Wakefield Theatre Trust has a duty of care to safeguard all children and young people who participate in its’ projects. We are fully committed towards providing an open and safe environment where all participants are treated with respect and dignity at all times and can thrive to meet their full potential.

Wakefield Theatre Trust, trading as Theatre Royal Wakefield, believes that:

• The welfare of the child is paramount.

• All participants in our work, without exception, have the right to protection from abuse.

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

• All staff (including Freelance Staff) and volunteers involved in our work have a responsibility to report concerns to the appropriate officer.

Who does the Policy apply to?

This policy applies to anyone who engages with children and young people for or on behalf of Theatre Royal Wakefield. This includes:

All Employees

Freelance staff

Volunteers

We believe that everyone has a role to play in safeguarding at Theatre Royal Wakefield and expect everyone to adopt and implement good safeguarding practices and procedures as outlined in this policy. All employees, freelance staff and volunteers working directly with children and young people are asked to confirm they have read this policy and understood it, before commencing work. All employees, freelance staff and volunteers attend a Safeguarding briefing, delivered by the Participation team, bi-annually.

The policy seeks to ensure that everyone:

• Works safely and effectively with children and young people.
• Understands their responsibility to protect children in all areas of our activities.
• Knows what to do if they are concerned about the welfare of children or are concerned about the behaviour of others towards children.

Please note that no staff working for Wakefield Theatre Trust are trained to deal with situations of abuse or have the power to decide if abuse has occurred.

Our Safeguarding Policy should be considered alongside our Working in Schools policy, our Behaviour Policy, our Privacy Policy, our Data Management Policy, our Health and SafetyPolicy and Procedures and our Equal Opportunities Policy.

This policy outlines our commitment to ensuring that all staff and volunteers are carefully selected and vetted, have the relevant qualifications and experience, and accept responsibility for helping to prevent the abuse of children and young people. All suspicions and allegations of abuse and poor practice will be taken seriously and responded to swiftly and appropriately. We have procedures in place to address poor practice, and to help any child/young person who appears to be at risk, or who appears to be a victim of abuse.

Katie Town is the Executive Director, Aoibheann Kelly is the Designated Safeguarding officer, Gavin Leonard and Janine Johnson are the Deputy Safeguarding officers and Jacquie Speight is the Safeguarding representative at Board Level.

The role and responsibilities of the Designated and Deputy officers are:

• To undertake bi-annual in-person, full day Safeguarding training every two years.
• To ensure all relevant TRW staff have read and understood these guidelines and are familiar with good practice guidelines.
• To lead on reviewing and updating this safeguarding policy and procedures on an annual basis, including other relevant safeguarding policies.
• To ensure that all staff, trustees and volunteers are aware of what they should do and who they should go to if they have safeguarding concerns about a child.

• To ensure that any concerns about a child are acted upon, clearly recorded, referred on where necessary and followed up to ensure the issues are addressed.
• To record any report any incidents in relation to children or breach of safeguarding policies. To ensure records are kept in a secure place and confidential.

• To support the Executive Director to ensure safer recruitment procedures across the organisation.
• To support the Executive Director in managing complaints about poor practice and allegations.
• To, where necessary, refer relevant issues of safeguarding to the Board of Trustee representative for consideration.

The Lead Trustee for Safeguarding: Jacquie Speight

• Leads on policy and procedure oversight.
• Is kept informed of all serious safeguarding incident forms and feeding in as necessary.
• Reports to Trustees upon any observations and/or findings concerning safeguarding.

We believe that Safer Recruitment is vital in safeguarding and protecting children and young people. Wakefield Theatre Trust recognises that anyone may have the potential to abuse children and young people and that all reasonable steps are taken to ensure unsuitable people are prevented from working with children and young people.

Wakefield Theatre Trust commits to the following:

• That all job requirements and responsibilities are clearly explained.

• To state in all recruitment information the following statement:

‘Theatre Royal Wakefield is an organisation that takes the safeguarding of children and young people seriously’

• To ensure all shortlisted candidates are interviewed by a panel of at least two staff/trustees.
• To ensure interviewers will question and interrogate on any gaps in employment history during the interview.
• That selected candidates are required to provide at least two written references.
• That all appointed employees will be required to undergo a probationary period.

