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Worried about a child? Tell us.

If something about a child's safety or wellbeing doesn't feel right, please tell us, even if you're not sure. You don't need proof. You did the right thing by coming here.

Anyone can tell us: a child, a parent or guardian, a Saathi, a volunteer, a member of staff, or someone who just noticed something.

You can do this without giving your name.

Tell us what happened
Illustration: an umbrella sheltering a small hand and a speech bubble Illustration

If you are a child

If someone has hurt you, scared you, or made you feel uncomfortable, it is not your fault.

You can tell a grown-up you trust. You can call 1098. It's free, and someone will listen.

You can also tell us here. You don't have to use your full name.

Tell us here

What counts as a concern

Any of these, or anything else that worries you:

  • A child seems hurt, frightened, withdrawn or unlike themselves.
  • An adult asks a child to keep secrets, gives them gifts in private, or tries to meet them alone.
  • Someone tries to get a child's phone number, home address or school, or contacts them outside Saath Foundation.
  • Something in an online class, a message or a photo made you uneasy.
  • A child tells you that someone has touched them or spoken to them in a way that wasn't right.
  • You're worried about how a partner home, a volunteer, a visitor or a Saath Foundation staff member behaves with children.
  • A child's photo or details have been shared where they shouldn't be.

If you think a child is being sexually abused

Under India's POCSO Act, 2012, anyone who knows or suspects that a child is being sexually abused, or is at risk of it, must tell the police or the Special Juvenile Police Unit. You can call 112 or Childline 1098, and they will help you report it.

Please tell us as well. Our Safeguarding Officer will support you and the child, and Saath Foundation will report to the police as the law requires. Telling us doesn't replace your own report to the police, but we can help you make it.

What helps

  • Listen calmly. Let the child speak in their own words. Tell them they were right to tell you.
  • Write it down soon, using the child's words, with the date and time.
  • Keep the child safe, and call 112 if they are in danger now.

Please don't

  • ask the child lots of questions or ask them to repeat their story. Specialists will do this gently.
  • promise to keep it a secret. Say instead that you'll tell people who can help.
  • confront the person you're worried about.
  • share the child's name, photo or story with anyone else, including on social media.

If you've seen a sexual image or video of a child: Don't forward, download or keep it, even as evidence. Report it at cybercrime.gov.in (the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal) or to the police, and tell us where you saw it.

Tell us what happened

Share what you can. It's fine to leave things out if you don't know them.

Is the child safe right now?

Please call 112 or Childline 1098 now. You can finish this form afterwards.

Who are you? (optional)
What is your concern about?

Use your own words. If a child told you something, write what they said as closely as you can.

A date, or roughly: "last week", "during the Saturday class".

A first name, a profile code, or a description. Only our safeguarding team sees this.

Their name or role, if you know it.

A screenshot of a message, for example. Please don't attach any sexual image of a child; report it at cybercrime.gov.in instead. Up to 3 files, 10 MB each.

About you

An email or phone number. We'll use it only about this concern.

Is it safe for us to contact you?

Only our Safeguarding Officer and the people they need to involve will see what you tell us. We share it with the police or child protection authorities where the law requires, or where a child needs protecting.

Add more to your concern

Type the reference you were given. You can add words or a file; you can't read back what you sent before.

What happens after you tell us

  1. We read it quickly. Our Safeguarding Officer looks at every concern within 24 hours.
  2. We keep the child safe first. If a child may be at risk, we act straight away. That can mean pausing visits or classes, or contacting the police or Childline.
  3. We report where the law requires. Any suspected sexual abuse is reported to the police or the Special Juvenile Police Unit.
  4. We look into it carefully and fairly, and keep a confidential record.
  5. We tell you what we can, if you gave us a way to reach you, without sharing anything that could harm the child or others.

You won't get into trouble for raising a concern honestly, even if it turns out to be nothing. If you're a volunteer or a member of staff, raising a concern will never count against you.

Prefer to talk?

Safeguarding Officer: Akansha Guptaa

safeguarding@thesaathfoundation.com

+91 96258 68882 · 9 am to 7 pm

Helplines, any time

Emergency 112 · Childline 1098 · Cyber crime: cybercrime.gov.in

Is your concern about Saath Foundation's own staff, or about the Safeguarding Officer?

Write to our trustees directly at care@thesaathfoundation.com. It goes to the trustees, not to staff.

Every child we work with has the right to be safe. Read how we protect children in our child protection policy.

Questions people ask

What if I'm not sure it's serious?

Please tell us anyway. Small worries can matter, and it's our job to work out what to do next, not yours.

Will the person I'm worried about find out it was me?

We won't tell them who raised it. You can also stay anonymous. If the police become involved, they may need to speak to you, and we'll support you through that.

I'm a Saathi. Will raising a concern affect the child I support?

No. A child's support never stops because someone raised a concern.