Hack Club Events Safeguarding Policy

Adopted and Published January 15, 2026 | 8-10 minute read

This policy is being beta-tested by all in-person Hack Club events, and will be rolled out fully by Summer, 2026. Please direct any inquiries to safeguarding@hackclub.com.

  1. Purpose

    1.1 Overview

    • The purpose of this Safeguarding Policy (the "Policy") is to ensure that all participants, volunteers, mentors and staff at Hack Club are safe, respected, and supported. It reflects the spirit of the Hack Club Code of Conduct (respect, kindness and inclusive behavior).

  2. Scope

    2.1 Application

    • This policy applies to everyone involved with Hack Club events globally:

      • Participants (aged 13-18)
      • Parents/guardians of participants
      • Organizers, event staff and volunteers
      • Mentors, guest speakers, external vendors and venue staff
      • Any other individual present at the event

      It covers all event locations (hacking venue, sleeping/rest areas if applicable, common spaces) and event-related activities (pre-event, the 24-hour/12-hour event, social time, post-event wrap-up).

    2.2 Safeguarding Principles

    • Everyone must be treated with dignity, respect, and fairness regardless of age, background, identity, or characteristics. This includes, but is not limited to a person's gender identity, sex, ethnicity, disability, race or language.

    • The safety and welfare of minors must be the paramount consideration.

    • Behavior must align with the Hack Club Code of Conduct: no bullying, harassment, discrimination, or inappropriate interpersonal conduct.

    • All concerns or incidents must be reported swiftly (timeline based on our triage chart) using our incident reporting form (see 6.3) and handled sensitively, with report confidentiality ensured. Incident reviewers must provide consistent support and provide solid reasoning for actions taken on a report.

    • We adopt a "duty of care" mindset: proactively reducing risks, not just reacting to problems. All participants, volunteers, mentors and staff are required to report any concerns or incidents to the point of contact(s) / safeguarding officer.

  3. Roles & Responsibilities

    3.1 Local Event Lead / Point of Contact

    • Responsible for safeguarding implementation and oversight.

    • Ensures all staff/volunteers are briefed, trained, and aware of this policy.

    3.2 Safeguarding Officer(s)

    • All approved Hack Club events will appoint one or more designated staff members with specialized training in safeguarding (e.g., safe-space, child protection).

    • These officers will be trained via our online training modules.

    • Officer accreditations will be available for review by request.

    • Officers' contact details are communicated clearly to all participants, volunteers and parents/guardians. These contact details must remain clearly accessible to all in a written form, such as on an event website.

    • Officers are responsible for handling any reports of safeguarding concerns or incidents.

    • Officers liaise with venue security/emergency services if needed.

    3.3 Staff & Volunteers

    • All staff and volunteers must abide by this policy, have a basic understanding of child safeguarding guidelines, and agree to behave in line with Hack Club's Code of Conduct.

    • Staff and volunteers must know how to recognise signs of concern (bullying, harassment, disclosure of abuse, mental distress) and understand how to report observed signs of concern.

    • Staff and volunteers must clearly communicate the reporting methods outlined in this document to all participants. This includes providing them with clearly accessible written instructions on how to submit a report, and communicating that they will never have action taken against them for submitting a report, unless said report is proven without a doubt to be maliciously falsified.

    • Staff and volunteers must maintain appropriate boundaries with participants (physical, digital, conversational) and must never be alone with a minor.

    • Staff and volunteers should not be interacting with minors in a space outside the view of other staff.

    • ALL DIGITAL COMMUNICATIONS TO PARTICIPANTS MUST BE THROUGH SLACK OR HACK CLUB EMAILS. WhatsApp, Discord or other communication tools with common usage is allowed when Slack or Hack Club email is not available or has limited utility. Organizers are encouraged to limit the use to group chats with more than one staff member present.

    3.4 Participants

    • All event participants are expected to behave in line with the Hack Club Code of Conduct and this Safeguarding Policy. Be a good human being.

    • Participants must understand the consequences that can arise from conduct violations.

