Mole Valley Silver Band
Personal Safety and Procedures Document
Welfare Officer Anita Hunt
Welfare Team Anita Hunt, Sarah
Kent, Phil Turton
The
Welfare Team (all of whom have been DBS checked) are committed to ensuring that
all members of Mole Valley Silver Band and the Training Ensemble benefit from a
safe and enjoyable environment as they engage in band activities.
They
will take all reasonable steps to protect all members (particularly those under
18 years of age) from harm, discrimination and degrading treatment; and to
respect their rights, wishes and feelings. They will respond swiftly and
appropriately to all suspicions and allegations of poor practice and abuse.
In
order to fulfil this commitment, the team will ensure that members of Mole
Valley Silver Band and the Training Ensemble adhere to the principles of good child
protection practice as outlined by Brass Bands England. The principles are
summarised below.
All
members will be treated with respect; regardless of age, culture, disability,
gender, language, racial origin, religious beliefs and/or sexual orientation. All
members are welcome at any time, to make comments to the Executive Committee
regarding the band and its activities; all have the opportunity to make their
views known at the annual AGM.
The
physical safety of all members is important. Risk assessments will be carried
out on performance venues. Lifting and moving of equipment will be carried out
appropriately and with great care. Those under 18 years of age will not lift or
move equipment apart from a single music stand. Any accidents will be recorded
in the accident book. A First Aid kit is always available. Sarah Kent (Secretary
and Member of Welfare Team) and Michelle Stone (band member) are both qualified
to administer First Aid.
Relationships
between band members (especially those involving people who are under 18) will
remain safe and appropriate; thus, ensuring that interaction with others is a
positive experience for all concerned.
Verbal
communication will be polite and respectful.
Any form of discrimination, sarcasm, name-calling, bullying, racism or
sexually suggestive comments are inappropriate and will not be tolerated.
Unnecessary
physical contact involving young people or other adults is to be avoided.
Adults
will not spend time alone with young people away from others. A second adult
will be present if tuition is given to a young person, or a group of young
people, in the band room.
Band
members will be aware of, and avoid, situations which may result in them being
at risk of either being abused or being accused of abuse.
The
personal contact details of band members under the age of 18 years will not be
circulated to other band members. The
contact details of consenting adult members will be made available to band
members only. Individual email addresses
will not be disclosed when group emails are dispatched.
Emergency
contact details for all band members are held by all members of the Welfare Team
and are always available throughout rehearsals and engagements. Any player who becomes unwell
during a rehearsal or a performance will be cared for by the First Aider and
members of the Welfare Team. If necessary, a performance will be temporarily
suspended in order to care for a player who has become unwell.
Band members should be aware that it is best
not to have young people travelling alone in a car with only one adult.
Parents
of young members who are under 18 but above statutory school-leaving age,
should only leave their children at a playing engagement, without parental
support, if they are sure that the young people involved are able to be
responsible for their own welfare and behaviour when out in a public place. Young people present at a band engagement
without their parents are advised to remain in the company of other band
members, and should seek help from a member of the Welfare Team if they need
support or advice.
It
is the responsibility of parents to ensure that their children are fit to take
part in a performance. If a child is not fit to perform, the parent should inform
the Band Secretary that the child will not be attending.
Members
under 18 years of age will not be photographed whilst engaged in band activities
or included in band group photographs without prior parental consent. Only group
photographs of band members will be made public. Individuals in photographs
will not be named or identified. Photographs of band members will not appear on
the Mole Valley Silver Band website without the consent of the individuals
concerned, or the consent of parents on behalf of those under 18. Personal information
relating to members will not be displayed on the band website or on any social
media forum.
Members
of the band and parents of junior members should be aware that whilst we are
out playing in public places, members of the public frequently take photographs
of playing members. Any concerns regarding this should be discussed with the Welfare
Officer.
Every
member of the band has a role to play in safeguarding the welfare of others
(especially those who are under 18) and preventing their abuse.
If
you witness or suspect abuse of a child while in the care of the Mole Valley Silver
Band, please make this known to the Welfare Officer, or a member of the Welfare
Team. If you suspect that the Welfare Officer is the source of the problem, you
should make your concerns known to another member of the Welfare Team.
Make
a written record of what you witnessed and the action you took.
If
a serious allegation has been made against a member of the band, action will be
taken to ensure that the individual has no further contact with children until the
investigation is concluded.
If
a child confides in you that abuse has taken place, remain calm. Listen
carefully asking questions only for clarification. Allow the child to speak at
their own pace. Do not ask questions which suggest a particular answer.
Reassure the child that they did the right thing in telling someone about this.
Do not promise to keep the matter a secret. Explain that you will only share it
with people who need to know and who should be able to help. Speak immediately
to the Welfare Officer or in her absence to a member of the Welfare Team, who
will liaise with the relevant authorities, usually children’s social care or
the police. Never investigate or take sole responsibility for a situation where
a child has made a disclosure. As soon as possible, make a note of what was
said using the child’s own words. Note the date, time and any names mentioned,
and who you passed the information on to. Sign and date your record.
If
you have concerns about the wellbeing of a child in the band, you have a duty
to report it to the Welfare Officer (or a member of the Welfare Team) who will
contact the child employment manager or Surrey County Council Children’s
Services. The child employment office will also be advised of events at the
earliest opportunity. The telephone numbers are listed at the end of this
document.
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 they have been shared
with a statutory child protection agency.
An
accurate note will be made of the date and time of the incident or the
disclosure, the parties involved, what was said or done and by whom, any action
taken to investigate the matter, any further action taken, such as the
suspension of an individual, where relevant the reasons why the matter was not
referred to a statutory agency, and the name of the person 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.
Band
members (in particular those under the age of 18) should inform the Welfare
Officer or a member of the Welfare Team, if they have been in any way
distressed by either an incident at a band activity or the behaviour of a band
member. Concerns regarding the welfare of a band member should be reported to
the Welfare Officer.
Any
concerns relating to Mole Valley Silver Band’s practice to ensure personal safety
and protection should be reported to either
The Welfare Officer
Anita Hunt
Telephone:- 01372 374103
Email:- hunt.anita@btinternet.com
or to
another member of the Welfare Team
Sarah Kent
Telephone:- 01372 456176
Email:- skent150@tecres.net
Phil Turton
Telephone:- 01372 374701
Email:- philturton@aol.com
Welfare
concerns will be taken very seriously and dealt with confidentially by the
Welfare Team, who will involve external agencies as necessary.
Useful Phone Numbers
Child Employment Office
01483
517838
Child Employment Manager
01483
518464
07971
664861
Multi Agency Safeguarding Hub
0300
470 9100
Children’s Services Emergency Duty Team (out of hours)
01483
517898