OpenLake Events Safeguarding Policy

All in-person OpenLake events (hackathons, meetups and workshops) are required to follow this Safeguarding Policy. Please direct any inquiries to openlake@iitbhilai.ac.in.

  1. Purpose

    1.1 Overview

    • The purpose of this Safeguarding Policy (the "Policy") is to ensure that all participants, volunteers, mentors and staff at OpenLake events are safe, respected, and supported. It reflects the spirit of the OpenLake community values (respect, kindness and inclusive behavior).

  2. Scope

    2.1 Application

    • This policy applies to anyone involved with OpenLake events:

      • Participants (students and other community members)
      • Organizers, event staff and volunteers
      • Mentors, guest speakers, external vendors and venue staff
      • Any other individual present at the event

    • It covers all event locations (event venue, resting areas if applicable, common spaces) and event-related activities (pre-event, the event itself, social time, post-event wrap-up).

    2.2 Safeguarding Principles

    • Everyone must be treated with dignity, respect, and fairness regardless of age, background, identity, or characteristics. This includes, but is not limited to a person's gender identity, sex, ethnicity, disability, race or language.

    • The safety and welfare of all participants must be the paramount consideration.

    • Behavior must align with the OpenLake community guidelines: no bullying, harassment, discrimination, or inappropriate interpersonal conduct.

    • All concerns or incidents must be reported swiftly and handled sensitively, with report confidentiality ensured. Incident reviewers must provide consistent support and provide solid reasoning for actions taken on a report.

    • We adopt a "duty of care" mindset: proactively reducing risks, not just reacting to problems. All participants, volunteers, mentors and staff are required to report any concerns or incidents to the point of contact(s) / safeguarding officer.

  3. Roles & Responsibilities

    3.1 Local Event Lead / Point of Contact

    • Responsible for safeguarding implementation and oversight.

    • Ensures all staff/volunteers are briefed, trained, and aware of this policy.

    3.2 Safeguarding Officer(s)

    • All OpenLake events will appoint one or more designated staff members with responsibility for safeguarding.

    • Officer contact details are communicated clearly to all participants, volunteers and (where applicable) parents/guardians. These contact details must remain clearly accessible to all in a written form, such as on an event website.

    • Officers are responsible for handling any reports of safeguarding concerns or incidents.

    • Officers liaise with venue security/emergency services if needed.

    3.3 Staff & Volunteers

    • All staff and volunteers must abide by this policy, have a basic understanding of safeguarding guidelines, and agree to behave in line with OpenLake's community guidelines.

    • Staff and volunteers must know how to recognise signs of concern (bullying, harassment, disclosure of abuse, mental distress) and understand how to report observed signs of concern.

    • Staff and volunteers must clearly communicate the reporting methods outlined in this document to all participants. This includes providing them with clearly accessible written instructions on how to submit a report, and communicating that they will never have action taken against them for submitting a report, unless said report is proven without a doubt to be maliciously falsified.

    • Staff and volunteers must maintain appropriate boundaries with participants (physical, digital, conversational) and must not be alone with a minor (if minors are present) outside the view of other staff.

    3.4 Participants

    • All event participants are expected to behave in line with the OpenLake community guidelines and this Safeguarding Policy. Be a good human being.

    • Participants must understand the consequences that can arise from conduct violations.

    • Participants are responsible for educating themselves on the community guidelines, and wholly liable for their own violations.

    • Participants must be made aware of reporting methods and instructed as to whom to speak to if they witness/experience conduct violations.

    3.5 Parents / Guardians (for minor participants)

    • Where a minor participant is present, parents/guardians must provide consent for participation, emergency contact details, media consent, and disclose any relevant medical or support needs on behalf of the minor. (see 6.7)

    • Parents and guardians must be clearly informed of this policy, emergency procedures, and how to contact the organizers at any point during the Event. Any parental concerns must be addressed by the organizers within a reasonable timeframe.

    • Parents and guardians are not exempt from this policy nor the community guidelines, and are expected to behave respectfully towards any staff or participants they interact with.

  4. Risk Management & Environment

    4.1 Venue & Supervision

    • Event venues must be assessed for safety and a risk assessment must be completed prior to the start of the event. The following concerns must be assessed and documented prior to the event:

    1. Availability and locations of emergency exits

    2. Accessibility of restroom facilities

    3. Availability of safe resting zones (if applicable to the event)

    4. Acceptable lighting (ideally configurable by event staff)

    5. Security of all venue entrances/exits (venue entrances / exits must be staffed, or lockable to prevent unauthorized persons from entering)

    • At all times during the event, there must be sufficient staff supervision relative to the number and age of participants. Our recommendation is 1 member of staff to 15 participants.

    • Participants must not roam unsupervised in restricted or remote areas. Participants are expected to remain within the event perimeter throughout its entire duration, unless explicitly granted permission by staff to leave.

    • To support participants' needs each event should have a designated quiet working room and a quiet break room, as space allows.

    4.2 Check-in / Check-out

    • Arrival and departure of participants must be logged (time, name, guardian contact where applicable and signed consent) using the provided administrative tools.

    • If participants are to potentially leave the venue during an event, an explicit protocol must have been pre-defined by event organizers (sign-out, staff accompaniment, etc.)

    • Minor participants must have explicit written parental consent to leave the venue. It is the organizers' responsibility to ensure this consent has been established and documented before authorizing a participant to leave.

