Equal Opportunities Policy Statement

1. Vision Community Radio is committed to a policy of equality of opportunity in its employment and volunteering practices.
   
   
2. In particular, Vision Community Radio aims to ensure that no potential or actual employee or volunteer receives more or less favourable treatment on the grounds of race, colour, ethnic or national origins, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, disability, religious beliefs or age.
   
   
3. Selection criteria and procedures are regularly reviewed to ensure that individuals are selected on the basis of their relevant merits and abilities.
   
   
4. It is the duty of all employees and volunteers to accept their personal responsibility for the practical application of the policy but at the same time Vision Community Radio acknowledges that specific responsibilities fall upon management, supervisory staff and individuals professionally involved in recruitment and employee administration and in volunteer selection and supervision. 
   
5. Any employee or volunteer who believes that he or she has been inequitably treated within the scope of the policy should raise the matter through the grievance procedure. Any job applicant or potential volunteer who believes that he or she has been inequitably treated may write to the Director or Chairperson, who will investigate the complaint.
   
   
6. London Link Radio will not tolerate unfair discrimination against any member of its staff or volunteers by any of its employees or other persons appointed to the service of, or by anyone volunteering with, Vision Community Radio.
   

Child abuse, particularly sexual abuse, can arouse strong emotions in those facing such a situation. It is important to understand these feelings and not allow them to interfere with your judgement about the appropriate action to take.

Abuse can occur within many situations including the home, school and voluntary activities. Some individuals will actively seek employment or voluntary work with young people in order to harm them. An instructor, teacher, official or volunteer will have regular contact with young people and be an important link in identifying cases where they need protection. All suspicious cases of poor practice should be reported following the guidelines in this document.

When a child enters the project having been subjected to child abuse outside the project , the project can play a crucial role in improving the child’s self-esteem. In such instances the project must work with the appropriate agencies to ensure the child receives the required support.

Good practice guidelines

All personnel should be encouraged to demonstrate exemplary behaviour in order to protect themselves from false allegations. The following are common sense examples of how to create a positive culture and climate.

Good practice means:Promoting good practice

Child abuse, particularly sexual abuse, can arouse strong emotions in those facing such a situation. It is important to understand these feelings and not allow them to interfere with your judgement about the appropriate action to take.

Abuse can occur within many situations including the home, school and voluntary activities. Some individuals will actively seek employment or voluntary work with young people in order to harm them. An instructor, teacher, official or volunteer will have regular contact with young people and be an important link in identifying cases where they need protection. All suspicious cases of poor practice should be reported following the guidelines in this document.

When a child enters the project having been subjected to child abuse outside the project , the project can play a crucial role in improving the child’s self-esteem. In such instances the project must work with the appropriate agencies to ensure the child receives the required support.

Good practice guidelines

All personnel should be encouraged to demonstrate exemplary behaviour in order to protect themselves from false allegations. The following are common sense examples of how to create a positive culture and climate.

Good practice means:

•    Always working in an open environment avoiding private or unobserved situations and encouraging open communication.
•    Treating all young people/disabled adults equally with respect and dignity.
•    Always putting the welfare of each young person first.
•    Maintaining a safe and appropriate distance with staff and volunteers
•    Building balanced relationships based on mutual trust and empowering children to share in decision making.
•    Making the project, enjoyable and promoting fair play. 
•    Keeping up to date with technical skills, qualifications and insurance. 
•    Being an excellent role model – this includes not smoking or drinking alcohol in the company of young people.
•    Giving enthusiastic and constructive feedback rather than negative criticism.
•    Recognising the developmental needs and capacity of young people and disabled adults – avoiding competition and not pushing them against their will.
•    Securing parental consent in writing to act in loco parentis, if the need arises to administer emergency first aid and/or other medical treatment.
•    Keeping a written record of any injury that occurs, along with the details of any treatment given. .
Practices to be avoided

•    Spending excessive amounts of time alone with children away from others.
•    Taking or dropping off a child to an event.
Practices never to be sanctioned

The following should never be sanctioned. You should never:
•    Allow or engage in any form of inappropriate touching.
•    Allow children to use inappropriate language unchallenged.
•    Make sexually suggestive comments to a child, even in fun.
•    Reduce a child to tears as a form of control.
•    Allow allegations made by a child to go unchallenged, unrecorded or not acted upon.
•    Do things of a personal nature for children or disabled adults that they can do for themselves.

• Always working in an open environment avoiding private or unobserved situations and encouraging open communication.
  
• Treating all young people/disabled adults equally with respect and dignity.
  
• Always putting the welfare of each young person first.
  
• Maintaining a safe and appropriate distance with staff and volunteers
  
• Building balanced relationships based on mutual trust and empowering children to share in decision making.
  
• Making the project, enjoyable and promoting fair play. 
  
• Keeping up to date with technical skills, qualifications and insurance. 
  
• Being an excellent role model – this includes not smoking or drinking alcohol in the company of young people.
  
• Giving enthusiastic and constructive feedback rather than negative criticism.
  
