Safeguarding
Registered Address
C/o Chair
David Jepps
1, Grainingfield Cottages
Stane Street
Five Oaks
Billingshurst
RH14 9AG
Safeguarding Policy
Purpose
The purpose of this policy is to protect people, particularly children and vulnerable adults from any harm that may be caused through their interaction with Billingshurst Dramatic Society. (BDS)
This includes children, young people and vulnerable adults who attend our performances or meetings, take part in our productions or visit our website and social media sites from harm. This also includes the children and grandchildren of adults who are members of our Society. The policy provides overarching principles that guide our approach to protecting children and vulnerable adults.
The policy applies to any member of the Society, its Committee, its Friends or supporters and any other person or organisation undertaking activities in the name of the Billingshurst Dramatic Society.
This policy has been drawn up on the basis of legislation, policy and guidance that seeks to protect children, young people and vulnerable adults in England.
What is safeguarding?
In the UK, safeguarding means protecting peoples' health, wellbeing and human rights, and enabling them to live free from harm or abuse.
Scope
All volunteers and personnel connected with Billingshurst Dramatic Society (see definition above)
Policy Statement
We believe that:
● Children, young people and vulnerable adults should never experience abuse of any kind.
● We have a responsibility to promote the welfare of all children, young people and vulnerable adults, to keep them safe and to behave in a way that protects them.
● We recognise that:
o the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults who join, see, visit or take part in any of our activities is paramount to the work we do in the Billingshurst community.
o in all the decisions we take all children, young people and vulnerable adults regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex, or sexual orientation have an equal right to protection from all types of harm or abuse.
o some children, young people and vulnerable adults are additionally vulnerable because of the impact of previous experiences, their level of dependency, communication needs or other issues.
o working in partnership with children, young people, vulnerable adults, their parents, carers and other agencies is essential in promoting their welfare and our role in the wider community.
● We will seek to keep children, young people and vulnerable adults safe by:
o valuing, listening to and respecting them.
o appointing a nominated safeguarding lead and a deputy who are both members of the Billingshurst Dramatic Society’s Committee
o providing effective management for members and volunteers through supervision, support, and briefings that ensure everyone knows about and follows this policy and procedures.
o selecting members and volunteers carefully if they are working with children, young people or vulnerable adults, especially on a production and carry out checks where needed.
o recording, storing and using information professionally and securely, in line with data protection legislation and guidance.
o sharing information about safeguarding and good practice with children, young people and vulnerable adults and their families via our website, group work and one-to-one discussions
o making sure that children, young people and their families know where to go for help if they have a concern.
o share concerns and relevant information with agencies who need to know, and involving children, young people, vulnerable adults, parents, families and carers appropriately.
o using our procedures to manage any allegations against members, friends and volunteers appropriately
o creating and maintaining an anti-bullying environment and ensuring that we effectively deal with any bullying that does arise.
o ensuring that we have effective complaints and whistleblowing measures in place.
o ensuring that we provide a safe physical environment for our children, young people, vulnerable adults, members, friends and volunteers, by applying health and safety measures in accordance with the law and regulatory guidance and highlight to our membership, parents, carers and guardians where the age of the buildings we use places limitations on how safe we can be
o build a safeguarding culture where members, friends, volunteers, children, young people, vulnerable adults and their families, treat each other with respect and are comfortable about sharing concerns.
o Ensure that where young people, children in year 11 or below, are involved in productions BDS is compliant with all rules and regulations relating to Children in Employment legislation. (as defined in The Children (Performances and Activities) (England) Regulations 2014), Whilst young people are not being paid for their services to BDS if they are performing for more than 4 evening performance licences will apply and they must be appropriately chaperoned. Licence applications must be made to the relevant borough relating to child’s home address (usually West Sussex)
Responsibilities of our adult members
Volunteers and associated personnel are obliged to:
● Contribute to creating and maintaining an environment that prevents safeguarding violations and promotes the implementation of the Safeguarding Policy
● Report any concerns or suspicions regarding safeguarding violations by a volunteer or associated personnel to the appropriate contact (see below)
● If recommending a play for reading warning the Committee of any content warnings that should appear in publication of the event so parents, guardians, carers, vulnerable adults, children, and young people can make decisions about whether it is appropriate for them to attend (see Equalities policy).
Billingshurst Dramatic Society will follow up safeguarding reports and concerns according to legal and statutory obligations.
The Designated Safeguarding Officer
Billingshurst Dramatic Society will ensure that safe, appropriate, accessible means of reporting safeguarding concerns are made available to children, young people, vulnerable adults, members, friends, supporters and members of the public.
Our designated safeguarding officer is Judith Conyers.
Our deputy safeguarding officer is David Jepps.
You may use our billingshurstdramaticsociety@gmail.com but we suggest you do not send confidential details to this address. Send us a request and Judith or David will contact you direct.
Adopted Date: 24th November 2024
Review Date: November 2026
SAFEGUARDING PROCEDURES
Duties of the designated safeguarding officer
● Be available to children, young people and vulnerable adults to discuss safeguarding generally and any specific concerns they may have.
● Receive reports from people raising concerns about safeguarding.
