5) Intimidation and threats;

6) Capturing the image of other students through recording (including audio) and photographing without consent in intimate situations that may embarrass;

7) Sharing psychoactive substances among minors and using them in their environment.

Chapter 7 - Rules for the Use of Electronic Devices with Internet Access

1. The school director is responsible for installing and updating antivirus programs and network firewalls at least once a quarter to protect systems from malicious software attacks and to block materials unsuitable for the students' age.

2. The school's network infrastructure provides internet access to both staff and students, both during classes under the supervision of a teacher and outside of it.

3. When using devices with internet access under the supervision of a school staff member, they are obliged to inform students about the rules of safe use of online resources and ensure the safe use of the internet during care and educational activities.

4. The school premises have WiFi access secured with a password.

Chapter 8 - Procedures for Protecting Students from Harmful Internet Content and Content Preserved in Another Form

I. Dangerous Content (pornographic materials, promoting hatred, racism, xenophobia, violence, self-destructive behaviors)

1. Illegal or non-compliant content reported on a website is reported to the school director.

2. In case of a report on access to inappropriate content, the school director investigates the circumstances of the incident, attempts to identify the perpetrator and witnesses, secures evidence, configures the school network security to re-block access to inappropriate content, and creates an intervention documentation card based on findings.

3. If dangerous content involves individuals unrelated to the school, the director reports the incident to the appropriate authorities (family court or police) and provides the secured materials.

4. If students are involved, the school director and the responsible teacher conduct separate interviews with the perpetrator and the victim regarding the emotions the material may evoke, the behaviors it encourages, and the consequences outlined in the preschool regulations resulting from the incident.

5. Parents of the students involved are notified, providing them with information on the findings and further actions of the institution (applied statutory penalties / educational impact measures, notifying law enforcement, psychological and pedagogical support).

6. Cooperation with law enforcement or family court is mandatory in case of violating the prohibition of disseminating pornographic material involving a minor (persons under 18 years of age – Article 202 § 3 of the Penal Code) and content publicly promoting a fascist or other totalitarian state system or inciting hatred based on nationality, ethnicity, race, or religion (Article 256 and Article 257 of the Penal Code).

II. Image Protection

1. At the beginning of the school year, written consents from parents and legal guardians of students are obtained for processing and using images and voice recordings, including recording, posting, and disseminating students for the purpose of photographic and phonographic documentation of activities undertaken by the school. Whenever possible, groups of students are photographed rather than individual persons.

2. Analog media containing photos and recordings of students are stored in a locked cabinet, and electronic media in a folder protected with access limited to persons authorized by the institution or the teacher documenting the event for the period required by the archiving law.

3. Storage of images and recordings of students on unencrypted or mobile media (mobile phones and pendrives) is not allowed.

III. Invasion of Privacy

1. Information about the threat of an invasion of privacy at school should be promptly communicated to the school director, who takes immediate action to secure data and restrict further access to confidential information.

2. Subsequently, the circumstances of the incident should be determined by carefully documenting the obtained information and contacting the inspector for personal data protection.

3. In cases of serious threats and situations where a breach of privacy is caused by individuals outside the school, cooperation with law enforcement should be initiated.

4. The person indicated in Chapter 1 para. 6 notifies the affected individuals (whose personal data has leaked) about the situation so that they can take individual remedial measures.

IV. Cyberbullying

1. A student who has become a victim or witness of cyberbullying (ridicule, humiliation of members of the preschool community using digital technologies, offensive comments, dissemination of images, manipulation of photos, etc.) should report the situation to the teacher, section supervisor, or school director. Witnesses of cyberbullying can also make reports.

2. The representative of the staff who received the information tries to determine the circumstances of the incident, collect evidence in the form of screenshots, messages, comments, photos, website addresses. The collected materials are handed over to the person indicated in Chapter 1 para. 5, who creates an intervention documentation card.

3. Parents are informed about the incident, and together with the director and the Standards coordinator, they determine whether the situation requires notifying law enforcement and whether the parent, legal guardian, or the institution is responsible for this.

4. Assistance is provided to the victim of violence by a pedagogue/psychologist, explaining the role of the preschool in combating cyberbullying and the subsequent stages of the school's procedure.

5. If the perpetrator is a student in the school, the school director, section supervisor, and teacher should conduct a conversation with them to determine whether there are grounds for reporting the case to the family court or the police (crimes prosecuted ex officio), or whether applying statutory penalties / educational impact measures is sufficient.

V. Fake News

1. Conducting checks on social media to limit the spread of fake news and verifying the content posted online.

2. Responding to potential threats – correcting information, reporting to the school director if the content is illegal or in violation of the regulations.

