Safeguarding children, young people and adults at risk within the Manx Youth Band (MYB) and Manx Concert Brass (MCB) organisation is the responsibility of ALL members of the band. This document provides guidelines and information on the following sections;
This policy applies to all members, volunteers or anyone working on behalf of, or representing, MYB & MCB.
It has been written in line with the principles and objectives of current legislation in the Isle of Man and good practice in other jurisdictions relating to Child Protection and Safeguarding, including (but not limited to):
The purpose of this policy is:
MYB & MCB believes that a child, young person or an adult should never experience abuse of any kind. We have a responsibility to promote the welfare of all individuals and to keep them safe. We are committed to practice in a way that protects them.
We recognise that:
We will seek to keep children, young people and adults at risk safe by:
Anyone may have the potential to abuse and it is important that all reasonable steps are taken to prevent unsuitable people from working with children, young people and adults at risk.
All personnel who will have significant, direct access to children, young people or adults at risk must first be vetted to establish whether they have any criminal convictions or other past behaviour that suggests they are unsuitable to work with children and young people. This is done through the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) via the Isle of Man Government Vetting Bureau. MYB & MCB are classed as a Registered Organisation with the Bureau and members of the executive committee who have undertaken training in DBS policies and processes are authorised to administer applications made in connection with band personnel.
It is important to emphasise that the absence of any relevant disclosure emerging from this process does not guarantee that the individual is safe to work with children and young people or adults at risk, so it should not be relied on exclusively.
As a minimum, the following roles will be subject to DBS and referencing:
Identifying a 'Person in Charge'
In the interests of promoting good practice, a person in charge of the band should be identifiable at all times. It is important that children, young people, parents/guardians and adults, are aware of who is responsible for the band during engagements. The de facto 'Person in Charge' (PiC) will always be the Musical Director of the event. For any event where the Musical Director is absent or when it is not appropriate for the MD to act as the 'PiC', a 'Person in Charge' will be identified and their details (including contact details) will be made available to relevant parties. The designated 'Person in Charge' must be a member of the committee and will be responsible for:
It is important to recognise that the Safeguarding Lead may not always be present at a particular engagement and it is therefore vital that all members of the committee who may act as the 'PiC' are familiar with this policy and its procedures.
MYB & MCB will appoint a Safeguarding Lead to advise the committee on compliance with all the procedures described in this policy and to act as a focal point for reporting any concerns. This person will have the primary responsibility to check that everyone who has significant access to children, young people and adults at risk within the organisation is suitable for that role and has been vetted as described above. The person appointed should be identifiable to the junior members of the band and their parents, but should have a degree of independence from their activities - for example he or she should not actively tutor tutees or be the Musical Director.
Abuse comes in many forms. There are four identified categories of abuse as described by the United Kingdom government guidelines "Working Together to Safeguard Children (1999)"; physical, sexual, emotional and neglect.
Physical abuse is an action or in-action causing injury or physical harm to an individual. It may involve; hitting, shaking, throwing, poisoning, burning or scalding, drowning or suffocating. Physical harm may also occur when a parent or carer feigns the symptoms of or deliberately causes ill health to an individual in their care. In some cases the injuries will be caused deliberately. In others, they may be accidental but caused by the individual being knowingly put at risk.
Sexual abuse occurs when someone uses power or control to involve an individual in sexual activity in order to gratify the abuser's own sexual, emotional or financial needs or desires. It may include; showing or encouraging someone to view pornographic material or involving them in the production of such material, forcing or enticing someone to take part in sexual activities (whether or not they are aware of what is happening), encouraging someone to behave in sexually inappropriate ways, involving or forcing an individual in watching other people's sexual activity or engaging in inappropriate discussions about sexual matters.
Emotional abuse is the persistent or severe emotional ill-treatment of an individual that is likely to cause serious harm to his/her development. It may include; conveying to someone the message that he/she is worthless, unlovable, inadequate, or his/her only value is to meet the needs of another person, regularly making them feel frightened by shouts, threats or any other means, being so over-protective towards the them that he/she is unable to develop or lead a normal life, exploiting or corrupting an individual, eg by involving him/her in illegal behaviour. Some level of emotional abuse is involved in all forms of ill-treatment of a vulnerable person, though it may also occur alone.
Neglect involves persistently failing to meet someone's basic physical, psychological or emotional needs, which is likely to lead to serious impairment of their well-being. It may include; failing to provide appropriate supervision to keep them from danger, lack of supervision of activities or leaving them alone, failing to ensure that their basic needs for food, shelter, clothing, health care, hygiene and education are met.
Other forms of abuse can include;
Economic exploitation, which is the deliberate misplacement, exploitation, or wrongful temporary or permanent use of an individual's belongings or finances without their full understanding or consent or consent of the parent, legal guardian or carer of the individual.
Organised or multiple abuse is defined as abuse involving one or more abusers and an individual or group of abused people. The abusers may be acting together or in a co-ordinated way to isolate or otherwise 'mark' or identify someone as being different in such a way as to bring about harm. This is more prevalent in, although not exclusive to, peer based abuse, such as mass 'de-friending' on social media sites. It can also take the form of several small acts, which could be considered insignificant in isolation, but when grouped together bring about harm to an individual.
Domestic violence and domestic abuse is defined as any violence between current or former partners in an intimate relationship. The violence may include, physical, emotional, sexual and financial abuse. Children and adults at risk can be traumatised by witnessing or being exposed to domestic violence, or may be at risk if they try to intervene to protect a parent or sibling.
Even for those experienced in working with abused individuals, it is not always easy to recognise a situation where abuse may occur or has already taken place. MYB & MCB acknowledges that most people involved in the organisation are not experts in such recognition, but indications that someone is being abused may include one or more of the following:
It must be recognised that the above list is not exhaustive, but also that the presence of one or more of the indicators is not proof that abuse is actually taking place. It is not the responsibility of the band or its members to decide that child abuse is occurring, but it is their responsibility to act on any concerns.
Ways that abuse might be brought to your attention
What to do if someone discloses to you abuse by someone else:
ALWAYS...
YOU MUST...
YOU MUST NOT...
rocedure for helping someone in immediate danger or in need of emergency medical attention
Procedure for helping someone not in immediate danger
We aim to ensure all children, young people and adults at risk within the band and any other children, young people and adults at risk who may come to the attention of the band receive the protection and support they need if they are at risk of abuse.
A decision will need to be made about who should inform the individual's parent, guardian or emergency contact and/or the social care department, and when they should be informed. If you have involved the police and/or the health services, they should be part of this decision. Consider the welfare of the individual in your decision making as the highest priority.
Issues that will need to be considered are:
Keeping a record of your concerns
It is important to keep a clear detailed record of events and communication in relation to the concern. It can be used to forward information to the statutory authorities if a referral to them is needed. The form / log should be signed and dated by all those involved in its completion and kept confidentially. The name of the person making the notes should be written alongside each entry.
Safeguarding Lead
Phil Shimmin
phone 07624 462687
email philshimmin@manx.net
Isle of Man Constabulary
phone 01624 631212
Department of Health & Social Care Children & Families Team
phone 01624 686179
email childcarereferrals.dsc@gov.im
NSPCC helpline
phone 0808 800 5000
email help@nspcc.org.uk