1. Should we have leadership of both sexes at our mixed/single sex group?
It would be preferable – children and young people may relate better to one sex rather than the other, particularly on swimming trips etc..
2. Can young people under the age of sixteen be workers? Should we carry out a Criminal Records Bureau check? What about the use of occasional helpers?
CCPAS advises that all workers should be at least 16 years of age. Some churches say 18. Certainly no one under 16 should be employed as a worker (either voluntary or paid). All workers should be recruited to the same standards following the principles laid down in the government document ‘Safe from Harm’ (outlined in the CCPAS safeguarding manual ‘Safe and Secure’). A criminal records check would be part of this process. Where occasional helpers are used, e.g. a 14 year old helping out in a crèche as work experience, they should always be under the supervision of, and be responsible to, a named ‘approved’ worker and never left on their own with the children. They would not be included in the ratio of children to workers and would not need to undertake the same recruitment and selection procedure as a worker. You should however ask them to complete the same consent form as the children attending the group/ activity. If the ‘occasional help’ becomes regular then, in the case of adults, the full recruitment policy should be applied.
3. Are there any legal requirements with regard to Adult – Child ratios?
In order to supervise activities safely, it is necessary to have sufficient adult leaders and helpers. There are legal requirements for certain activities involving children aged 8 or under. Even if there isn’t a legal requirement (see Legal queries Q:2) the ratios are nevertheless ‘good sense’ in terms of managing any group of children in this age group:
0-2 yrs 1 adult to 3 children
2-3yrs 1 adult to 4 children
3-8yrs 1 adult to 8 children
There are no legal requirements for older groups, but the CCPAS safeguarding manual ‘Safe and Secure’ provides guidance in this area based on numbers and the type of activity being undertaken.
4. We are planning a “sleep-over”. Do adult supervisors have to be registered workers, or can we use parents for this or any other kind of similar activity?
If parents offer to help during a sleepover, it is important that the organiser’s expectations are made clear. A parent of one child in the group may be a complete stranger to others and should only be responsible for caring for their own child. So unless specifically asked by another parent they should not be involved in looking after other children and should not be left alone with them. Only approved workers (which could, of course, include a parent) should be involved in the care and supervision of the children. If the sleep-over is taking place in a family home the above still applies and parents of all participating children should be advised of the arrangements.
5. What steps can be taken to protect workers against false allegations?
Developing safe practice in working with children and young people protects children and also minimises the risk of false allegations against workers. It’s a double-sided coin. Teamwork, with staff accepting a responsibility for and to each other is also vital. (See also “Abuse Issues”)
6. We want to appoint a Father Christmas. Can you help us with a Code of Practice?
Preferably use one of your ‘approved’ children’s workers. If not, Father Christmas could always have a suitably dressed assistant who is an approved worker! Ensure that any physical contact is initiated by the child and remains in the child’s control. There is no reason why children shouldn’t sit on Santa’s lap or give him a kiss on the cheek providing this is at the child’s behest.
7. What are the rules about helping children applying sun cream?
Some organisations prohibit physical contact with a child/young person due to the fear of false allegations. CCPAS recommend ‘good sense' child protection with the following advice:
8. We recently prepared a child protection policy that says that all food should be prepared in accordance with Food Safety Regulations. Where can we find these?
The Food Safety (General Food Hygiene) Regulations (1995) state that anyone who handles food or whose actions could affect its safety must follow the regulations. Where food is being sold, and this includes children taken away on camp where the food is included in the cost, then those with responsibility for it should possess the basic Food Hygiene Certificate and be aware of food safety (preparation, handling and storage, disposal of waste, etc). We suggest you contact your local Council Environmental Health Department to enquire about food hygiene courses. These courses are often provided free, or for a minimal charge.
9. Should we use recently qualified drivers for transporting children and young people? What age should minibus drivers be to transport children?
