A. The Code
A1. I will
1. Meet children only at the venue Saath Foundation hires for that visit, only with Saath Foundation staff present and the child's guardian or partner-home caseworker accompanying the child, and only at the scheduled time. 2. Show my photo ID and sign the visitors register at every visit. 3. Let the child set physical boundaries. I will not start hugs, kisses, lap-sitting or tickling. A high-five or handshake is fine if the child offers it. 4. Talk about the present and the future: school, hobbies, dreams. I will not ask about the child's past, family problems, health, appearance, caste, religion or money. 5. Accept a child's "no" to a visit, a photo or an activity without asking why, and without showing disappointment to the child or family. 6. Give gifts only through staff, within the gift rules (₹500 at most, new, shareable within the family, handed to staff at least 3 days before). 7. Report any concern about any child to the Saath Foundation Safeguarding Officer, Akansha Guptaa, the same day. If I learn of a possible sexual offence against a child and cannot reach the Safeguarding Officer or the Deputy within 2 hours, I will go to the police or call 112 myself, and tell the Safeguarding Officer afterwards. 8. Follow staff instructions on the day without asking for exceptions.
A2. I will not
1. Give or accept phone numbers, email addresses, social-media handles, home addresses or UPI IDs, or try to find the child or family online or offline. 2. Approach or contact the child's school, the partner home, the child or the family outside Saath Foundation, including using any vendor name I have seen in my Rupee Trail. 3. Give cash, transfers, loans, jobs, school fees or other benefits to the child or family outside Saath Foundation. 4. Take photos, video or audio. Saath Foundation staff will take them for me. 5. Post anything about the child online, including their first name, face, school or neighbourhood, or post about a Saath Foundation event in real time. 6. Be alone with the child at any time, including in corridors, toilets or while "just stepping outside". 7. Take a child to the toilet. 8. Invite the child or family to my home, office, events or on outings, or offer to transport them. 9. Make promises such as "I'll pay for college", "I'll visit next month" or "I'll take you abroad". 10. Ask a child to perform, give a speech or thank me. 11. Attend under the influence of alcohol or drugs, or smoke near children. 12. Offer my professional services (photography, tutoring, medical, counselling or anything else) to Saath Foundation children outside Saath Foundation's own vetted processes.
A3. I understand
- My support continues whether or not a visit happens. The child and family can decline any visit, and Saath Foundation will tell me only that the child isn't available.
- Adults from my household may attend only if they are screened too. Children I bring may attend Saath Milan only, and stay with me.
- A breach may lead to a warning, cancellation of visits, suspension of my account, permanent removal from Meet Your Saathi and, where the law requires, a report to the police or the Child Welfare Committee.
- Under the POCSO Act s.19, anyone who knows or fears that a sexual offence against a child may happen, or has happened, must inform the police.
A4. My declaration
A5. Child-friendly code (for children who come with a visitor, Saath Milan only)
B. Orientation outline
Format: about 45–60 minutes, online or at the venue, mandatory before a first visit. A 15-minute refresher before each individual visit. Ends with a quiz and signing the Code.
| # | Module | Time | What it covers |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Why these rules exist | 10 min | What research shows about revolving-door attachment, children being treated as exhibits, and harm by offenders who present as benefactors. Short anonymised case summaries. Message: "The rules protect you as well as the child." |
| 2 | Power and dependency | 5 min | A family may feel unable to say no to a funder. That is why we ask the child privately, and why support never depends on visits. |
| 3 | What a good visit looks like | 10 min | A sample agenda. Conversation starters ("What do you like drawing?"). Topics to avoid. What to do if the child is shy or silent: nothing. Staff will help. |
| 4 | Boundaries in practice | 10 min | Scenario practice with scripted answers ("I can't, but let's ask didi or bhaiya together"): the child asks for your phone number; the guardian asks for money for a hospital bill; the child wants to hug you; the child asks you to take them to the toilet; the child asks, "Will you come back next week?"; you see another visitor alone with a child. |
| 5 | Photos and online | 5 min | Staff take photos. No posting. Geotags. JJ Act s.74 identity protection. Guardian consent under the DPDP Act. |
| 6 | Gifts | 5 min | The ₹500 limit. What is allowed and not allowed. The 3-day drop-off. Why gifts are shared. |
| 7 | Recognising and reporting concerns | 5 min | What to report (including concerns about staff or other visitors), how to report, and why visitors must never investigate themselves. For a possible sexual offence: if the Safeguarding Officer and the Deputy cannot be reached within 2 hours, go to the police or call 112 yourself. |
| 8 | After the visit | 5 min | No direct follow-up. How updates arrive. What "the child isn't available" means. What happens when a sponsorship ends. |
| 9 | Quiz and sign-off | 5 min | 5 scenario questions, all must be answered correctly (retries allowed). Then sign the Code and the self-declaration. |
Refresher (15 minutes, before each individual visit): the day's agenda, the staff lead's name, a reminder of A1–A2, two scenario questions, and a gift check.
B2. Staff orientation for running visits
- Taking the child's agreement from children of different ages, privately.
- Positioning to keep line of sight at all times.
- Stepping in politely ("Let's all do this together").
- Filling in the visit report within 48 hours.
- Escalating concerns to the Safeguarding Officer, and from there to the police, SJPU or CWC under the POCSO Act and JJ Act.