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Musical Director : Mel Hopkin

Email address: enquiries@holbeachtownband.org.uk

Back Lane, Holbeach, Lincolnshire PE12 7LN (click for map)

Celebrating 40 years of Banding 1971 to 2011

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Holbeach Victoria Training Band
The Musical Director: Mel Hopkin - First Musical Director: Brian Long
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1 Holbeach Town Band (the Band) believes that it is always unacceptable for a child or young person to experience abuse of any kind and recognises our responsibility to safeguard the welfare of all band members by a commitment to a practice which protects them.

2 We recognise that:
o The welfare of band members is paramount.
o All band members regardless of age, disability, gender, racial heritage, religious belief, sexual orientation or identity have the right to equal protection from all types of harm or abuse.
o Working in partnership with band members, their parents, carers and other agencies is essential in promoting young people's welfare.

3 The purposes of the policy are:
o To provide protection for band members.
o To provide trustees, tutors and other volunteers with guidance on procedures they should adopt if they suspect a child or young person may be experiencing, or be at risk of, harm. This policy, therefore, applies to everyone working for or with the Band.

4 We will endeavour to safeguard band members by:
o Valuing them, listening to and respecting them.
o Adopting child protection guidelines through procedures and a code of conduct for trustees, tutors and other volunteers.
o Recruiting trustees, tutors and other volunteers safely, ensuring all necessary checks are made.
o Sharing information about child protection and good practice with band members, parents, trustees, tutors and other volunteers.
o Sharing information about concerns with agencies who need to know, and involving parents and children appropriately.
o Providing effective supervision, support and training for trustees, tutors and other volunteers.

5 We are also committed to reviewing our policy and good practice annually.

Code of Conduct
6 Trustees, tutors and voluntary helpers must:
o Treat all band members with respect.
o Provide an example of the good conduct they wish others to follow.
o Ensure that whenever possible there is more than one adult present during activities with band members, or at least that they are within sight or hearing of others.
o Respect a young person's right to personal privacy, whilst encouraging young people and adults to feel comfortable and caring enough to point out attitudes or behaviour they do not like.
o Remember that someone else might misinterpret their actions, no matter how
well intentioned.
o Be aware that physical contact with a band member may be misinterpreted.
o Recognise that special caution is required when discussing sensitive issues with band members.
o Operate within our principles and guidance and any specific procedures.
o Challenge unacceptable behaviour and report all allegations/suspicions of abuse.
7 Trustees, tutors and voluntary helpers must not:
o Have inappropriate physical or verbal contact with band members.
o Allow themselves to be drawn into inappropriate attention-seeking behaviour, or make suggestive or derogatory remarks or gestures in front of band members.
o Jump to conclusions about others without checking facts.
o Either exaggerate or trivialise child abuse issues.
o Show favouritism to any individual.
o Rely on their good name or that of the Band to protect them.
o Take a chance when common sense, policy or practice suggests another more prudent approach.

Abuse
8 Abuse may take a number of forms, and may be classified under the following headings:

Neglect: This is where adults fail to meet a child's basic needs like food, shelter, warm clothing or medical care, or to protect them from physical harm. Children might also be constantly left alone or unsupervised.

Physical Abuse: This is where someone physically hurts or injures children, for example by hitting, shaking, throwing, squeezing, burning, suffocating and biting or otherwise causing physical harm to a child. Giving children alcohol or inappropriate drugs would also constitute physical abuse.

Sexual Abuse: Adults or other children, both male and female, who use children to meet their own sexual needs.

Emotional Abuse: Persistent lack of love and affection, where children may be led to believe that they are worthless or unloved, inadequate or valued only insofar as they meet the needs of another person. It may involve the child being constantly shouted at, threatened or taunted which may make the child very nervous and withdrawn. It may also feature age or developmentally inappropriate expectations being imposed on children. Emotional abuse also occurs when there is constant overprotection, which prevents children from socialising. Emotional abuse in banding might include situations where children are subjected by a parent or tutor to constant criticism, name-calling, sarcasm, bullying, racism or unrealistic pressure in order to perform to high expectations.

Bullying: This may be bullying of a child by an adult or another child. Bullying is defined as deliberate hurtful behaviour, usually repeated over a period, where it is difficult for those bullied to defend themselves. It may be physical (e.g. hitting, kicking, theft), verbal (e.g. racist or homophobic remarks, threats, name-calling, graffiti, abusive text messages transmitted by phone or on the internet), emotional (e.g. tormenting, ridiculing, humiliating, ignoring, isolating from the group), or sexual (e.g. unwanted physical contact or abusive comments).

