1. Balik Kaanyag Child Protection Policy
BK´s core mission is to care for, heal and empower children from hard places, with a special focus on children survivors of sexual abuse. Through its therapeutic and preventive activities, BK´s aim is to help children flourish and fulfill their potential, aspirations and dreams. BK is a child safe organization that upholds the best interest of children as primary consideration in all its actions and decisions.
Balik Kaanyag is thus all about protecting children from harm and restoring beauty and dignity wherever serious harm has been inflicted[1]. This child protection policy and practices is therefore core to BK´s mission and is binding to everyone working with BK, be it staff, interns or volunteers.
Child protection means taking all measures to prevent and respond to exploitation, neglect, abuse and all other forms of violence affecting children. Child protection is critical to achieving the fulfilment of child rights and realizing the sustained well-being of vulnerable or abused children within a safe and loving family and communities. BK affirms the role of parents and caregivers as the first responsible for care and protection of children.
To achieve its objectives, BK collaborates closely with authorities (social, educational, law enforcement and others) as well as non-governmental partners such as shelters, churches, universities and like-minded therapeutic institutions.
BK´s approach is based on four pillars: (I) Trauma therapy based on the Trust-Based Relational Intervention (TBRI) model, combined with other evidence-based trauma therapies, (II) the integration of healing spirituality and psychology (ISP) in therapy (see separate note), (III) the full inclusion in therapy of the legal guardian (a/the parents provided they are not perpetrators of abuse) and (IV) the use of multiple elements in therapy such as play, arts, music, sports and movement and others. Throughout all activities, felt-safety, connection and self-regulation are being promoted.
In addition to BK´s proactive measures to care for, heal and empower, BK also takes every measure to ensure that children in our care are not subject to any kind of harm or abuse. BK has zero tolerance towards incidents of abuse of children in our care as well as their legal guardian/caregiver.
Awareness, training, capacity building, focal person
BK informs all relevant groups (staff, board, interns, volunteers, partners) about its child protection policy. Staff, board, interns and volunteers sign an acknowledgement that they know, understand and are committed to follow BK`s child protection policy. Furthermore, BK´s child protection policy is included in BK´s regular trainings. BK´s lead social worker is by default the appointed child protection focal point, with the responsibility to ensure awareness, trainings and compliance. Depending on the type of violation, the focal person will communicate about suspected or known violations in accordance with the established protocols and the law.
Behavior protocols
BK personnel (staff, board, interns, volunteers) at all times, (i) act I a way that protect children in BKs care, prevent harm and uphold and safeguard their dignity and integrity, (ii) maintain an environment that protects and prevents harm, (iii) show respect in all interactions, (iv) ensure that physical contact is appropriate, (v) never use violent methods or language to manage a child´s behavior, (vi) are always responsible for their action, even if a child behaves in a sexually inappropriate manner, (vii) where possible, ensure that to adults conduct BK work, (viii) comply with data protection protocols, (ix) immediately report to BK´s child protection focal point or other BK staff about known or suspected violations of this policy and protocols, (x) never and under no circumstances engage in an inappropriate physical action with any person while under the care of BK, (xi) engage in other types of abusive or inappropriate language or behavior, (xii) never spend excessive time alone with a minor, (xiii) hit or use corporal punishment against a child in BK´s care, (xiv) communicate online with a child in BK´s care without parental consent. Under no circumstances may a staff, intern or volunteer engage in or pursue a relationship with a client.
Failure to follow BK´s child protection policy and protocols including failing to report a known or suspected incident committed towards a child in BK´s care is grounds for discipline.
Screening of staff, interns and volunteers
BK takes diligent measures to screen people who apply for employment, internship or volunteering service. During the interview process, applicants are asked about previous work with children. For references supplied by applicants, questions are asked regarding the suitability of the candidate to work with vulnerable children. People with former conviction for any crime, in particular crime against children, will not be recruited or accepted as staff, intern or volunteer. Visitors to BK´s center will be accompanied by a BK staff at all times.
Communication and social media
As an overall rule, taking photos or videos of people in BK´s care is limited to BK staff or appointed person. Interns and volunteers require written permission from BK staff and the photographed people in BK´s care before taking photos or videos. BK will handle such permission very restrictively, ensuring that local traditions and restrictions are complied with. In all forms of communication, children and adult beneficiaries are treated and portrayed with dignity and not as helpless victims. Personal information about the children and their caregivers must be kept confidential.
BK will inform people under its care about these restrictions and the reasons thereof and will train children and their caregivers on safe online interactions.
Violations of these rules should be communicated to BK´s child protection foal point.
Incident Response protocol
BK personnel are responsible and obliged to report any suspicions of abuse/violations of this Policy connected to BK or its programs. In addition, any credible concern or suspicion of sexual abuse or exploitation against a minor should be reported to BK management. BK (in principle BK´s child protection focal point) will investigate and respond to suspected or known violations of this policy and any harm committed against a person in BKs care, including through reporting to appropriate legal authorities (LGU social worker, Police child protection desk). If an incident is proven to be committed by BK personnel, the engagement of this personnel will be immediately terminated, and the family of the abused child will be encouraged to file a case against the alleged perpetrator.
Balik Kaanyag will encourage/support the family of the abused child to file a case against the alleged perpetrator.
[1] BK´s core target group are children survivors of abuse, in particular sexual abuse, as well as their parent/s/ legal guardian.
2. Integrating trauma-informed psychology and healing spirituality (IPS) in therapy
Balik Kaanyag´s mission is to care for, heal and empower children from hard places, especially survivors of sexual abuse. As part of the TBRI model predominantly used, Balik Kaanyag applies in its therapeutic approach the integration of psychology and healing spirituality[1]– a concept and practice in counselling and therapy gaining popularity[2] [3].
What does IPS mean specifically for Balik Kaanyag and its services, operating in a deeply spiritual and religious, predominantly Christian (Roman Catholic and Protestant-Evangelical) society?
General considerations
IPS is based on the conviction that human beings have a spiritual dimension: an innate capacity and need to connect with a wider non-material transcendent world, for meaning, purpose, value and identity. Human well-being and flourishing, healing and empowerment requires attending to and satisfying the spiritual needs of a person as much as its emotional and physical needs. Christian IPS sees every person as a unique and marvelously designed being with a profound and inalienable worth, called to flourish in connection with community and with its creator. A person´s experience of self and identity is inextricably connected to the spiritual dimension.
Holistic wellbeing can only be fully reached when a person´s spiritual dimension is taken into consideration. Appropriate successful therapy for wounded and traumatized children requires therefore that evidence-based trauma-informed therapeutic models are paired with and accompanied by tools promoting a healing spirituality – the flow of and healing impact of spiritual energy into the life of a person.
Application of IPS in Balik Kaanyag´s therapeutic approach
Balik Kaanyag is committed to applying trauma-informed evidence-based therapeutic approaches integrating healthy spirituality. Balik Kaanyag believes that God created every person with beauty, dignity, and intrinsic worth, and is on a mission to heal the brokenhearted and restore where this beauty and dignity has been violated.
Based on their own experience of God´s transformational love and emotionally healing presence in their lives, Balik Kaanyag´s founders and leaders integrate healthy relational spiritual practices in the organization´s therapeutic approaches. Accompanied and fueled by an attitude of unconditional love, care and compassion towards its clients, these practices include meditation, prayer and spiritual music expressing the love and care of God for every human being, as supremely exemplified by Jesus from Nazareth.
While spiritual practices will never be imposed, it is Balik Kaanyag´ experience that in the context of a profoundly spiritual and religious society in the Philippines, these practices are wholeheartedly welcome and appreciated by a large portion of the population.
[1] In IPS, the therapist and client work together in applying spiritual practices and values in treatment.
[2] “By not making more of an effort to incorporate spirituality in treatment, we are doing a disservice to patients”, D. Rosmarin (2021) in Scientific American
[3] Research across multiple diagnostic targets and treatment contexts suggests that spiritually integrated psychotherapies are effective (…) R.Palitsky et al, National Library of Medicine (2023).