Chapter 9 - Rules for Establishing a Support Plan for Minors after Disclosure of Harm

1. The purpose of the support plan is primarily to:

1. Initiate intervention actions in collaboration with other institutions, if necessary.

2. Collaborate with parents or legal guardians to stop harm to the minor and provide assistance.

3. Diagnose whether legal action is necessary.

4. Provide psychological and pedagogical support within the school and specialized assistance outside the school, if necessary.

2. The establishment of the support plan involves the student, their parents or legal guardians, the student's teacher, and a pedagogue/psychologist. Each of these individuals is assigned tasks to be completed within a specified timeframe.

3. The actions are coordinated and monitored by the school director, who closely collaborates with the person responsible for coordinating the Standards, as indicated in Chapter 1, para. 5 (if it's a different person), including taking joint actions with external institutions.

4. The support plan includes:

1. Intervention actions to ensure the student's safety, including reporting suspicions of a crime to law enforcement.

2. Forms of support offered by the school.

3. Proposed forms of specialized assistance outside the school, if needed.

5. The support plan also covers the siblings of the affected student if they attend the same institution.

6. The support plan operates concurrently with intervention actions, and its fundamental principle is to observe the student, provide conditions for obtaining multispecialist help, including external assistance, support for parents or legal guardians, and inter-institutional cooperation.

7. The support plan for a minor is also established when the initiator of intervention actions is another institution (Blue Card procedure, obtaining information about harm from law enforcement or court, etc., cooperation with Family Assistance Centers).

8. In the case of implementing the Blue Card procedure, the support plan for a minor is identical to the findings made in the diagnostic and support group.

9. The "non-harming" parent should be activated to collaborate with the school to stop the perpetrator of violence and provide extracurricular assistance to the child. In the case of harm by both parents or legal guardians, intervention also involves notifying the family court and the police and taking action against parents, including checking the safety of household members, within the competence of these institutions.

10. The support plan for a minor includes various forms of assistance, including legal, psychological, social, and medical, considering interdisciplinary cooperation in this regard.

11. The tasks of preschool staff mainly involve assisting in implementing educational, care, and educational tasks by the student and building positive relationships with peers and school staff.

12. The support plan for a minor does not end with the conclusion of legal proceedings.

Chapter 10 - Rules and Method of Providing the Policy for Familiarization and Application to Staff, Minors, and Their Guardians, as well as the Rules for Updating and Reviewing the Standards

1. All procedures and documents related to the introduction of Standards are provided to staff, minors, and their parents or legal guardians during familiarization and commitment to compliance (in accordance with the principles below) and then provided upon request at any time. These documents are available in the director's office.

2. A shortened version of the Standards is available on the notice board in the teachers' room and the school's website at www.kidscorner.pl/standards.

3. Each employee, after entering into an employment contract, is obligated to familiarize themselves with the Standards and adhere to their provisions. The statement of familiarity and acceptance for implementation is included in the employee's personal files.

4. Parents or legal guardians of students are familiarized with the Standards during parent meetings, at the beginning of each school year, with the first introduction taking place immediately after the development and implementation of the Standards, no later than within 30 days. Familiarization with the aforementioned documents is confirmed by submitting a handwritten signature on the attendance list or delivering the declaration to preschool staff.

5. Students are familiarized with the Standards during one of the first classes with their teacher, conducted in September of each year, with the first introduction taking place immediately after the development and implementation of the Standards, no later than within 30 days.

6. The content of the declaration for school staff, parents/guardians, and students is provided in Annex 5 to the Standards.

7. Employees appointed to perform functions according to the provisions of Chapter 1, para. 5 - 6, Chapter 5, para. 1, Chapter 7, para. 1, and Chapter 9, para. 3, continuously monitor and periodically verify the compliance of their activities with the adopted principles of child protection, conducting an assessment of the Standards at least once every two years to adapt them to current needs and applicable regulations. Conclusions from the assessment are documented in official notes, and changes in the Standards are introduced by annexes, after obtaining the approval of the school management and consulting with the school's pedagogical council and student self-government.

8. The person mentioned in Chapter 1, para. 5 conducts a survey among employees, parents, legal guardians, and students at least once every two years, monitoring the level of implementation of the Standards. Subsequently, a qualitative and quantitative analysis of the survey is performed, and a report on monitoring is prepared based on this. The report is submitted to the school director.

9. Monitoring and evaluation of the Standards, as mentioned in para. 7, are conducted based on the analysis of internal documentation and inter-institutional correspondence, legal regulations, observation, quantitative and qualitative analysis of reports, the survey mentioned in para. 8, risk and protective factor diagnosis, and consultations with school authorities.

