As new Government policies on child protection and criminal disclosure have emerged, Arts Council England has responded by developing new guidelines which will have an impact on funded individuals and organisations.
?Keeping arts safe? gives guidance on child protection issues, and on devising policies and procedures to protect children, young people and vulnerable adults involved in arts activities. Written in collaboration with the NSPCC, the 60-page document is now available.
From 2003-4, funding agreements will impose conditions requiring funding recipients to consider any risks involved in the funded activities and to take action to protect those involved. Organisations will also have to adopt and carry out a written policy and set of procedures, which Arts Council England will have the right to review at any time.
Many arts organisations will not be familiar with many of the legal terms used in child protection. The document includes a list of definitions, including Arts Council England?s own working definition of ?vulnerable adult? (?people who are, or may be, in need of community care services because of mental disability or other disability, age or illness, and who are, or who may be, unable to take care of themselves or unable to protect themselves against significant harm or exploitation?) and the legal definition of ?child? (according to The Children Act 1989, up to and including the age of 18).
Arts Council England asserts that all arts organisations ?must make a commitment? to protection and that they should both examine current practice and put new policy and procedures in place. ?Keeping arts safe? is a working document, leading readers through several stages of self-questioning, educating them in current law and offering practical guidance on creating policy. Many arts organisations do not realise that they may be at risk of unintentionally causing abuse to children, or that it is a criminal offence for an employer not to check an employee working with children or vulnerable adults. Checking staff with the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) features strongly in the document.
A number of challenges to the arts sector are identified. Awareness of the law varies among project partners such as youth clubs and community groups. LEAs and individual schools may differ in their interpretation of the requirements, while the infrastructure for arts organisations to make CRB checks is not fully developed.
Perhaps most importantly, the document deals with the difficult, and for many unfamiliar, area of what to do when a child or vulnerable adult discloses abuse. The exact procedure on how and to whom to report abuse, and the correct approach to people?s rights and confidentiality, is provided. There is also guidance on writing policies and on good practice, a section on professional development and training and the method for assessing risk.
?Keeping arts safe? is available free of charge. e: direct.orders@marston.co.uk;
t: 01235 465500; w: http://www.artscouncil.org.uk.