9 Indicators of abuse may include one or more of the following:
" Unexplained or suspicious injuries such as bruising, cuts or burns, particularly if situated on a part of the body not normally prone to such injuries.
" An injury for which an explanation seems inconsistent.
" The child describes what appears to be an abusive act involving him/her.
" Someone else - a child or adult, expresses concern about the welfare of a child.
" Unexplained changes in a child's behaviour - e.g. becoming very quiet, withdrawn, or displaying sudden outbursts of temper - or behaviour changing over time.
" Inappropriate sexual awareness.
" Engaging in sexually explicit behaviour in games.
" Distrust of adults, particularly those with whom a close relationship would normally be expected.
" Difficulty in making friends.
" Being prevented from socialising with other children.
" Displaying variations in eating patterns including overeating or loss of appetite.
" Losing weight for no apparent reason.
" Becoming increasingly dirty or unkempt.

10 Signs of bullying may include:
" Behavioural changes such as reduced concentration or becoming withdrawn, clingy, depressed, tearful, emotionally up and down, reluctant to go to band rehearsals or to competitions.
" An unexplained drop-off in standard of performance.
" Physical signs such as stomach aches, headaches, difficulty in sleeping, bed-wetting, scratching and bruising, damaged clothes and bingeing on food, cigarettes or alcohol.
" A shortage of money or frequent loss of possessions.

Responding to Suspicions and Allegations
11 Many cases of child abuse in fact take place within the family setting. However, abuse can and does occur in other situations as well, which may include brass banding or other social activities, and is rarely a one-off event when it occurs within such a setting. It is crucial that those involved in the Band are aware of this possibility and that all allegations are taken seriously and appropriate action taken. It is, however, NOT the responsibility of anyone in the Band to decide whether or not child abuse is taking place. Our responsibility is to inform appropriate agencies of possible abuse so that they can then make inquiries and take any necessary action to protect the child. This applies both to suspicions of abuse occurring within the Band and to allegations that abuse is taking place elsewhere. This section explains how members should respond to such concerns.

12 We may become aware of possible abuse in various ways. We may see it happening ourselves; we may suspect that it is occurring because of signs such as those listed above; it may be reported to us by someone else, or directly by the child affected. In the last of these cases, it is particularly important to respond appropriately. If a child says or indicates that he or she is being abused, or information is obtained which gives you concern that a child is being abused, you should:
" React calmly so as not to frighten the child.
" Tell the child they are not to blame and that it was right to tell.
" Take what the child says seriously, recognising the difficulties inherent in interpreting what a child who has a speech disability and/or differences in language says.
" Keep questions to the absolute minimum necessary so that there is a clear and accurate understanding of what has been said, and be careful not to ask leading questions.
" Reassure the child, but do not promise to keep the matter secret - explain that to resolve the problem it will be necessary to inform other people as appropriate.

13 As with other forms of information arising in relation to child protection, information of this kind is highly sensitive and confidential. Accordingly, it should be held under secure conditions and only made available to those who have a definite need for it. You should make a note as soon as possible of whatever information you obtained, both for your own future reference and possibly for passing on to others, appropriate agencies such as the social services department or the police. In writing such a note, you should confine yourself to the facts, and distinguish between what is your own personal knowledge and what you have been told by other people. You should not include your own opinions on the matter, to avoid the possibility of libel. Information should include the following:

o The nature of the allegation, in as much detail as possible, including times, dates, locations and other relevant information
" Details of the child involved, including name, age, address and other contact details, and identifying who has parental responsibility for the child
" Details of the person against whom the allegation is made, including name, relationship with the child, age and contact details (if known)
" The identity and contact details of any informants or other witnesses
" The child's account, if he or she can give one, of what has happened
" A description of any visible bruising or other injuries
" Details of who else has been informed of the alleged incident
" Any other relevant information

An example of an incident report for recording such information is set out in Appendix 1. You should report your concerns immediately to a Welfare Trustee or, in his or her absence, to a Band Officer.

