1. Our Mission

Children and young people have a right to protection, respect, and safe spaces. As a non-profit organization that takes children out on the water, we take this responsibility seriously. Sail for Kids is committed to protecting children from violence, abuse, and neglect – whether emotional, physical, or sexual.

2. Who we are and who this policy applies to

Sail for Kids organizes sailing trips for children and young people from social institutions. The children always travel accompanied by educational professionals or parents provided by the respective partner institutions. These chaperones bring their own professional child protection expertise and are responsible for the educational care of the children. In doing so, they do not act on behalf of Sail for Kids, but within the framework of their contractual obligation to their sending institution.

Sail for Kids’ responsibility is primarily directed at the skippers and co-skippers we deploy, who bear the nautical responsibility and have direct contact with the children. This policy applies accordingly to:

• Skippers and co-skippers
• Accompanying helpers from Sail for Kids
• Employees of our partner organization, insofar as they work on our behalf

3. Selection and suitability of Sail for Kids chaperones

Sail for Kids places great importance on the careful selection of all persons who are in direct contact with children.

• All adults deployed by Sail for Kids should present an enhanced certificate of good conduct that is no older than two years. Upon request, Sail for Kids will issue a confirmation for the relevant authorities so that applicants generally do not incur any costs. The consistent implementation of this requirement is currently being introduced and will be mandatory for everyone from the 2026 season.
• Before the trip begins, all skippers and helpers receive this child protection policy as well as a written skipper briefing with specific instructions on behavior on board.

4. Duty of care and distribution of roles

The roles on board are clearly separated:

• The educational duty of care lies with the accompanying professionals or parents – not with the skippers.
• The skippers are responsible for the nautical safety and management of the vessel.
• Tasks and responsibilities are clearly coordinated within the team before every trip.

This clarity of roles is intentional: skippers are experienced sailors, not educators. Their strength lies in the safe operation of the vessel – the support of the children is in the hands of the professionals.

5. Rules of conduct for interacting with children

All adults deployed by Sail for Kids ensure respectful and boundary-safe interactions with children. This includes:

• No physical contact without consent – no unannounced hugs, no tickling, or forced touching.
• Interacting as equals – children are listened to, and their will is respected.
• Respecting privacy – no entering children’s cabins without announcement; skippers do not stay in the same cabin as children.
• No discriminatory or derogatory language.

6. Photo, video, and social media policy

Sail for Kids is active on social media, especially on Instagram, and documents trips with photo and video material. This area is particularly important to us – we handle it with care.

• Before each trip, the declaration of participation is used to ask in writing who may be shown in photos and videos and who may not. Children for whom no consent has been given will not be shown.
• Skippers and helpers do not take private mobile phone photos or videos of children without consulting the project management.
• All communication from Sail for Kids and skippers with the partner institutions takes place exclusively before and after a trip via the institutions and chaperones – not directly with the children.
• If children or young people reach out independently via Instagram afterwards, that is not a problem. Responses are friendly and brief.

7. Reporting irregularities or suspected cases

Every observation that indicates boundary-violating behavior or a threat is taken seriously – regardless of who is involved.

Reports are treated confidentially and reported to our child protection officers:

Ümit Uzun & Philipp Lenner – info@sailforkids.org

8. Intervention chain – what happens in the event of an incident?

In the event of an incident before or after the trip:

• Document the observation (what, when, who, context)
• Confidential report to the child protection officers
• In case of serious suspicion: report to youth services or the police
• Involved persons may be excluded from participation until the matter is clarified

In the event of an incident during an ongoing trip:

Since Sail for Kids trips always take place with educational professionals, the primary contact person in the event of a child protection incident is the accompanying professional – not the skipper.

Should a skipper nevertheless be the first to be confronted with an incident, the following applies:

• Stay calm – listen to the child, do not pressure or question them
• No independent investigation – no confrontational questioning of other parties involved
• Inform the professional on board – immediately and confidentially
• Contact the child protection officers – by phone, during the trip if possible
• Document – record the observation in writing as soon as the situation allows

In acute danger situations:

The child’s safety comes first – if necessary, change course and head for a harbor.

9. Follow-up and feedback

After every trip, everyone involved has the opportunity to give feedback – including on aspects of child protection. This feedback helps us to continuously improve our trips and further develop protective measures.

10. Commitment and further development

This policy is an integral part of our work. It is regularly reviewed and adapted. All adults deployed by Sail for Kids agree to the principles described here by participating in a trip.

For questions or feedback: info@sailforkids.org
As of: March 2026