We recognise our responsibility to safeguard the welfare of all children and young people, by a commitment to recommend best practice which protects them. This policy applies to our directors, paid staff, volunteers, sub-contractors, students or anyone working on behalf of the Festival.
We recognise that:
- the welfare of the child/young person is paramount
- all children, regardless of age, disability, gender, racial heritage, religious belief, sexual orientation or identity, have the right to equal protection from all types of harm or abuse
- working in partnership with children, young people, their parents, carers and other agencies is essential in promoting young people’s welfare.
The purpose of the policy:
- to provide protection for the children and young people who participate in our Festival
- to provide staff and volunteers with guidance on procedures they should adopt in the event that they suspect a child or young person may be experiencing, or be at risk, of harm
We will seek to safeguard children and young people by:
- valuing them, listening to and respecting them
- adopting child protection guidelines through procedures and safe working practice for staff and volunteers
- providing effective management for staff and volunteers through supervision and support
This policy will be reviewed annually, or sooner in light of any changes in legislation or guidance.
At any Festival events that involve children and young people the Festival will ensure that:
- A designated Festival Safeguarding Officer is present at each event.
- No Festival personnel are permitted to be alone with a child except in cases of emergency (eg first aid is required), or the child would otherwise be in danger.
- All Festival personnel wear an official, visible Festival identity badge at each session.
- All parents/guardians /carers are asked to report incidents of any nature to a person wearing a Festival badge. All reported incidents will be handled in accordance with the Health and Safety Policy.
- Children under age 12 must be accompanied at all times by a parent or guardian while attending Faversham Literary Festival events. This is stipulated on the terms of each ticket for children's events, and unaccompanied children under 12 will not be admitted. For the duration of any events involving children or young people, all parents/guardians/carers are responsible for the continuous care and supervision of their own children.
- No unauthorised photography, audio or video recording of children and young people is allowed at our Festival. Where parents/guardians/carers do not wish photos to be taken at all, then the responsible adult attending should ensure that their child is not included in official photos.
- Some children and vulnerable adults may have specific needs in order to take part. If this is the case we ask the responsible parents/guardians/carers to contact the Festival Director, Amanda Dackombe, at the time of booking. The Festival actively seeks wherever possible to meet these needs, but must know beforehand in order to prepare support or to advise that help cannot be provided on this occasion.
This policy will be reviewed annually by the Festival Directors.
This policy was reviewed on 1 June 2024; Next Review date: 1 June 2025