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Child Protection Policy
Museums are advised to have a Child Protection Policy in place and to ensure that all those who come into contact with children are CRB (Criminal Record Bureau) checked.
Child Protection Policy
It is vital that all museums have a Child Protection Policy which all staff and volunteers understand and adhere to.
Such a policy:
- covers the ethical / moral welfare of young people
- covers the legal aspects which can be challenging due to constant changes at national and Local Authority levels.
The purpose of a Child Protection Policy is to minimise abuse. Abuse comes from an imbalance of power, therefore, policy should:
- prevent it
- eliminate the risk.
How to Take This Forward
Look at the downloads and websites below for more information. It is important that you develop a Child Protection Policy that is specific to your site and your circumstances.
Contact your Museum Development Officer for more information and to see if there are local organisations who are registered for CRB checks who might be able to act as an umbrella to your museum (otherwise it can be quite costly to register).
Downloads
Tips for Writing a Child Protection Policy (Engage, North West. Word DOC, 41Kb).
Museums, Libraries and Archives South East (MLA South East) have produced an IN BRIEF: Safeguarding Children in Museums.
Useful Websites
All the links below will open in a new window. Close that new window to return here.
The two files below are Portable Document Files (PDFs) you will need to download a free Adobe Reader to view them.
The Museums, Libraires and Archives Council NSPCC document
Safeguarding Guidance is available on the MLA website. This is a working
document, in view of the current changes around safeguarding.
Voluntary Arts Network for
Child
Protection:Part I - An Introductory Guide (PDF, 87Kb).
Voluntary Arts Network for Child Protection Part II - Putting Child Protection into Practice (PDF, 88Kb).
Criminal Records Bureau an organisation set up by the Home Office.
National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) have a website called Safe Network to help organisations who work with children.
Hampshire County Council provide advice about Using images of people: photographs, videos and webcams, including a downloadable version of the advice, and consent forms, in Word format. Please note that this guidance was written specifically for Hampshire County Council staff and is Hampshire's interpretation of the Data Protection Act. The guidance may not neccesarily be appropriate for others to follow.
The Group for Education in Museums (GEM) has guidance notes on Child Protection.