CHILD PROTECTION POLICY

Approved by the Management Group for Novia UAS 21.10.2025

 

Introduction

Novia University of Applied Sciences (hereafter Novia) is committed to promoting the safety, wellbeing, and participation of all children and young people within its education, research, and development environments. As a diverse university of applied sciences, Novia collaborates with a wide range of stakeholders, including children, young people, and their families, across different educational, social, and research, development and innovation activities. In all its operations, Novia respects and upholds the rights of the child and adheres to ethical and legal obligations related to child protection.

This Child Protection Policy ensures that Novia's activities support the best interests of children and that no child is harmed because of its operations.

Novia complies with the legal requirement to check the criminal background of all persons working with children, in accordance with:

  • Act on checking the criminal background of persons working with children (504/2002)
  • Act amending Sections 6 and 7 of the Criminal Records Act (770/1993) referred to relevant for background checks in the context of child protection and working with minors
  • Act on the Verification of the Criminal Background of Volunteers Participating in Activities Among Children (148/2014)
  • Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment of Finland’s guideline “Checking the Criminal Background of Persons Working with Children
  • The Finnish National Agency for Education’s guide on the implementation of the statutes and regulations in vocational education concerning unsuitability for studies
  • Novia also follows the guidelines of Keeping Children Safe: The International Child Safeguarding Standards.
1. Commitment to Child Protection

Novia’s Child Protection Policy is grounded in human rights principles and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. The policy applies to all staff, students, trainees, researchers, project partners, and volunteers engaged in activities involving or affecting children (individuals under the age of 18). It ensures equal protection for all children, regardless of their background.

Key commitments include:

  • Promoting children’s rights, participation, and protection in all interactions.
  • Minimising risks through proactive planning and risk assessments.
  • Responding appropriately and ethically to concerns about a child’s safety or wellbeing.
  • Training and supporting staff, students, and partners to recognise and report suspected abuse or harm.

2. Code of Conduct for Safe Interaction with Children

All members of the Novia community engaged in activities involving or affecting children must:

  • Respect each child’s dignity, individuality, and rights.
  • Ensure that interactions are safe, inclusive, and appropriate to the child’s developmental level.
  • Avoid any form of discrimination, violence, abuse, neglect, or exploitation.
  • Communicate and act in ways that build trust and security.
  • Obtain consent before photographing or collecting data from minors, in accordance with data protection regulations.
  • Immediately report any concerns to appropriate authorities or designated Novia staff.

3. Inclusion, Safer Environments, and Diversity

Novia actively promotes a safe and inclusive learning and working environment for everyone. The principles of safer environments apply to all adult-child interactions:

  • Recognise and respect diverse identities, experiences, and voices.
  • Use inclusive, gender-sensitive language and avoid assumptions.
  • Promote accessible, discrimination-free physical and attitudinal environments.
  • Intervene constructively against inappropriate behaviour.
  • Encourage children’s self-determination and voluntary participation.

4. Digital Environments and Data Protection

Novia applies ethical guidelines to all digital activities involving children. All online interactions must:

  • Be respectful, safe, accessible, and age appropriate.
  • Ensure that children are not exposed to harmful content.
  • Comply with the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR 2016/679) and Finnish data protection legislation.
  • Securely store and manage all personal data relating to minors.

5. Research and Ethical Practices

Novia ensures that all research involving children adheres to ethical principles for research with human participants and the guidelines of the Finnish National Board on Research Integrity for the humanities and social sciences. The following ethical principles apply to all research and development activities involving minors:

  • Children must be informed about the research in a manner appropriate to their level of understanding.
  • If a child is 15 years of age or older, their own consent is sufficient for participation. Parents or guardians should also be informed, where appropriate.
  • Participation of children under 15 years of age requires the consent of both the child and their parent or guardian.