    4.3 Mentor/Participant Boundaries

    • Mentors and staff should not share personal contact details (personal phone, social media, etc.) with participants. Work emails and event communication channels may be shared upon request.

    • One-on-one mentoring is permissible but should occur in visible open spaces, with at least one other volunteer present.

    • Physical contact must be appropriate, initiated by a participant, culturally sensitive, consenting, and minimal. (Ex. handshakes and high fives may be fine, hugs probably not.)

    4.4 Behavioral Rules

    • The unprescribed consumption, sale, or trade of alcohol, tobacco, marijuana and any controlled substances by any participant, organizer, or staff member is prohibited.

    • Anyone found to be under the influence of substances at an event will face harsh consequences. This is an OpenLake red line, and can result in calls to local authorities.

    • Inappropriate content (sexual, violent, discriminatory) in any participant communications or presentations is expressly prohibited. What warrants inappropriate content is at the discretion of OpenLake organizers. This will result in a referral to the OpenLake conduct team.

    • Participants and organizers are prohibited from using event communication channels to disseminate inappropriate or hateful content, solicit or advertise products or services, or harass other participants or organizers. This will result in a referral to the OpenLake conduct team.

    • Participants, organizers, and staff are expected to respect quiet/shutdown times, rest breaks, water breaks, and individual health needs.

  5. Medical & Emergency Procedures

    5.1 First Aid

    • Each event should have a first-aid kit fully stocked as per your country's health department guidelines. We highly recommend an organizer (one per 55 participants) familiarizes themselves on how to use their first aid kit.

    • Participants must disclose relevant medical/health information to OpenLake organizers in advance (allergies, conditions, medications).

    • Emergency contact info and guardian contacts (where applicable) must be rapidly accessible from a secure location for the event organizers.

    • An incident log should be maintained (time, person, description, action taken).

    • Over the counter medication is only administered with explicit permission and only the specific medication (including brand, name, dosage and timing) approved.

  6. Participant Welfare

    6.1 Recognising concerns

    • Concerns may include (but aren't limited to):
      • Bullying, harassment, discrimination, coercion.
      • Sexual or physical abuse or inappropriate behaviour
      • A participant disclosing personal safeguarding concerns (self-harm, abuse at home, etc.)
      • A staff/volunteer breaching physical or emotional boundaries
      • Mental health crisis, or participant behaving out of character and posing risk to self/others.

    6.2 Reporting Mechanism

    • There must be clear, visible signage online and in-person notifying participants how to contact both the event organizer and the OpenLake team.

    • Staff/volunteers must report concerns immediately to the lead organizer / point of contact.

    • For every incident, an incident report must be completed and submitted through the relevant administrative channel.

    6.3 Mandated Reporting

    • Mandatory submission: All safeguarding incidents, regardless of severity, must be reported by the Event Lead or Safeguarding Officer as soon as possible; reports must be made within 18 hours of the incident occurring.

    • Confidentiality: Reports are confidential and accessible only to OpenLake organizers and designated safeguarding personnel.

    • Timeline: Report emergencies immediately to local emergency services. Urgent incidents (cases of immediate danger, serious harm, or where statutory reporting requirements take effect) must be reported to OpenLake organizers (after appropriate emergency services are contacted) immediately via email (openlake@iitbhilai.ac.in) in addition to the incident report.

    • Consequences: Failure to submit a mandated report may result in organizers being barred from running future OpenLake events and may affect the event's insurance coverage and OpenLake support.

    • Support: OpenLake will review all reports, provide guidance on next steps, and offer support to organizers in handling complex situations. Reports contribute to ongoing safeguarding improvement across all OpenLake events.

    6.4 Confidentiality & Support

    • All reports will be stored and processed confidentially. Information will only be shared on a "need-to-know" basis.

    • Support must be offered to any affected participant (e.g. if appropriate, parental contact).

    • No retaliation or discrimination will be tolerated against someone who reports a concern or experiences bullying or harm at an event.

    6.5 Disciplinary Actions

    • In the event that an OpenLake team member or Event Lead is made aware of misconduct by a participant/staff/volunteer, the offender's consequences may include: warning, removal from the event, being sent home (guardian contact required where applicable), and/or banning from future OpenLake events.

    • Serious breaches (abuse, violence, sexual misconduct) will lead to immediate removal and referral to authorities. As previously stated, the safety and welfare of participants is our paramount consideration.

    • All actions will align with the principle of fairness and transparency, and maintain the event's baseline community guidelines.

    6.6 Review & Continuous Improvement

    • After the event, organizers will conduct a safeguarding debrief, reviewing incidents logged, lessons learned, and feedback gathered.

    • This policy will be reviewed annually.

    • All changes will be clearly communicated to future participants/staff/volunteers.

    6.7 Consent & Parental/Guardian Involvement

    • Where a minor participant is present, explicit consent from a parent/guardian must be obtained. The following information must also be disclosed:
    • Participant details (name, age, school)
    • Emergency contact(s)
    • Necessary medical and/or health information (allergies, medications, support needs)
    • If the participant has attendance restrictions (e.g. leaving early)
    • Parents/guardians must receive the event schedule, arrival/departure times, venue address, and contact information for the Safeguarding Officer and lead organizer.
    • If a participant leaves the venue before the end of the event without permission, the parent/guardian of the individual must be informed and the Safeguarding Officer notified.