Child Protection Policy

Update January 2023

Bristol Amateur Operatic Society recognises its duty of care under the Children and Young Persons Act 1963, the Child (Performances) Regulations 1968, the Protection of Children Act 1999 and the Criminal Justice and Court Services Act 2000. 

The Society recognises that abuse can take many forms, whether it be physical abuse, emotional abuse, sexual abuse or neglect. All members of the Society accept and recognise their responsibilities to develop awareness of the issues which cause children harm. 

The Society believes that:

  • The welfare of the child is paramount. 

  • All children, whatever their age, culture, disability, gender, language, racial origin, religious beliefs and/or sexual identity have the right to protection from abuse. 

  • All suspicions and allegations of abuse should be taken seriously and responded to swiftly and appropriately. 

  • All members and employees of the Society should be clear on how to respond appropriately. 

The Society will ensure that: 

  • All children will be treated equally and with respect and dignity. 

  • The duty of care to children will always be put first. 

  • A balanced relationship based on mutual trust will be built which empowers the children to share in the decision making process. 

  • Enthusiastic and constructive feedback will be given rather than negative criticism. 

  • Bullying will not be accepted or condoned. 

  • All adult members of the Society provide a positive role model for dealing with other people. 

  • Action will be taken to stop any inappropriate verbal or physical behaviour. 

  • It will keep up to date with health and safety legislation. 

  • It will keep informed of changes in legislation and policies for the protection of children. 

  • It will undertake relevant development and training. 

  • It will hold a register of every child involved with the Society and will retain a contact name and number close at hand in case of emergencies. 

The Society has child protection procedures which accompany this policy. This policy should also be read in conjunction with the Society’s Equal Opportunities Policy and Health and Safety Policy. 

The Society has a dedicated Child Protection Officer, who is in charge of ensuring that the child protection policy and procedures are adhered to. They can be contacted at safeguarding@baosbristol.co.uk 

This policy will be regularly monitored by the Committee of the Society and will be subject to an annual review. 

Bristol Amateur Operatic Society
Child Protection Procedures

Responsibilities of the Society

At the outset of any production involving children the Society will: 

  • Undertake a risk assessment and monitor risk throughout the production process. 

  • Identify at the outset the person with designated responsibility for child protection. 

  • Engage in effective recruitment of chaperones and other individuals with responsibility for children, including appropriate vetting (if necessary in consultation with the local education authority). 

  • Ensure that children are supervised at all times. 

  • Know how to get in touch with local authority Social Care, in case it needs to report a concern. 

Parents

  • The Society believes it is important that there is a partnership between parents and the Society. Parents are encouraged to be involved in the activities of the Society and to share responsibility for the care of children. All parents will be given a copy of the Society’s Child Protection Policy and procedures. 

  • All parents have the responsibility to collect (or arrange collection of) their children after rehearsals or performances. It is NOT the responsibility of the Society to take children home. 

Unsupervised contact

  • The Society will attempt to ensure that no adult has unsupervised contact with children. 

  • If possible there will always be two adults in the room when working with children. 

  • If unsupervised contact is unavoidable, steps will be taken to minimise risk. For example, work will be carried out in a public area, or in a designated room with a door open. 

  • If it is predicted that an individual is likely to require unsupervised contact with children, he or she may be required to obtain a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check (a criminal record disclosure). 

Physical contact

  • All adults will maintain a safe and appropriate distance from children. 

  • Adults will only touch children when it is absolutely necessary in relation to the particular activity. 

  • Adults will seek the consent of the child prior to any physical contact and the purpose of the contact shall be made clear. 

Managing sensitive information

  • The Society has a policy and procedures for taking, using and storing photographs or images of children. 

  • Permission will be sought from the parents for use of photographic material featuring children for promotional or other purposes. 

  • The Society’s web-presence will be carefully monitored for inappropriate use. 

  • The Society will ensure confidentiality in order to protect the rights of its members, including the safe handling, storage and disposal of any sensitive information such as DBS checks. 

Suspicion of abuse

  • If you see or suspect abuse of a child while in the care of the Society, please make this known to the person with responsibility for child protection. If you suspect that the person with responsibility for child protection is the source of the problem, you should make your concerns known to the Chairman. 

  • Please make a note for your own records of what you witnessed as well as your response, in case there is a follow up in which you are involved. 

  • If a serious allegation is made against any member of the Society, chaperone, venue staff etc., that individual will be suspended immediately until the investigation is concluded. The individual will be excluded from the theatre, rehearsal rooms etc. 

Disclosure of abuse

If a child confides in you that abuse has taken place: 

  • Remain calm and in control but do not delay taking any action. 

  • Listen carefully to what has been said. Allow the child to tell you at their own pace and ask questions only for clarification. Don’t ask questions that suggest a particular answer. 

