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Salvaguarda Infantil

Advisory, technical training and development in institutional safeguarding

We turn challenges into pathways that protect children and adolescents.

The term Institutional Safeguarding is the updated name for “Child and Adolescent Protection” within an organization. What used to be called a “Child and Adolescent Protection Policy” is now a “Safeguarding Policy”.

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Institutional safeguarding

What is institutional safeguarding?

It is the responsibility organizations have to ensure that their staff, operations, programs and activities do not cause harm to children, adolescents and vulnerable adults.

Safeguarding includes policies, procedures and practices aimed both at preventing harm and at responding and ensuring accountability when harm occurs.

Ensuring institutional safeguarding requires a technical, transparent and preventive structure. Far beyond good will, safeguarding is built through fundamental elements that shape the organization's culture of protection.

These include:

  1. Safeguarding Policy
  2. Robust, Mandatory Code of Conduct
  3. Safe Recruitment
  4. Ongoing Training and Capacity Building
  5. Partner Management
  6. Communication and Data Protection
  7. Guidelines for Events and Travel
  8. Effective Reporting and Response Mechanism
  9. Care for People
  10. Well-Established Governance

Reflect on your reality:

  • Does your organization already have these elements structured and active?
  • Do you have people serving as focal point and management?

Don't wait for an incident to find out where the gaps are — they come at a very high price.

We are here to turn challenges into pathways that protect children and adolescents. We walk alongside organizations, with experience and compassion, developing contextualized safeguarding solutions.

Book your free initial assessment with us!
How we work

We walk alongside organizations, with experience and compassion, developing contextualized safeguarding solutions.

We offer comprehensive support:

Assessment and risk mapping

Safe, confidential and welcoming reporting channels

Immediate action plans centered on the victim's well-being

Strong governance with clear accountability

Well-trained, effective safeguarding committees

Solutions, policies and training for your organization's Communications and ITConsent for the use of children's images, storage, and guidance on taking photos, videos, and image and voice recordings of children and vulnerable adults.

Our solutions and services are tailored with all the dedication your organization needs and the safeguarding your beneficiaries deserve.

Services

Our services

Policy and Governance

  • Policy Development
  • Policy Review
  • Safeguarding Policy Implementation Plan and Timeline
  • Safeguarding Committee
  • Recording and Monitoring System and Annual Safeguarding Plan

Training and Capacity Building

  • Awareness-raising
  • Code of Conduct for Volunteers and Staff
  • Focal Point Training
  • Concerns and Reports/Flowchart
  • Responding to Spontaneous Disclosure
  • Refresher/Ongoing Training

Safe Recruitment

  • Job Postings
  • Forms
  • Safeguarding and Protection Questions
  • Reference Checks
  • Interviews
  • Criminal Record Checks — Request, Storage, etc.
  • Document Signing
  • Induction Training

Advisory

Attentive listening and a compassionate journey
  • Risk Assessment
  • Assessments
  • Urgent Matters
  • Questions about Procedures
  • Setting Up a Safeguarding Department
  • Focal Point Support
  • Communications/IT and Safeguarding Solutions: consent for the use of images, voice, records and storage, etc.

Culture of Protection, Care and Participation

  • Workshop preparation
  • Children
  • Adolescents
  • Families and Adults
  • Talking Map/Listening
  • Children's Participation in Building Safe Environments
  • Activities for Different Audiences
Which organizations need it?

Which organizations benefit from child safeguarding?

The answer is simpler than it seems:

Every organization that has contact with children and adolescents needs to take on safeguarding responsibilities, even when that contact is occasional or indirect.

This includes, for example:

Schools, daycare centers and educational institutions

Sports clubs and gyms with activities for children and adolescents

NGOs, shelters and residential care services

Churches and faith-based organizations

International cooperation and development organizations

Organizations that, even without children as their main audience, run activities, programs or events where children are present

The question every organization should ask itself is:

Do our staff, programs, operations or activities come into contact with children and adolescents?

If the answer is yes, even if “only sometimes”, the organization needs to consider how to prevent, identify and respond to possible situations of harm.

No matter the size of the organization or the sector it works in.

The responsibility to protect children and adolescents comes with any organization that shares spaces, activities or relationships with people who are still developing.

About

Who we are

We are a consultancy offering advisory services, technical training and development in institutional safeguarding.

We offer contextualized safeguarding solutions, built on shared, well-applied experience and combined with our compassion for children, adolescents, families, communities and organizations facing challenges due to a lack of technical, careful and well-directed knowledge.

Hand in hand with each organization, we work toward stronger institutional safeguarding.

Children side by side, seen from the waist down, at a party with balloons
Photo: Pexels - Arina Krasnikova

We have a calling for the protection of children and adolescents.

