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.

Band members are responsible for their own travel arrangements to and from playing engagements. Parents are responsible for transporting their children. If parents, of members above statutory school leaving age but under 18 years of age, choose to arrange for their children to travel with other members of the band, they should be aware that the Welfare Team does not take responsibility for such private arrangements. Band members should be aware that it is best not to have young people travelling alone in a car with only one adult.

arents 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.

Young people of statutory school age will be in the care of either their parents or a Local Authority Approved chaperone at all times whilst engaged in performances.

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 the child 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 Mobile:- 07780 814533 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