Safeguarding
Safeguarding Policy
Keeping children and young people safe is a core part of how CPI works.
The short version
- If a young person is in immediate danger, call 112 or go to the nearest police station or hospital first.
- You can report any concern about a young person’s safety to CPI, and we will act on it the same day.
- No adult is ever alone with a young person in a CPI activity.
- There is no messaging between mentors and young people on this website.
Report a concern
In immediate danger? Call Nigeria’s emergency number 112, or contact the police or the nearest hospital, before contacting CPI.
To report a concern about a young person in any CPI activity, contact our Safeguarding Lead:
- Email support@careerpathways.org with “Safeguarding” in the subject
- Call or WhatsApp +234 806 231 2608
Tell us what happened in your own words, when and where, and who was involved, if you know. You don’t need proof to raise a concern. We cannot promise to keep a concern secret if someone is at risk of harm, but we will only share what is needed to keep them safe.
Our commitment
CPI works with young people aged 12 and over, and with children under 12 through schools and parents. Everyone involved, including staff, volunteers, mentors and host organisations, is responsible for their safety. CPI names a Safeguarding Lead and a deputy, who will be listed here.
How we keep young people safe
- Guardian consent is required for every participant under 18, and separate consent for workplace visits and photos.
- No adult is alone with a young person. Sessions happen in visible settings with another adult present.
- Everyone working with young people follows a written code of conduct.
- No identifiable images of under-18s are published without recorded guardian consent, and never with names.
Online safety
- This website has no messaging, chat or contact feature between mentors and young people.
- WhatsApp groups that include under-18s are only run with guardian awareness and with CPI staff as administrators.
- Free-text answers in Career Discovery are read only by trained CPI staff, who follow this policy if a concern appears.
Workplace visits
Every host organisation completes safety checks, names a supervisor and agrees written expectations before a visit. CPI monitors visits, and guardians give separate consent.
Mentors, staff and volunteers
Mentors and volunteers go through an application, references, an interview, a signed code of conduct and, where available, a background check before working with young people.
What happens when you report
- We make sure the young person is safe now.
- We listen, without investigating or promising secrecy.
- We record the facts in the person’s own words, with the date and time.
- The Safeguarding Lead is told the same day.
- The Lead decides whether to involve guardians, the school, the authorities or support services.
- Records are stored securely, with strict access.