CITY OF TRURO MALE CHOIR SAFEGUARDING POLICY AND PROCEDURES Introduction This Safeguarding Policy and Procedures applies to the City of Truro Male Choir’s (“the Choir”) employees, all choir members (including trustees), volunteers and all others invited to perform or work with the Choir. The Choir is committed to ensuring that all children, young people and vulnerable adults have the same protection regardless of age, disability, gender, racial heritage, religious belief, sexual orientation or identity. The Choir is committed to anti-discriminatory practice and explicitly recognises the additional needs of children, young people, vulnerable adults from minority ethnic groups and the disabled, and the barriers they may face, especially around communication. The law requires any organisation involving children, young people or vulnerable adults to take all reasonable measures to ensure that the risks of harm to vulnerable adults' and children's welfare are minimised, and where there are concerns, to share them with other local agencies. About the City of Truro Male Choir The Choir is a registered charity comprising amateur male singers managed by a committee of volunteers elected at the annual general meeting or co-opted as necessary. Some committee members are trustees of the charity. To carry out its charitable objects the Choir presents a number of concerts a year and less formal gatherings known as ‘Shouts’, where everyone present is invited to join in the singing. Rehearsals are run by the Choir’s self-employed Musical Director and accompanist or their nominated substitutes. Weekly rehearsals are held to prepare for the Choir’s musical activities. The Choir recognises its responsibility to safeguard the welfare of children and vulnerable adults with whom it comes into contact and believes that everyone has the right to enjoy the activities of the Choir in a happy, safe and secure environment. Reasons for this policy and procedures As a matter of good practice the Choir has developed this policy to provide:
• protection for children, young people and vulnerable adults with whom the Choir has contact (including the children/relatives of adults who use our services);
CTMC Safeguarding Policy Sept 2023
• guidance to ensure that the risks of harm to children, young people and vulnerable adults’ welfare are minimised;
• guidance for responding to a child or vulnerable adult making an allegation of abuse;
• guidance on procedures that should be adopted in the event that any adult suspects a child, young person or vulnerable adult may be experiencing, or be at risk of experiencing, harm. The Choir recognises that it is not the role of our organisation to decide whether a child, young person or vulnerable adult has been abused or not. This is the role of the Social Services department which has the legal responsibility, the NSPCC who have powers to investigate child protection concerns under the Children Act 2004, the Police or any other authorised agencies. Definitions Who are Children or Vulnerable Adults? In this context anyone up to and including the age of 18 is a child. A vulnerable adult is defined in the Care Act 2014 as someone over 18 years old who has care and support needs, is experiencing or at risk of abuse or neglect as a result of their care and support needs, or is unable to protect himself or herself against the abuse or neglect or the risk of it. Abuse The term abuse is used to describe a range of ways that people can harm children and vulnerable adults. Abuse of adults can happen anywhere. There are four main categories of abuse namely physical, sexual, emotional abuse and neglect. The Choir notes the importance of being alert to signals of abuse and to the difficulty children or vulnerable adults may have in reporting it. The Policy Guidelines Children up to and including the age of 18 who wish to sing with the Choir, must have the written permission of their parent or guardian specifically to join in the Choir’s activities. The parent or guardian retains full responsibility for the child’s transport arrangements to and from rehearsals and the venues for performances or activities. The Choir recognises its duty of care towards children and vulnerable adults to ensure that their rights to protection from abuse are upheld. Rehearsals and other activities will be conducted in an open environment to avoid private or unobserved situations. Adult members and employees should ensure that they are never alone with a young person. All
CTMC Safeguarding Policy Sept 2023
choir members and officers are required to familiarise themselves with this Safeguarding Policy and Procedures. The Choir also recognises that all suspicions or allegations of abuse will be taken seriously and responded to swiftly and appropriately. Any expression of concern regarding either a child, or a choir member, will immediately be reported to the Safeguarding Officer or the Choir’s Chairman in their absence (see Appendix 1 below for contact details), for consideration of seeking advice from the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Safeguarding Children Partnership. If appropriate and urgent, any member of the Choir can raise a safeguarding concern independently with the Safeguarding Children Partnership.
Managing sensitive information
• Permission will be sought from parents for the use of photographic material featuring children for promotional or other purposes.
• The Choir’s web-based materials and social media activities will be carefully monitored for inappropriate use.
