CHILD PROTECTION POLICY

CHAIRMAN:   Anne Ellis
ORGANISER: Carol Thompson

PRELIMINARY STATMENT:  The safety of children and members of other vulnerable groups is paramount and all, without exception, have the right to protection from abuse.  All suspicions and allegations of abuse will be taken seriously and responded to swiftly and appropriately and all the charity’s trustees, staff and volunteers have a responsibility to report concerns.

1.         PURPOSE AND FUNCTION OF THE FESTIVAL:    To organise an annual Performing Arts Festival.  To advance and develop work in connection with education in the arts.  To enable schools, groups and individuals to have a platform for their art form with the advantage of a professional adjudication.

2.         THE FESTIVAL ENVIRONMENT:     The Festival takes place in The Courtyard Centre for the Arts and in other community buildings in the City of Hereford, where health and safety regulations are implemented by the Courtyard Centre for the Arts or venue owners respectively.  The Festival Committee has endeavoured to create a safe and caring environment and, in doing so, we make it clear here in our Policy, that we expect children under 18 years of age, and vulnerable adults, whether entering the festival individually or in groups, to be accompanied to the festival by parents/guardians/carers, or by adults appointed by them, who may be teachers.

3.         TO WHOM DOES THIS POLICY APPLY:     This policy relates to children under the age of 18 years and those vulnerable adults of any age who are identified to the organisers prior to their arrival at the festival.  This should be done by contacting the Festival Office, P.O Box 181, Hereford. HR2 9YN or telephoning 01981 250899.   In recognising the needs of children from minority ethnic groups and children who are disabled, the festival actively seeks to meet the needs notified to the festival by parents/guardians/carers and/or teachers.

4.         FESTIVAL PERSONNEL:                  With the exception of the Festival Organiser, all Festival personnel, including the committee are volunteers.  Recruitment of festival personnel is by personal recommendation of those volunteers already involved with the festival.  All festival personnel have a copy of this Child Protection Policy and agreed to support it.   All festival personnel provide address details that are logged in the festival records.   All Festival personnel are identified by badges.   Anyone wearing a badge may be approached if you have a problem and will be able to direct you to the Steward in Charge who will be able to help.  Every problem will be taken seriously and will be documented and dated.

5.         PREPARATION FOR ATTENDANCE AT THE FESTIVAL: Where parents/guardians/carers are not personally attending with their children, this Policy requires them to be satisfied that their children will be accompanied to the festival and adequately supervised by responsible adults acting on their behalf and, in arranging this, their attention is drawn to paragraphs 2, 4, 6 and 7.

6.         PERFORMANCE AREAS AND CHANGING AREAS:             Public, changing and practice areas are unsupervised but will be patrolled from time to time by committee members.  Parents and teachers should be vigilant for the safety and welfare of children at all times.

7.         PHOTOGRAPHS, VIDEOTAPES AND PRESS PHOTOGRAPHY:   Photography, filming, video, tape-recording, digital recording by any means is strictly prohibited.  Only a professIonal photographer, whose details have been processed through the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB), and has been appointed by the Festival Committee, may take photographs.  Press photography will only be allowed by written parental consent.

8.         THE LEGISLATION AND GUIDANCE THAT SUPPORTS THIS POLICY:  The Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974;The Children Act 1989; The Police Act 1997; The Data Protection Act 1998; The Human Rights Act 1998; The Protection of Children Act 1999; The Criminal Justice and Court Services Act 2000; The Children Act 2004; The Vulnerable Groups Act 2006.

9.         POLICY REVIEW:  The Organisers will constantly review their policy, improving and enhancing it as necessary.  In doing this they will look to the British and International Federation of Festivals for support and that body, in turn, will look to other agencies for good practice, most notably the NSPCC and Arts Council of England policy guidelines.

October 2011