10. Approved changes to the Standards are presented and provided to staff, parents or legal guardians, and students by the school director.

Chapter 11 - Final Provisions

1. The Standards come into effect on February 15, 2024.

2. The announcement is made by posting information and an excerpt from the Standards on the school's website and sending information via email to parents/legal guardians.

3. The Standards were adopted for implementation immediately after presentation.

Attachment No. 4 to Chapter 4

Intervention Procedures

I. Peer Violence
Standards for Combating Peer Violence

1. Conducting an annual diagnosis of risk and protective factors, also in terms of determining the scope and nature of the problem related to violence among students, followed by evaluating the school's educational and preventive program based on the obtained diagnostic results.

2. The statute and educational-preventive program of the preschool point contain general expectations for student behavior and consequences (sanctions) for non-compliance.

3. Parents and legal guardians are also engaged through education on observing alarming symptoms that may indicate experiencing violence and possible ways to react, including legal aspects.

Intervention Principles for Students Witnessing or Victims of Peer Violence

1. Notify an adult school staff member as soon as possible, also informing them of suspicions that one of the students is experiencing violence. If the incident is dangerous and there is no adult nearby, immediately call the emergency number 112.

2. Provide support to the victim by offering kind words, showing empathy, and expressing disapproval for those using violence, absolutely not joining in bullying or spreading hate.

Standards for Parents and Legal Guardians of Students Experiencing Violence

1. Show unlimited understanding to the child, not conveying that their behavior may have contributed to becoming a victim of violent acts, emphasizing that the perpetrator's behavior is unacceptable.

2. Inform the preschool point if their child is a victim or perpetrator of peer violence, actively collaborating with the staff to resolve the issue.

3. In cases where a child has become a victim of behavior pursued under private prosecution, parents take appropriate legal steps after consulting the school.

Standards for School Staff Intervention

1. Staff strictly adheres to the school's rules regarding reporting violent incidents.

2. The intervening staff member must ensure the safety of the student and separate them from the aggressor if the violent incident persists.

3. The staff member revealing violence prepares a note describing the obtained information or the course of the event, for it to be handed over to the person responsible for recording incidents and implementing standards.

4. The student's homeroom teacher, section head, or principal is informed about the incident, who holds a conversation with the students and then contacts their parents.

5. In the event of an incident resulting in harm to health, sexual exploitation, and/or other behaviors constituting a prosecutable offense ex officio, the preschool point director is informed, who notifies the Police (intervening when life or health is threatened and/or parents refuse to come) or family court (sending a notification of the possibility of committing a criminal offense/crime).

6. In the case of an incidental event (pushing, shoving, humiliation, inappropriate comment), the student's homeroom teacher, section head, or principal, along with the student and parents, develop corrective actions and consider applying statutory penalties. In the case of another incident involving the same individuals, a measure of educational influence should be applied, or the family court should be notified (proceedings on demoralization or insight into the family situation of a child under 10 years old).

II. Domestic Violence (Child Abuse in the Family)

1. If a preschool staff member suspects that a student is being harmed or neglected by parents, they are obligated to report this information to the institution's director and create an official note. Signs of violence may include visible traces of abuse, avoidance of situations requiring exposure of the body during changing, wearing long sleeves/pants regardless of weather conditions, etc. Additionally, noticeable changes in the student's behavior, including academic situations (worsening grades, increased absenteeism), may indicate violence.

2. The director (or teacher) organizes a meeting with the parents of the student in question, providing them with the obtained information, available forms of assistance for families in crisis, and in the case of confirmed reports, the obligation to report suspicions of minor abuse to the appropriate institution (prosecutor/Police; family court; "Blue Card" procedure; social welfare center). The meeting is documented by the teacher.

3. If the report is confirmed, and one of the parents is the perpetrator, in the presence of the other parent, another person close to the minor, or a legal adult indicated by the minor, the teacher who is aware of the minor's home situation initiates the "Blue Card" procedure. They fill out the "Blue Card – A" form, and the "Blue Card – B" form is given to the parent, a person close to the minor, or a legal adult indicated by the minor. The completed "Blue Card – A" form is promptly handed over to the chairperson of the interdisciplinary team for preventing domestic violence, no later than 5 working days from the initiation of the procedure. A copy of the completed form is kept at the institution.

4. Additionally, the school director or a designated person (as per Chapter 5 provisions) – section head, may inform another institution among those indicated in para. 2, depending on the diagnosed type of violence, and further proceedings fall within the competence of that institution.

