junk ensemble Child Protection Policy

Introduction

junk ensemble are committed to upholding the rights of children and young people as performers, participants and audience members for their work.

Jessica Kennedy worked with the youth organisation Arts Fusion, teaching dance and drama workshops in North-East London schools from 2003-2004. In 2004-2006 she taught full-time youth dance classes for Myriad Dance Company, Wexford. Jessica was Artistic Director of Draoicht Youth Dance Company in 2007. Jessica and Megan were Artistic Directors of Drogheda Youth Dance Company in 2007-2008.

This is our child protection policy.

It was drafted following working on Five Ways to Drown at Dublin Dance Festival 2010.

Legal Framework

Since the publication of the 1987 Child Abuse Guidelines by the Department of Health, the profile of child abuse as a social problem has risen considerably in Ireland.  During this period, significant reforms have taken place in terms of legislation, policies and services established to promote the protection and welfare of children.  The Child Care Act, 1991 updated legislation for the welfare and protection of children.  In September 1992, the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child was ratified by Ireland and came into force on 21 October 1992. Health board community care services have been expanded considerably and management responsibilities for child care and child protection have been re-organised.  In 1993, Children First: National Guidelines for the Protection of Children were issued. Finally, key aspects of the Data Protection Act 1998 and its subsequent amendment, the Data Protection (Amendment) Act 2003 also apply to working with children and youth.

Key Principles

junk ensemble is fully committed to safeguarding the welfare of all children, young people and vulnerable adults. It recognises its responsibility to take all reasonable steps to promote safe practice and to protect children, young people and vulnerable adults form harm, abuse and exploitation. Paid staff and volunteers will endeavour to work together to encourage the development of an ethos, which embraces difference and diversity and respects the rights of children, young people and vulnerable adults.

This policy relates to children and young people up to the age of 18 years and vulnerable adults.

The key principles underpinning this policy are:

All work carried out by junk ensemble staff must comply with both the Children First: National Guidelines for the Protection of Children and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, as follows.

Good Practice Code of Conduct

All staff at junk ensemble are encouraged to demonstrate exemplary behaviour in order to safeguard the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. junk ensemble requires all staff with substantial access to children to be checked by An Garda Síochána. Our aim is to strive towards creating a positive culture and climate by adhering to the following guidelines:

YOU SHOULD 

·           Help to develop an ethos, which promotes difference and diversity, where all people are treated equally and with dignity and respect.

·           Always put the care, welfare and safety needs of a child, young person or vulnerable adult first.

·           Actively encourage children, young people and vulnerable adults to be involved in making choices and decisions, which directly affect them.

·           Listen attentively to any ideas and views a child, young person or vulnerable adult wants to share with you.

·           Respect a child’s [young person’s or vulnerable adult’s] culture and/or religious beliefs.

·           Respect a child’s [young person’s or vulnerable adult’s] right to privacy and personal space.

·           Respond sensitively to a child, young person or vulnerable adult who seems anxious about participating in certain activities.

·           Be aware of the vulnerability of some groups of children to being isolated and hurt (for example: those with learning and physical disabilities, those from minority ethnic groups, those with limited English language skills)

·           Ensure that a teacher, parent or other responsible adult is present at all times. junk ensemble staff never work “in loco parentis” (we are not solely responsible for children, young people or vulnerable adults).

·           Speak to another member of staff immediately if you suspect that a child is experiencing bullying or harassment.

·           Listen carefully to any child who ‘tells you’ (sometimes through drawings and behaviour as well as words) that they are being harmed and report what you have heard immediately to either one of the Co-Artistic Directors or the Producer.

·           Only restrain a child, young person or vulnerable adult who is at risk of inflicting harm to themselves or others.

YOU SHOULD NOT

·           Exaggerate or trivialise another member of staff’s concerns about a child, young person or vulnerable adult.

·           Ignore an allegation or suspicion of abuse in the hope that it will either ‘go away’ or that ‘someone else will deal with it’

·           Discuss personal issues about a child [young person or vulnerable adult] or their family with other people except with one of the Co-Artistic Directors or the Producer when you are concerned about the child’s [young person’s or vulnerable adult’s] well being.

·           Be drawn into any derogatory remarks or gestures in front of children, young people or vulnerable adults. You should lead by example and where ever possible comply with the rules that govern the organisation you are in (e.g. school).

·           Allow a child, young person or vulnerable adult to be bullied or harmed by either a member of the organisation or by one of their peers.

·           Allow children to swear or use sexualised language unchallenged.

YOU SHOULD NEVER 

·           Engage in sexually provocative games including horseplay.

·           Allow others or yourself to engage in touching a child, young person or vulnerable adult in a sexually provocative manner.

·           Make sexually suggestive comments to a child, young person or vulnerable adult, even in jest.

·           Engage in rough or physical contact unless it is permitted within the rules of a game or sports activity or conforms to the guidance on appropriate physical restraint.

·           Form inappropriate emotional or physical relationships with children, young people or vulnerable adults.

·           Harass or intimidate a child, young person vulnerable adult or co-worker because of their age, race, gender, sexual orientation, religious beliefs, socio-economic class or disability.

·           Invite a child, young person or vulnerable adult to stay with you at your home. 

Child Protection and Other Artistic Companies

Other artistic companies who collaborate and/or co-produce with junk ensemble are required to have their own Child Protection Policy and procedures in place where members of the company are children, young people or vulnerable adults or where the visiting company plan to work with children, young people or vulnerable adults as part of an ancillary education package. Additionally venues where our work is performed should ideally also have such policies but where they do not, the Company’s Child Protection Policy remains central to the conduct of our relations with children and young people.

junk ensemble reserves the right to ask for copies of all child protection documentation on request and ensure that all permissions and arrangements for supervision are in place.

Health and Safety in the performance spaces

A thorough assessment to identify risks will be carried out prior to every rehearsal, performance and/or workshop that involve children to ensure that children, young people and vulnerable adults using the performance area, dressing rooms and back stage areas for said activities are safe and comfortable. The following things will be checked prior to a group of children, young people or vulnerable adults use a space:

The member of staff leading the session/rehearsal, or another member of Junk Ensemble’s staff present, must be made aware of fire evacuation procedure from the space they are using.

Managing with concerns/ disclosures of abuse

Contact Details for Child Protection Officer

The Child Protection Officer is Richard Wakely, the Company’s Producer who can be contacted at:

If the Child Protection Officer is unavailable please contact one of the Co-Artistic Directors or the Producer or in an emergency situation contact social services or the police.

General definition of abuse

Children, young people and/or vulnerable adults may be in need of protection where their basic needs are not being met, in a manner appropriate to their stage of development, and they will be at risk from avoidable acts or omissions on the part of their parent(s), sibling(s), other relative(s) or carer(s).

To define an act or omission as abusive and/or presenting future risk for the purpose of registration a number of elements must be taken into account. These include demonstrable or predictable harm to the child, young person or vulnerable adult as a result of action or inaction by the parent or other carer. Abuse can include: physical injury, physical neglect, sexual abuse, non-organic failure to thrive (e.g. children who significantly fail to reach normal growth/developmental milestones where physical and genetic reasons have been medically eliminated) and emotional abuse.

There are also 4 main categories of abuse as outlined in Children’s First: National Guidelines for the Protection and Welfare of Children. Please refer to the Company’s Child Protection Officer for further details

Dealing with Concerns of Abuse 

The following action should be taken if you suspect a child may be suffering abuse in some way:

Dealing with Disclosures

The following action should be taken if a child who has suffered abuse confides in you:

Dealing with disclosures against a staff member

Please note that in managing concerns/disclosures it is not your responsibility to decide whether or not abuse has taken place. You must abide by these guidelines if you are concerned about the welfare of a user.

Defamation

In producing this policy we prefer the following definition and approach to addressing issues of defamation as described in Guidelines on Child Protection prepared for the independent schools in Scotland by Kathleen Marshall.

“Concerned adults are sometimes reluctant to report suspicions of abuse for fear that the person suspected will sue them for defamation if the allegation turns out to be unfounded. To be defamatory, a statement must first of all be untrue. Even if subsequently shown to be untrue, the statement will be protected by ‘qualified privilege’ if it is made to the appropriate authority ‘in response to a duty, whether legal, moral, social or in the protection of an interest’. Unjustified repetition of the allegations to other persons will not be protected by privilege.

The qualification on privilege refers to statements motivated by malice. If a statement, even to the appropriate authority, can be shown to be not only untrue, but motivated by malice, then an act of defamation could be successful.”

If you are still concerned about defamation you are advised to seek legal advice.

Storing of and access to confidential child protection data

junk ensemble abides by the Data Protection Act 1998 and its subsequent amendment, the Data Protection (Amendment) Act 2003.  These acts set out provisions for the regulations of processing of information relating to individuals, including obtaining, holding, use or disclosure of such information. Children are entitled to the same duty of confidence as adults, provided they have the ability to understand the choices and their consequences relating to the proposed lines of action. Where consent had not been obtained the law permits disclosure of confidential information necessary to safe guard a child where s/he is considered to be at risk.

All child protection information will be stored securely and will only be shared with authorised personnel and appropriate authorities.

Managing Disclosure Information 

junk ensemble is committed to the development of best practice in relation to the recruitment of staff.

In accordance with recognized best practice, junk ensemble will ensure the following practice:

junk ensemble

Pro-forma for recording concerns/allegations of abuse 

Name of Child:

Age:

Address and telephone number: