SAFEGUARDING CHILDREN POLICY
Studio Film School implements a Safeguarding Children policy in order to fulfil our responsibility to ensure that all children are safe and protected from
avoidable harm. We take the safeguarding of all of our students very
seriously, and so welcome comments and suggestions to update and review this policy as we continually strive to maintain our service and standard of care in line with current and best safeguarding practices.
This policy is to be read by all members of staff including contractors and freelancers before taking on any work for or on behalf of Studio Film School. It contains a Code of Conduct for members of staff, as well as procedures to follow in the event of any safeguarding concerns. It is available for parents and clients upon request and also available to the public on the Studio Film School website.
All representatives and/or members of staff must agree to follow this policy and adhere to its articles as set out in this document at all times whilst working for or on behalf of Studio Film School.
Definitions:
‘Member of staff’ – any official employee of Studio Film School including temporary employees, contractor or freelancer working on behalf of Studio Film School, volunteer or any person acting as a representative for Studio Film School.
‘Child’ – a person under the age of 18 who is a student member of Studio Film School or whilst not a student member is in the temporary care of Studio Film School.
‘Student’ – a participant member of Studio Film School regardless of age.
SAFEGUARDING DECLARATION
Studio Film School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and takes its responsibility seriously.
All staff have a duty to uphold our values to be kind, safe and excellent in all they do – putting our students first, providing safe and effective care, and to be aware of the special attention children and young people (under 18 years of age) should be given while in our care.
The Directors have responsibility for safeguarding children and act to ensure that all measures are taken to safeguard children in our care. This policy was reviewed in July 2014 and will be reviewed annually.
CODE OF CONDUCT FOR MEMBERS OF STAFF
The safety and wellbeing of every student should be the primary concern to every member of staff. Each member of staff should ensure that they take every reasonable precaution to minimise the risk of harm to any student, and follow the policies, procedures and guidelines set out here alongside all of the measures contained within the relevant Risk Assessment, which will be made available to you at project intervals and is continually available from the Duty Manager and on workshop sites.
Students and/or children should be treated with respect at all times by all members of staff, ensuring that staff listen to the student, encourage them to actively contribute and ensure they feel that their contributions are valued.
Children should be supervised by a member of staff at all times, and should not leave the care of Studio Film School during agreed session hours, unless collected by a parent/guardian or other appropriate adult. Children should not be allowed to leave sessions unaccompanied unless Studio Film School has permission in writing from the parent/guardian. If a parent/guardian is late to collect a child, it is the responsibility of the Duty Manager to remain with the child until he/she is collected. If a child remains uncollected by their
parent/guardian after 45 minutes and no communication has been achieved, children should be taken to the nearest police station by the Duty
Manager/senior workshop leader.
Children in the care of Studio Film School should never be responsible for the supervision of other children.
Children should always be made to feel involved in the activity, and a child should never be discriminated against on the basis of race, gender, culture, sexual orientation, economic status or ability (with the exception of religious observance, when children may be given special allowances to observe the practices of their faith).
No member of staff should engage in any relationship with a student other than a properly conducted staff-to-student relationship. Any relationship deemed to be inappropriate, such as sexual contact or a sexual relationship between a member of staff and a student - regardless of age - will be
considered professional misconduct and will result in disciplinary action and/or criminal proceedings where relevant.
No member of staff should engage in conduct towards a student which is intended to cause discomfort or any sort of harm to the student.
Staff should take every care to avoid being alone with a child. If a member of staff finds themselves alone with a child, they should seek the presence of an additional person as soon as possible and avoid physical contact with the child. It is advised that the door is left open if using a communal space where other people may be nearby or that the activity is moved to another space where there are other people.
In the event of suspecting a child to be the victim of any form of abuse, whether involving an adult or another child, members of staff should report this immediately following the procedures set out in this policy. In the event that a member of staff is suspected of any form of abuse towards a child, a thorough investigation (separate to any police inquiries where relevant) will be performed by Studio Film School. The member of staff implicated in the
investigation will be suspended pending the findings of that investigation and any police inquiries/legal proceedings. If Studio Film School finds suitable concern about inappropriate behaviour towards a child, disciplinary action will follow, alongside criminal proceedings where relevant.
Studio Film School recognises that physical contact is sometimes necessary within creative learning (e.g. in directing actors). It is important that members of staff ensure physical contact as a teaching tool is used judiciously. Where physical contact is necessary this should be explained to the student and staff should be sensitive to the student’s reaction. A student should never be
touched in a part of their body that is indecent or considered “private”.