Welfare Trustees
14 The Welfare Trustees are Mel Hopkin (Musical Director), Yvonne Butter (Chairman) and Bev Davey (Membership Secretary)

15 The role of the Welfare Trustees is to:

o Receive and record information from trustees, tutors, other volunteers, children or parents and carers who have child protection concerns.
o Assess the information promptly and carefully, clarifying or obtaining more information about the matter as appropriate.
o If appropriate, make a formal referral to the social services office that covers the area in which the band member lives.

16 In addition, the Welfare Trustees are responsible for:

o Ensuring that our child protection policy and procedures are followed, in particular our recruitment processes and Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) checking.
o Promoting awareness of the policy within the Band and amongst band members and the parents and carers.
o Ensuring that trustees, tutors and voluntary helpers are sufficiently trained in child protection matters.
o Keeping the Chairman of the Band informed about any action taken or further action required, for example, disciplinary action against a trustee, tutor or voluntary helper.
o Ensuring that our child protection policy and procedures remain appropriate, including reviewing them annually and reporting thereon to trustees.
o Arranging three yearly renewals of CRB checks.

Personnel
17 Our vetting procedure will be used prior to the appointment of Welfare Trustees, tutors and voluntary helpers having significant access to band members. All applicants will be required to:
o Complete a Declaration Form (Appendix 2)
o Permit us to take up two references (Appendix 3)
o Obtain Enhanced CRB Disclosure (Appendix 4)

18 On adoption of this policy, existing Welfare Trustees, tutors and voluntary helpers having significant access to band members, will be required to:
o Complete a Declaration Form (Appendix 2)
o Obtain Enhanced CRB Disclosure (Appendix 4)

19 Anyone who receives an unsatisfactory CRB Disclosure will be given the opportunity to challenge its conclusions and require errors to be corrected. If, however, the Disclosure is not erroneous, the application will not be confirmed or the individual's existing association with the Band will be ended.

Internet
20 The Band website will not permit direct contact through the website with band members.

21 Photographs of band members may, with their consent, appear on the Website but only without the identification of the band members.

22 The child protection policy and procedures will be added to the Website.

Policy adoption
23 This policy was adopted by the Band on 14rh March 2007.

INCIDENT REPORT Appendix 1

Name of child………………………………….Age/date of birth……………………………...
Parent/carer's name……………………………………………………………………………...
Address………………………………………………………………………………………….
Telephone number………………………………………………………………………………
Are you reporting your own concerns or passing on those of someone else? Give details of witness.
…………………………………………………………………………………………………...…………..……………………..
Brief description of what has prompted concerns: include date, time, and location of any specific incidents.
………………………………………………………………………………………….…………………………………………..
Any physical signs? Behavioural signs? Indirect signs?
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………...........……………….
Have you spoken to the child? If so, what was said?
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..…………………….
Have you spoken to the parent(s)? If so, what was said?
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Has any one been alleged to be the abuser? If so, give details, including relationship to the child.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………...…………………….
Have you consulted anyone? Give detail.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
Your name……………………………………. Position………………………………………

Signature……………………………………… Date……………………………………….….

DECLARATION FORM Appendix 2

United Kingdom legislation and guidance relating to the welfare of children has at its core the principle that the welfare of children and young people must be the paramount consideration. Holbeach Town Band fully support this principle and, therefore, we require the Welfare trustees, tutors and voluntary helpers who will come into contact with band members or their personal details to complete and sign this declaration. This declaration will be kept for as long as you are connected with the Band and for a period of 12 months thereafter.

Has any children's services department, the NSPCC or the police ever conducted an enquiry or investigation into any allegations or concerns that you may pose an actual or potential risk to children or young people?
YES/NO

Have you ever been convicted of any offences relating to children or young people?
YES/NO

Have you ever been the subject of disciplinary procedures or been asked to leave employment or voluntary activity due to inappropriate behaviour towards a child?
YES/NO

This declaration must be signed and returned to Bev Davey prior to undertaking any work with the Band that would involve contact with band members.

I confirm that the above information given by me is correct and that I consent to my personal data being processed and kept for the purposes described above in accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998.

Full name ……………………………………………………………………………………….


Signature………………………………………..Date………………………………………….


You are advised that under legislation relating to the Rehabilitation of Offenders you should declare all convictions, including spent convictions.

REFERENCE FORM Appendix 3
(To appear on the Band's headed notepaper)

[Insert name ] (the Candidate) has expressed an interest in
becoming a [welfare trustee/ tutor/ volunteer helper] of the Band and has given your name as a referee. If you are happy to provide this reference, all the information contained on this form will remain confidential and will not be shared with the Candidate. We would appreciate you being frank in your evaluation of the Candidate. If you prefer to respond by telephone, please contact Bev Davey.

