SAFEGUARDING POLICY
Legal Context
The law requires any organisation involving young people and vulnerable adults to take all reasonable measures to ensure that the risk of harm to their welfare are minimised, and where there are concerns, to share them with other local agencies. The relevant legal requirements arise from:
The Children’s Act 1989
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
The relevant government guidance includes Safe from Harm 1993
Working Together to Safeguard Children 1999
Caring for the Young and Vulnerable 2000
Brecon Singers recognises that it is not the role of our organisation to decide whether a child or vulnerable adult has been abused or not. This is the role of the Social Services department who have legal responsibility or the NSPCC who have powers to investigate child protection concerns under the Children Act.
Good Practice
In developing this Policy, Brecon Singers has taken input from the national amateur music performance association Making Music.
Who are Children or Vulnerable Adults?
In this context anyone up to the age of 19 is a child and anyone over 18 years who is or may be unable to take care of themselves or unable to protect themselves against significant harm or exploitation is a vulnerable adult.
How Brecon Singers Operates
Brecon Singers is a Registered Charity, composed of choir members. Officers are elected and others co-opted to serve on the committee. Rehearsals are run by our self-employed Musical Director or a substitute on occasion, with an accompanist. There are neither employed staff nor volunteers in the conventional sense.
Brecon Singers does not advertise itself as an activity suitable for children or vulnerable adults. Most choir members are independent adults. It happens only rarely and as a result of our Scholarship programme that a young person or vulnerable adult joins, rehearses and performs with us.
Choir rehearsals and performances are group activities, and there is no need for a member of the choir to be alone with another member of any age. Brecon Singers is therefore unlikely to be targeted by a person seeking opportunities to abuse children or vulnerable adults. Nonetheless Brecon Singers recognises the need to safeguard any young and vulnerable members and the Committee has therefore agreed the following Safeguarding Policy.
Brecon Singers’ Safeguarding Policy
1. Brecon Singers will publicise its Safeguarding policy on its website and draw it to the attention of members at the beginning of each season.
2. Young people will be welcome to participate in choral works requiring children and/or youth voices with Brecon Singers as long as their parents or responsible adult gives their permission for them to attend rehearsals and performances.
3. Brecon Singers have nominated a Designated Person, Penny Ashby, who is CRB-checked and who will attend appropriate training as required.
4. Choir members will report any concerns to the Designated Person. Detailed Guidance is available from the Designated Perso
5. In the absence of the Designated Person the matter should be brought to the attention of the Secretary of the Brecon Singers. A permanent confidential record will be kept of the report.
6. If Brecon Singers should need to recruit staff, then we will apply safeguarding principles to ensure that appointees are suitable to work with young or vulnerable people (see Appendix 8 of Detailed Guidance)
7. The policy and procedures will be reviewed annually at committee meeting.
8. Approved at a committee meeting on 29th August 2019.