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TAX & LAW TELEGRAM

Let our experience be your guide 

TAX & LAW TELEGRAM

Let our experience be your guide 

TAX & LAW TELEGRAM

Let our experience be your guide 

TAX & LAW TELEGRAM

Let our experience be your guide 

TAX & LAW TELEGRAM

Let our experience be your guide 

TAX & LAW TELEGRAM

Let our experience be your guide 

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The polish Law on Protection of Minors also applies to employers – how to implement standards for the protection of minors?

Employers who organize apprenticeship training for minors must meet certain obligations under the law. One of the new requirements is the introduction of standards for the protection of minors, which aim to ensure safe conditions for minors in the workplace. The so-called polish Law on Protection of Minors of May 13, 2016 (law on prevention of sexual crime threats and protection of minors), which has been in effect in its amended version since February of this year, sets out the rules that businesses must implement in this regard.

What are the standards for the protection of minors?

The standards include, a.o., rules for ensuring safe relationships between minor employees and staff, and procedures for responding to situations of suspected abuse of minors. The main goal is to create a safe working environment in which minors are protected from all risks, including abuse of a sexual or psychological nature.

Who is affected by the protection standards?

The regulations require employers who organize practical training for young employees to implement standards for the protection of minors in the organization. Importantly, the implementation should apply to the entire organization, not just those directly supervising minors. This is particularly important, since in the future any employee may come into contact with minors, even if he or she is not in a day-to-day supervisory role. Therefore, it is worth ensuring that all employees are aware of the protection standards introduced. In addition, employees who come into contact with minors should make a statement that they are familiar with the procedure and be trained accordingly.

What are the employer’s responsibilities?

An employer who organizes apprenticeship training for young employees must implement and then make available standards for the protection of minors at least on his organization’s website and in a prominent place in the workplace. The standards should be available in a full version for employees and in an abbreviated form aimed directly at minors.

Importantly, the regulations require employers to verify employees who have contact with minors by providing by those employees certificates from the polish National Criminal Register and the polish National Registry of Sexual Offenders. The certificate should be requested by each employee independently, which can be particularly time-consuming for employers with multiple employees.

Employers should also train employees who come into contact with minors, which is another argument for practical training providers to start implementing these changes in their organization as soon as possible.

How to implement the standards?

The implementation of standards for the protection of minors can be done in the usual way in an organization. The most important thing is that employees have easy access to information about the procedures in place, and that minors feel safe. In addition to posting the standards in a conspicuous place and making them available online, it is worth considering informing employees in another form as well (e.g., by email), especially those who work with minors day-to-day.

Summary

The introduction of standards for the protection of minors is not only a legal obligation, but also an important part of building a safe and responsible workplace. Employers organizing practical training must ensure that appropriate procedures are in place to protect minors from potential dangers. Adhering to regulations and ensuring that employees are properly educated is the key to minimizing risks and building a safe work environment. However, it is important to remember that the deadline for implementing the standards has already passed, so employers should take action in this regard as soon as possible.

Author:
Paula Staszak-Urbańska, LL.M., Attorney-at-law (PL)

+49 30 88 03 59 0
berlin@vonzanthier.com
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