HCDExchange Participation Guidelines are intended to create a safe and positive community experience for us all, regardless of:
- Background
- Family status
- Gender
- Gender identity or expression
- Marital status
- Sex
- Sexual orientation
- Native language
- Age
- Ability
- Race and/or ethnicity
- National origin
- Socioeconomic status
- Religion
- Geographic location
Appreciating & accommodating diverse cultural practices, attitudes, and beliefs
All community members must:
- Be respectful and inclusive
- Help new perspectives be heard
- Be open to learning from others
Child safeguarding & protection
Everyone involved with HCDExchange — including staff, contractors, volunteers, and community members — are committed to recognizing, promoting, and protecting the rights of all children. We believe that the welfare of children is the highest priority and that is it the responsibility of everyone who works for and with the HCDExchange to ensure that children are protected from abuse and exploitation. We recognize that safeguarding considerations permeate all aspects of our work and strive to prioritize safeguarding in all HCDExchange policies, practices, and activities.
HCDExchange personnel, grantees, volunteers, and community members are required to uphold and demonstrate best practice in child safeguarding and protection to ensure that children who come in contact with us are protected from any form of abuse or exploitation. We follow Children’s Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF) Child Safeguarding & Protection Policy guidelines, which you can download in PDF format.
CIFF has produced a video that outlines the basics of child safeguarding — please watch it. Note that local laws and regulations and the particular circumstances of HCDExchange activities will be taken into account when dealing with safeguarding.
Unacceptable behavior
The following will not be tolerated in the HCDExchange community, online or in person:
- Violating child safeguarding and protection policies and practices
- Violence and threats of violence
- Personal attacks
- Bullying
- Doxing
- Derogatory language
- Threats
- Hate speech
- Promoting harmful or illegal activities
- Unwelcome sexual attention or physical contact
- Non-consensual sharing of adult content
- Disruptive behavior
- Influencing unacceptable behavior
Consequences of unacceptable behavior
Unacceptable behavior from anyone involved with HCDExchange, including those with decision-making authority, will not be tolerated and will be dealt with appropriately.
Violation of these guidelines can result in being banned from online and physical spaces, and can lead to removal from working groups, committees, and the cancelation of any monetary awards.
Secretariat staff or contractors in violation of these guidelines may be subject to further consequences, such as disciplinary action, up to and including termination of employment or contract.
Participation guidelines adapted from Grant for the Web via a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. Child safeguarding and protection language adapted from CIFF.