• To ensure that all employees and any freelance staff/volunteers whose role requires them to directly support and supervise children will be required, upon commencing employment, to read the safeguarding policy and sign the declaration. Signing of the declaration will become a condition of employment for employees and each line manager will ensure this is managed effectively.
• To ensure that all safeguarding policy updates will be shared annually, and all staff are expected to read updated policies.
• If an applicant is applying for a role where their duties involve supervising or being in sole charge of children within the boundaries of defined regulated activity, then they will be required to obtain or provide an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) Check certificate which satisfies us.
• To follow best practice and to ensure staff have an up to date enhanced DBS certificate in place from within three years from the issue date or, where working with licencing authorities, within their suggested frequency (e.g.Wakefield LA require chaperones to update DBS every 5 years)
• To ensure we have verified the person’s original DBS certificate with their photo I.D. and we have their consent to use the DBS online update service if applicable.
• Where the role does not require unsupervised contact, it may not be necessary to process a DBS check. The individual must therefore always be supervised by a member of staff already in possession of an enhanced and valid DBS certificate.

• To ensure all employees and participation freelance staff and volunteers will attend internal safeguarding briefings every two years.

Current legislation requires licences to be issued by each Local Authority (LA) for children who take part in one of the following categories:

▪ broadcast performances (films, TV, video) covers performances that will be broadcast;

▪ non-broadcast performances (theatre, modelling) covers performance that are not broadcast.

It is Theatre Royal Wakefield’s responsibility to establish contact with the relevant local authority in which a child resides and put arrangements in place for the relevant licence, depending on the nature of the performance.

A child performance licence is required for anyone aged 16 and under (up to and including the last Friday of their year 11) to take part in a performance or activity such as TV, dance and theatre.

Theatre Royal Wakefield is responsible for completing part 1 of the application and the parent/guardian is responsible for completing part 2. ID documentation with all applications along with a recent colour photograph.

If time out of school is required, it will be necessary to provide a school permission letter with official letter head along with the application.

Body of Persons Licence (BOPA) A BOPA is issued when non-professional or amateur performances that involve children under 16 who are not receiving payment or require time off school are performed.

On application, Theatre Royal Wakefield must provide:

Names, addresses and dates of birth of all the children who will be performing.

Venue and dates of performances.

Names and addresses of the adults forming the Body of Persons.

A copy of this safeguarding and child protection policy.

Copies of our insurance documentation.

Chaperones

All licensed children need to be chaperoned in law while taking part in a performance.

Licenced chaperones are approved by Local Authorities and will be familiar with the law regarding children in entertainment.

Chaperones acts in loco parentis and exercise the care which a parent might be expected to give a child.

Regulations require a ratio of 1 chaperone to 12 children.

A chaperone’s first priority is always to the child and the chaperone must not take part in any activity that would prevent them from proper supervision and care of the children they are responsible for.

Every chaperone is asked to read a copy of this safeguarding policy and sign a declaration in advance of their work.

Chaperones undergo a safeguarding briefing, led by safeguarding officers.

The chaperone will no longer have responsibility for a child once the child has been handed into the care of their responsible adult.

Chaperones are required by law to keep a record for each child, per performance and these records will be kept and made available, together with each child’s licence, for inspection by an officer of the Local Authority.

Upon completion of the production, the daily record sheet/s will be stored for a period of not less than 6 months after the final performance date for which the Licence has been granted.

ALL staff are expected to work within the Good Practice guidelines and adhere to this safeguarding policy and procedures within. Failure to do so could result in allegations of poor practice, which would then be dealt with as a misconduct issue. Staff are acting in a position of trust and authority and have a duty of care towards the children and young people they support and act appropriately. Staff will also be expected to challenge inappropriate behaviour from staff and report any breaches of the behaviour code to Executive Director, Katie Town and Aoibheann Kelly.

Staff are responsible for:

Treating all children, young people with respect and dignity.

Prioritising the welfare of children.

Promoting relationships that are based on openness, honesty, trust and respect.

Modelling good behaviour for children and young people to follow.

Valuing and take children’s contributions seriously.

Respecting differences in gender, sexual orientation, culture, race, ethnicity, disability and religious beliefs.

Being aware of access needs of any child/young person whether this be due to cultural, religious, physical, emotional or other needs, prior to working with them.

Promoting relationships that are based on openness, honesty, trust and respect.

Avoiding showing favouritism.

Giving enthusiastic and constructive feedback as opposed to negative criticism.

Exercising caution when discussing sensitive issues with children or young people.

Ensuring contact with children and young people is appropriate and relevant to the nature of the activity.

Always working in an open environment (e.g. avoiding private or unobserved situations and encouraging open communication with no secrets). On occasion, one-to-one contact may be unavoidable, in such cases: staff will ensure it is for as short a time as possible; will remain accessible to others; will inform someone where they are going, and why; will move with the child/young person to areas where there are more people.

Maintaining healthy, positive and professional relationships with participants.

Safe Touch guidelines

Ensuring that, if any form of physical contact is required due to the nature of the work (e.g. costume fitting, practical drama session, dance) it should be provided openly and young people should always be consulted and their agreement gained.

In rehearsals, training and performance the use of touch can be essential. For touch to be ‘safe’ it needs to be:

Necessary: are you sure that demonstration or verbal instruction is not adequate?

Permitted: permission for contact sought and given by child or young person. Ask if you can touch and accept that permission may be refused.

Clear: tell the child or young person where you are going to touch and how you will touch.

Contextual: explain why you are going to touch.

Health and Safety and Safeguarding

Staff must:

Ensure relevant and responsible staff have undertaken a risk assessment for specific projects and risk must be monitored throughout.

Provide a safe environment for children and young people, ensuring all equipment is used safely and for its intended purpose.

Ensure a qualified First Aider will always be present during all activities – where first aid is required, more than one adult must be present.

Ensure the recording and reporting any near misses or accidents in our building or offsite working are recorded.

Ensure any externally hired spaces are safe and appropriate for projects, including:

Safety and security of the space/building

Access to qualified First Aider and stocked First Aid Kit

Access to a telephone/ quick communication with emergency contacts

Access to regular and appropriate food and drink

Agreed and appropriate use of toilets

Evacuation procedures

Consider staffing ratio appropriate to age and the nature of the project (1:12 for chaperones to children). If there is one staff member running a workshop, then we would not have more than 26 participants. We would also have a member of staff nearby in case of emergency.

Ensure ALL children for specific and relevant projects (e.g. family workshops) are always accompanied by a responsible adult.

Speak to parents/ guardians where there is a behaviour issue but treat potential signs of self-harm or eating disorders as a safeguarding issue and refer to the appropriate channels.

Ensure parents and carers understand Theatre Royal Wakefield Staff do not provide intimate care, including toileting and changing. If a participant cannot use the toilet independently then their parent/carer must be present to support them at all times. If a participant requires unexpected assistance or support, then their parent/carer will be called immediately.

Ensure that no school group or external visiting groups should be left without a LEGALLY responsible staff member present.

Ensure as part of project set-up, staff will always consider who needs further information or training in safeguarding (e.g brief professional panto cast on safeguarding before they begin rehearsals)

Practice never to be sanctioned (Poor Practice):

Never form a relationship with a child/young person that is an abuse of trust.

Never engage in inappropriate behaviour or contact - physical, verbal, sexual.

Never use inappropriate language, including ‘shut-up’, even in jest.

Never let allegations, suspicions, or concerns about abuse go unreported.

Never make sexually suggestive comments to a child.

Never reduce a child to tears as a form of control.

Never do things of a personal nature for children, that they can do for themselves.

Never spend excessive amounts of time alone with children away from others.

Never take unnecessary risks.

Never smoke, consume alcohol or use illegal substances.

Never let children have your personal contact details (mobile number, email or postal address) or have contact with them via a personal social media account.

Never take pictures or films of children and young people on a personal device.

Never act in a way that can be perceived as threatening or intrusive.

Never patronise or belittle children and young people.

Never make sarcastic, insensitive, derogatory or sexually suggestive comments or gestures to or in front of children and young people.

Telephone

Staff are not permitted to use their own personal mobile phones for contacting children or young people, or parents and carers. Contact must always be made with a child’s responsible adult and never directly with the child. If it is necessary to use a personal mobile device, it must be with the explicit consent of the designated person for safeguarding/child protection. The designated project phone must be always used, unless in an emergency or with special consideration.

Email

Staff will always in the first instance email a child/young person’s named responsible adult as the first point of contact. Where an individual young person has contacted a staff member via email (e.g, a work experience request) and it has been agreed that a reply would be appropriate from that staff member’s work email address, contact details must initially be obtained for their parent/carer who will be carbon copied into all future correspondence, including the designated safeguarding lead. In all cases staff should use formal language to avoid any misunderstanding on the part of the recipient. Staff members who have concerns regarding content of an email that they receive should consult the Designated Safeguarding Officer for guidance.

Social Media

Theatre Royal Wakefield regularly use social networking sites including Facebook, Twitter, You tube, Instagram to promote and celebrate productions and to share activities with participants. It is the responsibility of staff to ensure that all online platforms are monitored effectively and that the content on such platforms is safe and appropriate for its users.

FB: TheatreRoyalWakefield

Instagram: TheatreRoyalWakefield

Twitter: @trwakefield

Youtube: TheatreRWakefield

Any contact with children and young people through online platforms and forums should only take place through carefully monitored organisational accounts.

Theatre Royal Wakefield is not responsible for systems, applications or tools that are designed by the social network in use and cannot take responsibility for the way in which participants engage with such platforms outside of the guidance offered during Theatre Royal Wakefield activities.

All Theatre Royal Wakefield staff, including voluntary and freelance, must not do any of the following on their personal social media accounts:

• Send or accept any friend requests on any social media platform from children or young people involved in Theatre Royal Wakefield Participation projects.
• Send or respond to any private messages from a child/young person or participant on social media.

If a staff member becomes aware that they are already connected on social media to a child or young person (e.g. through being related) who is now taking part in a participation project, they should contact the Designated safeguarding officers who will offer advice and guidance as to next steps.

Communication with children and young people must stay within the confines of a managed public forum or group set up and controlled by Theatre Royal Wakefield and must at no time be exclusive, except in the case of responding to direct e-mails which relate to Theatre Royal Wakefield activities, at all times following the procedures outlined in this policy (cc’ing parents/carers and safeguarding officer into all correspondence).

Theatre Royal Wakefield uses photography, video and sound recording regularly within its work. Parental/guardian consent for photography or video recording of any child/young person is always obtained. Unless advance written permission has been obtained by the parent / carer of children/young people, staff are not permittedto take pictures or film. Theatre Royal Wakefield will need to be satisfied that all the relevant documentation and permission has been received before any pictures or film can be taken. Photographs and videos of children and young people will be stored in a secure online folder, only accessible to designated staff members.

Please see our Privacy Policy and Data Protection Policy for more information.

Where necessary for planning purposes only, a tutor will be given permission to film, record or take photos during a rehearsal process, by using the theatre’s own secure, password protected ipad or designated phone . At the end of the rehearsal process, the safeguarding officers will ensure that all photos/ recordings from the rehearsal period, are permanently deleted from the relevant device.

TRW will ensure that any professional freelance photographers or video-makers contracted to make photos/videos of children/young people have an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check which is dated within the last 3 years, inclusive of their period of engagement. For any freelance photographers or video-makers who do not have a DBS Enhanced Certificate, a DBS checked member of staff from Theatre Royal Wakefield will accompany the person contracted, at all times. Staff are responsible for informing others of any individuals who have not consented to have their work or images shared.

All staff are responsible for ensuring that no content of individuals who refuse consent are uploaded and that the rights of any person to refuse consent at any time are respected.

We will ensure that any negative comments posted against images of children are removed immediately.

We will announce at all performances that “Video and photography is not permitted during the performance” during all performances with children and young people.

Mobile phones

Theatre Royal Wakefield wants to keep participants safe, ensuring we are all focussing on the show and managing representations of the shows on social media through official photos and posts. For these reasons, we are strict about how and when we use mobile phones in rehearsals, regular sessions and during production runs.

Mobile phones are prohibited during rehearsals, in any participation session, backstage and in dressing rooms at all times.

If there is an emergency, or in special circumstances, mobile phones are permitted to be used with consent from the lead chaperone or designated project lead.

With permission, mobile phones are permitted to be used at breaktimes during rehearsals and during regular sessions.

The recording, taking and sharing of images, video and audio on any mobile phone is prohibited.

No one (staff or participant) is permitted to take photographs with any device backstage, in dressing rooms or in rehearsals at any time.

Technical team (and YPTT and pro cast in panto) can use phones in the green room during formal breaks only. No photos please.

Participants can enjoy taking pictures and filming in the DESIGNATED photo and filming session but must respect the rules about not sharing these on social media.

All participants can enjoy sharing TRW official pictures on social media.

Participants may be given permission to film sections of choreography or make audio recordings for personal reference only (when instructed by the director / choreographer or lead artist) to support learning. Any such recordings are for personal reference only and should never be shared on social media and must be deleted as soon as the learning has taken place.

As children are the legal responsibility of their parents or person with parental responsibility, children under 14yrs should not attend the theatre without a responsible adult and venue staff will accept no responsibility for any unaccompanied children. However, IF young children do visit unaccompanied it is important staff know what to do. Approach child with colleague

Try to find out if their parents know that they are with us unaccompanied.

Try to find out if they know how to get home.

Staff to use their judgment in deciding if it is reasonable to expect the child to find their way home.

Ask yourself:

- Does the child seem capable of finding their home?

- Does the child appear to know clearly where he/she lives?

- Are there any busy roads on route?

- What is the child’s age and understanding?

If staff are not sure, encourage the child to remain until the parent or carer can be contacted. If attempts to contact parent or person with parental responsibility fail, staff should contact: Wakefield District Safeguarding Children Board 0345 8503503https://www.wakefieldlscb.org.uk/ 01924 306497 The police on: 999 (if a child is in immediate danger)

If a child is unaccompanied at closing time then staff must:

Inform their supervisor or the duty manager.

Two members of staff (preferably one member of staff should be DBS checked) should approach the child to find out if they are waiting for a parent or person with parental responsibility to collect them.

Ring the child’s home to clarify the situation.

Two members of staff should wait for the parent /carer to arrive.

If staff cannot contact the parent / carer ring the local children’s social services duty team or the local police and both members of staff should wait with the child until they arrive.

If a child is reported lost or missing, staff must inform the designated person (duty manager or supervisor) and complete the Lost Child record form (Appendix 4) Once a sufficient check is made, if the child is not found, the named/designated member of staff will inform the police. The member of staff who took the initial report should reassure parents that action is being taken to locate the child and explain that contact will be maintained with them until the child is found.

If a member of staff is approached by a child who is lost, they should:

Under no circumstance announce a lost child over an intercom system and do not give out any personal details about the child publicly, if radio systems are used ensure that lines are blocked and secure.

Contact another member of staff to stay with you and ensure you are in an open environment.

Reassure the child.

Seek to establish identifying details – name, age, school.

Contact the named person with identifying details and other information that might help reunite the child with its parent /carer.

In the unlikely event that the child is not claimed the named member of staff should contact the police.

Check the identity of the person to whom the child is handed over to, these details should be kept on file in a lost child record.

Uncollected Children

If a child is uncollected at the end of a session, rehearsal or performance we require Theatre Royal Wakefield Staff (this includes casuals and freelancers) to follow the following procedures:

Two members of staff (ideally DBS Checked) should always remain with the child.

No member of staff should attempt to take the child to their own home: ideally stay in the rehearsal or performance space and if this is not possible move to another appropriate public space (for example a Cafe)

Put the welfare of the child first at all times and remember how scary this experience might be.

The child should be reassured by the staff.

Constantly try to contact parents & or emergency contacts.

If, after one hour, you cannot contact any-one connected to the child you would need to contact Social Care Direct on 0345 8 503 503 or the local police to discuss the situation with them if a parent fails to collect a child after this time, then they will advise you. Both members of staff should wait with the child until they arrive

If you contact SCD this would need recording & they will support you with any follow up procedures etc.

Staff to record their actions.

If a parent/carer calls to say they are running late, two members of staff (ideally DBS checked) must:

Always remain with the child.

Never move from the agreed collection point and accompany the child to meet their parent/carer at an alternative location.

Signing Out

Any child aged 13yrs or under must always be signed out by their assigned parent/carer or authorised collection person.

Any young person aged between 14-17yrs must have written permission from their parent/carer that they are permitted to leave on their own.

For Theatre Royal Wakefield licensed projects with children and young people, it has been agreed with Wakefield Licensing Authority that:

For a 14+year old child to leave without a parent or authorised adult, their parent/carer must complete a form in advance and permission will be sent to Wakefield LA each time one is completed. TRW will keep digital copies of the forms for 6 months and will be made available to the licencing authorities if requested. Duty of care will overrule the parental permission and authorised adults will need to collect their children if it is considered an unsafe environment for the child aged 14+ years to leave on their own (ie, a late finish or an incident).

Chaperones:

All licensed children need to be chaperoned in law while taking part in a performance. Chaperones acts in loco parentis and should exercise the care which a good parent might be reasonably expected to give that child. Regulations require a ratio of 1 chaperone to 12 children. A chaperone’s first priority is always to the child and the chaperone must not take part in any activity that would prevent them from proper supervision and care of the children they are responsible for.

Abuse and neglect are forms of maltreatment of a child. Somebody may abuse or neglect a child by inflicting harm, or by failing to act to prevent harm. Children may be abused in a family or in an institutional or community setting; by those known to them or, more rarely, by a stranger. They may be abused by an adult or adults or another child or children. Abuse can take place wholly online, or technology may be used to facilitate offline abuse.

Staff and volunteers working for Theatre Royal Wakefield have a responsibility to be always vigilant when coming into contact with children, young people their families and other carers. You may have to respond to concerns about the welfare of a child or young person, so it is important you familiarise yourself with the following indicators of abuse. You may observe or be a witness to any of the following during your contact with children and families: (A full guide and further information can be found in Appendix 5)

Physical abuse

may involve hitting, shaking, throwing, poisoning, burning or scalding, drowning, suffocating, or otherwise causing physical harm to a child. Physical harm may also be caused when a parent or carer fabricates the symptoms of, or deliberately induces illness in a child. Common signs include Bruising; Burns/scalds; Bite marks; Fractures/broken bones.

Emotional abuse

is the persistent emotional maltreatment of a child such as to cause severe and persistent adverse effects on the child’s emotional development. Common signs include: using language you wouldn’t expected for their age; struggle to control strong emotions and feel overwhelmed; seem isolated from peers; have few friends; withdrawn and not communicating.

Sexual abuseand Child sexual exploitation involves forcing or enticing a child or young person to take part in sexual activities, including prostitution, whether or not the child is aware of what is happening. Common signs may be staying away from certain people; seeing frightened of a person; avoid being alone with people; showing sexual behaviour inappropriate for their age.

Neglect is the persistent failure to meet a child’s basic physical and/or psychological needs, likely to result in the serious impairment of the child’s health or development. Common signs include: Poor Appearance and Hygiene; unwashed clothes; inadequate clothing; hungry and not provided with adequate food/snacks; untreated injuries, medical and dental issues.

Action if a child discloses information:

It is not the responsibility of anyone working for Wakefield Theatre Trust, in a paid or unpaid capacity, to decide whether or not child abuse has taken place. However, there is a responsibility to act on any concerns through contact with the appropriate authorities.

If a child is suffering, or at risk of suffering significant harm, the law supports staff in sharing the information with appropriate agencies or professionals without the child's or parent's consent.

When a child or young person discloses (says) something to you that causes concern, it is important to clearly record this information. Any concerns about a child or young person should be recorded on the incident report form regardless of whether or not it will be ultimately passed on to the statutory authorities. Sometimes, disclosures can be made accidentally and not intentionally – be aware and vigilant. This can happen through drama games, improvisation or you may overhear something someone has said. If you have ANY cause for concern, then take immediate, necessary action.

Be aware that some children and young people may not be able to express themselves clearly verbally. Communication differences may mean that it is hard for them to complain or be understood. Sometimes abuse of disabled children has gone unrecognised because behavioural clues were interpreted as part of their disability.

If a child or young person talks about possible abuse, the member of staff or volunteer should: Remember the 4 Rs

Receive: Put arrangements in place to talk to the child/young person as soon as possible.

Listen to them and take what they say seriously - keep an open mind.

Let them know you want to be able to give them your full attention and you realise what they would like to tell you is important.

Call another member of staff to be present, move, if appropriate to another location – never in a closed room – always in an open environment and with another member of staff.

Accept what is said and react calmly so as not to frighten the child/young person.

Reassure: “You’ve done the right thing”

Be honest about outcomes.

Never promise confidentiality.

Reassure the child/young person but do not promise confidentiality.

Explain that you will have to speak to someone else who can help.

Tell them that they were right to tell and are not to blame.

React: Stay calm, stay professional

Ask open questions/ Don’t criticise / Explain Next Steps / Inform someone.

Recognise the inherent difficulties interpreting what is said by young children.

Don’t ask leading questions. Do not prevent them from recalling events.

Record: Make brief notes immediately onto the incident report form and pass this to the Designated Safeguarding Officer

Record words used by the individual. Record impartiality.

Try and use the same words and phrases as them e.g. for body parts etc. rather than interpreting what they think they mean. Make a full written record of what had been said in their own words, heard and/or seen as soon as possible on the incident report form. Also make an accurate record of any questions that you ask.

Remember to share your concerns:

• Call the Designated Safeguarding Officer to report the concern and steps you have taken.

• If a disclosure or incident takes place within normal working hours, the Designated Safeguarding Officer will talk to you face to face about the incident and be present while you record notes on the incident report form.

• All Incident report forms are securely stored in a restricted and protected folder on the server. When an Incident Report Form is archived in this folder a note will be made in the Safeguarding folder, with basic details about the incident and a reference to the location of the incident report form.

• If a disclosure or incident takes place outside of normal working office hours, you must telephone the Designated Safeguarding Officer, report the incident and detail steps taken so far, write a written record and keep this in a safe and confidential place until you are able to personally hand deliver the statement to the Designated Safeguarding Officer. It is also good practice to email a written account of a disclosure or cause for concern that has taken place if it is not possible to hand deliver your notes to the DSO for longer than 48hrs from the disclosure taking place. If emailing please anonymise names of the individuals. The Designated Safeguarding Officer may need to make a call to Social Care Direct and refer to these notes and will be requested to pass on further information.

What to record in the case of a disclosure:

To ensure that this information is as helpful as possible, a detailed record should always be made at the time of the disclosure/concern via the Incident report form which should include the following:

• The person’s name, age and date of birth.

• Their home address and telephone number.

• Whether or not the person making the report is expressing their own concerns or those of someone else.

• The nature of the allegation. Include dates, times, any special factors and other relevant information.

• Make a clear distinction between what is fact, opinion or hearsay.

• A description of any visible bruising or other injuries. Also, any indirect signs, such as behavioural changes.

• Details of witnesses to the incidents.

• The person’s account, if it can be given, of what has happened and how any bruising or other injuries occurred.

• Have the parents been contacted? If so what has been said?

• Has anyone else been consulted? If so record details.

• Has anyone been alleged to be the abuser? Record details.

• Where possible referral to the police or social services should be confirmed in writing within 24 hours and the name of the contact who took the referral should be recorded.

Confidentiality

Every effort should be made to ensure that confidentiality is maintained for all concerned. Information should be handled and disseminated on a need-to-know basis only. This includes the following people:

The Designated Safeguarding Officer, the Deputy Safeguarding Officers and, if relevant, the Executive Director.

The parents of the person who is alleged to have been abused.

The person making the allegation.

Social services/police.

Social services should advise on who should approach the alleged abuser.

Information should be stored in a secure place with limited access to designated people, in line with the Privacy Policy and Data Management Policy (e.g. that information is accurate, regularly updated, relevant and secure).

Any referrals to social services (by the Safeguarding Officers) should be followed-up in writing between 24-48 hours.

Support to deal with the aftermath of abuse.

Consideration should be given to the kind of support that children, parents and members of staff may need. Use of helplines, support groups and open meetings will maintain an open culture and help the healing process. Consideration should be given to what kind of support may be appropriate for the alleged perpetrator.

Allegations of previous abuse

Allegations of abuse may be made some time after the event (e.g. by an adult who was abused as a child or by a member of staff who is still currently working with children).

Where such an allegation is made, Wakefield Theatre Trust will follow the procedures as detailed above and report the matter to the social services or the police. This is because other children may be at risk from this person.

Anyone who has a previous criminal conviction for offences related to abuse is automatically excluded from working with children. This is reinforced by the details of the Protection of Children Act 1999.

If the disclosure indicates that the child is at risk of significant harm, then you must call Social care direct on 0345 8503503 and the Police on 999

With any disclosure the member of staff or volunteer should not:

Panic

Make promises or agree to keep secrets.

Allow their shock or distaste to show.

Speculate or make assumptions about what has happened.

Make negative comments about the alleged abuser.

Approach the alleged abuser.

Making a referral:

If a decision is made to raise a serious concern with Social Services it will be the responsibility of the Designated Safeguarding Officer (or Deputies, if the DSO is unavailable) to formally report this concern within 24 hours. When a referral is made, the Designated Safeguarding Officer will record the name and role of the person they spoke to, the date and time of passing on the concern. If a decision is made not to share a concern with external agencies, details will still be recorded of the concern raised and information as to why a referral was not made.

Any suspicion that a child or young person has been abused, or is at risk of being abused, by either a member of staff, a volunteer or any other adult involved in the child’s life (such as a parent) should be reported immediately to the Designated Safeguarding Officer and Executive Director who will take such steps as considered necessary to ensure the safety of the child in question and any other child who may be at risk.

Incidents that MUST be reported / recorded

For protection against false allegations and / or misconstrued behaviour, if any of the following occur staff should report this immediately to the Designated Safeguarding Officer and record the incident.

• If staff accidentally hurt a participant.

• If participants seem distressed in any manner.

• If a participant seems to have developed an attraction towards a staff member.

• If a participant misunderstands or misinterprets something a staff member has done or said.

Action if there are concerns.

Concerns about Good Practice (i.e. if someone is not following the Good Practice Guidelines):

Please report to the Designated Safeguarding Officer and this may be dealt with it as a disciplinary issue.

Any suspicion that a child has suffered abuse or is at risk of being abused should be reported to the Designated Safeguarding Officer, who will take such steps as considered necessary to ensure the safety of the participant in question and any other person who may be at risk.

