Child and Young Person's Protection Policy

For the purposes of this document, Wranglers Youth and Children’s Theatre Company recognises a child or young person to be under the age of 18 years old.
The Wranglers Youth and Children’s Theatre Company recognises its duty of care under the Children and Young Persons Act 1963, the Child (Performances) Regulations 1968, the Protection of Children Act 1999 and the Criminal Justice and Court Services Act 2000.  Wranglers Youth and Children’s Theatre Company recognises that abuse can take many forms, whether it be physical abuse, emotional abuse, sexual abuse or neglect. The society is committed to practice which protects children from harm. All members of the Wranglers Youth and Children’s Companies accept and recognise their responsibilities to develop awareness of the issues which cause children and young people harm.
 
Wranglers Youth and Children’s Theatre Company believes that:

• welfare of the child or young person is paramount
• All children and young people, whatever their age, culture, disability, gender, language, racial origin, religious beliefs and/or sexual identity have the right to protection from abuse.
• All suspicions and allegations of abuse should be taken seriously and responded to swiftly and appropriately.
• All members and volunteers of the society should be clear on how to respond appropriately.

Wranglers Youth and Children’s Theatre Company will ensure that:

• All children and young people will be treated equally and with respect and dignity.
• The duty of care to children and young people will always be put first.
• A balanced relationship based on mutual trust will be built which empowers the children and young people to share in the decision making process.
• Enthusiastic and constructive feedback will be given rather than negative criticism.
• Bullying will not be accepted or condoned.
• All adult members of the society provide a positive role model for dealing with other people.
• Action will be taken to stop any inappropriate verbal or physical behaviour.
•  It will keep up-to-date with health & safety legislation.
• It will keep informed of changes in legislation and policies for the protection of children.
• It will hold a register of every child involved with the society and will retain a contact name and number close at hand in case of emergencies.

 
The society has a dedicated Child Protection Officer, who is in charge of ensuring that the child protection policy and procedures are adhered to. That person’s name is Wendy Holmes and she can be contacted at [email protected] Should the named person above be not available, responsibility defaults to Diane Sullivan.
 
 
Responsibilities of Wranglers Youth and Children’s Theatre Company        
At the outset of any production or new term involving children the society will:

• Undertake a risk assessment and monitor risk throughout the production process.
•  Identify at the outset the person with designated responsibility for child protection.
• Engage in effective recruitment of chaperones and other individuals with responsibility for children, including appropriate vetting
• Ensure that children and young people are supervised at all times.
• Know how to get in touch with the local authority (Plymouth) social services, in case it needs to report a concern.
• Adhere to the Children (Performances and Activities) in England Regulations 2014 when rehearsing and throughout the duration of a production

Parents

• The society believes it to be important that there is a partnership between parents and the society. Parents are encouraged to be involved in the activities of the society and to share responsibility for the care of children. All parents will be given a copy of the Wranglers/Home Agreement.
• All parents have the responsibility to collect (or arrange collection of) their children and young people after rehearsals or performances. It is NOT the responsibility of Wranglers Youth and Children’s Theatre Company to take children home.

Unsupervised Contact

• The society will attempt to ensure that no adult has unsupervised contact with children.
• If possible there will always be two adults in the room when working with children; one of which will hold a criminal records disclosure.
• If unsupervised contact is unavoidable, steps will be taken to minimise risk. For example, work will be carried out in a public area, or in a designated room with a door open.
• If it is predicted that an individual is likely to require unsupervised contact with children, he or she is required to obtain a criminal record disclosure.

Physical contact

• All adults will maintain a safe and appropriate distance from children.
• Adults will only touch children when it is absolutely necessary in relation to the particular activity.
• Adults will seek the consent of the child and young person prior to any physical contact and the purpose of the contact shall be made clear.

Managing sensitive information

• Permission will be sought from the parents/guardians for use of photographic material featuring children for promotional or other purposes.
• The society’s web-based and social media materials and activities will be carefully monitored
• The society will ensure confidentiality in order to protect the rights of its members, including the safe handling, storage and disposal of any sensitive information such as the Disclosure and Barring Service.
• Photographs will only be taken by a designated member of Wranglers’ staff and will only be shared with the parents of the child (Children’s Group) or young person (Youth Group).
• Photographs cannot be shared online by ANYBODY except those responsible for the society’s official website and social media pages.

Suspicion of abuse

• If you see or suspect abuse of a child or young person while in the care of Wranglers Youth and Children’s Theatre Company, please make this known to the person with responsibility for child protection. If you suspect that the person with responsibility for child protection is the source of the problem, you should make your concerns known to the Chairman or Vice Chairman.
• Please make a note for your own records of what you witnessed as well as your response, in case there is follow-up in which you are involved.
• If a serious allegation is made against any member of the society, chaperone, venue staff etc., that individual will be removed from the theatre, rehearsal rooms etc. until the investigation is concluded. This is to protect the member as well as the child or young person.  