5. All actions taken are documented in the form of protocols and official notes, which are made available upon request of the institution conducting criminal proceedings. A record of the intervention progress is also created.

6. If it is determined that the report is unfounded, and there is no child abuse, the school director or another person participating in the meeting mentioned in para. 2 prepares a note on the conclusion of the procedure, with further observation of the student's situation being assigned.

7. In case of non-cooperation from parents, legal guardians, failure to adhere to the assistance plan, avoidance of contact with school staff, the director submits a written request to the family court to inspect the family situation, providing the findings made.

8. The student's homeroom teacher, together with the section head and the director, develops a support plan for the student, which includes indications for the institution to take actions to ensure safety, forms of psychological-pedagogical support offered to the student and their parents, and information about referring the student/family to a specialist outside the school.

9. In the event that a student experiences violence from a close relative resulting in harm to health, sexual exploitation, and/or their life and health are threatened, an intervention team is appointed by the school director, including the director, teacher, or psychologist.

1) The intervention team ensures the student's safety and separates them from the parent suspected of abuse, simultaneously notifying the Police, whose responsibility is further proceedings;

2) A assistance plan for the student is developed in accordance with the guidelines in para. 6;

3) In the case of receiving a request for information about the student from an authorized institution (family court, criminal court, Police, social welfare center, interdisciplinary team, diagnostic-assistance group), the preschool director is obliged to prepare such information.

III. Harm to a Student by an Institution's Employee

1. Any person who obtains information that a student is being harmed by an employee of the preschool facility shall report it to the director, section head, student's homeroom teacher, or another designated teacher or person responsible for reporting incidents (as per Chapter 5), along with a prepared official note. The official note can be in written or electronic form.

2. In the case where the life or health of the student is at risk, the person disclosing the harm immediately notifies the Police, and the report includes the contact details of the reporting person, the student's information, and the information of the person suspected of causing harm, along with all known facts. The reporting person also fills out an intervention progress card in this situation.

3. The institution's director promptly removes the employee from any form of contact with students (not only the victim) until the matter is clarified. The person involved in the report is summoned for an explanatory conversation, attended by the section head and homeroom teacher, who document the course of the meeting.

4. If harm is reported from a teacher, that person does not participate in the meeting mentioned in para. 3.

5. If harm is reported from the school director, intervention actions are carried out by the person indicated in Chapter 1 para. 5.

6. The meeting discusses the child's situation, the validity of suspicions, and a course of action is developed. The conclusions and decisions made during the meeting are documented in the protocol.

7. In case suspicions are confirmed, the parents of the harmed student are informed, and the appropriate authorities (Police/prosecutor) are notified in writing of the potential commission of a crime. A support plan for the student is developed, and both the student and their parents are briefed.

8. If it is determined that the employee's behavior, for example, involves yelling at the student or making inappropriate comments, the school director holds a disciplinary meeting with the employee. If this does not yield results, actions are taken in accordance with labor laws and other legal regulations.

IV. Child Sexual Abuse

Prohibited acts and regulations protecting children from sexual exploitation include, among others:

• Article 197 of the Penal Code (hereinafter referred to as the "PC") – rape,

• Article 198 PC – sexual exploitation of a child due to their helplessness and/or incapacity,

• Article 199 PC – abuse of the child's dependency relationship with another person or the exploitation of the child's critical situation for sexual purposes,

• Article 200 PC – sexual contact with a child under the age of 15,

• Article 200a PC – grooming – establishing contact with a child under 15 using new technologies to meet and persuade the child to engage in sexual activity or to produce or perpetuate pornographic content using threats, deception, taking advantage of a mistake, or exploiting the child's inability to understand the situation properly,

• Article 202 § 3–5 PC – child pornography.

In a situation where there is suspicion that a minor student has been victimized by any of the above crimes, the law enforcement authorities must be notified immediately about the suspicion of a crime against the child.

> Notification should be made to the institution responsible for the place where the crime occurred.

> The notification is submitted by a person authorized to represent the notifying institution, in accordance with the arrangements from Chapter 5 Standards.

> The notification should be submitted even without the consent of the parents of the victimized student. Informing them about the institution's actions depends on the institution submitting the notification.

Prior to this, a meeting should be organized with the parents to inform them about the obtained information or observed behaviors and statements by the student indicating experiences of sexual exploitation. Parents should be informed about the obligation to take legal intervention and jointly establish a plan to help the student (ensuring their safety, providing psychological-pedagogical assistance, and potentially referring them to a specialized support institution). In a situation where there is suspicion that the perpetrator of sexual exploitation of the child is a parent, the non-abusing parent should be invited to participate in the meeting.