Safeguarding Policy (Reviewed August 2025)
Name and Address of Organisation: Nuneaton Festival of Arts, 74, Shakespeare Drive, Nuneaton, CV11 6NW
Name & Address of Chairman: Gwyneth Evans 07375365983
NAME OF SAFEGUARDING OFFICER: Gwyneth Evans 07375365983
Venues:
- Salvation Army Citadel, Nuneaton
- Abbey Theatre/Arts Centre, Nuneaton
- Chilvers Coton Parish Hall, Nuneaton.
- Barnacle Village Hall
- Nuneaton and Bedworth Civic Hall
Dates: March – June annually.
Preliminary Statement:
Introduction
Nuneaton Festival of Arts has a moral and legal obligation to ensure that, when given responsibility for children all organisers, chaperones, 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.
We recognise that:
• the welfare of the child/young person is paramount
• all children, regardless of age, disability, gender, racial heritage, religious belief, sexual orientation or identity, have the right to equal protection from all types of harm or abuse
• working in partnership with children, young people, their parents, carers and other agencies is essential in promoting young people’s welfare.
Purpose & Function of Organisation:
The objective of the Festival is to provide a platform for amateur performance and to advance the education of the public in the Arts, both the Performing Arts and Visual Arts. This policy relates to children under the age of 18 years and those vulnerable adults of any age who are identified to the organisers prior to their arrival at the Festival. The organisers actively seek to meet special needs notified to them by parent, guardians, carers/teachers.
The Festival Environment:
Our festivals are held in a variety of buildings, though performers/competitors do not need to move between them unless attending different events. All have areas open to the public. The Nuneaton festival of Arts is a charity (Registered Charity Number 1041379 and is run by volunteers.
To whom does this policy apply?
This policy relates to children under the age of 18 years and members of vulnerable groups of any age whose needs are identified to the festival organisers by parents/guardians/carers and/or teachers prior to their arrival at our festival. We do this by ensuring that you receive a copy of this policy at the time you are making arrangements to attend our festival.
Festival Personnel:
Festival helpers are recruited through section organisers and through local press/ publications. The Festival secretary holds names and addresses of all members of the Festival Committee and stewards. They will be identifiable at events by badges. Any problems should be referred to them. All concerns will be documented and dated. Job descriptions are provided for section organisers, their assistants, volunteers and members of the Executive. All jobs are reviewed to see if they need enhanced CRB checks.
Preparation for Attendance at the Festival:
This policy is sent out in the Festival syllabus and is available on our web site. It is sent to individual entrants with their tickets – the fact that individuals arrive for the appropriate classes indicates that they have also received the policy. A letter is sent to private teachers and group leaders with the policy. This letter has to be signed and returned to the section organizer as proof that the information has been passed to parents. Entries cannot be accepted unless a declaration has been signed and returned as it may damage our organisation if participants fail to follow our safeguarding policy.
One copy of the policy is sent to state/private schools where the entries are “school regulated events” (i.e. the teacher accompanies the pupils because it is a school activity). It is assumed that the school has done all that is necessary to gain permission from parents for the children to attend. Where parents/guardians/carers are not personally attending with their children, this policy requires them to be satisfied that their children will be accompanied to the festival and adequately supervised by responsible adults acting on their behalf. The policy is sent to parents/guardians/carers/teachers so that they become partners in implementing this policy.
Performance Areas and Changing Areas:
Whilst every effort will be made to provide a safe environment at the Festival, children are the responsibility of their parents/guardians/carers/teachers in charge. The Festival is run by volunteers and no supervision is provided between classes or in the lunch break. Public areas, practice rooms, toilets and changing areas will not be supervised by festival stewards on the days of the Festival. This is the responsibility of adults accompanying children and young people.
Photographs, Videotapes & Press Photography:
No tape recording, photography or video filming will be allowed in any class at the Festival. The committee reserves the right to require any person infringing this rule to leave the room where the class is being held. All mobile phones must be switched off during classes.
Legislation and Guidance supporting this policy:
The Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974
The Children Act 1989/2004
The Police Act 1997
The Data Protection Act 1998
The Human Rights Act 1998
The Protection of Children Act 1999
The Criminal Justice and Court Services Act 2000
The Protection of Vulnerable Groups Act 2000
Children Act 2004
Working Together to Safeguard Children 2015
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
Review
The organisers will regularly review the policy, revising and enhancing it as necessary. In doing this they will look to the British and International Federation of Festivals for support. That body, in turn, will look to other agencies for good practice, most notably the NSPCC and Arts Council of England policy guidelines.
Copyright © 2019 Nuneaton Festival of Arts – All Rights Reserved. Registered Charity number 1041379
Affiliated to The British and International Federation of Festivals for Music, Dance and Speech of which Her Majesty The Queen is Patron.
Safeguarding
Warwickshire’s Family and Children’s Front Door.
Email: [email protected]
Multi-agency Contact – MAC This form should always be completed (to the best of your knowledge) when making a contact to the Warwickshire Family and Children’s Front Door.
Please contact the Family and Children’s Front Door first to discuss this matter. If you have previously rung, please provide the reference number.
It is important to note that this MAC will be assessed to see if it meets the threshold for becoming a referral for further action.
For an immediate concern about a child in danger dial 999.
In Warwickshire we are working restoratively with families, so it is important to tell us what is working well in the family, the strengths and the barriers to change. In line with the Pathway to Change Model.
MAC-2020-FINAL-23-9-20.docx (live.com)
Contact details:
For urgent concerns – If you have concerns that a child is suffering any form of abuse, neglect or cruelty contact the Warwickshire Family and Children’s Front Door immediately by calling 01926 414144.
Lines are open: Monday to Thursday – 8.30am – 5:30pm, Friday – 8.30am – 5:00pm
You will then need to complete and return a Multi-Agency Contact Form (MAC) and send via email to the Front Door team:
Please email – [email protected]
Out of hours – if you need to get in touch out of usual office hours, please contact the Emergency Duty Team immediately on 01926 886922.
Emergencies – if you think that a child is at immediate risk, contact the police immediately on 999.
Non-urgent concerns – complete the Multi Agency Contact Form and send to email address as stated above.
Other Local Authorities
Coventry City: 024 7678 8555/ Out of hours: 024 7683 2222
Leicestershire County Council: 0116 3050005 (24 hr line)