  • Don’t promise to keep it a secret. Use the first opportunity you have to share the information with the person with responsibility for child protection. Make it clear that you will only tell the people who need to know and who should be able to help. 

  • Reassure the child that ‘they did the right thing’ in telling someone. 

  • Tell the child what you are going to do next. 

  • Speak immediately to the person with responsibility for child protection. 

  • As soon as possible after the disclosing conversation, make a note of what was said, using the child’s own words. Note the date, time, any names that were involved or mentioned, and who you gave the information to. Make sure you sign and date your record. 

Recording 

  • In all situations, including those in which the cause of concern arises from a disclosure made in confidence, the details of an allegation or reported incident will be recorded, regardless of whether or not the concerns have been shared with a statutory child protection agency. 

  • An accurate note shall be made of the date and time of the incident or disclosure, the parties involved, what was said or done and by whom, any action taken to investigate the matter, any further action taken e.g. suspension of an individual, where relevant the reasons why the matter was not referred to a statutory agency, and the name of the persons reporting and to whom it was reported. 

  • The record will be stored securely and shared only with those who need to know about the incident or allegation. 

Rights and confidentiality

  • If a complaint is made against a member of the Society, the committee will investigate and proceed as they see fit, in accordance with the Child Protection Policy. 

  • No matter how you may feel about the accusation, both the alleged abuser and the child who is thought to have been abused have the right to confidentiality under the Data Protection Act 1998. Remember also that any possible criminal investigation could be compromised through inappropriate information being released. 

  • In criminal law the Crown, or other prosecuting authority, has to prove guilt and the defendant is pressured innocent until proven guilty.

Accidents

  • To avoid accidents, chaperones and children will be advised of ‘group rules’ regarding health and safety and will be notified of areas that are out of bounds. Children will be advised of the clothing and footwear appropriate to the work that will be undertaken. 

  • If a child is injured while in the care of the Society, a designated first-aider will administer first aid and the injury will be recorded by the Society’s accident form. This record will be countersigned by the person with responsibility for child protection. 

  • If a child joins the production with an obvious physical injury a record of this will be made by an accident form. This record will be countersigned by the person with responsibility for child protection. This record can be useful if a formal allegation is made later and will also be a record that the child did not sustain the injury while participating in the production. 

Criminal Record Disclosures

  • If the Society believes it is in its best interest to obtain criminal record disclosures for chaperones or other personnel, it will inform the individual of the necessary procedures and the level of disclosure required. 

  • The Society will ensure that information contained in the disclosure is not misused. 

Chaperones

  • Chaperones will be appointed by the Society when appropriate, for the care of children during the production process. By law the chaperone is acting in loco parentis and should exercise the care which a good parent might be reasonably expected to give to a child. The maximum number of children in the chaperone’s care shall not exceed 12. 

  • Potential chaperones will be required to DBS checked or hold an approved chaperone licence.

  • Chaperones will be made aware of the Society’s Child Protection Policy and Procedures. 

  • Chaperones will not usually have unsupervised access to children in their care. If unsupervised access is unavoidable, or if this is a requirement of the local authority, a criminal record disclosure will be sought. 

  • Where chaperones are not satisfied with the conditions for the children, they should bring this to the attention of the producer. If changes cannot be made satisfactorily, the chaperone should consider not allowing the child to continue. 

  • Under the Dangerous Performances Act, no child of compulsory school age is permitted to do anything which may endanger life or limb. This could include working on wires or heavy lifting. Chaperones should tell the producer to cease using children in this way and should contact the local authority. 

  • During performances, chaperones will be responsible for meeting children at the stage door and signing them into the building. 

  • Chaperones will be aware of where the children are at all times. 

  • Children are not to leave the theatre unsupervised by chaperones unless in the company of their parents. 

  • Chaperones should be aware of the safety arrangements and first aid procedures in the venue, and will ensure that children in their care do not place themselves and others in danger. 

  • Chaperones should ensure that any accidents are reported to and recorded by the Society. 

  • If someone different is to collect the child, a telephone call should be made to the parent to confirm the arrangements. 

  • Children should be signed out when leaving and a record made of the person collecting. 

  • If a parent has not collected the child, it is the duty of the chaperone to stay with that child or make arrangements to take them home. 

What to do if you are concerned about a child

We are all responsible for the care and welfare of children. If you have concerns that a child may be being neglected or abused, don’t keep it to yourself, no one will criticise you for reporting genuine concerns. 

If you have concerns about a child you can contact the First Response Bristol team

0117 903 6444

childprotection@bristol-city.gov.uk

If the child is at immediate risk call the Police on 999. For the First Response Bristol out of hours, call the Emergency Duty Team on 01454 615 165.