Wantage Music Festival takes the protection of children and vulnerable adults very seriously. Our Safeguarding Policy, developed with support from the British and International Federation of Festivals for Music, Dance and Speech, is in the Syllabus. It will be distributed to all entrants, and copies will be available at the Festival. It is also available below. A photo permission slip is available here.
SAFEGUARDING POLICY
Implemented from 2005
Revised January 2022
WANTAGE MUSIC FESTIVAL ASSOCIATION,
CHAIR: Helen Carter
VICE CHAIR: David Lynch
TREASURER: Gay Cooper
VENUE: Wantage Methodist Church, Newbury St. Wantage, Oxon
DATES: 18th -19th and 25-26th June 2022
and Wantage Parish Church 3rd July.
PRELIMINARY STATEMENT:
The safety of children and members of other vulnerable groups is paramount and all, without exception, have the right to protection from abuse in any form, physical, psychological, sexual or neglect. All suspicions and allegations of abuse will be taken seriously and responded to swiftly and appropriately and all the charity’s trustees, staff and volunteers have a responsibility to report concerns.
Throughout this Policy, where “children” are mentioned, this also includes members of other vulnerable groups and where the word “parent” or “parents” is used it includes guardians and carers.
PURPOSE AND FUNCTION OF ORGANISATION:
The objectives of the Wantage Music Festival Association are to advance, promote and encourage generally the study and practice of the art of music. In furtherance of these objectives, the Association organises an annual Music Festival, and occasional workshops, to which professional adjudicators and accompanists are invited, providing a platform for amateur performance combined with an educational element.
THE FESTIVAL ENVIRONMENT:
The Festival is based in Wantage Methodist Church and Wantage Parish Church. We admit members of the public to the reception and entrance areas and the performance hall. It is the policy of our Festival to inform and involve parents and teachers in partnership with the Festival organisers and helpers in order to ensure, as far as is reasonably practicable, a safe environment at our Festival. We do this by ensuring that you receive a copy of this policy at the time you are making arrangements to attend our Festival.
TO WHOM DOES THIS POLICY APPLY:
This policy relates to children under the age of 18 years and members of vulnerable groups of any age whose needs are identified to the organisers by parents and/or teachers prior to their arrival at the Festival. This should be done by contacting the address at the foot of this document. Our Festival actively seeks, wherever possible, to meet these needs, but must know beforehand in order to prepare support – or to let you know we are unable to help.
FESTIVAL PERSONNEL:
Wantage Music Festival is run entirely by volunteers. Members of the Committee and volunteers who help with Festival stewarding, “Festival personnel”, are recruited by recommendation from other committee members. There are descriptions for all jobs of committee members and helpers, and these are reviewed in order to ascertain whether a disclosure from the Disclosure and Barring Service is required. All Festival personnel will sign in when in attendance at the Festival and records of their names and addresses will be held by the committee. All Festival personnel will be identified by clearly displayed badges stating their role at the Festival. Any person wearing a badge can be approached at any time with a problem and will be able to direct you via the Festival Reception Desk to the session’s designated Committee member who will deal with it. Every problem will be taken seriously, documented and dated. A private area is available for such discussions.
REHEARSALS WITH FESTIVAL ACCOMPANIST:
Entrants may make arrangements to rehearse with a Festival Accompanist before the Festival. When these rehearsals take place at the Festival venue, parents must satisfy themselves that their child or vulnerable adult will be accompanied by a responsible adult.
PREPARATION FOR ATTENDANCE AT THE FESTIVAL:
A copy of this Policy is sent out with the timings sheets to the person who sent in the entry form. It is their responsibility to ensure that all parents are familiar with its contents. If an entry is made on behalf of an entrant under 18 years old or a vulnerable adult, the Festival rules require the person submitting that entry to sign a declaration that either they are the parent or that they will ensure that the policy will be distributed to the parents. Where we do not receive that declaration, entries cannot be accepted. A further copy will be displayed at the Festival Reception Desk during the Festival. Where parents are not personally attending with their charges, the Policy requires them to be satisfied that their charges will be accompanied to the Festival and adequately supervised by responsible adults acting on their behalf.
PERFORMANCE AREAS:
Whilst the performance hall and reception will be supervised by Festival personnel, other areas will not be supervised. These include toilets, refreshment areas and those parts of the venue buildings not in use by the Festival. Parents are responsible for ensuring their children or members of vulnerable groups are adequately supervised in areas not supervised by Festival personnel.
PHOTOGRAPHS, VIDEOTAPES and PRESS PHOTOGRAPHY:
All photography and video recording during adjudicated performances is prohibited. Where performers are photographed outside the performance hall, they should ensure that they have handed in their written Photo Permission Form at the Reception Desk (Permission Forms are available from the desk, or in advance of the festival through the web site). It is the parents’ responsibility to ensure that any responsible adult attending with their charge(s) is aware that this form must be used at the Festival. Press are not allowed to take photographs during performances. Where parents do not wish their charge(s) to be included in a posed press photograph, it is the responsibility of the responsible adult attending with the charge(s) to ensure that they are not included.
THE LEGISLATION AND GUIDANCE THAT SUPPORTS THIS POLICY:
The Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974; The Children Act 1989 and 2004; The Police Act 1997; The Data Protection Act 2018; The Protection of Children Act 1999; The Criminal Justice and Court Services Act 2000, The Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006.
POLICY REVIEW:
The organizers will regularly review their policy revising and enhancing it as necessary. In doing this they will look to The British & International Federation of Festivals for support and that body, in turn will look to other agencies for good practice, most notably the NSPCC and Arts Council of England policy guidelines.
Festival Safeguarding Officer: David Lynch, 50 Fyfield Close, Wantage OX12 8HN.
Version 2022.