• Recognising the developmental needs and capacity of young people and disabled adults – avoiding competition and not pushing them against their will.
  
• Securing parental consent in writing to act in loco parentis, if the need arises to administer emergency first aid and/or other medical treatment.
  
• Keeping a written record of any injury that occurs, along with the details of any treatment given. .

Practices to be avoided

• Spending excessive amounts of time alone with children away from others.
• Taking or dropping off a child to an event.

Practices never to be sanctioned

The following should never be sanctioned. You should never:

• Allow or engage in any form of inappropriate touching.
• Allow children to use inappropriate language unchallenged.
• Make sexually suggestive comments to a child, even in fun.
• Reduce a child to tears as a form of control.
• Allow allegations made by a child to go unchallenged, unrecorded or not acted upon.
• Do things of a personal nature for children or disabled adults that they can do for themselves.

Vision Community Radio  recognises that anyone may have the potential to abuse children in some way and that all reasonable steps are taken to ensure unsuitable people are prevented from working with children.

Pre-selection checks must included the following:

• All volunteers/staff should complete an application form. The application form will elicit information about an applicant's past and a self-disclosure about any criminal record.
• Consent should be obtained from an applicant to seek information from the Criminal Records Bureau.
• Two confidential references, including one regarding previous work with children. These references must be taken up and confirmed through telephone contact.
• Evidence of identity should be provided (eg passport or driving licence with photo).

Interview and induction

All employees (and volunteers) will be required to undergo an interview carried out to acceptable protocol and recommendations. All employees and volunteers should receive formal or informal induction, during which:

• A check should be made that the application form has been completed in full (including sections on criminal records and self-disclosures).
• Their qualifications should be substantiated.
• The job requirements and responsibilities should be clarified.
• They should sign up to Vision Community Radio’s Code of Ethics and Conduct.
• Child protection procedures are explained and training needs are identified.

Training

In addition to pre-selection checks, the safeguarding process includes training after recruitment to help staff and volunteers to:

• Analyse their own practice against established good practice, and to ensure their practice is likely to protect them from false allegations.
• Recognise their responsibilities and report any concerns about suspected poor practice or possible abuse.
• Respond to concerns expressed by a child or young person.
• Work safely and effectively with children.

Vision Community Radio requires:

• Teaching staff to attend a recognised 3-hour good practice and child protection awareness training workshop, to ensure their practice is exemplary and to facilitate the development of a positive culture towards good practice and child protection.
• Non-coaching staff and volunteers to complete a recognised awareness training on child protection.
• Relevant personnel to receive advisory information outlining good practice and informing them about what to do if they have concerns about the behaviour of an adult towards a young person.
• Relevant personnel to undergo national first aid training (where necessary).
• Attendance of update training when necessary.

Responding to allegations or suspicions

It is not the responsibility of anyone working in Vision Community Radio, in a paid or unpaid capacity, to decide whether or not child abuse has taken place. However, there is a responsibility to act on any concerns through contact with the appropriate authorities.

Vision Community Radio will assure all staff/volunteers that it will fully support and protect anyone who in good faith reports his/her concern that a colleague is, or may be, abusing a child.

Where there is a complaint against a member of staff there may be three types of investigation:

• a criminal investigation
• a child protection investigation
• a disciplinary or misconduct investigation.

The results of the police and child protection investigation may well influence the disciplinary investigation, but not necessarily.

Action

1. Concerns about poor practice: 
   
   
   • If, following consideration, the allegation is clearly about poor practice, the Child Protection Officer will deal with it as a misconduct issue.
     
     
   • If the allegation is about poor practice by the Child Protection Officer, or if the matter has been handled inadequately and concerns remain, it should be reported to the relevant officer who will decide how to deal with the allegation and whether or not to initiate disciplinary proceedings.
     
     
2. Concerns about suspected abuse:
   
   
   • Any suspicion that a child has been abused by either a member of staff or a volunteer should be reported to the Child Protection Officer, who will take such steps as considered necessary to ensure the safety of the child in question and any other child who may be at risk.
     
     
   • The Child Protection Officer will refer the allegation to the social services department which may involve the police, or go directly to the police if out-of-hours.
     
     
   • The parents or carers of the child will be contacted as soon as possible following advice from the social services department.
     
     
   • The Child Protection Officer should also notify the relevant Error! Reference source not found. officer who in turn will inform the Error! Reference source not found. Child Protection Officer who will deal with any media enquiries.
     
     
   • If the Child Protection Officer is the subject of the suspicion/allegation, the report must be made to the appropriate Manager or in his/her absence the Error! Reference source not found. Child Protection Officer who will refer the allegation to social services.
     

Every effort should be made to ensure that confidentiality is maintained for all concerned. Information should be handled and disseminated on a need to know basis only.

This includes the following people:

• the Child Protection Officer
• the parents of the person who is alleged to have been abused
• the person making the allegation
• social services/police
• the alleged abuser (and parents if the alleged abuser is a child).

Seek social services advice on who should approach the alleged abuser.

Information should be stored in a secure place with limited access to designated people, in line with data protection laws (eg that information is accurate, regularly updated, relevant and secure).