 
Disclosure of abuse (If a child or young person confides in you that abuse has taken place)

• Remain calm and in control but do not delay taking action.
• Listen carefully to what has been said. Allow the child or young person to tell you at their own pace and ask questions only for clarification. Don’t ask questions that suggest a particular answer.
• Don’t promise to keep it a secret. Use the first opportunity you have to share the information with the person with responsibility for child and young people protection. Make it clear to the child or young person that you will need to share this information with others. Make it clear that you will only tell the people who need to know and who should be able to help.

• Reassure the child or young person that ‘they did the right thing’ in telling someone and inform them as to what you are going to do next.
• Speak immediately to the person with responsibility for child and young person protection. It is that person’s responsibility to liaise with the relevant authorities, usually social services or the police.
• As soon as possible after the disclosing conversation, make a note of what was said, using the child or young person’s own words.

Recording

• 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 the concerns have been shared further, i.e. social services or the police.  Any action taken to investigate the matter or any further action taken must also be recorded.
• The record will be stored securely and shared only with those who need to know about the incident or allegation.
• Both the alleged abuser and the child or young person has the right to confidentiality under the Data Protection Act 1998.

Accidents

• To avoid accidents, chaperones, children and young people will be advised of ‘house rules’ regarding health and safety and will be notified of areas that are out of bounds. Children and young people will be advised of the clothing and footwear appropriate.
• If a child or young person is injured, a designated first-aider will administer first aid and the injury will be recorded.
• If a child or young person attends with an obvious physical injury, contact with the parents/guardians will be made to ensure they are safe to participate.

 
Disclosure and Barring Service

• If the society believes it is in its best interests to obtain criminal record disclosures for Wranglers leaders or other personnel, it will inform the individual of the necessary procedures and the level of disclosure required. A Standard disclosure will apply for anyone with supervised access to children. An Enhanced disclosure will be required for anyone with unsupervised access.
• The society will ensure that information contained in the disclosure is not misused and stored appropriately.

 
Chaperones

• Wranglers Leaders will act as chaperones for the duration of a production.
• Parent Helpers as chaperones will be appointed by the society for the care of children and young people during the production process. By law the chaperone is acting in loco parentis and should exercise the care which a good parent might be reasonably expected to give to a child. The maximum number of children in the chaperone’s care shall not exceed 12.
• Parent Helpers as Chaperones will be asked to sign a declaration stating that there is no reason why they would be considered unsuitable to work with children and young people.
• Parent Helpers as Chaperones will be made aware of the society’s Child Protection Policy and Procedures and will not have unsupervised access to children and young people in their care
• If Chaperones (Wranglers Leaders) are not satisfied with the conditions for the children and young people or if a child or young person is unwell or too tired to continue, they should bring this to the attention of the producer. If changes cannot be made satisfactorily, the producer should consider not allowing the child or young person to continue.
• During performances and rehearsal times, Wranglers Leaders will be responsible for meeting children at the stage door and signing them into and out of the building.  If a parent/guardian has not collected the child, it is the duty of Wranglers Leaders to stay with that child or young person until further arrangements have been made.
• Children and young people will be kept together at all times whenever possible, except when using separate dressing rooms.
• Wranglers Leaders will be aware of where children and young people are at all times.
• Children and young people under the age of 13 will not be allowed to enter the adult dressing rooms nor will adults be allowed to enter the children’s and young peoples’ dressing rooms

 
This policy should also be read in conjunction with the Wranglers/Home Agreement.
​
New addition published on 20/04/2020

Online classes including social media content in case of extenuating circumstances*

• All sessions using online video applications e.g. Zoom will be recorded and private message facilities will be turned off for all participants.
• All logins for online classes will be sent via email to the parent/carer. No invitation should be sent to a young person’s email or shared on social media
• A minimum of two Wranglers Leaders must be present online for the duration of the session.
• Parents will be advised to supervise their child for the duration of the online session in an accessible room within their own home and will be responsible for their physical wellbeing throughout.
• All Wranglers leaders will ensure that they participate from a suitable room within their own home and consider security of devices, particularly cameras and microphones as well as exercise caution for accounts and personal data.
• When live streaming material and videos, it is essential that the Wranglers Youth and Children’s Company considers the cost of mobile data in order to ensure that the family are not incurring any surprising costs.
• If using the private Facebook group for the Wranglers Youth and Children’s Theatre Company so as to share any videos/online materials, all members of the group must be over 13 in order to comply with social media laws.

