About

Child Safeguarding Policy

Applies to ADMAIS (US) and ADMAIS Lao, and to all our programmes and products, including Scala’s Shelf. Version 1.0, September 2026. Next review: September 2027.

1. Who this policy applies to

• Founders, staff and contractors of ADMAIS (US) and ADMAIS Lao
• Content creators, writers, illustrators and reviewers who make material for our products
• Volunteers and visitors taking part in our programmes
• Partner organizations delivering programmes that use our products, as set out in section 7

2. What we mean

• Child: anyone under 18.
• Abuse: physical, emotional or sexual abuse, neglect, and exploitation, whether in person or online.
• Safeguarding: everything we do to prevent harm to children, and to respond well when a concern is raised.

3. How our products keep children safe

Our products are designed so that children are protected by default:

• No child accounts. Children can read without signing in, and devices can be shared safely between them.
• No ads and no in-app purchases for children, ever.
• Human review of all content. Every book, including anything made with AI, is checked by an adult educator before children can see it.
• Content standards. Material for children must be age-appropriate and culturally respectful, must show children with dignity, and must contain no violence, sexual content, hate or harmful stereotypes.
• Minimal data. We collect only what is needed to run the service and measure learning. Results are reported without children's names, stored securely, and deleted when no longer needed.

4. How we work with children in programmes

• We work with children only through existing classes and partner organizations, whose staff supervise the children.
• Our staff and contractors are never alone with a child. Another responsible adult is always present.
• Programmes follow the consent laws of the country they run in, including consent for any reading or learning assessments.
• Photos, video or audio of children are taken only with the written consent of a parent or guardian, used only for the purpose agreed, and never published with a child's full name or location.

5. Code of conduct

Everyone covered by this policy must:

• treat every child with respect, whatever their age, gender, language, ethnicity, disability or background
• keep all contact with children public, supervised and related to the programme
• report any concern about a child's safety, including concerns about colleagues or partners

Everyone covered by this policy must never:

• hit, threaten, shame or harm a child in any way
• have any sexual contact or relationship with a child, or use sexual language or behaviour around children
• contact children privately by phone, messaging apps or social media, or give them personal contact details
• take, keep or share images of children except as allowed in section 4
• offer gifts, money or favours to a child in exchange for anything

6. Safe recruitment and training

• Before working with our programmes or content, staff, contractors and content creators provide references, go through background checks where the law allows, and sign this policy.
• Everyone receives safeguarding training when they start, and a refresher every year.

7. Partners

Organizations that deliver programmes using our products must have their own child safeguarding policy, or agree to follow this one. We share safeguarding concerns with partners as needed to protect a child, and we may end a partnership that puts children at risk.

8. Reporting a concern

Anyone, including children, parents, teachers and members of the public, can raise a concern. You don't need proof.

• Email: safeguarding@admais.xyz. It reaches only our safeguarding leads: the Founder of ADMAIS Lao and the Founder of ADMAIS (US).
• Immediate danger: contact the local police or child protection services first, then tell us.
• What happens next: we acknowledge every report within two working days, keep it confidential, and share it only with people who need to know to protect the child.
• No retaliation: no one will be punished for raising a concern in good faith.

9. How we respond

• We act first to keep the child safe.
• We cooperate fully with the authorities, and report to them where the law requires or a child is at risk.
• Anyone found to have breached this policy may be suspended, removed from our programmes, or have their contract ended, and may be reported to the authorities.
• We inform funders and partners of serious concerns where our agreements require it.

10. Laws and review

We comply with the laws that protect children wherever we work, including the Lao Law on the Protection of the Rights and Interests of Children and applicable laws in the United States. We review this policy every year, and after any serious incident.