Whilst there is no legislation which prohibits young or inexperienced drivers from transporting children/young people, some places of worship prefer to operate under the regulations set out for mini-bus drivers, that the driver should be 21 or over and have held a full driving licence for at least two years. We advise the following:
In relation to minibuses, all drivers must be over 21. The law no longer permits car drivers who passed their test after 1st January 1997 to drive a mini-bus without passing a PSV (Public Service Vehicle) driving test unless they are qualified under a section 19 permit. All minibuses that carry between 6 and 16 passengers must also have a Small Bus Permit. Not all driving licences automatically include a clause permitting an individual to drive a minibus, so it is important to check the potential driver’s licence. Remember, the maximum speed for a minibus is 50 mph on a single carriageway, 60 mph on a dual carriageways, and 70 mph on motorways (60 when towing a trailer). All mini-buses should be fitted with seat belts and used by the passengers! For further information see the CCPAS safeguarding manual, ‘Safe and Secure’.
10. Should I put a plaster on a child’s cut or graze?
It is important to find out if the child has any allergies. This information should be on a general consent and information form that the parent/carer completed and signed when the child started to attend the group/activity. If you haven’t been told anything of significance and the child, when asked, says there’s no problem then we can’t se one either. Consider the greater risk – a possible problem the child hasn’t told you about or the wound becoming infected because you didn’t take any action. An open, bleeding wound in a child who is HIV positive or has Hepatitis could pose a risk to others. If in doubt cover the wound with a dry dressing covered by a cotton bandage.
11. My daughter recently took a sexually explicit image of herself on her phone and sent it to her boyfriend. The relationship has ended and he has subsequently sent the photo to all his class mates and posted it on a social networking site. They are both fifteen. What are the consequences and what should I be saying to my daughter?
There can be no doubt that the recent advances in internet technologies have many positives but one of the down sides has been the potential for inappropriate material to be made public. Your daughter is now caught up in something outside her control that she understandably never dreamed would happen. Apart from the acute embarrassment and detrimental impact it may be having on her, there is a more serious side that both your daughter and her former boyfriend would do well to consider.
As far as the law is concerned, your daughter could be seen to be distributing indecent images, her ex-boyfriend of possessing it. Because he shared the image with his friends, they also become culpable. He is also likely to be in breach of website terms and conditions by posting the image on a social networking site. In addition, the image could be used by complete strangers to bully and intimidate.
Perhaps most worrying is that sexual predators browse internet profiles and in some instances are able to distribute the images they find. They can also use them to blackmail children and young people and even pretend they are the young person in the picture to trap another victim. So you see, the consequences of what is now known as ‘sexting’ are potentially quite serious.
The best thing you can do is to educate your child on the dangers before anything like this happens again. You could also, with your daughter’s permission, explain what has happened to her school or any club she attends and ask them to address the issue. If the image is on a social networking site, contact the people who run the site and ask them to remove it.
The basic rule is ‘if you don’t want the image to be seen by other people, don’t take it in the first place!’
http://ceop.gov.uk/mediacentre/pressreleases/2009/ceop_04082009.asp
12. We are starting up a ‘Fathers and Sons’ club and some of the dads will be involved in setting up equipment etc. They may also help in other ways when accompanying their sons on social events/day trips. Do they need a Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) check?
The workers responsible for the activity need to be recruited in accordance with normal safe recruitment procedures that include a CRB check. In this instance however, it sounds as though the dads are not workers but are helping out whilst looking after their own children in much the same way a parent and toddler group operates. They wouldn’t therefore need a CRB check. If one of the dads assumes more responsibility similar to that of a parent assisting on a school trip, there comes a point which you would have to regard them as a worker. A school would usually insist a check is carried out in this situation. If you are still unsure CCPAS is happy to advise you further.
13. We are planning a residential exchange with young people from a different church and wonder if we need to make any checks on the people with whom our young visitors will be staying?
Yes, it is important you have procedures in place particularly if the hosts are not known to the church. Prior to the visit, every host should be interviewed, names, ages and contact details obtained and all those within the household who are over 18 years must undergo a criminal records check. Along with this they should be given a copy of the church’s safeguarding policy so they understand what is expected of them. More information on this can be found in the CCPAS safeguarding manual, ‘Safe and Secure’.
14. Can members of the leadership team also be the safeguarding co-ordinator and can the safeguarding co-ordinator also be a recruiter?