● Investigate concerns and make recommendations to Committee about actions to take arising from investigations.
● Discuss safeguarding and any concern raised with parents, guardians and carers of a child, young person or vulnerable adult when needed.
● Report matters to the safeguarding authorities and act as the liaison point between the Billingshurst Dramatic Society and the safeguarding authorities.
● Brief members, volunteers and friends about their safeguarding duties and responsibilities.
● Recommend training for Committee members, the wider membership, volunteers and friends when needed.
● Recommend to Committee how the records they should keep on safeguarding matters.
Dealing with disclosures and concerns about a child or young person
Any member, volunteer, friend, child, young person, vulnerable adult, parent, guardian, carer or member of the public should report any concerns to the designated safeguarding officer. The designated safeguarding officer, or deputy, will investigate the matter and report any finding to the local safeguarding authorities. The officer will recommend any changes needed to the Committee including, potentially, the removal of a member or members from the Society.
Managing allegations against members, friends and volunteers
The designated safeguarding officer or deputy will investigate allegations against members and volunteers. The designated safeguarding officer or deputy will present the evidence to the Committee. If the safeguarding officer or deputy recommend removal of the person’s membership the Committee will hold a hearing at which the alleged person will be allowed to attend and bring a friend with them. The victim and maker of the allegation will not be expected to appear before the Committee. Under the Constitution the Committee will remove from membership any member or friend who has breached this policy through unacceptable behaviour. Any volunteer found to have breached this policy will not be used by the Society again.
Recording concerns and information sharing
Records of the incident or disclosure will be:
• the date and time of the incident/disclosure
• the date and time of the report
• the name and role of the person to whom the concern was originally reported and their contact details
• the name and role of the person making the report and their contact details
• the names of anyone involved in the incident, including any witnesses
• the name, age and any other relevant information about the child, young person or vulnerable adult who is the subject of the concern including information about their parents, guardians or carers
• what was said or done and by whom
• any action taken to look into the matter
• any further action taken (such as a referral being made)
• if the designated safeguarding officer did not refer the issue to a statutory authority the reasons why the organisation decided not this was not necessary.
Normally information will be shared with the relevant authorities. This is most likely to be a safeguarding officer at West Sussex County Council or, in the case of criminal activity, the Police. The designated safeguarding officer or deputy will report the case, carry out the liaison role and implement any advice given by the relevant safeguarding officer at the County Council.
Should the Society become involved in a serious case review the designated safeguarding officer will form the first point of contact. The Committee will provide all evidence requested to the Police and safeguarding authorities.
Child protection records retention and storage
Any documents relating to matters raised about safeguarding will be retained by the designated safeguarding officer. Incidents related to each child, young person or vulnerable adult will be kept in one place securely. This will not be on the Google drive accessible to all Committee members. Records will be kept for 10 years after the adult involved in the alleged incident has left the Billingshurst Dramatic Society unless they relate to the sexual abuse of a child, young person or vulnerable adult in which case the designated safeguarding officer will seek advice on retention periods from the relevant safeguarding authority. These files will not be accessible to anyone other than the designated safeguarding officer or deputy and their replacement following their retirement from the role.
The designated safeguarding officer will make arrangements for the transfer of files when they retire from the role.
If any records are kept on paper, they will be shredded by the designated safeguarding officer when due for destruction.
Code of conduct for staff and volunteers
As a member of Billingshurst Dramatic Society you are acting in a position of authority and have a duty of care towards the vulnerable adults, children and young people we work with. You are likely to be seen as a role model and are expected to act appropriately.
You are responsible for:
● prioritising the welfare of vulnerable adults, children and young people who may be members of our Society or attending the society as a friend, volunteer, audience member or family member of a member of the society.
● providing a safe environment for children, young people and vulnerable adults
● ensuring equipment is used safely and for its intended purpose.
● having good awareness of issues to do with safeguarding and child protection and taking action when needed.
● staying within the law at all times
● modelling good behaviour for children and young people to follow
● challenging all unacceptable behaviour and reporting any breaches of the behaviour code to the Billingshurst Dramatic Society’s designated safeguarding officer
● reporting all concerns about abusive behaviour, this includes behaviour being displayed by an adult or child and directed at anybody of any age.
You should:
· promote relationships that are based on openness, honesty, trust and respect.
· avoid favouritism especially when directing a play or performance.
· be patient with others.
· exercise caution when you are discussing sensitive issues with children or young people.
· ensure your contact with children and young people is appropriate and relevant to the work of the project you are involved in.
· ensure that whenever possible, there is more than one adult present during activities with a vulnerable adult, child or young person:
· if a situation arises where you are alone with a vulnerable adult, child or young person, ensure that you are within sight or hearing of other adults.
· if a vulnerable adult, child or young person specifically asks for or needs some individual time with you, ensure other members or volunteers know where you and the vulnerable adult, child or young person are.
· only provide personal care in an emergency and make sure there is more than one adult present if possible.
· listen to and respect children at all times.
· value and take children’s contributions seriously, actively involving them in planning activities wherever possible.
