While it's all very exciting that we've started working on the entire script from this week (despite it being half-term week!) and Young Thespians being quite intrigued and very much amused, I thought it appropriate at this point to share the following document:
SOUL CREATIONS
Child Protection Policy
Our Staff recognise that it is a privilege to work with children and that it is also a great responsibility. It is understood that parents/carers trust our staff to look after their children during the time they spend working with Soul Creations.
1. Policy statement
1.1. The present policy was drawn in accordance to the Children Act 1989, The Protection of Children Act 1999 and the Children Act 2004, where a child is defined as "a person under the age of 18".
1.2. Soul Creations has a duty of care to safeguard from harm all children involved in its artistic activities. All children have a right to protection: in particular, the needs of disabled children and people over the age of 18 who may be especially vulnerable due to mental or physical disability are taken hereby into account.
1.3. Therefore, this Policy will employ the term "child/children" with reference to young people under the age of 18, whether disable or not, and "disabled adults" with reference to people over the age of 18 with a disabilty and taking part to activities with Soul Creations, who remains committed to their protection from harm whether engaged in theatrical performances, workshops or rehearsals.
1.4. Soul Creations will take the appropriate steps to ensure that children and disabled adults are not exposed to reasonably foreseeable risk of injury, whether to their physical or mental health and wellbeing, through adhering to the Child Protection guidelines as set out below.
2. Policy aims
The aim of Soul Creations' Child Protection Policy is to promote good practice through:
2.1. Providing children and disabled adults with appropriate safety and protection whilst in the care of Soul Creations;
2.1. Allowing staff/volunteers to make informed and confident responses to specific child protection issues.
3. Child Protection Code of Conduct for Staff/Volunteers
All staff/volunteers involved with Soul Creations work will be encouraged to demonstrate exemplary behaviour in order to promote children's and disabled adults' welfare and reduce the likelihood of allegations being made.
The Policy requires staff/volunteers to always:
3.1. work in an open environment (e.g. avoiding private or unobserved situations) and encourage open communication with no secrets;
3.2. treat all children/disabled adults equally, and with respect and dignity;
3.3. always put the welfare of each child/disabled adult first, before achieving goals;
3.4. maintain a safe and appropriate distance with actors where applicable (e.g. it is unacceptable for staff/volunteers to have an intimate relationship with a child/disabled adult or to share changing rooms/rooms with them alone);
3.5. build balanced relationships based on mutual trust which empowers children and disabled adults to be directly involved in the decision-making process;
3.6. be an excellent role model, including not smoking, drinking alcohol or using impolite language during workshops/rehearsals, unless required by the script;
3.7. give enthusiastic and constructive feedback rather than negative criticism;
3.8. recognise the developmental needs and capacity of children/disabled adults, avoiding straining actors with rehearsal time and not pushing them against their will, but creating an environment that enables children and disabled adults to learn and develop in a safe, understanding and encouraging environment;
3.9. challenge any form of bullyism;
3.10. encourage independence, imagination and creative thinking.
The Policy requires staff/volunteers to never:
3.11. engage in rough, physical or sexually provocative games, including horseplay
3.12. share a room/changing room alone with a child/disabled adult
3.13. deal with arising Child Protection related issues by themselves and alone with a child/disabled adult
3.14. allow/engage in any form of inappropriate touching
3.15. challenge children's/young adults' inappropriate language/behaviour
3.16. make sexually suggestive comments to a child, even in fun
3.17. reduce a child/disabled adult to tears as a form of control
3.18. show favouritism
3.19. fail to act upon/record any allegations made by a child/disabled adult
3.20. do things of a personal nature that a child/disabled adult can do for themselves. If this is unavoidable, written parental consent must be obtained for staff/volunteers to act on behalf of the child/disabled adult, although staff/volunteers are required to keep talking with the child/disabled adult about what they're doing, and keep choices open wherever possible.
4. Health & Safety
Staff/volunteers will also:
4.1. nominate an appointed first aider that has to be present at every rehearsal and performance;
4.2. secure written parental consent to act in loco parentis, if the need arises, to administer first aid and/or other medical treatment or to call 999 in case of emergency, in the event a child/disabled adult might sustain an injury that requires immediate medical attention. The parent/carer will be then contacted;
4.3. keep accurate written record of any injury that may occur, along with the details of any treatment given;
4.4. stay with a child/disabled adult in case a parent/carer is late in collecting them;
4.5. if manual/physical activities must take place during workshops/rehearsals, this will be kept to a minimum and according to activities;
4.6. involve parents/carers whenever possible, for example in managing the changing rooms during costume/technical rehearsals and during performances, as well as on touring routes, where applicable;
4.7. dividing actors in groups according to gender and age when allocating changing rooms for costume/technical rehearsals and during performances;
4.8. make sure that parents/carers of the same gender are allocated to respective changing rooms, for which Soul Creations will provide registers;
5. Use of mobile phones/digital cameras/video imaging
5.1. The use of electronic devices is thoroughly discouraged during rehearsals and performances for listening to music, texting and phoning and it will be expected that all electronic devices be switched off during rehearsals to keep concentration among actors flowing and distractions to a minimum.
5.2. In due time, Soul Creations will set a social platform on the Internet to share pictures and videos of the cast in action while rehearsals are work in progress, and understands that cast members will want to actively participate.
5.3. Therefore, video imaging and photography will be allowed only under strict supervision and with verbal authorisation from the Child Protection officer on a day-to-day basis.
5.4. This is to protect the image and privacy of every child/disabled adult, for images could potentially offend a particularly vulnerable child when edited in a social network.
5.5. Written consent from parents/carers will be sought prior to start rehearsals to allow their children to be on photographs or videos, for marketing use by Soul Creations and for the social platform as marketing tool.
6. Extra Commitments
6.1. Effective management of staff and volunteers will be given through supervision, support and training, where applicable, by the designated officer.
6.2. Soul Creations will ensure that procedures for recruitment and selection of staff and volunteers are rigorous and will also establish that all staff have CRB clearance, where applicable.
6.3. Soul Creations will also ensure that staff and volunteers respond appropriately should any type of abuse be discovered or disclosed. Any serious incident of abuse will be recorded on an incident report form, which will be stored in a secure place with limited access to designated people only, in line with Data Protection laws.
6.4. Every possible effort will be made to ensure that confidentiality is maintained for all concerned. The information will only be shared between Soul Creations' designated Child Protection Officer, the parents/carers of the person alleged to be abused, the person making the allegation, social services and police.
If You have any concern about this policy, please contact Soul Creation at the following email address:
a.day.in.the.medical.room@gmail.com
This Child Protection Policy has no copyright so that people can copy it if inspired (there are just a few CP policies to cover children and young people in the Arts sector available online; the majority of them are related to Sports organisations and activities).
Hope this is helpful - feedback would be much appreciated, if anyone fancies giving some! :)
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