Our commitment
The children and young people of Dr Graham’s Homes come first — before the programme, before any Fellow, before Gap for Good itself. Every part of this programme is designed so that a Fellow’s presence at the school is a safe, positive and properly supervised addition to its life. This page sets out the standards we hold ourselves to. Where an arrangement is still being finalised ahead of the first placement, it is labelled honestly.
Who this covers
This policy applies to everyone acting for Gap for Good: the founder, any future staff and volunteers, and every Fellow from the moment they are selected — during preparation in the UK, throughout the placement at Dr Graham’s Homes, and in how the programme communicates, fundraises and uses photography afterwards.
Safer selection
Fellows are chosen through written application, references and personal interview, and we select for maturity and judgement as deliberately as for talent. With only two places a year, we never need to fill seats — and we turn down applicants who are not ready. Before any placement begins, every Fellow will complete an enhanced criminal-record check and the vetting appropriate to working with children overseas.
Training before departure
No Fellow travels without completing safeguarding preparation, covering: recognising and reporting concerns; the Fellow code of conduct; professional boundaries with pupils; safe use of images and social media; and the school’s own policies, which Fellows work within at all times.
Bright lines at the school
Fellows support qualified staff — they never replace them. Fellows do not teach unsupervised classes, administer discipline, provide medical or pastoral care, or take pupils off campus outside activities run and supervised by school staff. Fellows are never alone one-to-one with a pupil out of sight of others. These boundaries protect the pupils of Dr Graham’s Homes first — and they protect Fellows too.
Photography and social media
Images of pupils are taken and used only with the school’s consent and within its rules: no full names alongside images, no location tagging of individual children, and school sign-off on anything published. Fellows agree to these standards as part of their code of conduct.
Looking after Fellows
Safeguarding runs both ways. Fellows are young adults far from home, and the programme is built so that neither of the two can fall through the cracks: a named supervisor at Dr Graham’s Homes responsible for their induction, timetable and day-to-day welfare; a named contact at Gap for Good in the UK with scheduled check-ins; and a written emergency procedure covering illness, incidents and family emergencies at home.
Raising a concern
If you have a concern about the behaviour of anyone connected with Gap for Good, or about the welfare of a young person connected with the programme, contact us at hello@gapforgood.org. Every concern is taken seriously, recorded, and acted on — including, where appropriate, referral to Dr Graham’s Homes, to the relevant authorities in India or the UK, or to the police. If a child is at immediate risk, contact the local emergency services first.
A named safeguarding lead will be in place, and this policy reviewed by a qualified safeguarding professional, before the first placement.