Implemented from March 2018
ALDERSHOT & FARNBOROUGH FESTIVAL OF MUSIC AND ART
CHILD SAFEGUARDING POLICY
1. AIM OF THIS POLICY
The safety of children and members of other vulnerable groups is paramount and all, without exception, have the right to protection from abuse. This Policy describes the measures that will be implemented by Festival organisers to ensure the safety of children participating in Festival events. All suspicions and allegations of abuse will be taken seriously and responded to swiftly and appropriately, and all the trustees and volunteers have a responsibility to report concerns.
2. TO WHOM THIS POLICY APPLIES
This policy applies to all Festival organisers and volunteers, to persons under the age of 18 years who are participating in the Festival and to vulnerable adults. Persons under the age of 18 and vulnerable adults will hereafter be referred to as “children” in this Policy. The management of the venue where a section of the Festival is held will have no influence over the running of the Festival, except insofar as the Festival is required to meet the general conditions for the hire of the premises.
3. FESTIVAL PERSONNEL
All those involved in the organising and running of the Festival, with the exception of the adjudicators, are volunteers and receive no payment other than the reimbursement of agreed expenses.
The Festival will ensure as far as is reasonably practicable that the all-volunteer personnel are suitable for their positions within the organisation. Helpers will be recruited by individual section organisers, preferably through personal recommendation. Attendance by volunteers will be recorded and the record retained for one year; volunteers will be identifiable by badge; they will be briefed on how to deal with incidents; incidents will be recorded and that record retained for 25 years; personnel will be instructed that they should not, other than in exceptional and unavoidable circumstances, allow themselves to be alone with any child.
Should it be considered that any volunteers will be in charge of or have regular contact with children then consideration will be given, in consultation with the Festival Safeguarding Officer, to obtaining a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) clearance; discussion of such matters and any decision taken will be minuted and the record retained.
4. SUPERVISION OF CHILDREN AND VULNERABLE ADULTS
Neither the Festival, nor the owners of the premises in which the Festival is held, will accept responsibility for the supervision of any child in any part of those premises. Parents entering children for the Festival will remain responsible for their adequate supervision at all times. Where parents are not personally attending with their children they must satisfy themselves that their children will be adequately supervised.
Persons other than the parents entering children for the Festival will be responsible for their adequate supervision at all times, making such arrangements as may be necessary with the parents to satisfy them of this.
In both cases, supervisory responsibility shall include any children accompanying the entrant.
Entry forms must be signed by the adult who will be responsible for this supervision to indicate understanding and acceptance of the Safeguarding Policy and, in particular, of the conditions regarding supervision of entrants.
Members of the public are admitted as audience at the discretion of the volunteers running the individual sections. The Festival accepts no responsibility for the supervision of children whose only association with the Festival is their admission as members of the public to the audience.
Males will not be admitted to female changing rooms, and vice versa. Persons whose physical characteristics appear to be of one gender, but who self-identify as the opposite gender, will not, at the discretion of the organisers, be admitted to an inappropriate changing room.
5. DISSEMINATION OF THIS POLICY
This Policy will be promulgated in each Section Syllabus and summarised in a “reminder” on entry forms, call cards or their equivalent. It will be displayed at Festival venues, on Festival websites and be available on request to the Festival Secretary, accompanied by a stamped and addressed envelope.
6. PHOTOGRAPHY AND RECORDING
No form of photographic or video recoding will be permitted during performances other than by the official photographer appointed by the Festival organisers. Competitors may be photographed by the official photographer during their performances unless ‘no photography’ is requested on the entry form.
7. LEGISLATION AND GUIDANCE SUPPORTING THIS POLICY
The Rehabilitation Of Offenders Act 1974; The Children Act 1989; The Police Act 1977; 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.
8. POLICY REVIEW
The Festival Committee will regularly review this Policy.
9. INQUIRIES
All inquiries regarding this Policy should be addressed to:
The Secretary
22 Cross Street
Farnborough
Hants
GU14 6AB
Festival Committee
Aldershot & Farnborough Festival of Music & Art
March 2018