• The Choir will ensure confidentiality in order to protect its members’ rights, including the safe handling, storage and disposal of any sensitive information in accordance with the GDPR law.
• The Choir will adhere to the law surrounding GDPR and will hold all personal information of its members in encrypted password protected files. Implementing the policy and procedures The Choir committee have nominated Roger Bush as the Choir’s Safeguarding Officer. He shall undertake appropriate training as required and will be identified to children and vulnerable adults as the principal person they should turn to if they have any concerns or queries. Contact details for the Safeguarding Officer are given at Appendix 1 and are also available on the Choir’s website. The Choir will appoint chaperones as required, for the care of children partaking in its activities. By law, the chaperone is acting in loco parentis and should exercise the care which a good parent might be reasonably expected to give a child. The maximum number of children in a chaperone’s care shall not exceed 12. Many children are ‘chaperoned’ by their own parent and whether a chaperone is a parent or not, all chaperones need to be alert to possible indicators of abuse (e.g. bruises, signs of neglect and distress), know what action to take, and know who to share their concerns with.
CTMC Safeguarding Policy Sept 2023
The Choir is committed to providing regular safeguarding advice and training to its members. Any concerns regarding either, a child or a choir member, employee or other adult must be immediately reported to the Safeguarding Officer (or in his absence the Choir’s Chairman). If a Choir member is in direct receipt of an initial disclosure they should follow the procedures stated in the sub-clause headed “Abuse”. This Safeguarding Policy and Procedures will be published on the Choir’s website and reviewed annually by the Choir’s Committee. 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 ALWAYS be recorded. • An accurate note shall be made of the date, 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 (for example 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 the child protection officer who will take the appropriate action. Rights and confidentiality • If a complaint is made against a member of the Choir he or she will be made aware of this. • 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. Remember also that any possible criminal investigation could be compromised through inappropriate information being released. Accidents • To avoid accidents, chaperones and children will be advised of ‘house rules’ regarding health & safety and will be notified of any areas that are out of bounds. • Children will be advised of the required clothing and footwear appropriate to the Choir’s activities. • If a child is injured whilst in the care of the Choir a designated first-aider will administer first aid and the injury will be recorded on the Choir’s accident form. This will then be passed onto the Secretary to be filed in accordance with the Choir’s Data Protection Policy. The first aid kit will be checked on a regular basis.
CTMC Safeguarding Policy Sept 2023
• If a child joins a Choir activity with an obvious physical injury a record of this will be made on the attendance register. This record may be used if an allegation is made later, as it records that the child sustained the injury prior to participating in the activity. Criminal Record Disclosures • If the Choir believes it is in its best interests 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 Choir will ensure that information contained in the disclosure is not misused. Procedures to be followed in case of a disclosure If a child or vulnerable adult makes an initial disclosure, the person to whom that disclosure is made should employ the following recommended responses:
• Listen carefully, without initial interruptions
• Make it clear that you are taking the child seriously
• Don’t promise to keep it a secret. Use the first opportunity you have to share the information with the Safeguarding Officer. Make it clear to the child that you will need to share this information with others. Make it clear that you will only tell people who need to know and should be able to help.
• Reassure the child or vulnerable adult that they are doing the right thing in telling you
• Avoid leading or ‘closed’ questions (i.e. questions with only Yes or No answers)
• Write down what was said, using the person’s actual words wherever possible, recording date, time, and who was present.
• Tell the person what will happen next (discussion with the Safeguarding Officer and confidential reporting to the Safeguarding Children Partnership for further inquiry).
• If a serious allegation is made against any member of the Choir, chaperone, venue members etc. that individual will be excluded from any of the Choir’s activities until the investigation is concluded. Child on child abuse This form of abuse occurs when there is any kind of physical, sexual or emotional abuse identified between children. The Choir makes it clear that they have zero tolerance where child on child abuse is concerned. If anyone suspects that this is a possibility it must be reported to the person/persons in charge of child protection. It will then be dealt with in a sensitive and responsible way and appropriate action will be taken. If a Choir member has any concerns they must report it to the Safeguarding Officer.