    • Participants are responsible for educating themselves on the Code of Conduct, and wholly liable for their own violations.

    • Participants must be made aware of reporting methods and instructed as to whom to speak to if they witness/experience conduct violations.

    3.5 Parents / Guardians

    • Parents/guardians must provide consent for participation, emergency contact details, media consent, and disclose any relevant medical or support needs on behalf of minor participants. (see 6.7)

    • Parents and guardians must be clearly informed of this policy, emergency procedures, and how to contact the organizers at any point during the Event. Any parental concerns must be addressed by the organizers within a reasonable timeframe.

    • Parents and guardians are not exempt from this policy nor the Code of Conduct, and are expected to behave respectfully towards any staff or participants they interact with.

    • Unless otherwise specified by event organizers, parents and guardians are not allowed to remain in event spaces, for the safety and comfort of all participants.

  4. Risk Management & Environment

    4.1 Venue & Supervision

    • Event venues must be assessed for safety and a risk assessment must be completed prior to the start of the event. The following concerns must be assessed and documented prior to the event:

    1. Availability and locations of emergency exits

    2. Accessibility of restroom facilities (United States venues must comply with the ADA)

    3. Availability of safe sleeping/rest zones (if applicable to the event)

    4. Acceptable lighting (ideally configurable by event staff)

    5. Security of all venue entrances/exits (venue entrances / exits must be staffed, or lockable to prevent unauthorized persons from entering)

    • At all times during the event, there must be sufficient staff supervision (staff members having age of majority in your jurisdiction) relative to the number and age of participants. Our recommendation is 1 member of staff to 15 participants.

    • Participants must not roam unsupervised in restricted or remote areas. Participants are expected to remain within the event perimeter throughout its entire duration, unless explicitly granted permission by staff to leave.

    • To support participants' needs each event should have a designated quiet working room and a quiet break room, as space allows for participants.

    4.2 Check-in / Check-out

    • Arrival and departure of participants must be logged (time, name, guardian contact) using the provided administrative tools (Attend, Cockpit, etc.).

    • If participants are to potentially leave the venue during an event, an explicit protocol must have been pre-defined by event organizers (parent/guardian sign-out, staff accompaniment, etc)

    • Minor participants must have explicit written parental consent to leave the venue. It is the organizers' responsibility to ensure this consent has been established and documented before authorizing a participant to leave.

    4.3 Mentor/Participant Boundaries

    • Mentors and staff should not share personal contact details (personal phone, social media, etc.) with participants. Work emails, Hack Club Slack user ID, and public social media profiles may be shared upon request.

    • One-on-one mentoring is permissible but should occur in visible open spaces, with at least one other volunteer present.

    • Physical contact must be appropriate, initiated by a participant, culturally sensitive, consenting, and minimal. (Ex. handshakes and high fives may be fine, hugs probably not.)

    4.4 Behavioral Rules

    • The unprescribed consumption, sale, or trade of alcohol, tobacco, marijuana and any controlled substances by any participant, organizer, or staff member is prohibited.

    • Anyone found to be under the influence of substances at an event will face harsh consequences. This is a Hack Club red line, and can result in calls to local authorities.

    • Inappropriate content (sexual, violent, discriminatory) in any participant communications or presentations is expressly prohibited. What warrants inappropriate content is at the discretion of Hack Club staff. This will result in a referral to the Hack Club conduct team (also referred to as the fire department)

    • Participants and organizers are prohibited from using event communication channels to disseminate inappropriate or hateful content, solicit or advertise products or services, or harass other participants or organizers. This will result in a referral to the Hack Club conduct team (also referred to as the fire department).

    • Participants, organizers, and staff are expected to respect quiet/shutdown times, rest breaks, water breaks, and individual health needs.

  5. Medical & Emergency Procedures

    5.1 First Aid

    • Each event should have a first-aid kit fully stocked as per your country's health department guidelines. We highly recommend an organizer familiarizes themselves on how to use their first aid kit.

