This Safeguarding Policy applies to Epping Forest Singers (EFS) members, volunteers and all others invited to perform or work with EFS.

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EFS is committed to ensuring that all children, young people and vulnerable adults have the same protection regardless of age, disability, gender, racial heritage, religious belief, sexual orientation or identity. EFS is committed to anti-discriminatory practice and explicitly recognises the additional needs of children, young people and vulnerable adults from minority ethnic groups and the disabled and the barriers they may face, especially around communication.

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The law requires any organisation involving children, young people or vulnerable adults to take all reasonable measures to ensure that the risks of harm to vulnerable adults’ and children’s welfare are minimised, and where there are concerns, to share them with other local agencies. 

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As a matter of good practice, EFS has developed this policy to provide:

• protection for children, young people and vulnerable adults with whom EFS has contact (including the children/relatives of adult members or adults who attend our concerts);

• guidance to ensure that the risks of harm to the welfare of children, young adults and vulnerable adults are minimised;

• guidance for responding to a child or vulnerable adult making an allegation of abuse;

• guidance on procedures that should be adopted in the event that any adult suspects a child, young person or vulnerable adult may be experiencing, or be at risk of experiencing, harm.

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EFS recognises that it is not its role to investigate whether a child has been abused or not and it is not qualified to do so.This is the role of bodies such as Social Services, the NSPCC, or the Police.

The main laws and guidance supporting this policy are:

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• Children Acts 1989 and 2004

• Human Rights Act 1998

• Protection of Children Act 1999

• Sexual Offences Act (Amendment) Act 2006

• UN Convention on the Rights of the Child 1991

• Government guidance on safeguarding children

• Care Act 2014

• The EU’s General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act 2018

• The Charity Commission’s ‘Strategy for Dealing with Safeguarding Children and Vulnerable Adults Issues in Charities’.

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Who are children or vulnerable adults?

In this context, anyone up to the age of 18 is a child. A vulnerable adult or “adult at risk” is defined in the Care Act 2014 as someone over 18 years old who (a) has care and support needs, (b) is experiencing, or at risk of, abuse or neglect and (c) as a result of those care and support needs is unable to protect himself or herself against the abuse or neglect or the risk of it.

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How Epping Forest Singers operates:

Epping Forest Singers (EFS) is a community organisation with purposes to enjoy choral singing and to share music with the community, which it does by presenting a number of concerts a year, sometimes performing with orchestral groups, professional soloists and other choirs. EFS is managed by a Committee of members elected at the annual general meeting.  Rehearsals are run by our self-employed musical director and a self-employed accompanist (or substitutes on occasion). Both the musical director and the accompanist attend weekly rehearsals with members in term time in order to prepare for the concerts. There are no employed staff or volunteers in the conventional sense. From time to time, EFS organises other events such as sectional workshops and social events (EFS activities).

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EFS does not advertise itself as an activity suitable for children, young people or vulnerable adults. Most choir members are independent adults and generally the choir membership does not include children, young people or vulnerable adults, although it is possible for older teenagers to become members and rehearse and perform with the choir. Choir rehearsals and performances are group activities and there is no need for a member of the choir to be alone with another member of any age. EFS is therefore unlikely to be targeted by a person seeking opportunities to abuse children or vulnerable adults. Nevertheless, EFS recognises its responsibility to safeguard the welfare of children and vulnerable adults with whom it works and comes into contact and believes everyone has the right to enjoy the activities of the choir in a happy, safe and secure environment.

 

The committee member who is the designated person in respect of safeguarding is Charlotte Prosser (07801 259921).