The Designated Safeguarding Officer has a duty to make a referral to the Disclosure and Barring service regarding concerns about an individual may have harmed a child or adult at risk, or put a child or adult at risk of harm

The Designated Safeguarding Officer has a duty to inform the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) who must be contacted within one working day in respect of all cases in which it is alleged that a person who works with children has:

• behaved in a way that has harmed, or may have harmed a child
• possibly committed a criminal offence against or related to a child;
• behaved towards a child or children in a way that indicates they may pose a risk of harm to children.

The LADO is responsible for:

Providing advice, information and guidance to employers and voluntary organisations around allegations and concerns regarding paid and unpaid workers.

Managing and overseeing individual cases from all partner agencies.

Ensuring the child’s voice is heard and that they are safeguarded.

Ensuring there is a consistent, fair and thorough process for all adults working with children and young people against whom an allegation is made.

Monitoring the progress of cases to ensure they are dealt with as quickly as possible.

The LADO is involved from the initial phase of the allegation through to the conclusion of the case. The LADO is available to discuss any concerns and to assist in deciding whether you need to make a referral and/or take any immediate management action to protect a child. The LADO for the Wakefield District is contactable on 01977 727032 or email lado.referrals@wakefield.gov.uk

The parents or carers of the child will be contacted as soon as possible, dependant on advice from the social services department and LADO. The Designated Safeguarding Officer will also notify the Executive Director of Theatre Royal Wakefield.

If the Designated Safeguarding Officer is the subject of the suspicion/allegation, the report must be made to the Executive Director of Theatre Royal Wakefield who will refer the allegation to LADO Social Services.

Internal Enquiries and Suspension

If there is an allegation of poor or mal practice, then this will initially be dealt with as a misconduct issue through our Disciplinary Procedure and Rules, which may include a decision to suspend.

If a member of staff or volunteer has been suspended as the result of alleged misconduct in relation to a child protection/safeguarding issue, it is imperative that they cannot access the building or other locations where activities take place. Their log in will be disabled with immediate effect, they will be disconnected from all remote access and have no access to folders on the system. Depending on the nature of the misconduct issue, designated members of the Executive team may be required by the Police to undertake additional searches to determine that person’s search history in the workplace and check their personal online work folders. The Designated Safeguarding Officer will review and update the existing policy to ensure it is in line with what has occurred and make any relevant changes to procedures.

Irrespective of the findings of the social services or police inquiries, Theatre Royal Wakefield’s Executive Director will seek the advice of the Local Safeguarding Children Board to assess all individual cases to decide whether a member of staff or volunteer can be reinstated and how this can be sensitively handled. This may be a difficult decision; particularly where there is insufficient evidence to uphold any action by the police. In such cases, Theatre Royal Wakefield’s Executive Director, with advice from the Local Safeguarding Children Board, must reach a decision based upon the available information which could suggest that on a balance of probability, it is more likely than not that the allegation is true. The welfare of the child should remain of paramount importance throughout.

Where there is an emergency about the safety of a child, and they are in immediate danger the police should be contacted on 999 without delay. West Yorkshire Police direct line 0845 606 0 606

Integrated Front Door (Wakefield Safeguarding Children Partnership, social care direct) on: 0345 8503503 – open 24 hours a day. If you have concerns about children or young people or an adult at risk and believe the situation is urgent but there is no immediate danger, please call 0345 8503 503inthe first instance to speak to the Integrated Front Door. As part of this discussion the Integrated Front Door will advise on the next steps to take and as to whether a Multi-Agency Referral Form (MARF) should be completed and submitted to social_care_direct_children@wakefield.gov.uk.

The Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) in Wakefield can be contacted Monday to Friday on 01977 727032 or via lado.referrals@wakefield.gov.ukfor all allegations against people who work with children (whether paid or voluntary) The LADO will provide an initial response to the referrer within one working day advising whether there is a need for further action and will advise on the next steps required to be carried out.

Wakefield District Safeguarding Children’s Board : wdscb@wakefield.gov.uk or 01924 306497

You can contact the NSPCC Helpline by calling 0808 800 5000 or emailing help@NSPCC.org.uk. Due to an increase in demand across the service, the voice Helpline is currently available 10am–2pm Monday to Friday. You can still email help@NSPCC.org.uk at any time

Childline on 0800 1111

If you are concerned a young person is at risk of radicalisation you can phone the police

helpline on 101 or 0800789321

If you are worried about F.G.M (‘Known’ cases must be reported to police) you can call the

F.G.M helpline on 0800 028 3550 or fgmhelp@nspcc.org.uk

Wakefield & District Victim Support who have a specialist Young People’s Service:

01924 369107 or National Line: 0845 303 0900.