Internal enquiries and suspension

• The Vision Community Radio Child Protection Officer will make an immediate decision about whether any individual accused of abuse should be temporarily suspended pending further police and social services inquiries.
• Irrespective of the findings of the social services or police inquiries the Vision Community Radio Disciplinary Committee will assess all individual cases to decide whether a member of staff or volunteer can be reinstated and how this can be sensitively handled. This may be a difficult decision, particularly where there is insufficient evidence to uphold any action by the police. In such cases, the Vision Community Radio Disciplinary Committee must reach a decision based upon the available information, which could suggest that on a balance of probability, it is more likely than not that the allegation is true. The welfare of the child should remain of paramount importance throughout.

• Consideration should be given to the kind of support that children, parents and members of staff may need. Use of helplines, support groups and open meetings will maintain an open culture and help the healing process. The British Association for Counselling Directory is available from The British Association for Counselling, 1 Regent Place, Rugby CV21 2PJ, Tel: 01788 550899, Fax: 01788 562189, Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , Internet: www.bacp.co.uk
• Consideration should be given to what kind of support may be appropriate for the alleged perpetrator.

Allegations of previous abuse

Allegations of abuse may be made some time after the event (eg by an adult who was abused as a child or by a member of staff who is still currently working with children).

Where such an allegation is made, the project should follow the procedures as detailed above and report the matter to the social services or the police. This is because other children, either within or outside radio may be at risk from this person. Anyone who has a previous criminal conviction for offences related to abuse is automatically excluded from working with children. This is reinforced by the details of the Protection of Children Act 1999.

Action if bullying is suspected

If bullying is suspected, the same procedure should be followed as set out in 'Responding to suspicions or allegations' above.

Action to help the victim and prevent bullying in sport:

• Take all signs of bullying very seriously.
• Encourage all children to speak and share their concerns (It is believed that up to 12 children per year commit suicide as a result of bullying, so if anyone talks about or threatens suicide, seek professional help immediately). Help the victim to speak out and tell the person in charge or someone in authority.
• Investigate all allegations and take action to ensure the victim is safe. Speak with the victim and the bully(ies) separately.
• Reassure the victim that you can be trusted and will help them, although you cannot promise to tell no one else.
• Keep records of what is said (what happened, by whom, when).
• Report any concerns to the Child Protection Officer or the child’s school or youth centre (wherever the bullying is occurring).

Action towards the bully(ies): 

• Talk with the bully(ies), explain the situation, and try to get the bully(ies) to understand the consequences of their behaviour. Seek an apology to the victim(s).
• Inform the bully(ies)’s parents.
• Insist on the return of 'borrowed' items and that the bully(ies) compensate the victim.
• Provide support for the victim's coach.
• Impose sanctions as necessary.
• Encourage and support the bully(ies) to change behaviour.
• Hold meetings with the families to report on progress.
• Inform all organisation members of action taken.
• Keep a written record of action taken.

Concerns outside the immediate creative environment (eg a parent or carer):

• Report your concerns to the Child Protection Officer, who should contact social services or the police as soon as possible.
• See 4. below for the information social services or the police will need.
• If the Child Protection Officer is not available, the person being told of or discovering the abuse should contact social services or the police immediately.
• Social services and the Child Protection Officer will decide how to involve the parents/carers.
• The Child Protection Officer should also report the incident to the Vision Community Radio governing body. The governing body should ascertain whether or not the person/(s) involved in the incident play a role in Vision Community Radio. And act accordingly.
• Maintain confidentiality on a need to know basis only.
• See 4. below regarding information needed for social services.

Information for social services or the police about suspected abuse:

To ensure that this information is as helpful as possible, a detailed record should always be made at the time of the disclosure/concern, which should include the following:

• The child's name, age and date of birth of the child.
• The child's home address and telephone number.
• Whether or not the person making the report is expressing their own concerns or those of someone else.
• The nature of the allegation. Include dates, times, any special factors and other relevant information.
• Make a clear distinction between what is fact, opinion or hearsay.
• A description of any visible bruising or other injuries. Also any indirect signs, such as behavioural changes.
• Details of witnesses to the incidents.
• The child’s account, if it can be given, of what has happened and how any bruising or other injuries occurred.
• Have the parents been contacted?
• If so, what has been said?
• Has anyone else been consulted? If so, record details.
• If the child was not the person who reported the incident, has the child been spoken to? If so, what was said?
• Has anyone been alleged to be the abuser? Record details.
• Where possible referral to the police or social services should be confirmed in writing within 24 hours and the name of the contact who took the referral should be recorded.
• If you are worried about sharing concerns about abuse with a senior colleague, you can contact social services or the police direct, or the NSPCC Child Protection Helpline on 0808 800 5000, or Childline on 0800 1111.

Declaration

On behalf of Vision Community Radio, we, the undersigned, will oversee the implementation of the Child Protection Policy and take all necessary steps to ensure it is adhered to.

Thank you for taking the time to read our policies - Vision Radio Management And Staff