CHILD AND VULNERABLE ADULT SAFEGUARDING POLICY - Beccy Burgess – Singing Services
As an ISM (Incorporated Society of Musicians) member I have to adhere to their comprehensive Safeguarding & Child Protection Policy, Code of Practice and procedures which can be found here: https://www.ism.org/advice/ism-safeguarding-child-protection-policy-code-of-practice-and-procedures
In addition to the Code of Practice above I have the following procedures in place.
General Safeguarding
- I keep up-to-date with safeguarding training:
- Safeguarding Children (Level 2) – July 2022
- Keeping Children Safe In Education (Part 1) – July 2022
- In the event of a safeguarding issue in schools my first point of contact is the school’s Designated Safeguarding Lead or other school given contact. If I am unable to contact the school DSL or I receive no response, then I will follow ISM protocol and contact their Designated Safeguarding Lead.
- In the event of a safeguarding issue in my home studio I will follow ISM protocol and contact their Designated Safeguarding Lead.
- If, for any reason, the above protocol breaks down then I will contact Nottinghamshire MASH (Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub): https://www.multiagencysafeguardinghub.com/nottinghamshire-mash/
- In an emergency/ immediate or urgent concerns I will call 999.
Safety in lessons
- All rooms are I teach in are risk assessed on entry to the room before any lesson begins. Any problems are rectified before teaching begins or another suitable room is found.
- I am aware of all fire exits, fire safety procedures and meeting points in each environment I teach in.
- Pupils should always feel safe in the lesson. In schools the door of the teaching room is never locked, windows remain unblocked, and other staff may access the room at any time. At home the studio door is never locked. The front door may be for security but a key will be left in the lock for easy access and the window blinds will remain open.
- Pupils and Teacher should always be a good distance away from each other and I have a NO TOUCHING policy. I will NEVER adjust a pupil or move them in any way. Changes to alignment or breathing, tension release etc will always be managed through verbal instruction or demonstration.
- If a pupil does not turn up for a lesson every effort shall be made to contact the pupil or ascertain absence via the school reception or a direct call to the parent. This is to establish that the child is safe and not missing or injured.
- Only the pupil who is scheduled for the lesson will be allowed in the room with the teacher. No friends are allowed.
- In the event of sudden illness in the lesson, in schools I will immediately inform a member of staff/ reception, at home I will immediately contact a parent/ guardian. In an emergency I will call 999.
- Parents/guardians are responsible for dropping off/ collecting their charges. I will NEVER give pupils lifts except via prior written parent/ guardian consent, and only them in exceptional circumstances.
- I promote positive relationships between all my singing pupils and parents and will not tolerate abuse or bullying behaviour between pupils, parents or towards myself. This will result in termination of lessons with immediate effect and support sought for those involved. Threats of violence will result in a 999 call (See Safeguarding Section).
Online lessons
- Lessons are accessed via ZOOM with advanced encryption (waiting room and password enabled) to avoid unauthorised access.
- Only the expected named pupil will be admitted to the lesson. Participating pupil’s name must be visible or entry will not be permitted.
- As standard, lessons will NOT be recorded. Any exception to this will only be by written consent from a parent/ guardian and any recording will be made available for the parent/ guardian to view.
- Lessons MUST take place in a room with an open door and a adult must be in attendance nearby at all times.
- Pupils MUST be appropriately dressed for lessons, absolutely NO nightwear or revealing clothing.
- A breach of any of these requirements will lead to the lesson being immediately terminated and the parent/ guardian contacted.
Communication with pupils
- In most cases, communication regarding lessons will be directly with parents/ guardians only via email (or occasionally text).
- My online portal allows a pupil’s emails and phone number to be stored. Many pupils find it helpful to receive email lesson reminders and lesson notes directly but the following procedures are in place for safeguarding:
- Please do NOT add a pupil phone number to the system under any circumstances. Any pupil under 18 years of age attempting to contact me via mobile will not receive a response and their parent/ guardian will be informed.
- Pupil emails may be recorded, wherever possible these should be their school email, other emails can only be provided with the consent of a parent/ guardian.
- Any email communication with pupils will remain strictly professional (about lessons only) and a parent/ guardian will ALWAYS be copied in on any such communications. If a pupil initiates email communication a parent/ guardian will always be copied in on the response.
- Parents/guardians are welcome in lessons if the pupil consents but must allow the lesson to continue uninterrupted. If at any point I feel that a parent/carer in the lesson is distracting the pupil or inhibiting their singing, I will ask the parent to wait outside but they may still be able to see the lesson taking place.
Vocal Health
- Safe vocal practice is something I pride myself on and is a priority in my teaching. If I have any concerns about vocal health, I will offer advice on continuation of care or refer to a vocal health specialist if necessary.
- Pupils will only be asked to sing in a safe way. If a pupil is not deemed fit to sing but is otherwise well, I shall find other work such as breath work or music theory to complete during the lesson.
- A pupil running a temperature or otherwise clearly unwell should not attend lessons. If the pupil is feeling well enough an online lesson can be offered instead.
- Repertoire is chosen to be suitable for the age and vocal ability of the pupil, with their vocal and personal development in mind. I will always enforce best vocal practice and will not endorse repertoire that is too demanding on the voice or unsuitable lyrically (please see below).
- Pop songs and musical theatre and drama pieces can have inappropriate lyrics or ideas which are not suitable for young people in lessons. Young people often don’t listen closely to lyrics or think about the content of their pieces. Lyrics are carefully scrutinized by me and any songs I deem to be unsuitable must be adapted and changed or another song sought. Lyrics or words with highly sexual content or context, violence, sexist, racist or homophobic slurs or strong language are absolutely not allowed in the teaching studio.
- Everyone should feel safe and welcome in the voice studio and songs with gendered lyrics can be changed and altered according to the child’s choices. For example, if they want to sing ‘he, she, they’ or perform songs in any gender. All choices are valid and welcome and I will not comment on or judge this choice but simply support their wishes.
If parents/guardians have any concerns about their child, they can contact any of the numbers or look at the websites listed below for help:
Contact NSPCC if unsure about a situation and need advice 24/7 on 0808 800 5000 or email help@nspcc.org.uk
If you believe a child or young person is at risk of harm or neglect or injury then contact Nottinghamshire MASH on: 0300 500 80 80 or 0300 456 4546 (out of hours).
If they are in immediate danger or left alone then dial 999.
Last updated August 2022