If there are any concerns regarding a young person’s welfare at any time during an online session or when interacting on the private Facebook group then these must be reported to the designated safeguarding link for the Wranglers Youth and Children’s Company and/or the Chair and Vice Chair. Alternatively, contact your local MASH (Multi Agency Safeguarding Hub); this can be found by googling MASH and Devon or visiting https://www.dcfp.org.uk/training-and-resources/multi-agency-safeguarding-hub-in-devon/making-a-mash-contact/
 
*Safeguarding policies remain the same for online classes as they do for physical interactions

Wranglers/Home Agreement

Wranglers will:

• Enable you to be a part of a multi award winning Theatre Company with  thriving children and youth groups
• Offer high quality theatre and performance tuition and the opportunities to participate in nationally acclaimed productions (through NODA – National Operatic and Dramatic Association)
• Reserve the right to alter or extend class times as well as scheduling any extra rehearsals, making any changes known through the usual mediums
• Accept children on the assumption that they are in good health; it is the parent/guardian’s responsibility to alert us to any medical complaint suffered by your child
• Not take or post any photographs of children on the Wranglers website or on social media unless permission has been sought beforehand from parent/guardians
• Not accept liability for any death or personal injury to any child attending save to the extent that any death or injury shall be caused by the negligence or default of Wranglers Theatre Company
• Not accept any responsibility for your child until there has been a conscious handover of your child by you or an acknowledged carer which is accepted by a Wranglers leader. This means that you must witness your child being acknowledged and ticked into the class. We do not accept responsibility for children left at the main entrance of venues or who enter on their own from outside any building or space that we hire
• Not accept responsibility for any loss of, or damage to, personal property belonging to you or your child unless such loss or damage shall be caused by the negligence or default of Wranglers Theatre Company
• Will follow up any absences of more than two weeks with a courtesy telephone call home

 
Children/Young People will:

• Have an energy and an interest in performing or developing confidence with a desire to appear on stage and entertain others
• Be committed; we are working together for a good end production
• Understand the expectations regarding their behaviour during weekly sessions, rehearsals and performances
• Ensure that they wear the correct uniform each week and tie long hair back
• Not take or post any photographs of other children on social media unless permission has been sought beforehand from parent/guardians

Parents/Guardians will:

• Ensure that their child/children wear the correct uniform each week and have long hair tied back
• Pay fees at the beginning of each term or once a year in September
• Support Wranglers’ leaders with regard to their child’s behaviour and understand that excessive and continual poor behaviour may result in their child being removed from class / production / Wranglers
• Ensure that we have current contact details for you and all adults authorised to pick up your child and keep us apprised of any changes in the health or other relevant circumstances of your child.
• Always pick your child/children up from inside any building or space that we may hire, ensuring a conscious handover from Wranglers to yourself or an acknowledged carer. 
• Not take or post any photographs of children on social media unless permission has been sought beforehand from parent/guardians
• Will notify Diane Sullivan by text on 07941084944 at least one hour before any session / rehearsal / performance if your child is unable to attend 

Guidance for using/participating in classes/ sessions using group video messaging applications such as Zoom (added 20/04/2020)
During exceptional circumstances e.g. periods of social distancing due to a pandemic, some classes may be taught via group video messaging applications.  Please ensure you have read the terms and conditions of any group video messaging application you are using.

• No young person will be accepted into the Zoom meeting until there are at least two Wranglers leaders online. You will be asked to wait in the online ‘waiting room’ until we are ready to accept you.

 

• All online classes will be recorded by the Zoom host to ensure safety and welfare for all participants. The Zoom host will also ensure that the private messaging facility is turned off.

 

• All Zoom meeting invitations will be shared via parent/carer email addresses only.  Do not share the login details with anyone. All videos and materials remain the property of Wranglers Theatre Company and may not be shared with anyone that is not a member.

 

• After 10 minutes from the start, the Zoom session will be locked to ensure the online safety of all participants.

 

• A young person’s online behaviour should mirror that of our normal physical classes. No unwanted, inappropriate or distracting noise or gestures will be allowed. The Zoom host reserves the right to mute or remove any young person who is not behaving appropriately

 

• Parents/Carers are responsible for the safety and welfare of their child. Therefore, you must ensure that all young people in your care are
  • supervised during the lessons
  • have adequate space in which to participate in the lessons and that the space being used for classes is free of wires and any objects that could cause injury
  • are in a room that is accessible by the whole family, i.e. not their bedroom.
  • appropriately dressed (clothes that allow freedom of movement) and suitable footwear (trainers or dance shoes)
  • told to stop participating if they feel unwell or have any discomfort at any point.