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Safeguarding Policy

Safeguarding Policy at Lucy Claire Models

Lucy Claire Models have a moral and legal obligation to ensure that, when given responsibility for children all staff, chaperones, parents/legal guardians and volunteers accept their responsibilities to safeguard children from harm and abuse. This means to ensure that everyone follows procedures to protect children and report any concerns about their welfare to appropriate authorities.

There are two elements to our policy:-

• Prevention through awareness of each individual child’s needs.

• Definitions of Child Abuse and Neglect

The aim of the policy is to promote good practice, providing children and young people with appropriate safety/protection whilst in the care of Lucy Claire Models Clients.

Prevention

We recognise that the “entertainment industry” can be a very “adult” environment and we expect that all staff, chaperones, parents/legal guardians, volunteers and anyone else who comes into contact with children behave in an appropriate manner at all times, and remember that “The Welfare of the Child is Paramount”.

Lucy Claire Models will therefore:-

• Act within the Children’s Act 1989 & 2004

• Act within the Children (Performances and Activities) (England) Regulations 2014

• Ensure that all children are treated with respect and dignity and are treated as individuals and offered equality of opportunities.

• Ensure that children are supervised appropriately.

• Ensure that all Lucy Claire Model Staff and Chaperones are registered with the local authority in which they reside and have an enhanced DBS check.

Definitions of Child Abuse and Neglect

A child is abused or neglected when somebody inflicts harm, or fails to act to prevent harm. A child or young person up to the age of 18 years can suffer abuse or neglect and require protection.

• Physical Abuse - May involve hitting, shaking, throwing, poisoning, burning or scalding, drowning or suffocating or otherwise causing physical harm to a child.

Physical harm may also be caused when a parent or carer fabricates or induces illness in a child whom they are looking after.

• Sexual Abuse - Forcing or enticing a child/young person to take part in sexual activities, whether or not they are aware of what is happening, may involve: physical contact, including penetrative or non-penetrative acts; non-contact activities, such as involving children in looking at, or in the production of pornographic material or watching sexual activities; or encouraging children to behave in sexually inappropriate ways.

• Neglect - Neglect is the persistent failure to meet a child’s basic physical and/or psychological needs, likely to result in the serious impairment of the child’s health or development. It may involve a parent or carer failing to provide adequate food, shelter and clothing, failing to protect a child from physical harm or danger, or the failure to ensure access to appropriate care or treatment. It may also include neglect of, or unresponsiveness to, a child’s basic emotional needs.

• Emotional Abuse - The persistent emotional ill-treatment of a child such as to cause severe and persistent adverse effects on the child’s emotional and behavioural development. It may involve conveying to the child that they are worthless or unloved, inadequate, or valued only in so far as they meet the needs of another person. It may feature age and developmentally inappropriate expectations being imposed on children. It may involve causing children to feel frightened or in danger, for example witnessing domestic abuse within the home or being bullied, or the exploitation or corruption of children.

Some level of emotional abuse is involved in all types of ill treatment of a child, though it may occur alone

Legislation, Policy and Guidance

Lucy Claire Models will adhere to the relevant legislation when working with children and young people under the age of 18 years as outlined in the following:

• Children Act 1989

• Children Act 2004

• Working Together to Safeguard Children 2018