Safeguarding Policy

Our commitment

SORCE believes that every child and every adult at risk has the right to be safe, and we take responsibility for protecting anyone our work brings us into contact with.

This policy applies to everyone working with or for SORCE, in the UK and in Indonesia:

• staff, directors, scientists, instructors and boat crews;
• volunteers, interns and placement students;
• expedition and course participants, and the parents or guardians of any participant under 18;
• partner organisations, contractors and visitors while they take part in SORCE activities.

"SORCE" means Sustainable Oceanic Research Conservation and Education CIC (registered in England and Wales, company number 11363501) and PT Sustainable Oceanic Research Conservation and Education Indonesia, which deliver our work together.

This policy is referred to in our Terms and Conditions as the SORCE Child and Vulnerable Adult Protection Policy. Breaching it is gross misconduct under our Code of Conduct.

Who is responsible

Everyone who works with SORCE is responsible for safeguarding. If you are worried about someone, you must report it. You never have to be sure abuse is happening before you speak up.

Designated Safeguarding Leads (DSLs): Kara Majerus, Founder & Managing Director, and Isobel (Izy) Rigby, Director. Kara holds overall responsibility for safeguarding. Izy is the lead on site in Lombok and handles day-to-day concerns. Together they receive and act on every concern, decide when to involve the authorities, keep safeguarding records, and make sure staff are trained.

Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead: Raja Aditya Siagian, Principal Conservation Lead. Raja leads our school and community outreach and is the main contact for schools and local authorities. He covers whenever the DSLs are unavailable, or when a concern involves one of them.

Directors make sure this policy is followed, resourced and reviewed every year.

At least one of Izy or Raja is on site in Lombok whenever expeditions are running.

Safer recruitment and checks

We check that the people we bring in are suitable before they work with children or adults at risk.

• Staff who run or regularly attend school outreach: a police clearance check before they start, renewed every two years. That is an SKCK for Indonesian staff, a basic DBS check for UK residents, or the equivalent from the person's home country. They also complete safeguarding training.
• Other staff and volunteers who join an occasional community event do not need a check. Like participants, they take part in a group, with teachers or organisers present, and never have one-to-one or unsupervised contact with a child.
• Expedition participants do not need a criminal record check to join an outreach activity. They take part only as supervised helpers, in a group, with the school's teachers and SORCE staff present the whole time.
• Before any outreach activity or community event, everyone taking part is briefed on this policy and the code of behaviour below. Anyone who does not follow it is removed from the activity straight away.
• SORCE may still ask for a check (Terms and Conditions, clause 16) from anyone whose role changes to involve more regular contact with children.
• Everyone reads and signs this policy and our Code of Conduct during induction.

No SORCE staff member, volunteer or participant is ever left alone with a child; a teacher, parent or guardian is always present.

Code of behaviour

Everyone working or taking part with SORCE must:

• treat children and adults at risk with respect, and never hit, shout at, humiliate or threaten anyone;
• avoid being alone with a child out of sight of others; work in pairs or in open, visible spaces;
• never enter a child's room or sleeping area, or invite a child into their own;
• never have a sexual or romantic relationship with anyone under 18, whatever local law says, and never pay for sex;
• never give a child alcohol, cigarettes or drugs, or be under the influence when responsible for children;
• not give gifts or money to individual children; support the school or community instead;
• keep personal contact details and social media private from children they meet through SORCE;
• respect local culture, dress codes and laws;
• report any concern about another person's behaviour, however small.

Participants under 18

Our expeditions and courses, including the Marine Science A-Level, are for adults aged 18 and over.

Occasionally a young person aged 16 or 17 may join an Eco-Venture, and some of our dive courses and workshops accept participants from age 12. They can only do so with a parent or legal guardian who takes part with them. That parent or guardian:

• stays legally responsible for them throughout;
• supervises them at all times, on site and off;
• gives SORCE their medical information and emergency contacts before arrival.

SORCE staff and other participants are never left alone with an under-18 participant; their parent or guardian is always present.

Schools and local communities

In our education outreach, SORCE takes part as a guest, much like a visiting lecturer. The school's teachers remain responsible for their pupils throughout.

• We only work with schoolchildren when their teachers are present, for every session and activity.
• Expedition participants who join outreach take part in group activities, such as planting mangroves with the pupils, under the supervision of the school's teachers and our staff.
• SORCE staff and participants are never left alone with a child; a teacher is always present.
• We do not run activities in children's homes or offer one-to-one sessions.
• We only partner with schools and organisations that have suitable safeguarding standards of their own (Terms and Conditions, clause 17.5).
• Concerns about a local child are reported to the DSL, who will raise them with the school and, where needed, the relevant Indonesian authorities.

Photos, social media and online contact

• We only photograph or film children with the permission of their school or parent or guardian, and never in a state of undress or in a way that could embarrass them.
• We never publish a child's name with their picture. We only name a school alongside photos of its pupils when the school has agreed in writing and parents have been told and given the chance to opt their child out.
• Participants and staff must not post photos of local children on their personal social media.
• Staff and participants must not contact children met through SORCE by phone, messaging apps or social media, other than through official SORCE channels with a parent or teacher included.
• Images of under-18 participants follow the same rules, and their parent or guardian may opt them out of our publicity.

Recognising abuse

Abuse can be physical, emotional or sexual, or it can be neglect, exploitation or bullying, including online. It can be carried out by adults or by other young people.

Signs can include unexplained injuries, sudden changes in behaviour, fear of a particular person, inappropriate sexual knowledge, or an adult giving a child special attention or gifts. A sign is not proof, but it is always a reason to talk to the DSL.

If you have a concern, or someone tells you something

1. Someone in immediate danger? Make them safe and call emergency services first (Indonesia: 112), then tell the DSL.
2. Listen calmly. Let them speak, do not ask leading questions, and do not investigate yourself.
3. Do not promise secrecy. Explain that you must tell the people who can help keep them safe.
4. Report the same day to the DSL, or the deputy if the DSL is unavailable or involved.
5. Write it down as soon as possible: date, time, what you saw or were told in their own words, and who was there. Sign it and give it to the DSL.
6. The DSL decides the next step, which can include contacting parents or guardians, the school, the police or local child protection services, or the participant's home authorities.
7. Keep it confidential. Only discuss it with the people who need to know.

Concerns about a member of staff, volunteer or participant

Report it to the DSL straight away. If the concern is about the DSL, report it to the deputy or a director.

The person concerned may be removed from contact with children while it is looked into, without assuming they are guilty. Proven misconduct leads to dismissal or removal from the expedition (Terms and Conditions, clauses 10 and 11) and, where the law requires, a report to the police and the relevant authorities, including the UK Disclosure and Barring Service.

Anyone who raises a concern in good faith is protected. They will not lose their job or place for doing so, even if the concern turns out to be unfounded.

Records, training and review

• Records: the DSL keeps safeguarding records securely and separately from other files, with access limited to the DSL, the deputy and the directors. They are kept in line with our Privacy Statement and data protection law.
• Training: all staff complete safeguarding training when they join and refresh it every two years. The DSL and deputy complete advanced (DSL-level) training.
• Induction: every participant is briefed on this policy and how to raise a concern during their first days on site.
• Review: the directors review this policy every year, and after any serious incident.

Key contacts

Registered in England and Wales: 11363501. Version 2.0. Last reviewed 12 November 2026.