WORKING WITH CHILDREN & YOUNG PEOPLE by Clare Mitchell

Working with community groups is for many artists something that is increasingly appearing on the agenda especially in today’s climate of creative partnerships and inclusion. Whether you are working in schools, youth groups or holding community training events for young people it is vital that you have some understanding of the risks and issues that can arise in working with young people in order to ensure your safety and the safety of the participants. I have attempted to summarise some of the important issues raised and contain the basic procedures you should be aiming to follow as group leaders although this is by no means an exhaustive list. Use this as a discussion starter with other leaders or when you are introducing potential new helpers to the way you operate. As leaders of groups which involve young people you need to: Have at least two registered leaders present and ideally a third adult at all your activities to ensure a safe environment. Think of the rule of three - should an accident occur you need one person to go for help, one to look after the injured party and one to supervise the rest of the group. Members of staff should have undertaken a recent Criminal Records Bureau check. Ensure that you have the appropriate amount of insurance to cover your activity. You must have public liability cover. For youth age range (13-19 yrs) aim for a regular adult: young person ratio of at least 1:10 for land-based activities, 1:8 where water is involved. There are differing ratios for younger children and those with special needs etc Try to have both male and female leaders present. Have clear start and finish times for meetings activities and events. Know who the leaders will be in any given situation and what their roles and responsibilities are. This will help to avoid uncertainties about casual volunteers. Have agreed procedures with parents for collecting and delivering young people as appropriate for the activity. Avoid being alone with a young person in private. When it is not always possible, for example to administer first aid, then leaders should ensure that other leaders are aware of the situation and support the action to be taken. Have at least one leader trained in basic first aid at all your events. An appropriate first aid kit should be available at all times. Have one of the group’s registered leaders responsible for overseeing the safety at indoor and outdoor activities. (This may be a good role for a junior leader to help with.) Make sure all leaders know what to do in the event of an emergency. Drinking alcohol and smoking in the presence of young people should be strictly avoided. Use Parental Consent /contact forms. Each member of the group should have filled one in. They should be taken to each meeting and treated as confidential. They will not only give you information as to what parents etc guardian has consented to but also contact and emergency information if any accidents etc occur and any specific requirement so participants so that you can ensure you meet your obligations to equal opportunities. Image consent is also vital especially when engaging in any activity that involves the public display of photos/film where young people can be identified. It is good practice not to display names alongside images of young people in the public domain. Keep some record of the young people who attend. You need to end an activity with the same number you started with, or know that they have definitely left. Assess the risks of all the activities you plan to carry out. Once you have looked at the risks you can set about minimising them. Write down results and plan accordingly. Never touch a young person in a way that could be misconstrued, e.g. engaging in rough and tumble games, or during wet activities. (Where contact is part of the working process i.e. Dance, companies should have specific contact policies and should have shared them with parents/guardians as well as informed young people of their contents.) Never make a suggestive or inappropriate remark in the presence of young people; it may seem like fun but could provide ideal ammunition for accusations against you. Be aware of the procedure involved in dealing with a child protection issue. This should involve telephone numbers for an initial contact person as well as other agencies who may need to be involved. These should include Social Services, Management Committee, Youth Service and support agencies such as NSPCC. Remember: Your responsibilities to young people must take into account their age and abilities as well as parental wishes. The guidelines are basically common sense and good ways to ensure not only the welfare of the young people in your group but also their safety. Downloadable resources: Sample Consent & Image Consent Forms Sample Artists Agreement Clare Mitchell is Co-ordinator of Warwickshire Youth Arts Network. Warwickshire Youth Arts Network (WYAN) WYAN started as an informal network of arts agencies in Warwickshire working with young people in 1999. They met on a quarterly basis to share information and encourage arts work amongst young people. Arts Council funding enabled the employment of Clare Mitchell as a co-ordinator for the network and to develop and encourage a greater co-ordination of arts work with young people in Warwickshire. WYAN aims … To create a co-ordinated approach to the development and support of contemporary cultural activities with and for young people by working with young people, arts organisations, artists, local authorities, voluntary sector bodies and the formal education sector. To be a representative voice for youth arts at both local and national level. To be a central point of information and advice on good practice. To co-ordinate training in the delivery of youth arts. To work on the development of creative activity with particular relevance to young people (e.g. the creative use of new technologies across art forms). To identify further gaps in youth arts and pilot development projects. To particularly address issues of access to the arts with regard to ethnicity, disability, religion, sexual orientation and geographical location. If you would like more information about WYAN, youth arts delivery or working with young people you can contact Clare on 01926 450 156 or by email.