This Policy has been produced by SOPM to enable children and vulnerable adults to enjoy music and socialising in a safe environment.
The ‘school’ shall mean The School of Popular Music the ‘child’ or ‘children’ refers to any student under the age of 18 and any vulnerable adults. The ‘tutor’ shall mean the music teacher employed by the School of Popular Music.
SOPM seeks to create a safe and welcoming environment where children can have fun and develop their skills. We recognise that safeguarding children is the responsibility of everyone, not just those working with them and we will do our best to ensure everything is always run to the highest possible safety standards. We confirm that:
Please read through the following Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy carefully:
Child abuse can be categorised into four types: neglect, emotional, physical and sexual. The National Guidelines for the Protection and Welfare of Children have adopted the following definitions of child abuse:
Any person who suspects that a child is being abused or is at risk of abuse has a responsibility to report their concerns to The School of Popular Music. The Protection for Persons Reporting Child Abuse Act (1998) provides immunity from civil liability to persons who report child abuse ‘reasonably and in good faith’.
Within the School, the report should be made to the Director, Tyler Edmonds or the Assistant Manager, Casey-Joe Rumens who are both trained to deal with sensitive information and will then report the incident. The Person first reporting the abuse will then be required to speak with the police. If the person does not feel comfortable consulting with anybody from the school they should contact the police directly. When reporting, as much information as possible should be provided, i.e. names, addresses, full account of the concern for the child, dates of incidents, circumstances, and the child’s own statement, if relevant.
In cases of emergency, where a child appears to be at immediate and serious risk, the Police will be contacted.
A suspicion, which is not supported by any objective signs of abuse, would not constitute a reasonable suspicion, or reasonable grounds for concern.
Any information provided will remain confidential.
The following actions are to be taken if an allegation is made against a tutor: