Code of Good Practice for working with children and Child Protection Policy
1 INTRODUCTION AND SCOPE
1.1 The East Anglian Traditional Music Trust recognises that the protection of children and young people is a corporate responsibility and that this responsibility includes ensuring that every child or young person that comes into contact with an employee of EATMT or any aspect of EATMT’s activities feels safe and protected whilst so doing.
1.2 These Guidance Notes apply to all Employees, Volunteers, Trustees and Directors of EATMT. For the purpose of this policy Employees, Volunteers, Trustees and Directors are referred to collectively as ‘employees’.
1.3 The East Anglian Traditional Music Trust is committed to ensuring that its work with, and for, children and young people, is conducted in such a way that employees will hold as paramount the well-being of the child or young person at all times. Furthermore, it is expected that all EATMT employees will behave in such a way as to ensure that no child or young person feels at risk or in danger at any time.
1.4 With this in mind the East Anglian Traditional Music Trust:
1.4.1 holds to the belief that children and/or young people are to be respected and valued as unique individuals. It also recognises their vulnerability, and their need for protection.
1.4.2 fully accepts the principles enshrined in the Children Act 1989 and Child Protection Act 1999, that the welfare of the child is paramount. EATMT will take all allegations of abuse seriously and will take any action it considers necessary to protect the child and/or young person from abuse.
1.4.3 will seek to ensure the suitability of all employees appointed to work with children and/or young people through its recruitment and selection procedures and other working practices and procedures. In any appropriate circumstances, CRB checks will be required for employees and volunteers working directly with children.
1.5 In order to safeguard both its employees and the children and/or young people they come into contact with, it is expected that all employees will:
1.5.1 operate in accordance with the guidelines set out in this policy
1.5.2 follow the guidelines set out in Appendix 1 in relation to the use of physical contact and use of restraint
1.5.3 be watchful of one another
1.5.4 challenge bad practice
1.5.5 report through the appropriate channels any concerns they have about an individual or practices within EATMT.
2 PURPOSE
The purpose of this Code of Practice and Policy is to:
2.1 communicate to employees and external stakeholders the East Anglian Traditional Music Trust’s commitment to:
2.1.1 meet its obligations under the Protection of Children Act 1999 and other
relevant legislation including the Children’s Act 1989
2.1.2 identify and work towards addressing the needs of children and young people.
2.2 raise employee awareness of:
2.2.1 the definitions of child abuse
2.2.2 how to recognise signs of abuse
2.2.3 the procedures available to raise concerns of abuse
2.3 provide guidelines for managers on:
2.3.1 their duties and responsibilities in relation to this policy
2.3.2 how to identify and minimise bad practice
2.3.3 the procedures to follow when working with children and young people
2.3.4 the procedures to follow when receiving reports of child abuse
2.3.5 the procedures to follow after physical restraint has been used
2.4 provide guidelines to employees on
2.4.1 their duties and responsibilities in relation to this policy
2.4.2 the procedures to follow when working with children and young people
2.4.3 the reporting and recording procedures to follow when child abuse is suspected
2.4.4 the use of physical contact or touch
2.4.5 the use of physical restraint
2.4.6 the procedures to follow after physical restraint has been used
3 MANAGERS’ RESPONSIBILITIES
Those managers that manage employees who work directly or indirectly with children and/or young people are responsible for:
3.1 Bringing this document to the attention of all agencies and partners with whom the organisation works and employees for whom they are responsible, and ensuring employees meet their responsibilities as set out in this policy
3.2 Introducing systems as appropriate, to raise awareness amongst children and young people of the existence of this policy and their right to protection under it including talking with an independent person of their own choice if they so desire.
3.3 Planning work in such a way that situations where claims, or actual abuse of
children or young people are minimised, including ensuring that:
3.3.1 no employee is left alone with a child or young person where there is little or
no opportunity for the activity to be observed by others. This may mean groups working within the same large room or working in an adjoining room with the door left open.
3.3.2 No employee has cause to take a child or young person off the premises by themselves.
3.3.3 No employee has cause to meet a child or young people alone particularly if off the premises by themselves
3.3.4 Parents and/or another responsible adult as well as the manager are kept informed of all meetings that are held with a child or young person including the time, place and purpose of the meeting.
3.3.5 No employee has cause to travel alone with or give a child or young person a lift by themselves.
3.4 Making opportunities to observe the working practices of employees they are
responsible for while they are working with young people.
3.5 Identifying their own and employee training needs and ensuring this is attended to
as required.
4.1 Ensuring that employees employed either directly or indirectly to work with children or young people are appointed only after a thorough recruitment and selection procedure has been completed. Such procedure to include ensuring that:
4.1.1 job descriptions spell out clearly the employee’s responsibilities for the protection of children and young people
4.1.3 all prospective employees are interviewed in order to establish and verify
previous experience of working with children and/or young people and that
the extent and relevance of this experience is carefully explored along with
the individual’s motivation and commitment.
4.1.4 prospective employees complete and sign the Employee Declaration, (Appendix two) before employment commences.
4.1.5 Prospective employees are checked with the CRB, or are asked to produce a current Criminal Records Bureau certificate, to ascertain whether a relevant conviction is disclosed. Any doubts in relation to the suitability of a prospective employee are recorded and reported to both the individual, and the Board of Trustees for further consideration before a final decision is made on an appointment.
4.1.6 references and other related documentation is kept confidential and securely filed but available for access by appropriate authorities in the event of an investigation taking place.
5 EMPLOYEES’ RESPONSIBILITIES
Those employees working directly or indirectly with children and/or young people will be responsible for:
5.1 Ensuring they understand and comply with their responsibilities and work within the guidelines set out in this policy at all times.
5.2 Keeping up to date on child protection issues and ensuring they adhere to best practice at all times.
6 DEFINITIONS OF CHILD ABUSE
6.1 Child abuse can be defined under five different categories. When considering these it should be borne in mind
that the abusers concerned may be acting in concert to abuse children, sometimes acting in isolation, or may be
using an institutional framework or position of authority to recruit children for abuse. Few abused children fit neatly
into one or other category. Most of them will be suffering from more than one form of abuse, eg a neglected child
will also be suffering emotional abuse and should be treated accordingly. The five categories are:
6.1.1 NEGLECT – the persistent or severe neglect of a child, sufficient to seriously endanger health or
development, e.g. failure to provide adequate food, shelter, supervision, etc.
6.1.2 PHYSICAL ABUSE – deliberately inflicted physical injury (non-accidental injury) to a child, including poisoning.
6.1.3 SEXUAL ABUSE – the involvement of dependent, developmentally immature children and adolescents
in sexual activities they do not comprehend, to which they are unable to give informed consent, or that
violate the social taboos of the family roles. This may include incest, pornography in the photographic,
video or internet form, homosexual or satanic practices and all other forms of sexual exploitation.
6.1.4 EMOTIONAL ABUSE – the persistent or severe emotional ill-treatment or rejection of a child by having
no feeling of warmth, care or concern for the child. This will include ridiculing, scapegoating and bullying.
6.1.5 ORGANISED OR MULTIPLE ABUSE – involving one or more abusers and a number of related or
non-related abused children and young people.
7 SIGNS OF CHILD ABUSE
7.2 Physical signs of child abuse include:
7.2.1 circular burns from cigarette or match-head, linear burns as from electric bar
fire.
7.2.2 bruises across mouth, face or neck.
7.2.3 black eyes, especially both eyes at the same time.
7.2.4 hand marks, fingerprint bruises (often on upper arm, where child has been
gripped), pinch marks and adult teeth imprint.
7.2.5 marks/bruises as from belt or cane.
7.2.6 multiple bruises at various stages of healing, implying frequent hurt.
7.2.7 frequent and/or unexplained injuries.
7.2.8 unconvincing or inconsistent explanations of injuries.
7.2.9 evidence of persistent and severe neglect – includes inadequate clothing,
underfeeding or lack of adult supervision.
7.3 Behavioural signs that could indicate child abuse include:
7.3.1 problems forming or maintaining relationships with other children and/or
adults.
7.3.2 lack of close feeling for parents or other children.
7.3.3 withdrawn and quiet , intensely watchful, especially of adults, frozen
watchfulness.
7.3.4 craving affection and compulsive inappropriate physical contact and/or
inappropriate behaviour.
7.3.5 being spiteful to other children.
8.1.1 Employees have a right and, indeed, a responsibility to raise any issues or concerns they have to do with the care of children and/or young people as provided directly or indirectly by EATMT. The most appropriate method of raising a concern must be used according to the nature and severity of the concern.
8.1.2 via the organisation’s grievance procedure
8.1.3 via making available the organisation’s complaints procedure to any external person wishing to raise a concern of child abuse.
9 GUIDELINES FOR EMPLOYEES
9.2 Whenever raising a concern about the well-being of a child or young person it is important that the following points are adhered to:
9.2.1 All reports and records are of a factual nature
9.2.2 Any opinions reported or recorded are clearly stated as being opinions and
not facts.
9.2.3 No comments are made on the views of other professionals involved.
9.3 Employees should avoid making promises of confidentiality as, the degree of confidentiality will be governed by the need to protect the child or young person. Whilst in normal circumstances all information held about a child or young person will be treated as confidential, it must be made clear to all concerned that confidentiality may not be maintained if the withholding of information will prejudice the welfare of the child.
9.4 Raising a Concern - An employee should follow the steps below if they have concerns of child abuse. It is acknowledged however, that steps may be missed out for reasons of urgency if, in the opinion of the employee, this is necessary to safeguard the child or young person from immediate abuse.
9.4.1 Step 1 – contact their line manager in the first instance for immediate advice and guidance.
9.4.2 Step 2 - complete a Child Abuse Report (Appendix three)
Step 3 - contact the Chair of Trustees or his/her nominated representative
directly if the manager is implicated in any way, not available or the
situation is not resolved to the satisfaction of the employee at Step 1.
9.4.3 Step 4 – take whatever other steps are deemed necessary by the employee
to ensure the safety and protection of the child or young person.
9.4.4 If attempts to contact the Chair of Trustees or his/her nominated representative are unsuccessful and the child and/or young person is considered to be in immediate danger, the employee should contact the social care services and/or the police. For the purpose of this policy, immediate danger is defined as being when a child has no other option than to return to the abusing situation.
9.5 Receiving a Direct Disclosure - If an employee of EATMT is the recipient of a direct disclosure of child abuse by a child or young person, they must remember that extreme care should be taken to avoid leading the child or young person or making any direct suggestions of abuse having taken place as this could later nullify evidence in court and create other legal difficulties. Employees should:
9.5.1 take immediate action to report the disclosure as in 9.4 above.
9.5.2 complete a Child Abuse Report (Appendix 3) recording the facts exactly
as told and send the report immediately to the appropriate person as
indicated in 9.4 above. The report should include:
9.5.2.1 the date and time the disclosure was made.
9.5.2.2 the name and address of the alleged perpetrator
9.5.2.3 the circumstances in which the disclosure was made
9.5.2.4 details of exactly what was said by the child making the
disclosure.
9.5.2.5 details of exactly what was said to the child making the
disclosure.
9.5.2.6 details of what action was taken as a direct result of the
disclosure being made.
9.5.2.7 sign and date the report.
9.5.3 be prepared to give continued support to the child and/or young person and
their family after the disclosure has been made if this is requested
9.5.4 be prepared to present and/or answer questions on the disclosure report at
any investigation and/or hearing conducted as a result of the report.
10 GUIDELINES FOR THOSE RECEIVING A CONCERN OR DISCLOSURE REPORT
10.1 When dealing with expressions of concern and/or disclosures of abuse it must always remembered that children and/or young people can be abused by any member of their immediate or extended family and from all sections of society. No assumption should be made that a person would not abuse a child or young person just because they are a parent, sibling, relative or friend of the child or young person or because they are a popular and a well-respected member of society.
10.2 Immediate steps should always be taken to safeguard the child and/or young person concerned and expressions of concern and/or direct reports of abuse must be taken seriously and dealt with promptly.
10.3 Receiving an Expression of Concern - When receiving an expression of concern from an employee the manager/trustee should:
10.3.1 immediately arrange a formal meeting with the employee to discuss their
concerns.
10.3.2 record official notes of the concerns and discussions held with the employee.
10.3.3 fully consider the concerns to assess what, if any, further action should be
taken. If further action is considered necessary then they should:
10.3.3.1 register the concern with the Chair of Trustees and/or
manager if this has not already been done.
10.3.3.2 notify the social care services and/or child protection unit if this
is appropriate.
10.3.3.3 notify the employee of the action taken as a result of their
concern and agree a regular review of the situation
10.3.3.4 keep detailed notes of all actions taken and review discussion
held in an independent secure file.
10.3.4 if no further immediate action is considered necessary then they should:
10.3.4.1 keep detailed notes of all discussions and original reports
received in an independent secure file.
10.3.4.2 agree a programme of review to monitor the situation with the
employee.
10.4 Receiving a Direct Disclosure Report – When receiving a direct disclosure report from an employee the manager/trustee should:
10.4.4 make an immediate objective assessment of what, if any, emergency steps should be taken to safeguard the child or young person.
10.4.5 immediately report the disclosure to the Chair of Trustees and/or the manager for advice and guidance if this has not already been done.
10.4.6 report the disclosure to the social care services and/or child protection unit and provide details of any emergency action taken if appropriate.
10.4.7 notify the employee submitting the report of the action taken.
10.4.8 provide ongoing support and guidance to the employee as required
10.4.9 keep independent, secure records of the report together with signed and dated notes of any discussion held and actions taken as a result of the report being made.
10.5 The Chair of Trustees, or his/her nominated representative, will be responsible for handling calls from the press or media in relation to any suspected or actual child abuse case involving the East Anglian Traditional Music Trust or one of its employees.
11 ASSURANCE FOR THOSE RAISING CONCERNS OR REPORTING CHILD ABUSE
11.3 Any employee, child or young person using this procedure is assured that their concerns will be treated seriously and sensitively. Every effort will be made to ensure the anonymity of the person raising the concern. However, it is not possible to give absolute guarantees of confidentially, especially if the matter raised results in action being taken by one or more legal authority.
11.4 EATMT will not tolerate harassment of any employee, child or young person who raises a concern and such harassment will be dealt with under the disciplinary procedures.
11.5 Employees who are nervous about raising concerns about child abuse can invite a friend or colleague to accompany them at any meeting arranged as part of EATMT’s procedures for dealing with child abuse.
11.6 When an issue is raised, the person raising the concern will be kept informed of the results of the investigations and any actions taken.
11.7 For monitoring and recording purposes the manager will maintain a register of concerns raised, and the resolutions reached.
12 MISUSE OF THE PROCEDURE
12.1 Malicious complaints about an employee and/or the serious and persistent abuse of the procedures available to raise concerns of child abuse will not be tolerated and will be dealt with through a disciplinary procedure.
12.2 Employees are forbidden to discuss any suspected or proven allegation of child abuse with:
12.2.1 Anyone within EATMT other than in the course of the official reporting
procedures as set out in this policy.
12.2.2 A member of any external agency or authority other than as part of the
formal reporting procedure as set out in this policy or in relation to a formal investigation into the case.
12.2.3 Any other interested party including parents, relatives and or carers of the
child or young person without the express permission of the Chair of Trustees or his/her nominated representative to do so.
12.3 All enquiries from the media concerning an alleged or proven allegation of child abuse should be referred to the Chair of Trustees or his/her nominated representative. Any direct question should be answered with the words ‘No Comment’.
APPENDIX ONE
GUIDANCE FOR EMPLOYEES WORKING DIRECTLY WITH CHILDREN AND/OR YOUNG PEOPLE
1 INTRODUCTION
1.1 The East Anglian Traditional Music Trust is aware of its responsibilities to protect employees, as far as reasonably practicable, from false allegations that may be made against them during the course of their day to day work activities. With this in mind, these guidance notes have been drawn up to raise awareness amongst employees of good working practices to be followed when working with children and or young people and, in particular, those of the opposite sex.
2 PHYSICAL CONTACT AND/OR TOUCH
2.1 Touching is an essential part of life and necessary for basic care, showing love and reassurance, for praise and communication, etc. However, all touch should be safe and appropriate.
2.2 With this in mind employees should follow the guidelines set out below:
2.2.1 keep everything public. A hug or touch when carried out in a group and
openly visible to others is very different from that carried out behind closed
doors or in an unobservable place.
2.2.2 touch should always be related to the needs of the child or young person and
not that of the employee.
2.2.3 any touch should be age-appropriate, and should be initiated by the child or
young person rather than the employee
2.2.4 any activity that is, or may be thought to be, sexually stimulating to the
employee or the child or young person, should be avoided.
2.3 All young people have the right to decide how much or how little physical contact they have with others. Except in exceptional circumstances, such as when they are in need of medical attention, their wishes should always be respected.
2.4 All employees should be aware of, and monitor, each other in the area of physical contact. They should feel free to help and assist each other by pointing out any action or response which could be misconstrued as inappropriate.
2.5 Any employee who has concerns about the way a child is being touched or handled in any way should raise this concern in accordance with the procedures set out in section 9 of the main policy above.
3 PHYSICAL RESTRAINT
3.1 In extreme circumstances, it may become necessary for employees to restrain a child or young person for their own protection. Employees are authorised to do this ONLY if they consider it necessary to do so to prevent immediate ‘injury’ to the child, themself or any other person. If such a situation arises, employees MUST adhere to the guidelines as set out in section 3 below.
3.2 For the purposes of this policy document the term ‘injury’ is defined as: ‘actual or grievous bodily harm, physical or sexual abuse, risking the lives of self, or others, by wilful and reckless behaviour or self-poisoning.
3.3 Physical restraint must be the positive application of force with the intention of controlling the child, in order to protect him/her from harming them self or others, or seriously damaging property. It should never be used to inflict pain or as a general means of control.
3.4 The proper use of physical restraint requires skill and judgement, as well as knowledge of non-harmful methods of restraint. The onus is on the employee to determine the appropriate degree of restraint, and when it should be used. Whilst employees should be careful that they do not overreact, they should be prepared to take appropriate action if they have reason to be seriously concerned about a young persons behaviour. The child should be given clear instructions of the employee’s expectation and warned about the consequences of non-compliance. Employees may also hold the child by the arm to reinforce the point or secure the child’s attention.
3.5 Physical restraint should avert danger by preventing or deflecting a child’s action, or perhaps by removing a physical object that could be used to cause harm. Physical restraint skilfully applied may be eased by degrees as the child calms down in response to the physical contact.
4 GENERAL PRINCIPLES RELATING TO THE USE OF PHYSICAL RESTRAINT ARE AS FOLLOWS:
4.1 Employees should have good grounds for believing immediate action is necessary to prevent a child or young person from significantly injuring them self or others, or causing significant damage to property.
4.2 Employees should take steps in advance to avoid the need for physical restraint through dialogue and diversion. The child should be warned verbally that physical restraint may be used if behaviour persists.
4.3 Only the minimum force necessary to prevent injury or damage should be applied.
4.4 If a child loses control, restraint should be applied in a way that is calculated to assist him/her to regain it, and, as far as possible, to allow him/her to preserve self-respect.
4.5 If a situation is approaching the point at which physical restraint may be necessary, and other children are present in the area, they should, if possible, be moved away.
4.6 Employees should never try to restrain a young person single-handedly. The presence of another employee should be sought before applying any restraint. This is extremely important when the child to be restrained is of the opposite sex. If no assistance is available the employee should reconsider the use of physical restraint. The second employee should act as an assistant or witness.
4.7 Any action taken in restraining a child should avoid interference with breathing or contact with sexual areas.
4.8 Employees should restrain by standing each side of the child and holding the young person’s arms against the side of the body.
4.9 As soon as it is safe, restraint should be gradually released to allow the child to gain self-control.
4.10 Restraint should be an act of care and control, not punishment. Physical restraint should never be used to force compliance with an employee’s instructions when there is no immediate and significant risk to other employees, other children or property.
4.11 Employees are forbidden to use techniques that are designed to control behaviour by the application of pain.
4.12 In reaching any decision about physical restraint the key consideration is an assessment of immediate harm. Where employees can show that they had good reason to believe that the child would be harmed or would harm another person if they were not physically restrained, EATMT will support action that was appropriate to eliminate the risk associated with the immediate behaviour. However, it has to be demonstrated that the action was in the child’s best interest by taking account of the factors considered and the points concluded. Employees must be able to show that the method of intervention was in keeping with the incident that gave rise to it.
5 PROCEDURES TO BE FOLLOWED AFTER PHYSICAL RESTRAINT HAS OCCURRED:
5.1 Following an incident where physical restraint has been used the following procedures should be completed as soon as possible after the incident and no later than 48 hours after the event:
5.1.1 The employee should:
5.1.1.1 notify their manager immediately after an incident involving
physical restraint has occurred
5.1.1.2 complete an Incident Report providing details of the incident
and submit a copy of this to their manager.
5.1.1.3 complete an Accident Report form (if necessary) and submit
a copy of this to their manager.
5.1.2 The manager should:
5.1.2.1 ensure that all reports are comprehensive and reported to the Trustees for review and further action as appropriate.
5.1.2.2 ensure the child is offered counselling as to why it was
necessary use restraint and ensure they are provided with the opportunity to put their side of the story and to read the account written. The child should also be made aware of their right to complain if they feel the action taken was inappropriate.
5.1.2.3 ensure the parents of the child are informed of the incident and
offered a copy of the report. If the child is in the care of the local authority, the appropriate social worker should be informed and a copy of the report provided.
5.1.2.4 arrange a meeting to discuss the incident with the employee as
soon as possible after the incident report is received.
5.1.2.5 write up a report of the meeting with the employee and obtain
the employee’s signature to the accuracy of the discussion notes.
5.1.2.6 identify any further training needs for the employee.
5.1.2.7 keep all records of the incident in a secure locked cabinet.
EMPLOYEE DECLARATION
The East Anglian Traditional Music Trust assumes the prospective employees understand the great responsibility involved in working with children and young people, and the need to ensure their safety. We therefore ask prospective employees to sign the following declaration: I declare that to my knowledge there is nothing that prevents me from working with young people under the age of 16. I state my willingness to undergo any check, which may be required by the government or EATMT, in respect of my suitability to do this work. Because of the nature of the work for which you are applying, this post is exempt from the provision of Section 4(ii) of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974, by virtue of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exemptions) Order 1975. You are therefore not entitled to withhold information about convictions which for other purposes are ‘spent’ under the provision of the Act. In the event of appointment, any failure to disclose such conviction could result in the withdrawal of an offer of employment made by the East Anglian Traditional Music Trust.
Have you ever been convicted of a criminal offence, or are you at present the subject of criminal charges? (NB The disclosure of an offence may not necessarily be a bar to your appointment.) (Please tick)
YES o NO o
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If YES, what was the nature of the offence?
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| Date of the offence | ||||
| I agree to implement and adhere to the procedures as set out in the East Anglian Traditional Music Trust’s Child Protection policy. | ||||
| Signed |
…………………………………………….. (Signature of applicant) |
Date
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…………………….
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APPENDIX THREE
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CHILD ABUSE REPORT FORM |
If you suspect the abuse of a child or young person, or are made aware of possible abuse taking place, you must complete this form with as much detail as possible and send a copy immediately to your line manager at EATMT, The Old Stables, Museum of East Anglian Life, Stowmarket, Suffolk IP14 1DL.
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YOUR DETAILS |
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| Name |
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| Position |
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| Line Manager |
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| DETAILS OF THE CHILD OR YOUNG PERSON SUSPECTED OF BEING ABUSED | |||||
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Name
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| Age (or approximate if not known) |
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Home Address (if known)
Telephone Number |
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| Name and Address of Group or Venue where contact is made with child oryoung person | |||||
| DETAILS OF DISCLOSURE | |||||
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Date of disclosure
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Time of disclosure
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| Location and Address where disclosure was made |
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Name and address of alleged perpetrator (if known) |
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Relationship of alleged perpetrator to child or young person |
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| How did you become aware of the abuse? Describe the sequence of events, the actual words used by the young person/informant, and any observations you have made. Report FACTS ONLY. | |||||
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Details of any action taken following the disclosure. (What did you say to the child/young person? To whom did you go following the disclosure and what did you say to them? Report FACTS ONLY |
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Use the remaining space to report any further details you think may be relevant. |
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Signed
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……………………………………………………. Employee |
Date |
……………….. |
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APPENDIX FOUR
Please read the East Anglian Traditional Music Trust’s code of good practice and child protection policy. This has been produced for the benefit of both the young people that we work with, and for you.
In addition, please read the following advice:
In a school
Report to the reception desk on arrival.
Find out the names of teachers with whom you are working during the day. They are responsible for most of the issues below. There should not be a situation where you are working without the teacher present, unless you have arranged to be in an adjoining room, in which case they are still your first point of call in any emergency or difficult situation.
Please ensure that
ü You are aware of emergency procedures particular to the place you are working in
ü You have emergency access to a telephone
ü You know who is the emergency contact (or first aider if appropriate)
ü You know where the nearest first aid kit is located
The East Anglian Traditional Music Trust will, where appropriate:
ü Keep a register of children attending and their carer’s emergency telephone numbers
ü Ensure that a first aid kit is available
ü Inform you of any children with special needs
In addition to the Guidance contained in EATMT’s code of good practice and Child Protection Policy, The Musicians’ Union advice is:
‘Most instrumental teachers may find themselves in situations where they are likely to come into physical contact with their pupils in the course of their duties. All instrumental teachers should be aware of the context in which such contact should properly take place and of the possibility of such contact being misinterpreted. Instrumental teachers working with individual or small groups of pupils are potentially subject to a much greater threat of misinterpretation of such actions, or indeed of malicious allegations. The best advice in this day and age is for instrumental teachers to avoid physical contact with pupils except when absolutely necessary, and then to ask another adult to be present to observe your actions.’
Further advice concerning dance teaching is to ask before touching pupils in any way, and to restrict physical contact to shoulder/back and hands. Develop verbal and visual explanations to minimise the likelihood of requiring physical contact between teacher and pupil.
EATMT strongly advises you to have personal public liability insurance and also recommends membership of an appropriate union or professional organisation.
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