This policy statement applies to all members, volunteers, or anyone working on behalf of Thrapston Town Band including executive officers, committee members, trustees, band members, deputising players, and volunteers.

Legal Framework

This policy has been drawn up based on law and guidance that seeks to protect children and vulnerable adults, please see the end of the document for a list of the main frameworks used.

The purpose and scope of this policy statement

1. 1. Protect children, young people, and vulnerable adults (an adult with care and support needs) who are members of the Thrapston Town Band or connected to the band in some other way.
   2. To provide band personnel, parents, and volunteers with the overarching principles that guide our approach to child protection.

Thrapston Town Band believes that a child, young person, or vulnerable adult, should never experience abuse of any kind. We all have a responsibility to promote the welfare of all children, young people, and vulnerable adults and to keep them safe. We are committed to practicing in a way that protects them.

Thrapston Town Band works with children and families as part of its activities. These include:

• • • Providing tuition – teaching brass instruments to learners
    • Band practices including participation from young people
    • Performances – events, concerts, church services, bandstands, fetes, contests, remembrance duties, carolling
    • Fundraising & social events
    • Awareness-raising & promotional activities including workshops for young people

We believe that:

• • • Children and young people should never experience abuse of any kind.
    • We have a responsibility to promote the welfare of all children and young people, to keep them safe, and to practice in a way that protects them.

We recognise that:

• • • The welfare of the child is paramount as enshrined in the Children Act (1989)
    • All children, regardless of age, gender, disability, racial heritage, religion or belief, gender reassignment, sexual orientation, or identity have a right to equal protection from all types of harm or abuse
    • Some children are additionally vulnerable because of the impact of previous experiences, their level of dependency, communication needs, or other issues.
    • Working in partnership with children, young people, their parents, carers and other agencies is essential in promoting young people’s welfare.

As a band we also have safeguarding responsibility towards vulnerable adults, these adults may be vulnerable at different times of their lives. The principles outlined above in relation to children also apply to our work with adults. For those who are over 18 arrangements are governed by the Care Act 2014. This act stipulates that statutory safeguarding duties apply to an adult who:

• • • Has care and support needs, and
    • is experiencing, or at risk of, abuse or neglect, and
    • as a result of those care and support needs, is unable to protect themselves from the risk or the experience.

We will seek to keep children, young people, and adults safe by:

• • • Valuing, listening to, and respecting them, ensuring that, in the case of adults, we work with their consent unless ‘vital interests’ (as defined in the Data Protection Act (1998) ) are at stake, or the person has been assessed as lacking mental capacity (as defined in the Mental Capacity Act (2005))
    • Appointing a nominated safeguarding lead, a deputy safeguarding lead, and a lead committee member for safeguarding.
    • Developing child protection and adult safeguarding practices through policies and procedures and a code of practice that reflect best practice for members and volunteers.
    • Using our safeguarding procedures to share concerns and relevant information with agencies who need to know, and involving children, young people, parents, families, and carers appropriately.
    • Creating and maintaining an anti-bullying environment and ensuring that we have a policy and procedure to help us deal effectively with any bullying that does arise.
    • Developing and implementing an effective e-safety online policy and related procedures.
    • Sharing information about child protection and safeguarding best practices with children, their families, staff, and volunteers via leaflets, posters, group work, and one-to-one discussions.
    • Recruiting staff and volunteers safely, ensuring all necessary checks are made.
    • Providing effective management for band personnel and volunteers through supervision, support, training, and quality assurance measures.
    • Using our procedures to manage any allegations against band personnel and volunteers appropriately.
    • Ensuring that we have effective complaints and whistleblowing measures in place.
    • Ensuring that we provide a safe physical environment for our children, young people, band personnel, and volunteers, by applying health and safety measures in accordance with the law and regulatory guidance.
    • Recording and storing information professionally and securely.
    • Ensuring that our governance arrangements reflect our commitment to safeguarding.

Related policies and procedures

This policy statement should be read alongside our organisational policies and procedures, including:

• • • Procedures for responding to concerns about a child or young person’s wellbeing.
    • Dealing with allegations of abuse against a child or young person
    • Role of the designated safeguarding officer
    • Managing allegations against staff and volunteers
    • Safer recruitment policy and procedures
    • Adult-to-child supervision ratios
    • Code of conduct for staff and volunteers
    • Anti-bullying policy and procedures
    • Online safety policy and procedures for responding to concerns about online abuse
    • Photography and image-sharing guidance
    • Child protection records retention and storage policy
    • Whistleblowing policy

Useful Contact details (Thrapston Town Band):

Nominated child protection lead (TTB Safeguarding Officer)
Diana Clarke
Phone: 07854 335 956

Deputy child protection lead
Tracey Compton-Marriot
Phone: 07979 282420

Committee lead for safeguarding and child protection
TBC

Useful Contact details (external support agencies):

NSPCC Helpline: 0808 800 5000 or help@nspcc.org.uk

Childline: 0800 1111 or www.Childline.org.uk

The Samaritans: 116123 or www.samaritans.org

National Domestic Abuse Helpline: www.nationaldahelpline.org.uk

Brass Bands England Safeguarding Officer: 01226 771 015

We are committed to reviewing our policy and good practice annually.
This policy was last reviewed on 22 August 2023.

Signed:
Diana Clarke
Safeguarding Officer, Thrapston Town Band
Date: 22/08/2023

Legal Frameworks

• • • Children Act (1989)
    • United Convention of the Rights of the Child (1991)
    • Data Protection Act (1998) and subsequent data protection guidance
    • Sexual Offences Act (2003)
    • Children Act (2004)
    • Protection of Freedoms Act (2012)
    • Working to safeguard Childrens: A guide to inter-agency working to safeguard and promote the welfare of children; HM Government (2018)
    • The Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act (2006)
    • The Human Rights Act (1998)
    • The Children and Families Act (2014)
    • Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) Code of Practice: 0to25 years. Statutory Guidance for organisations which work with and support children and young people who have special educational needs or disabilities; HM Government (2014)
    • General Data Protection Regulation (European Union) (2017)
    • Information sharing: advice for practitioners providing safeguarding services to children, young people, parents and carers; HM Government (2015)
    • The Care Act (2014) Care and Support Statutory Guidance (specifically the safeguarding section of this)
    • The Mental Capacity Act (2005)

The flow-charts above have been provided by Brass Bands England.