Safeguarding and Ethics

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Rekindle is built on:

· Trauma‑informed principles.

· Child‑centred design.

· Zero tolerance for harassment or coercion.

· Clear boundaries for court‑monitored interactions.

· Full GDPR compliance.

· Transparent data handling.

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Children’s accounts are strictly opt‑in, activated only when they reach an age where they can legally and emotionally choose to reconnect.

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Safety Protocols

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Rekindle’s safety protocols are designed to protect children and adults from harm, prevent harassment or coercion, and ensure that reconnection happens only where it is safe, lawful, and genuinely wanted. These protocols apply across the platform, with enhanced safeguards for child‑ready accounts and court‑linked monitored spaces.

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Core safety principles

·  Child‑centred safeguarding: children’s wellbeing and autonomy come first, always.

·  Trauma‑informed practice: calm design, clear choices, no pressure, and pacing that reduces overwhelm.

·  Consent and control: reconnection is opt‑in, reversible, and boundary‑led at every step.

·  Privacy by design: collect only what is needed, keep it secure, and be transparent about use.

·  Zero tolerance for harm: harassment, coercion, grooming, threats, or doxxing trigger swift action.

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Onboarding and boundary setting

·  Safety-first onboarding that explains platform boundaries, consent rules, and acceptable behaviour in plain language.

·  User-defined privacy controls (visibility, discoverability, and who can contact whom).

·  “Non‑negotiables” and contact preferences (e.g., message-only, slow pacing, time windows) where messaging is enabled.

·  Block, mute, and “pause contact” tools that are immediate, simple, and reversible only by the person who enabled them.

·  Clear signposting that Rekindle is not an emergency service and how to seek urgent help.

Child‑ready accounts and age assurance

·       Children’s accounts are strictly opt‑in and activated only when a child reaches an appropriate age and can make an informed choice.

·  Age and identity assurance checks appropriate to risk level (especially for any feature that enables contact).

·  Default privacy settings for children and young people: minimal visibility, limited contact routes, and additional review where required.

·  No adult can initiate direct contact with a child account unless the child (and where applicable, a professional pathway) explicitly enables it.

·  Content presented to children is curated to be supportive, non‑pressuring, and free from manipulation.

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Community safety and moderation

·  Moderated peer spaces with published community standards and clear consequences for breaches.

·  Proactive and reactive moderation: flagged keywords/patterns, user reports, and routine review of high‑risk areas.

·  Zero tolerance for harassment, coercive control, hate, threats, sexual content involving minors, or sharing personal addresses/phone numbers.

·  Safeguarding-aware moderation: identifying manipulation tactics, grooming risk indicators, or escalating conflict.

·   Wellbeing safeguards for moderators (supervision, rota limits, and escalation support).

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Monitored spaces (Cafcass / court‑supported contact)

·  Case-linked access: entry to monitored spaces requires a defined referral/authorisation pathway and role-based permissions.

·  Structured rules of engagement: time limits, topic boundaries, and clear expectations for respectful communication.

·  Transparent logging for oversight: messages and actions are recorded to support safeguarding review and court reporting, where lawful and proportionate.

·  Professional oversight tools: pause contact, restrict features, or end a session where risk escalates.

·  Separate pathways for high-risk cases, including restricted contact and additional safeguarding checks.

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Reporting, triage, and escalation

·  In-platform reporting that is accessible from any post, message, or profile, with options such as harassment, coercion, self-harm concern, child safety concern, and privacy breach.

·  Risk-based triage by trained staff, with defined response times for high‑risk reports.

·  A clear escalation ladder (moderator → safeguarding lead → senior decision maker), including documented decisions and rationale.

·  Protective actions: content removal, temporary suspensions, permanent bans, contact blocks, and restrictions on discoverability or messaging.

·  Where there is credible risk of harm, Rekindle follows safeguarding procedures, including signposting, referral to appropriate services, and cooperation with statutory agencies where required by law.

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Incident response (urgent safety situations)

·  Immediate containment actions (pause contact, lock accounts, remove harmful content) while preserving necessary evidence.

·  Crisis signposting that is visible and context‑aware, including guidance to contact emergency services if someone is in immediate danger.

·  Safeguarding incident log maintained by the safeguarding lead, including actions taken and outcomes.

·  Post‑incident review to identify root causes, update controls, and improve user protections.

·  Regular tabletop exercises to test readiness for scenarios such as harassment spikes, doxxing attempts, or suspected child endangerment.

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Data protection and platform security

·  GDPR-aligned data handling: clear lawful basis, transparent notices, and user controls over their information.

·  Least-privilege access controls and role-based permissions for staff and professional users.

·  Encryption and secure storage for sensitive content and media uploads, with monitored backups and recovery procedures.

·  Audit logs for safety-critical actions (account changes, content removal, access to monitored spaces) to support oversight and investigations.

·  Security testing and ongoing monitoring (including penetration testing) with a documented breach response process.

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Governance, training, and continuous improvement

·  Named safeguarding lead responsible for oversight, training, escalation decisions, and safeguarding partnerships.

·  Mandatory training for staff and moderators: trauma‑informed practice, child safeguarding, coercive control indicators, digital safety, and data protection.

·  Regular reviews of safety performance (report volumes, response times, repeat harm indicators, and outcomes).

·  User feedback loops to improve safety tools without increasing pressure or conflict.

·  Formal policy review cadence and version control, with updates communicated clearly to users and professional partners.

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Together, these protocols ensure Rekindle remains a calm, tightly safeguarded space where reconnection can happen gently, transparently, and only where it is safe for everyone involved.