TALENT4KIDZ CHILD PROTECTION POLICY 2023

TALENT4KIDZ have a moral and legal obligation to ensure that, when
given responsibility for children all staff, chaperone's, parents/legal guardians and
volunteers accept their responsibilities to safeguard children from harm and abuse.
This means to ensure that everyone follows procedures to protect children and
report any concerns about their welfare to appropriate authorities.
There are three elements to our policy:-
• Prevention through awareness of each individual child’s needs.
• Definitions of Child Abuse and Neglect
• Procedures for identifying and reporting cases or suspected cases, of abuse.
The aim of the policy is to promote good practice, providing children and young
people with appropriate safety/protection whilst in the care of Talent4kidz, its
chaperone's and its clients and to allow staff and volunteers to make informed and
confident responses to specific child protection issues.
Prevention
We recognize that the “entertainment industry” can be a very “adult” environment
and we expect that all staff, chaperone's, parents/legal guardians, volunteers and anyone
else who comes into contact with children behave in an appropriate manner
at all times, and remember that “The Welfare of the Child is Paramount”.
TALENT4KIDZ will therefore:-
• Act within the Children’s Act 1989 & 2004
• Act within The Children (Performances and Activities) (England) Regulations 2014
• Establish and maintain an ethos where children feel welcome and familiar with their
environment and are informed of personal (toilets, dressing rooms etc.) and
emergency arrangements (fire exits, meeting points etc.) and any Health and Safety
Procedures (Dangerous equipment, First aid etc.)
• Inform each child whom the appropriate person or people are to speak to if they
have any questions, problems or concerns.
• Ensure that all children are treated with respect and dignity and are treated as
individuals and offered equality of opportunities.
• Always work in an open environment (e.g. avoiding private or unobserved situations
and unnecessary physical contact with children) and involve/allow
parents/chaperones wherever possible, to take responsibility for the child/children
they are responsible for. (parents must only have responsibility for their own child)
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• Recognising the individual needs of the child. E.g. recognising when a child maybe
tired and may need a break.
• Ensure that children are supervised appropriately.
• Ensure that all Chaperones are registered with the local authority in which they
reside and have an enhanced DBS check.
• Ensure all crew and staff coming into close contact with a child are DBS checked.
• Ensure that all staff and crew who don’t necessarily have close contact with children
but who are assisting in the production are aware of their conduct around children.
Definitions of Child Abuse and Neglect
A child is abused or neglected when somebody inflicts harm, or fails to act to prevent harm.
A child or young person up to the age of 18 years can suffer abuse or neglect and require
protection.
• Physical Abuse - May involve hitting, shaking, throwing, poisoning, burning or
scalding, drowning or suffocating or otherwise causing physical harm to a child.
Physical harm may also be caused when a parent or carer fabricates or induces
illness in a child whom they are looking after.
• Sexual Abuse - Forcing or enticing a child/young person to take part in sexual
activities, whether or not they are aware of what is happening, may involve: physical
contact, including penetrative or non-penetrative acts; non-contact activities, such
as involving children in looking at, or in the production of pornographic material or
watching sexual activities; or encouraging children to behave in sexually
inappropriate ways.
• Neglect - 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. It may involve a parent or carer failing to provide adequate food,
shelter and clothing, failing to protect a child from physical harm or danger, or the
failure to ensure access to appropriate care or treatment. It may also include neglect
of, or unresponsiveness to, a child’s basic emotional needs.
• Emotional Abuse - The persistent emotional ill-treatment of a child such as to cause
severe and persistent adverse effects on the child’s emotional and behavioural
development. It may involve conveying to the child that they are worthless or
unloved, inadequate, or valued only in so far as they meet the needs of another
person. It may feature age and developmentally inappropriate expectations being
imposed on children. It may involve causing children to feel frightened or in danger,
for example witnessing domestic abuse within the home or being bullied, or the
exploitation or corruption of children. Some level of emotional abuse is involved in
all types of ill treatment of a child, though it may occur alone.
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Legislation, Policy and Guidance
Talent4kidz will adhere to the relevant legislation when working with children
and young people under the age of 18 years as outlined in the following:
• Children Act 1989
• Children Act 2004
• Working Together to Safeguard Children 2015
Suspicion of Abuse
• If you see or suspect abuse of a child, immediately make this known to the
designated individual/manager responsible for child protection.
Disclosure of Abuse
If a child tells you that, they or another child or young person is being abused:-
• Always stop and listen straight away, show that you take their allegations seriously.
• Encourage the child to talk, but do not ask leading questions, interrupt or ask the child to
repeat itself.
• Never promise that you will keep what is said confidential or secret – explain that if you
are told something of concern that you will need to let someone know but that you will only
tell the people who need to know and can help.
• Record what you have been told accurately and as soon as possible. Use the child‘s own
words. Make a note of the time, location, whether anyone else present and of the Child’s
demeanour.
• Ensure that your concerns are reported immediately to the designated individual/manager
• Do not confront the alleged abuser.
Handling Allegations
• If a child makes an allegation against a member of staff it must be reported as a matter of
urgency to the designated manager/individual for child protection who will refer to Social
Services department for Children’s Services. If the allegation is against the designated
person then the information should be reported to another senior manager or directly to
Social Services department for Children’s Services. (This would generally be referred to the
authority in which the alleged incident took place).
• The alleged perpetrator should not be made aware of the allegation at this
point.
Recording
• In all situations, the details of allegation or reported incident must be recorded.
Make accurate notes of time, dates, incident or disclosure, people involved, what
was said and done and by whom, action taken to investigate, further action taken
e.g. suspension of individual and if relevant: reasons why the matter was not
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referred to a statutory agency, name of person reporting and to whom it was
reported The record must be stored securely and shared only with those who need
to know.
• DO NOT worry that you might be mistaken; you have a responsibility to pass on your
concerns following a disclosure. Never think abuse is impossible, or that an
accusation about a person you know well and trust is bound to be wrong.