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CHAIRMAN
and CO-ORDINATOR: Ms Judith Burton
LEGAL
& POLICIES’ ADVISER: Ms Morag Thorpe
TREASURER:
Mr Richard Burgess
DATES:
November and December annually
VENUES:
Overton Grange School
Croydon Parish Church
Homefield Preparatory School
1 PURPOSE AND FUNCTION OF ORGANISATION
The object of the Festival is to
advance the education of the public in the Arts and in particular the Arts
of Music, Speech and Drama and Dance in all their branches. The purpose of the Festival is to provide
a platform for participants in these fields to gain experience of public
performance and be assessed by a professional adjudicator.
2 THE FESTIVAL ENVIRONMENT
The Festival aims to provide, as far
as is reasonably practicable, a safe and welcoming environment for
all. It is organised and run
entirely by volunteers and is independent of the venue/s in which the
various sections take place.
3 TO WHOM DOES THIS POLICY APPLY
This policy applies to children
under the age of 18 years, and also to vulnerable adults and people with
special needs who have been identified to the organisers by
parents/guardians/carers and/or teachers in advance of the commencement of
the Festival.
4 FESTIVAL PERSONNEL
Festival personnel are volunteers,
all of whom are known to, or are personally recommended by, Festival
officers, Committee members or other Festival volunteers. Some have obtained clearance through the
Criminal Records Bureau. All helpers
are easily identifiable by their official Festival badges. In the case of a problem, any person
wearing a badge will be able to point out someone who can help. All problems will be dealt with
sympathetically, documented and dated.
5 PREPARATION FOR ATTENDANCE AT THE
FESTIVAL
The Festival expects that children
under the age of 18 years and vulnerable adults will be accompanied and
adequately supervised at the Festival by a parent/guardian or carer
appointed by the parent/guardian for this purpose. If for some reason this is not possible,
the child or vulnerable person remains the responsibility of the
parent/guardian at all times. Festival personnel are not able to take on
this responsibility. All entrants and Festival personnel will be provided
with a copy of this Child Protection Policy. It is the responsibility of teachers
submitting entries to the Festival to ensure that the parents/guardians and
carers of their pupils receive a copy of this document when
notifying them of the final timetable before the Festival begins.
6 PERFORMANCE AREAS AND CHANGING AREAS
Performance areas are all located
within local schools and churches.
As each venue is used by more than one organisation, we cannot
restrict public access. Public areas
such as warm-up rooms, eating areas, toilets and corridors are unsupervised
and dedicated changing facilities are not provided. We would therefore remind
parents/guardians and carers appointed by the parent/guardian that they
remain responsible for their children and vulnerable adults at all times.
7 PHOTOGRAPHS, VIDEOTAPES AND PRESS
PHOTOGRAPHY
All forms of sound and picture
recording are strictly prohibited during the Festival. Only the press and official
representatives appointed by the Festival committee may take photographs
for publicity purposes, including use on the Festival website. In these circumstances
parents/competitors will be advised and given the opportunity not to
participate.
8 THE LEGISLATION AND GUIDANCE 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; Children Act 2004.
9 POLICY REVIEW
The organisers will constantly
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.
Effective April 2010
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