Child safeguarding
How the Foundation protects young participants and handles concerns.
Interim description, pending Foundation approval
This policy has not been formally adopted yet
The Foundation is finalising the approved wording with its advisers. Until then, the points below describe exactly what the platform does today, so you can see what you are agreeing to.
- Programmes for writers under eighteen require a parent or guardian to give consent before an entry can be judged.
- Consent is requested by email to the guardian named by the writer, and is recorded with the version of the consent wording that was shown, the time it was given and the address it came from.
- A guardian can withdraw consent at any time. Withdrawal removes the entry from consideration.
- We ask for the minimum information needed to establish eligibility. Where an age band is sufficient, we do not store a date of birth.
- Mentors and judges see only the work assigned to them. Judges in a blind round do not see the writer’s identity at all.
- A young person’s public author profile is opt-in and separate from their account record.
- Concerns about the welfare of a young person should be raised through the contact form and are escalated immediately.
Questions about any of this? Contact the Foundation.