Child Protection Policy

Policy for the Protection of Children and Vulnerable Adults entering the Farnham Competitive Music Festival implemented from May 2011

Chairman: Pat Frost

Treasurer: Juliet Bothams

General Secretary:  Jia Doulton

Venue: Frensham Heights  School

Festival in November 2011. Concert in December 2011

The Farnham Competitive Music Festival provides a platform for amateur performance in an annual festival, combined with an educational contribution from adjudicators who are professional musicians.  There are competitive and non competitive classes.   We wish to create a supportive and informal atmosphere in our festival. We inform and involve participants, parents, guardians, carers and teachers in order to ensure a safe environment, as far as is reasonably practicable.

The policy applies to young people under the age of 18 years and vulnerable adults who enter the Festival. So that we may make appropriate arrangements, any specific needs should be made known to the organisers before arrival at the Festival.

All Festival organisers and helpers are unpaid volunteers, selected personally by the Festival committee. When on duty, each committee member and helper wears a badge with their name and the Festival logo.  A list of helpers for each session is available in the Reception areas. Any problem reported to a committee member will be recorded and action taken where appropriate.  Committee members and helpers support this policy and agree to work in accordance with it.

This policy is available to all participants, parents and guardians.  If not attending the Festival, parents and guardians are required by this policy to be satisfied that their children will be accompanied to the Festival and adequately supervised by responsible adults acting on their behalf. The organisers and helpers are not able to undertake this role. This applies to all areas of performance and rehearsal and public facilities at the Festival.  

Festival and accredited Press photographers may take photographs at times during the Festival. If a parent or guardian does not wish an individual to be photographed, they should notify the photographer in good time.   A parent, guardian or teacher wishing to take a photograph should ask for permission from the Section Secretary.

The legislation that supports this policy: The Children Act 1989; The Police Act 1997; The Data Protection Act 1998; The Human rights Act 1998; The Protection of Children Act 1999; The Criminal Justice and court Services Act 2000; The Children Act 2004; The Vulnerable Groups Act 2006.

The organisers will review this policy each year.  They will look to the British and International Federation of Festivals for support. That body will look to other agencies for good practice, most notably the NSPCC and the Arts Council of England policy guidelines.