Photography and Social Media
Children must be protected from those who would seek to use photos and videos to place them at risk of harm.
Written consent must be obtained from the child’s parents/carers before any photography or filming takes place.
MANAGEMENT OF PHOTOGRAPHY
Reasonable steps must be taken to promote the safe use of photography and filming at events and activities. It is not possible to prevent individuals photographing or filming in public places, but the choir does have the right to prohibit the use of photography, film or video at its own events or activities at a private venue.
Where photography or filming is permitted, (and consent has been granted from parents/carers), the following guidelines should be followed:
Put a system in place to allow easy tracking of photographers and their equipment. For example use a badge or sticker to identify those with permission to photograph or film.
Children must never be portrayed in a demeaning, tasteless or a provocative manner.
No unsupervised access or one-to-one sessions will be allowed unless this has been explicitly agreed with the child and parents/carers.
Decisions about publishing images should reflect the best interests of the child and should consider whether they might place the child at risk. Special care must be taken in relation to vulnerable children such as those in care, fleeing domestic violence or a child with a disability.
All negatives, copies of videos and digital images will be stored in a secure place.These will not be kept for any longer than is necessary having regard to the purposes for which they were taken.
Indecent images of young people under 18 years of age are classified as child abuse imagery and must be reported immediately to the police.
MOBILE PHONE CAMERAS
A number of children have been placed at risk as a result of the ability to discreetly record and transmit images through mobile phones. Particular care is required in areas where personal privacy is important e.g. changing rooms, bathrooms and sleeping quarters. No photographs or filming should ever be permitted in such areas.
CONCERNS
Anyone behaving in a way which could reasonably be viewed as inappropriate in relation to filming or photographing should be reported to the Choir Child Wellbeing & Protection Officer, or the police.
COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY & SOCIAL MEDIA
Communication technology and social media developments advance extremely quickly, meaning ways in which we communicate and receive and absorb information are changing all the time. This provides a great opportunity for choirs to promote their activities and communicate easily with members. But it can also put children and young people at considerable risk, which is why safeguards must be put in place.
Adults who seek to harm children have been known to use technology and social media to “groom” children. This area is now specifically addressed by the Protection of Children and Prevention of Sexual Offences (Scotland) Act 2005. It is also widely acknowledged that children can be harmed by the behaviours and actions of their peers for example, on-line bullying and sexting.
The following guidelines should be met in order to safeguard all parties when communicating using texting/social media:
all communications from the choirwith children should be open, transparent and appropriate
messages should only be sent to communicate details of meeting points, performance and rehearsal details, competition results etc. The same message should be sent to every member of the choir
it should always be clear that it is the choir who is communicating information – one-to-one messaging arrangements between volunteers/staff should be strongly discouraged and safeguards should be in place and settings adjusted to prevent this happening
messages should never contain any offensive, abusive or inappropriate language. They should not be open to misinterpretation
written permission must be sought from parents/carers to communicate with children under 16 years via technology/social media
parents should be offered the option to be copied in to any messages their child will be sent
consent to communicate via technology/social media should be sought directly from young people aged 16 to 18.Though consent from parents/carers is not required for this age group it is recommended that parents/carers are informed of the intention to communicate with their children
children and young people should be informed about the means of communication at the choir. They should also be given information on how to keep themselves safe and who to report any concerns to in the Choir.
All concerns about the inappropriate use of technology and social media will be dealt with in line with the Procedure for .This may include the concerns being reported to police
All phone numbers/email addresses of children and young people should be recorded and kept securely in a locked cabinet or password-protected electronic file or database
The number of people with access to children and young people’s details should be kept to a practical minimum. A record should be kept of their numbers/addresses by the Choir Child Wellbeing & Protection Officer
Choir Websites/Social Media Sites
Websites/Social Media sites provide an opportunity for thechoir to extend their community profile, advertise and communicate easily with their members. Thought should be given to consent, tone and how sites and pages will be monitored. In terms of publishing information and pictures the following good practice should be noted:
Permission
Written parent/carer consent must be obtained for all children aged under 16 before publishing any information or pictures of a child. If the material is changed from the time of consent, the parents/carers must be informed and consent provided for the changes.
Special care must be taken in relation to vulnerable children e.g. child fleeing domestic violence or a child with a disability, and consideration given to whether publication would place the child at risk.
Use of Images and Information
Information published on the websites/social networking sites must never include personal information that could identify a child e.g. home address, email address, telephone number of a child. All contact must be directed to the Pentland Singers.
Children must never be portrayed in a demeaning, tasteless or a provocative manner.
Information about specific events or meetings e.g. rehearsals must not be distributed to any individuals other than to those directly concerned.
Concerns
Any concerns or enquiries should be reported to Pentland Singers Child Wellbeing &Protection Officer.