    • Participants must disclose relevant medical/health information to Hack Club in advance (allergies, conditions, medications).

    • Emergency contact info and guardian contacts must be rapidly accessible from a secure location for the event organizers.

    • Incident log should be maintained (time, person, description, action taken) through the First Aid Incident Form.

    • Over the counter medication is only available if parent/guardian provided explicit permission on Attend and only the specific medication (including brand, name, dosage and timing) approved on the form.

  6. Participant Welfare

    6.1 Recognising concerns

    • Concerns may include (but aren't limited to):
      • Bullying, harassment, discrimination, coercion.
      • Sexual or physical abuse or inappropriate behaviour
      • A participant disclosing personal safeguarding concerns (self-harm, abuse at home, etc)
      • A staff/volunteer breaching physical or emotional boundaries
      • Mental health crisis, or participant behaving out of character and posing risk to self/others.

    6.2 Reporting Mechanism

    • There must be clear, visible signage online and in-person notifying participants/guardians how to contact both the event organizer and the Hack Club team.

    • Staff/volunteers must report concerns immediately to the lead organizer / point of contact.

    • For every incident, the incident reporting form must be completed and submitted through the relevant administrative tool (i.e. Attend).

    6.3 Mandated Reporting

    • Mandatory submission: All safeguarding incidents, regardless of severity, must be reported by the Event Lead or Safeguarding Officer through the Hack Club organizer dashboard as soon as possible; reports must be made within 18 hours of the incident occurring.

    • Confidentiality: Reports submitted via Hack Club tools are confidential and accessible only to Hack Club HQ staff and designated safeguarding personnel.

    • Timeline: Report emergencies immediately to local emergency services. Urgent incidents (cases of immediate danger, serious harm, or where statutory reporting requirements take effect) must be reported to Hack Club HQ (after appropriate emergency services are contacted) immediately via phone (+18556254225) or email (safeguarding@hackclub.com) in addition to the form submission.

    • Consequences: Failure to submit a mandated report may result in organizers being barred from running future Hack Club events and may affect the event's insurance coverage and Hack Club support.

    • Support: Hack Club HQ will review all reports, provide guidance on next steps, and offer support to organizers in handling complex situations. Reports contribute to ongoing safeguarding improvement across all Hack Club events.

    6.4 Confidentiality & Support

    • All reports will be stored and processed confidentially. Information will only be shared on a "need-to-know" basis.

    • Support must be offered to any affected participant (e.g if appropriate, parental contact).

    • No retaliation or discrimination will be tolerated against someone who reports a concern or experiences bullying or harm at an event.

    6.5 Disciplinary Actions

    • In the event that a Hack Club team member or Event Lead is made aware of misconduct by a participant/staff/volunteer, the offender's consequences may include: warning, removal from the event, being sent home (guardian contact required), and/or banning from future events/Hack Club as a whole.

    • Serious breaches (abuse, violence, sexual misconduct) will lead to immediate removal and referral to authorities. As previously stated, the safety and welfare of minors is our paramount consideration.

    • All actions will align with the principle of fairness and transparency, and maintain the event's baseline Code of Conduct standards.

    6.6 Review & Continuous Improvement

    • After the event, organizers will conduct a safeguarding debrief, reviewing incidents logged, lessons learned, and feedback gathered.
    • This policy will be reviewed annually.
    • All changes will be clearly communicated to future participants/staff/volunteers.

    6.7 Consent & Parental/Guardian Involvement

    • Explicit consent from a parent/guardian must be obtained for minors to participate. The following information must also be disclosed:
    • Participant details (name, age, school)
    • Emergency contact(s)
    • Necessary medical and/or health information (allergies, medications, support needs)
    • If the participant has attendance restrictions (e.g. leaving early)
    • Parents/guardians must receive event schedule, arrival/departure times, venue address, and contact information for the Safeguarding Officer and lead organizer.
    • If a participant leaves the venue before the end of the event without permission, the parent/guardian of the individual must be informed and the Safeguarding Officer notified.