In 2027, we will celebrate 20 years of study and practice in this field, in Brazil and abroad — in Africa, Asia and the Americas — working in Portuguese, English and Spanish.

20 yearsof study and practice in 2027
3 continentsAfrica, Asia and the Americas
3 languagesPortuguese, English and Spanish

A pioneering history

Throughout our experience, we have served as safeguarding focal points and national agents and, as pioneers, we built and structured entire child protection departments in different international organizations, leading them from the start.

Supporting organizations

We support large and small organizations in the development and implementation of their safeguarding policies, as well as in developing procedures, training and monitoring processes.

Mentoring and training

We are mentors to new safeguarding focal points and leaders and work as teachers and facilitators in courses and training programs on a range of topics in the field, in Portuguese, English and Spanish.

Our Team

Meet our leaders

Andrea Espirito Santo

Andrea Espirito Santo

Founder of Salvaguarda Infantil | Technical Advisor and Trainer

Andrea has 17 years of experience in Child and Adolescent Protection and Safeguarding. A pioneer in the field, her career includes remarkable experiences:

  • MPC Brasil: was responsible for developing the documents and training, built the team and implemented the entire child protection department.
  • AMTB: was the first Brazilian to join the team and the first to coordinate the safeguarding department. She built the team that created the policy, training, safe recruitment and documents, and expanded the entire department.
  • World Vision Brasil: was a mentor to 30 facilitators in developing the Child Protection Policy of 15 organizations, among other work, such as mobilizing the Rede Juntos pelas Crianças (Together for Children Network).
  • COMIBAM: coordinated, in Spanish, the development of the first safeguarding protocol for children's and youth camps.

She was the first leader of Keeping Children Safe (KCS) in Brazil and its safeguarding advisor until July 2026, also facilitating courses in Portuguese and Spanish. She had the joy of facilitating the first Safeguarding Focal Point course in Portuguese with KCS.

Her international career includes two years of service in Thailand and short-term assignments in countries across Asia, Africa and South America. An author and designer of child protection courses, she also facilitates in-person, live online and self-paced online courses in partnership with various organizations.

She is a member of two major international institutional safeguarding networks:

  • the Keeping Children Safe network of independent professionals;
  • the CSPN – Child Safety and Protection Network, representing AMTB.

Andrea holds a master's degree in Educational Leadership from California Baptist University, studied Holistic Child Development at the Malaysia Baptist Theological Seminary and holds a bachelor's degree in Physical Therapy from the Catholic University of Santos.

She is the author of the magazine "Deus me criou, vou proteger meu corpo" (“God made me, I will protect my body”) and founder of the course platform "Espaço de Proteção".

Terezinha Candieiro

Terezinha Candieiro

Technical Trainer at Salvaguarda Infantil

In 2027, Terezinha will complete 20 years of experience in Child and Adolescent Protection and Safeguarding. A mentor to facilitators and leaders of international socio-educational projects for children, her career includes remarkable experiences:

  • JMM: has been with the organization for more than 35 years . For 24 years, she held various roles at PEPE International, including director, and was responsible for developing manuals, policies and training, and for the implementation of safeguarding and child protection in socio-missional preschools in Africa, Asia and the Americas. She was the rapporteur of JMM's first child protection policy and, to this day, is one of the leaders responsible for its updates and revisions, supporting training and the policy's implementation across the organization. Since 2024, she has been the global strategy leader for children.
  • World Vision Brasil: facilitated the development of the Child Protection Policy of two organizations, PIB SP and IBAB, and contributed talks and other events.
  • Diakonia, AEBVB and FEPAS: facilitated training on developing these organizations' Child Protection Policies.

Her international career includes two years in Uruguay and 15 years in Mozambique, where her son was born. She has carried out technical and field visits in 17 countries: 8 in the Americas, including Haiti and Venezuela, where she led training; 7 in Africa, including South Africa and Mozambique; and 2 in Asia, India and Malaysia. An author and designer of child protection courses, she also facilitates in-person, live online and self-paced online courses in partnership with various organizations.

She is a member of the Keeping Children Safe network of independent professionals.

Terezinha holds a master's degree in Holistic Child Development from the Malaysia Baptist Theological Seminary; postgraduate degrees in Human Rights and Public Policy for Children and Youth from PUCPR and in Social Projects: Management and Perspectives from Centro Universitário SENAC SP; a teaching degree in Pedagogy; and a bachelor's degree in Theology.

She is the author of the chapter "A mandate for safeguarding in the church context" in the book "God's heart for child protection and safeguarding: practical theology from global perspectives", of the magazine "Deus nos fez diferentes" (“God made us different”) and of scientific articles published in English and Portuguese.

Next steps

Shall we talk about safeguarding in your organization?

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