Studio Film School discourages any member of staff to engage with students outside of the business of Studio Film School. Members of staff should not exchange personal contact details with a child. If the services of a member of staff (i.e. private tuition) are arranged then members of staff should negotiate this with the parent/guardian and not the child. The student, or parent of the child concerned is to be notified that this takes place outside of this policy, and outside of the business of Studio Film School. The Duty Manager for Studio Film School must be notified of this activity.
Unless specifically authorised by a Studio Film School director, members of staff must not use personal camera or recording devices (including mobile telephones, digital cameras, tablets and laptops) in any way whilst engaged in or present at Studio Film School workshop activity. The use of a mobile
telephone is acceptable where necessary, such as in an emergency, however any personal devices (i.e. not the property of Studio Film School) must not be used or visible to students within the workshop environment. Studio Film School recommends that if members of staff are bringing personal devices to the workshop location, all devices should be secured with a password, and should not be accessible at any time by third parties.
Where members of staff are involved in creating film/digital media material with students, they should ensure that the content of the material is suitable for both making and viewing at any age. We recommend that staff follow the guidance offered by the BBFC in categorising films (www.bbfc.co.uk) to ensure that films do not contain inappropriate content. Explicit content should not be permitted in films made by students regardless of age. For further information, please see our Publishing Policy on page 5 of this policy document.
Where members of staff are involved in creating film/digital media material with students, they should take every care to protect the anonymity of
children. Details regarding specific locations (eg. Addresses or the name of a
school) should not be revealed, and children should not disclose their
surnames. Where credits are featured they should not contain the surnames of any child, and all students over the age of 18 must consent to their name being used.
All film and video material produced through Studio Film School workshops or sessions is the property of Studio Film School. Members of staff should take care to maintain recordings as confidential, sharing footage or material only with Studio Film School head office staff. If a member of staff wishes to release material independently (e.g. for the purposes of their showreel or portfolio), they must firstly obtain a third party clearance agreement from Studio Film School. Studio Film School must be acknowledged as the copyright holder responsible for the recording and the material must feature Studio Film School’s company logo.
RECRUITMENT POLICY
Prior to beginning work for or on behalf of Studio Film School, it is essential that all new members of staff hold an enhanced DBS (formerly CRB)
disclosure performed within the last 12 months. An original copy of this should be provided to Studio Film School, who will retain a copy within their records.
In addition to an enhanced DBS disclosure performed within the last 12 months, potential members of staff must also be able to provide two
references before undertaking any work for Studio Film School. At least one of the referees should know the member of staff in a professional capacity of working with children (and should be from within the last 2 years).
Studio Film School will not permit a potential member of staff to perform any work for the company before the DBS disclosure and two references have been received, with the exception of volunteers or work experience students, or administrative staff who will be fully supervised whilst a disclosure is pending.
All members of staff must read and sign the ‘Statement of Commitment’, confirming that they have read and understand the terms and procedures contained within this policy, and that they agree to abide by the Code of Conduct. This should be signed before undertaking any work for Studio Film School.
SAFEGUARDING TRAINING
Every Manager for Studio Film School will complete compulsory Safeguarding Children training as part of their Management training package. Every
member of staff will be made aware of safeguarding issues as part of their usual duties for Studio Film School through their line manager, in addition to this document.
From time to time, Studio Film School may refer members of staff for Safeguarding Children training. If a member of staff would like further
information on Safeguarding Children training and formal training providers, this can be requested and provided by their line manager.
All Safeguarding Children training will be refreshed regularly in order to ensure that current practice throughout Studio Film School adheres to the recommended best practice in Safeguarding Children.
PUBLISHING POLICY
Studio Film School can – and often will – choose to publish creative content produced by students. This is for the purpose of sharing and celebrating material with student members, their friends, family and selected guests, and also for marketing and publicity.
Creative content may take the format of photographs, films, digital media such as video, sound recordings or digital photographs and other occasional
formats. Studio Film School may publish content through a range of media including DVD, cinema screenings, as electronic files and online streaming.
Every student member (over the age of 18) taking part in the creation of any content must sign an Image Release Form, stating their consent for their image and contribution towards to material to be published. Every child member (aged under 18) must have a consent form (that includes an Image Release clause) signed by a parent or guardian, stating their consent for their child to participate in the activity, and for their image and contribution towards material to be published.