How long have you known the Candidate?………………………………………………….

In what capacity do you know the Candidate?……………………………………………….

Do you regard the Candidate as a suitable person to work with children?
YES/NO

How would you describe the Candidate's personality?………………………………………..
…………………………………………………………………………………………………

Your name…………………………………………………………………………………….
Address………………………………………………………………………………………..
Telephone number…………………………………………………………………………….

Signed……………………………………… Date…………………………………………….

OBTAINING AN ENHANCED CRB DISCLOSURE Appendix 4

Obtaining the CRB form
1 Bev Davey holds a stock of CRB Disclosure Application Forms.

Completing the CRB form
2 Please note that the form must be completed in black ink. Any mistakes should be crossed through and the correct information written in the given boxes immediately to the right if space permits, or as close as possible to the intended area. Do not use correcting fluid as this will cause the CRB computer to reject your form.

3 Sections A-D and Sections G-H on the form must be completed by the applicant. It is important to record all details. A supplementary sheet can be used if necessary but must be clearly marked with the applicant's name and the application reference on the CRB form. You should also put a cross in box 67 of Section H.

4 Section B should be completed as follows:
" B13 your job title ie either Welfare Trustee, tutor or voluntary helper
" B14 the 'organisation' means Holbeach Town Band
o B15-B19 the band's full address is Back Lane, Holbeach, Lincolnshire PE12 7LN

5 Sections E and F are no longer required. You should leave these sections blank - please do not put a line through these parts of the form or state not applicable.

6 Only one signature is now required in Section H. You should leave the consent signature box (69) blank.

Adoptive names
7 If you were adopted before the age of 10, you do not need to provide your name at birth in Section C. However, if you were 10 or older when adopted you do need to complete Section C and to provide all previous and current names.

Changing address in the next few weeks
8 If you know that you are changing address within the next few weeks, please state the following on a continuation sheet:
"Please note that from [insert date] I will be living at [insert address]"
Please ensure that the continuation sheet includes your form reference number and that you have put a cross in box 67 of Section H.

Identity checking
9 Section X is to be completed by one of the Band's Welfare Trustees, who will check the documentary evidence to confirm your identity. This must always be provided, even if the Welfare Trustee knows you. You will need to provide at least three original documents (photocopies are not permitted) as evidence of identity. These must all be in your name as given on the form including any middle names, and any addresses must be the same as the current address given on the form. The Welfare Trustee will complete item 16 of Section X to confirm that the details have been checked.


10 You can either provide three documents (one from Group 1 and any two from Group 2) or five from Group 2.

Group 1
Passport
UK birth certificate issued within 12 months of the date of birth
UK driving licence
EU photo identity card
HM forces ID card
UK firearms licence

Group 2
Marriage certificate
Financial statement ** (eg pension, endowment, ISA)
Birth certificate
Vehicle registration document
UK P45/P60 **
Mail order catalogue statement*
Bank/building society statement*
Court claim form** (documentation issued by Court Services)
Utility bill* (electricity, gas, water, telephone - inc mobile phone contract/bill)
Exam certificate (eg GCSE, NVQ)
TV licence**
Addressed payslip*
Credit card statement*
National insurance card
Store card statement*
UK NHS card
Mortgage statement**
Benefit book (child allowance or pension)
Insurance certificate**
Certificate of British Nationality
Council tax statement**
Work permit/visa**
A document from UK central/local government/government agency/local authority giving entitlement* (eg from the Benefits Agency, the Employment Service or HM Revenue & Customs)
Connexions card

* documentation should be less than three months old
** issued within past 12 months

Sending the form to Lincolnshire County Council
11 Once the identity checks are complete, the Welfare Trustee will send the form to Lincolnshire County Council (LCC) for you. LCC is the Registered Body that will support your application and complete Section Y before it is sent to the CRB. You should not, therefore, complete Section Y.

Disclosure
12 The Disclosure will be sent to you and to LCC. An authorised person at LCC will deal with information received, as required by the CRB. The Band will be advised of the names of persons for whom checks have been completed.

Further advice
13 Further advice and detailed procedures for completing the form is available on the CRB website www.disclosure.gov.uk. The CRB also have a telephone helpline for completing forms which is 0870 90 90 844.

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Website designed created and maintained by Mel Hopkin