NAWE Child Protection Policy

Statement
NAWE aims to safeguard the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults participating in the arts and is committed to implementing good practice which protects children, young people and vulnerable adults from harm. NAWE adheres to the principles set out in the Arts Council England document "Keeping arts safe", the full text of which is available from www.artscouncil.org.uk

NAWE will provide clear guidance to its partners, employees, contractors and volunteers on the actions that they should take should they have concerns about the safety of children, young people and vulnerable adults.

Core Services
Managing our Professional Directory, NAWE has a particular responsibility to ensure that all those individuals listed as available for work in education (and therefore with children, young people and vulnerable adults) have an Enhanced Disclosure from the Criminal Records Bureau. NAWE is a registered body with the CRB and can process Enhanced Disclosure checks directly. We do so for any individuals wishing to be featured on the directory and who do not already have a recent Enhanced Disclosure certificate (i.e. one that is less than 12 months old).

NAWE is regularly asked to recommend writers for work in education and our policy is to direct all enquiries to the Professional Directory. For those without internet access, we ourselves make use of the directory.

In publishing details of an individual artist on the Professional Directory, we are simply confirming that the individual has been through the CRB Disclosure process within the past twelve months, and that we therefore consider them eligible to be listed as available for work. We cannot guarantee the protection of children, young people or vulnerable adults in those situations where the artist is engaged. It remains the responsibility of the employer to make any further enquiries they see fit in order to enter into a contract with the artist, and to ensure that employment conditions are suitable.

Recruitment and Selection Procedures
NAWE will apply the following recruitment and selection procedures to all personnel, whether paid or unpaid, where the post involves direct contact with children, young people and vulnerable adults.

Applicants will be asked to provide:

* details of previous experience, voluntary or paid, of working with children, young people and vulnerable adults
* permission to contact at least one person who has experience of their work or contact with children, young people and vulnerable adults
* details of any convictions for criminal offences against children including any spent convictions under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (assuring the applicant that this information will be dealt with confidentially)
* evidence of their identity

All applicants will be interviewed and two references sought, at least one of which will be asked to comment on the applicant's experience of paid or voluntary work with children, young people and vulnerable adults.

We will undertake an Enhanced Disclosure check with the Criminal Records Bureau on any personnel, paid or unpaid, whose work involves a substantial level of access to children, which may be unsupervised, and will be regular or sustained. This includes arts practitioners involved in providing workshop activities for children, young people and vulnerable adults. In reaching our decision as to whether such a check is necessary, we will consider:

* will there be one to one contact?
* is it likely that no other adult will be present?
* will there be regular contact?
* are the children particularly vulnerable?

Guidelines for staff
NAWE will ensure that all paid and unpaid personnel are given clear guidelines setting out the steps they are expected to take to ensure the safety and welfare of any children, young people and vulnerable adults for whom they will be responsible.

These guidelines will contain:

* a reminder of their duty to prevent abuse and guidance on what constitutes abuse
* procedures for expressing concerns, formally and informally, about a child, young person or vulnerable adult taking part in a NAWE activity
* details of the support structures in place for those who report concerns
* guidance on responding to possible abuse and to disclosure
* guidance on how to support the abused child, young person or vulnerable adult
* procedures for responding to suspicions raised about a member of NAWE personnel involved in working with children, young people and vulnerable adults
* guidance on good practice in planning and implementing projects with children, young people and vulnerable adults including risk assessment and monitoring
* health and safety procedures
* procedures for ensuring that any risks to the safety of children, young people and vulnerable adults are minimised

Training All staff and volunteers who have a particular responsibility for overseeing work with children, young people and vulnerable adults will be required to participate in child protection training which includes the following:

* awareness of abuse
* organisational policy and procedures
* skills training
* health and safety

We will also ensure that they are kept informed of developments in terms of legislation and guidance available.

Responding to allegations of abuse
Allegations of abuse against NAWE personnel, paid or unpaid, will be dealt with by the NAWE Management Committee.

Reviewing Policies and Procedures
Policies and procedures will be reviewed on a regular basis by the NAWE Management Committee.

Responsibility
The Director of NAWE will take lead responsibility for the protection of children, young people and vulnerable adults engaged in any NAWE activity.

2004