Studio Film School will take every care to prevent the abuse of creative content made by its student members, and to protect the anonymity of
children in the interests of safeguarding. Specific details that allow any child to be identified from the content (e.g. surnames, addresses) will not be permitted under this Publishing Policy. Where credits are included, they should not feature the surnames of any child, and it is recommended that character names should be fictitious.
The content must be appropriate for viewing by children of any age in line with the classification guidelines outlined by the BBFC as ‘Universal’. These are available at www.bbfc.co.uk. Where content isn’t suitable for younger children, but is in line with the guidelines issued for a ‘PG’ classification (advised as suitable for children aged 8+) Studio Film School may publish this content, but with a warning that it is not recommended for younger children.
All creative content must be approved for publishing (based on its
appropriateness) by the Duty Manager before it is published in any format.
Content that is considered to be inappropriate for viewing by children will not be published online or at a public/invited screening, but may be made
available for a controlled private screening based upon the group.
Studio Film School holds the sole copyright on all material, and whilst content may be released to third parties this should always be with the permission of Studio Film School. Creative content should always feature the Studio Film School logo and re-editing or distortion of the material in any way is strictly prohibited, Studio Film School will pursue legal proceedings in response to any violation of this policy term.
PROCEDURES
REPORTING CONCERNS
If a member of staff is concerned about the emotional or physical wellbeing of a student, this should be reported to the member of staff’s line manager immediately. This information will then be referred to the relevant authority. It is not for the member of staff to assess the risk of harm or seriousness of abuse; the Studio Film School Manager will refer this to authorised
professionals to consider.
In the event a child approaches a member of staff to discuss abuse, the member of staff should listen, but should ensure to inform the child that they cannot keep this information to themselves.
If a member of staff is suspected of improper conduct towards a student, this should also be reported immediately to the Duty Manager, who will either refer to their line manager, the official Safeguarding Duty Officer for the relevant borough/county jurisdiction and/or investigate the claim (separate to any police inquiry/legal proceedings). This should also be followed up with an account in writing, submitted to the Duty Manager.
Whilst an investigation into improper conduct is continuing, the member of staff implicated will have no contact with any student, and will be asked to temporarily refrain from representing Studio Film School in any capacity.
Failure to comply with this condition will be considered gross misconduct and will result in immediate dismissal. Where a member of staff has been removed from their usual duties, it is important for all members of staff to understand that this is the normal procedure whilst the investigation continues.
ACCIDENT REPORTING
In the event of an accident or incident taking place whilst a child is in the care of Studio Film School, it should be reported immediately to the Duty Manager and (where not the Duty Manager) the qualified First Aider onsite. Any injury should be treated accordingly by the First Aider, or for more serious injuries by an emergency healthcare professional. All accidents/incidents should be reported using the Accident/Incident Report Form at the time, and a copy should be given to the parent/guardian of the child involved.
CONFIDENTIALITY
Studio Film School staff have a responsibility to share relevant information about the safeguarding and protection of children, however it is important that this information is treated as highly confidential and is only released within the appropriate professional contexts. Members of staff should avoid discussing information pertaining to safeguarding or the protection of children with anybody other than the authorised professionals and their line manager.
Any and all information retained by Studio Film School in relation to a student will be subject to the conditions of the Data Protection Act 1998. It will be stored securely and only made available to staff where necessary. It will be treated as highly confidential by all members of staff, and any breach of confidentiality will be considered to be gross misconduct.
If Studio Film School is approached by a professional authority for information relating to the safeguarding or protection of a child, this information will be disclosed and treated in the strictest of confidence.
COMPLAINTS & GRIEVANCES
In the event that a student or parent/guardian of a child member wishes to make a complaint if they believe that they have been subject to discriminatory, abusive or inappropriate treatment, they should contact their Studio Film School Manager immediately. It is advised that this is in writing, and the complaint will be thoroughly investigated by Studio Film School. Where relevant, information relating to the complaint may also be shared with the appropriate professional authorities (e.g. Social Services, The Metropolitan Police Force.)
STATEMENT OF COMMITMENT
I confirm that I have read, understand and will adhere to the conditions set out within the Code of Conduct and other articles within this Safeguarding
Children Policy.
I understand that compliance with this policy is a condition of my employment or contract and must be followed at all times whilst representing Studio Film School, and that failure to comply with this policy may result in dismissal or the termination of my contract.
SIGNED: DATE:
NAME: (print)