· respect a young person’s right to personal privacy as far as possible and if you need to break confidentiality in order to follow child protection procedures, explain this to the vulnerable adult, child or young person at the earliest opportunity.
· When in the company of children, young people and vulnerable adults do not:
· allow concerns or allegations to go unreported.
· take unnecessary risks.
· develop inappropriate relationships with children and young people.
· make inappropriate promises to vulnerable adults, children and young people.
· engage in behaviour that is in any way abusive including having any form of sexual contact with a child or young person.
· let children and young people have your personal contact details (mobile number, email or postal address) or have contact with them via a personal social media account, get them to use the Billingshurst Dramatic Society’s main account.
· act in a way that can be perceived as threatening or intrusive.
· patronise or belittle vulnerable adults, children and young people.
· make sarcastic, insensitive, derogatory or sexually suggestive comments or gestures to or in front of children and young people.
Photography and sharing images guidance.
The Billingshurst Dramatic Society regularly takes photographs of its activities that it shares in social and traditional media as part of its promotional activities. No publicity material contains the names of those appearing in materials. No pictures of children or young people under the age of eighteen will be published without written permission of their parents. No pictures of adults known to be vulnerable will be published without written permission from them or their guardians, carers, attorneys or deputies. Any adult with capacity who believes they are vulnerable and does not want their image shown should notify the designated safeguarding officer who will arrange for their image to not appear in any publication. No members of the society, its friends or volunteer should question why a person does not want their image to appear.
Anti-bullying
The Billingshurst Dramatic Society does not tolerate bullying within its membership and especially bullying of a vulnerable adult, child or young person. Members will call out such behaviour and report concern to the designated safeguarding officer.
Whistleblowing
Any person who wished to “blow the whistle” on behaviours contrary to the principles of the Billingshurst Dramatic Society’s safeguarding should contact the designated safeguarding officer or deputy. While the Society prefers a named source, anonymous allegations will be given due consideration. Victimisation of anyone raising a concern is not tolerated.
Health and safety
The Billingshurst Dramatic Society follows all health and safety procedures as far as it is able. Due to the use of some older buildings, such as the Women’s Hall in Billingshurst, the highest standards cannot always be maintained. Any producer of a production involving a location with inherent risks and using vulnerable adults, children or young people, or expecting them in the audience should take particular care in carrying out their risk assessment of the production.
Changing costumes and working with adults
If a child, young person, or vulnerable adult takes part in a performance the director will seek to arrange a costume that can fit over a substantial base garment such as knee length shorts or leggings and a T-shirt.
If a child, young person or vulnerable adult wants to work in a small space with an adult, such as the lighting and sound room at the Women’s Hall Billingshurst where possible at least two adults will be present or another adult will check in with the child, vulnerable adult or young person at any interval, scene change or break in performance. In performance/rehearsal registered chaperones will be present.
Adopted by Committee: 24th November 2025
Review Date: November 2026
Appendix - Definitions:
Abuse
Any action that intentionally harms or injures another person.
Child or Young Person
A person below the age of leaving full time education or 18, whichever is the higher. Due to the age profile of our membership the Society recognises generational differences and gives similar protections to other younger adults in their late teens and early twenties.
Committee
The board that runs the operations of the Billingshurst Dramatic Society. Please see the Billingshurst Dramatic Society’s Constitution.
Harm
Psychological, physical and any other infringement of an individual’s rights
Psychological harm
Emotional or psychological abuse, including (but not limited to) humiliating and degrading treatment such as bad name calling, constant criticism, belittling or persistent shaming.
Safeguarding Authorities
Those public bodies that oversee safeguarding matters. The link from community drama groups is the County Council. In our case West Sussex County Council.
Other authorities can include the District Council, Health Authorities and Police.
Sexual abuse
The term ‘sexual abuse’ means the actual or threatened physical intrusion of a sexual nature, whether by force or under unequal or coercive conditions.
Victimisation
Victimisation is the less favourable treatment of someone who raised a concern.
Vulnerable adult
A person who is or may be in need of care by reason of mental or other disability, age or illness; and who is or may be unable to take care of him or herself, or unable to protect him or herself against significant harm or exploitation.
Appendix – Contact Details:
Where there is a concern that a child is experiencing, may already have experienced abuse or neglect, is suffering or is likely to suffer ‘significant harm’ the Designated Safeguarding Lead will refer immediately to Children’s Social Care (CSC) at the appropriate local authority. For BDS this will usually be West Sussex County Council:
West Sussex Contact details
Emergencies
Office hours (Monday to Friday, 9.00am to 5.00pm) If you are unsure what support you require or have an urgent safeguarding concern that requires a same day response, phone: 01403 229900.
Out of hours enquiries (weekends and bank holidays)
Contact our Emergency Duty Team on 033 022 26664.
If you experience difficulty contacting this number, phone: 07711 769657 (Does not accept text messages). This will connect you to the duty Social Worker.
If you feel a child is at risk call 999
Useful Links re. children in performance
The National Network for Children in Employment and Entertainment (NNCEE)
https://www.nncee.org.uk/
Performance Licence and chaperone Information – West Sussex
· EmailCIEE@westsussex.gov.uk
· Tel:033 022 28384