This Safeguarding Policy applies to London City Voices Ltd (LCV) employees, all choir members, volunteers and all others invited to perform or work with LCV.
London City Voices is committed to ensuring that all children, young people and vulnerable adults have the same protection regardless of age, disability, gender, racial heritage, religious belief, sexual orientation or identity. LCV is committed to anti-discriminatory practice and explicitly recognises the additional needs of children, young people and vulnerable adults from minority ethnic groups and the disabled and the barriers they may face, especially around communication.
The law requires any organisation involving children, young people or vulnerable adults to take all reasonable measures to ensure that the risks of harm to vulnerable adults' and children's welfare are minimised, and where there are concerns, to share them with other local agencies.
As a matter of good practice LCV has developed this policy to provide:
• protection for children, young people and vulnerable adults with whom LCV has contact (including the children/relatives of adults who use our services);
• guidance to ensure that the risks of harm to children, young people and vulnerable adults welfare are minimised;
• guidance on procedures that should be adopted in the event that any adult suspects a child, young person or vulnerable adult may be experiencing, or be at risk of experiencing harm.
LCV recognises that it is not the role of our organisation to decide whether a child, young person or vulnerable adult has been abused or not. This is the role of the Social Services department which has the legal responsibility, the NSPCC who have powers to investigate child protection concerns under the Children Act or the Police.
The main laws and guidance supporting this policy are:
The Children's Act 1989 and 2004; The Human Rights Act 1998; The Protection of Children Act 1999; The Sexual Offences (Amendments) Act 2006; The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child 1991; Government guidance on safeguarding children; Caring for the Young and Vulnerable 2000; The Care Act 2014; The Charity Commission's 'Strategy for Dealing with Safeguarding Children and Vulnerable Adults Issues in Charities'.
In developing this policy, LCV has taken input from the national amateur music performance association Making Music and the NSPCC.
In this context anyone up to the age of 18 is a child. An adult is defined in the Care Act 2014 as someone over 18 years old who has care and support needs, is experiencing or at risk of abuse or neglect as a result of their care and support needs or is unable to protect himself or herself against the abuse or neglect or the risk of it.
How London City Voices operates
LCV is a registered company operating on a for-profit basis. Members pay weekly, termly or yearly, and undergo various fund-raising activities throughout the year in order to raise money for charity. LCV presents a number of concerts a year, sometimes performing with a live band, professional soloists and other choirs. Rehearsals are run by our founder and Musical Director and his assistant director or a substitute on occasion. They attend weekly rehearsals with members in term time in order to prepare for the concerts. There are no employed staff or volunteers in the conventional sense. From time to time LCV organises other events such as choral workshops and social events. Members who pay termly or yearly can attend as many times per week as they wish.
LCV does not advertise itself as an activity suitable for children, young people or vulnerable adults. Most choir members are independent adults. Choir rehearsals and performances are group activities, and there is no need for a member of the choir to be along with another member of any age. LCV is therefore unlikely to be targeted by a person seeking opportunities to abuse children or vulnerable adults. Nevertheless, LCV recognises its responsibility to safeguard the welfare of any children and vulnerable adults with whom it works and comes into contact, and believes that everyone has the right to enjoy the activities of the choir in a happy, safe and secure environment.
The Director has, therefore, agreed the following Safeguarding Policy.
London City Voices will keep a copy of its Safeguarding Policy on its website www.londoncityvoices.co.uk.
Membership - Should any child or close relative (under 18) of a member of LCV participate in choral works with LCV the member must act as a responsible adult. Should any other child/young person participate in any LCV activities they must be accompanied by a parent or other responsible adult who remains responsible for them throughout rehearsals and performances.
Joint concerts with schools – this is not an activity which we foresee occurring, but in the event that it does, LCV will make appropriate joint working arrangements to ensure that school groups will always be in the care of their teachers and helpers and/or parents who will bear responsibility for their welfare at all times. This does not detract from the choir's general responsibility to provide a safe environment for joint activities and the principles of this safeguarding policy still apply.
Audiences and Social Events - LCV is aware that children and vulnerable adults may attend their concerts as members of the audience, or attend social functions hosted by LCV. It is the responsibility of the parent, guardian or carer to ensure adequate supervision. If a parent/guardian/carer is not personally attending an event this policy requires them to be satisfied that the child or vulnerable adult will be accompanied and adequately supervised by a responsible adult acting on their behalf at all times.
Privacy - Parents and guardians should be aware that photography, audio and video recording are undertaken from time to time at concerts and rehearsals. The images and
recordings are used both on- and off- line including on the web. They provide valuable tools to promote the work of the choir to a wider audience and form part of the historical record of our work.
Abuse - LCV endeavours by the implementation of this safeguarding policy to protect and minimise the risks of abuse of children, young people and vulnerable adults. The term child abuse is used to describe a range of ways that people harm children. Abuse of adults can happen anywhere. It can happen at home, in a residential or nursing home, in a hospital, at work or in the street. There are four main categories of abuse, namely physical, sexual, emotional abuse and neglect. LCV notes the importance of being alert to signals of abuse and to the difficulty children or vulnerable adults may have in reporting it.
Measure for implementation of this policy
• Kate Swan is the Designated Person in respect of Safeguarding. The Designated Person, shall undertake appropriate training if required and will be identified to children and vulnerable adults as the principal person they should turn to if they have any concerns or queries. Contact details for the Designated Person are given on the website (and member's leaflet).
• Any concerns regarding either a child or a choir member, employee or other adult must immediately be reported to the Designated Person (or in his or her absence to Richard Swan).
Recruitment - If LCV should need to recruit staff, then we will apply safeguarding principles to ensure that appointees are suitable to work with young or vulnerable people, if such a position should demand it.
Richard Swan
London City Voices
Date: October 2016, updated January 2020
Designated Person for Safeguarding: Kate Swan (tel.no. 07765 917780)