Albion Images Child Protection Policy Statement

Albion Images has a duty of care to safeguard all children involved in any event we are booked to cover from harm. All children have a right to protection, and the needs of disabled children and others who may be particularly vulnerable must be taken into account. Albion Images will ensure the safety and protection of all children involved in events we cover through adherence to the Child Protection guidelines. A child is defined as a person under the age of 18 (The Children Act 1989).

Policy aims

The aim of the Albion Images Child Protection Policy is to promote good practice:
:: Providing children and young people with appropriate safety and protection whilst covering an event.
:: Allow all staff/volunteers to make informed and confident responses to specific child protection issues.

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.

Child abuse can occur within many situations including the home, school and the sporting environment. Some individuals actively seek employment or voluntary work with young people in order to harm them. Albion Images staff will have regular contact with young people and be an important link in identifying cases where they need protection. Suspicious cases of poor practice should be reported to the organising clubs Child Protection Welfare Officer.

Good practice guidelines

All personnel should be encouraged to demonstrate exemplary behaviour in order to protect themselves from false allegations.

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 players (eg it is not appropriate for staff or volunteers to photograph children not participating in the event unless as part of a team shot).
:: Building balanced relationships based on mutual trust and empowering children to share in decision making.
:: Making sport fun, enjoyable and promoting fair play.
:: Ensuring that if any form of physical contact is avoided. Some parents are becoming increasingly sensitive about this and their views should always be carefully considered.
:: Keeping up to date with technical skills, qualifications and insurance.
:: At tournaments or residential events, Albion Images staff will not enter childrens rooms or invite children into their rooms.
:: Keeping a written record of any injury that occurs as a direct result of collision with a photographer, along with the details of any treatment given by an appropriately qualified person.

Practices to be avoided

Albion Images staff will avoid:
:: 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

Albion Images staff will never:
:: Engage in rough physical or sexually provocative games, including horseplay.
:: Share a room with a child.
:: Allow or engage in any form of inappropriate touching.
:: 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.
:: Invite or allow children to stay with you at your home unsupervised.

Incidents that must be reported/recorded

If any of the following should arise Albion Images staff will report this immediately to another colleague and to the event organisers and record the incident, and ensure the event organiser ensures the parents of the child are informed:
:: If any Albion Images staff member accidentally hurts a player.
:: If he/she seems distressed in any manner.
:: If a player appears to be sexually aroused by an Albion Images member of staffs actions.
:: If a player misunderstands or misinterprets something an Albion Images member of staff has done.

Use of photographic/filming equipment at sporting events

There is evidence that some people have used sporting events as an opportunity to take inappropriate photographs or film footage of young and disabled sportspeople in vulnerable positions. Albion Images staff should be vigilant and any concerns should to be reported to the event organisers Child Protection Officer.

Albion Images members of staff must ensure the club booking the service has made parents/carers/opposition club officials aware that this photographic service has been booked, and that digital images taken are stored in a secure manner, and unwanted prints taken destroyed in a secure manner.

All swimming and gymnastic event images will be password protected on the Albion Images website. Customers wishing to purchase these type of event images on-line where password protection applies must obtain the password from the event organisers nominated authorised official, usually the club secretary or child protection welfare officer.

Personal data for any minors will not be held, published or displayed by Albion Images on the website or any database.

Images will be allocated a unique reference number for order purposes. Any images considered inappropriate for any reason will not be published on the Albion Images website.

Any request from parent/guardian or the event organiser to refrain from publishing (or later removal of) images of specific minors will be adhered to.

Recruitment and training of staff and volunteers

Albion Images 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. All staff must be CRB Certified, through an official umbrella organisation.

Responding to allegations or suspicions

It is not the responsibility of anyone working for Albion Images, 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.

Albion Images 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.

Declaration

Albion Images will oversee the implementation of the Child Protection Policy & take all necessary steps to ensure it is adhered.