CTMC Safeguarding Policy Sept 2023
Members’ Conduct Stated below are the standards of behaviour required of the Choir’s members, volunteers and employees in order to fulfil their roles within the Choir and to ensure that they conduct themselves in a way that reflects the ethos and principles of the Choir. Expectations • Treat everyone equally, with respect and dignity. • Value everyone and recognise the unique contribution of each individual. • Encourage everyone and always listen to what they are saying. • Give enthusiastic and constructive feedback rather than negative criticism. • Be an excellent role model – do not smoke, drink alcohol or use inappropriate language in the company of children and challenge any inappropriate behaviour by a child or an adult working with children. • Respect everyone’s right to privacy. • Never allow yourself to be drawn into inappropriate attention seeking situations. • Never exaggerate or trivialise child abuse issues or make suggestive remarks or gestures. • Never reduce anyone to tears as a form of control. • Never allow or encourage abusive peer activities. • Never make sexually suggestive comments to, or within the hearing of, a child, even in fun. One to One Contact • Always work in an open environment - avoiding private or unobserved situations and encouraging an open environment. • Involve parents/carers and other key influencers wherever possible. • Do not spend time alone with children, away from others. If privacy is needed ensure that other members are informed of the meeting and its whereabouts. • Never allow a child to travel on his or her own with you in a vehicle. • Never share a room with a child. • Never take children to your home where they will be alone with you. • Never enter a toilet with children unless another adult is present or gives permission.
• If it is predicted that an individual is likely to require unsupervised contact with children, he or she will be required to obtain an enhanced DBS check. Physical contact • Maintain a safe and appropriate distance from children.
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• Never allow, or engage in, inappropriate touching or contact of any kind. • Never engage in rough, physical or sexually provocative games, including horseplay. • Never physically restrain a child unless the restraint is to prevent physical injury, damage to property or the commission of a criminal offence. General Information • Be aware that someone might misinterpret your actions no matter how well intentioned. • Secure parental consent for the administration of emergency first aid and/or other medical treatment wherever such prior permission seems appropriate • Build balanced relationships based on mutual trust which empowers children to share in the decision–making process. • Obtain written consent prior to any photographs, videoing or audio recording. • Never allow allegations made by a child to go unchallenged, unrecorded or not acted upon. Social Media Adult members of the Choir are advised that they should not communicate with, invite or accept joining requests from other members who are under the age of 18, to their personal social media accounts/online profiles. Any online communication should only take place through the Choir’s official online/ social media accounts.
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Appendix 1 Contact details: The Choir’s Safeguarding Officer is: Roger Bush Tel: 07793441276 Email: bushroger56@gmail.com The Choir’s Chairman is: John Larke MBE Tel: 07968515673 Email: john.larke2@btinternet.com Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Safeguarding Children Partnership Multi-Agency Referral Unit:
• For children: 0300 123 1116; after hours: 01208 251300
• For vulnerable adults: 0300 123 4131/01872 32643
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Appendix 2 The Choir’s Safeguarding Permission form I give permission for my child [Full Name & DoB]……………………..………………………………to:
I. attend activities run by the City of Truro Male Choir, including rehearsals
II. be filmed or photographed for the Choir’s publicity purposes [delete if not applicable] I understand that should my child attend public events as a member of the Choir they are likely to be photographed / videoed by the public. I am aware that I retain responsibility in arranging travel to and from the venue for my child. I wish / do not wish a named member of the choir to meet my child on arrival at the venue, and to hand responsibility back to me at the end of the activity. Does your child have significant medical problems, including allergies, of which the Choir should be aware? YES/NO The Choir’s Safeguarding Officer is Roger Bush The Choir’s Chairman is John Larke I have read and understood the City of Truro Male Choir’s Safeguarding Policy and Procedures. [N] Signature…………………………………………. Parent/Guardian Contact details: Telephone…………………………………………
Email………………………………………………
Date……………………………………………….. [N.] Signature…………………………………………. Parent/Guardian Contact details: Telephone…………………………………………… Email…………………………………………………. Date…………………………………………………
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Appendix 3 Legal background to this policy The main laws and guidance supporting this policy are: The Children's Act 1989 and 2004; The Human Rights Act 1998; The Protection of Children Act 1999; The Sexual Offences (Amendments) Act 2006; The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child 1991; The Care Act 2014; Government guidance on safeguarding children; Caring for the Young and Vulnerable 2000; The Charity Commission's 'Strategy for Dealing with Safeguarding Children and Vulnerable Adults Issues in Charities'.