The important issue here is that the co-ordinator is fulfilling their role properly (see CCPAS booklet, ‘Help I’m a safeguarding Co-ordinator’. There is no reason why they cannot also be part of the leadership team though some churches prefer to keep the roles separate because, by being independent of the other, they feel they are working more in the best interests of the child. The other view is that such a role should be undertaken by someone in the leadership because it is so important thereby narrowing the number of people who ‘need to know’ of a concern should it arise. The recruiter can also be a safeguarding co-ordinator but there should be a deputy who is unrelated to them. The reason we say this is because the co-ordinator and deputy could be a husband and wife and this could present difficulties as far as cover is concerned when they are, for example, away on holiday.
15. Can married couples run Sunday school groups together?
There is no reason why couples cannot work together in a Sunday school group. The important thing is whether, as individuals, they are suitable and do not pose a risk to children. All workers, paid and voluntary, should undergo a recruitment process that includes completing application and self declaration forms, an interview, taking up references and a criminal records check, all of which have a part to play in the assessment of a candidate’s suitability for a position. It is important to remember that abuse by people in positions of trust is relatively rare and there are many positives in couples working together.
16. We have been told we must have two leaders for our 6+ group even though there are often only two children. Isn’t this ‘overkill’?
We wouldn’t advise you not to follow your denominational guidance but in your particular situation there seems no reason why one adult cannot supervise the number of children mentioned provided there is someone to call on if the worker has to unexpectedly respond to a child who, for example, needs accompanying to the toilet or, in an emergency, taking to hospital. This is why generally we advocate working in pairs, not, as some people think, because it prevents abuse or false allegations being made against workers, because it wouldn’t! In the unlikely event of a fabricated allegation, a child could lie about the circumstances too. As always the most important thing is that all workers are recruited safely (see ‘Can married couples run Sunday school groups together?’ above).
17. I am organising the children’s activities for our annual church convention. Do the workers need to be qualified under OFSTED regulations?
If there is no requirement for you to register the activity with OFSTED, there is no legal requirement regarding qualification. Daycare regulations state that any activity which lasts for 14 days or less in any 12 month period does not need to be registered. However, you should of course have a child protection policy in place and follow safe recruitment procedures (see ‘Can married couples run Sunday school groups together?’ above).
18. Our church runs a course attended by a vulnerable person. They need a lift home and I would like to know if the church is responsible for her after she leaves the building?
The first issue is whether this person is a vulnerable adult under the Criminal Records Bureau/Independent Safeguarding Authority guidance. An adult who by reason of age or disability needs a lift is not necessarily a ‘vulnerable adult’.
However, assuming they are, if a member of the group is giving the vulnerable adult a lift home, this is a private arrangement. If the church arranges the lift by, for example, arranging a rota, then this is the church’s responsibility and the people providing such transport will need to be recruited safely including completing application and self declaration forms, an interview, taking up references and a criminal records check. From 2010 newly appointed drivers working for the church would need to be registered with the Independent Safeguarding Authority. Click here for more information on the ISA Vetting and Barring Scheme.
19. I am considering using facebook as a means of communicating with the young people in my youth group. At a recent training event run by the local authority, they said I would be seen as grooming if one of the young people subsequently made an allegation against me. Is this true?
This isn’t true, but at the same time any of these popular communication technologies need to be used in the right way. The Department for Children, Schools and Families (DSCF) advise in ‘Safer Working for Adults who work with Children and Young People’, that adults should be circumspect in their communication with children to avoid any possible misinterpretation of their motives or any behaviour which could be construed as grooming. Having appropriate safeguards in place minimises the risk of those intent on abuse from being able to gain access to children and they also protect workers from false accusation.
If you decide to go ahead with setting up a facebook account for the youth group, your safeguarding policy and practice should include agreed protocols such as parental consent, privacy controls (i.e. the extent of personal information shared and with whom), information and photos that may be shared, and cut off times (e.g. 11pm) when members of the facebook group can communicate with each other.
Any personal facebook account of a worker should be kept completely separate with privacy controls set up to display the minimum of information to those not their facebook ‘friend’. The youth group account should only contain friends within the group. It is also advisable to appoint someone to periodically review the site to monitor the content with the proviso that if any of the young people are unhappy about what is being shared, they are able to raise this with impunity.
Frequently Asked Questions - Working Practice