Protection and welfare code of practice for children and vulnerable adults.
Child protection and welfare code of practice:
Community Expressions Ireland (CEIRD) is committed to children and young people’s welfare and protection. In those activities where children and young people take part, these young people’s welfare is our priority. For that reason, and in accordance with Children First: National Guidelines for Child Protection and Welfare, we have a code of practice and behaviour for workshop facilitators/temporary staff/ volunteers as well as for children and young people themselves, and we would also request that parents and carers help us wherever possible in keeping their children safe.
Workshop facilitators’/staff code of practice:
Workers should treat all children and young people with respect, regardless of these young people’s age, nationality and race, religious beliefs, physical appearance, gender, sexual orientation, abilities or social and economic status.
Workers should endeavour to ensure children work in a safe and enjoyable environment at all times.
Workers should keep records of attendance, emergency contact details, medical history and dietary requirements/food allergies for each child.
Because of the risks caused by nut allergy, CEIRD students and staff members MUST NOT bring their own food to CEIRD’s workshop venues.
Workers should have their own liability insurance.
All venues should be insured and in compliance with health and safety regulations.
Workers should make every effort to use safe materials in the workshops (e.g. non toxic paints).
Workers should dress appropriately.
Workers should use appropriate verbal/physical language with the children. No swearing, no sexual innuendos or jokes, no threats at or in front of children.
Workers should provide encouragement for effort, and constructive, rather than harsh, criticism.
Workers may only touch a child:
In response to the child’s emotional needs.
To physically bring the child to safety in case of danger.
If practice requires (e.g., to correct a child’s position as he plays fiddle, or to teach a child breathing exercises for singing).
With the child’s consent. Refusal should be respected.
Workers may not touch children on intimate parts of their body or for physical punishment.
Workers should not develop inappropriate friendships with children. Both children and worker can benefit from a healthy teacher student relationship without needing further contact. Suspicions of inappropriate friendships or relationships may leave the worker liable to prosecution.
Workers may not offer to give lifts to children. Should a parent fail to collect his child after a workshop, CEIRD will contact the emergency number provided.
If the worker believes he may have caused upset to a child, he should clarify/resolve the situation as soon as possible.
Should the worker fail to resolve the situation, CEIRD has a complaints’ procedure in place.
All workers, whether voluntary or paid, must have read and agreed to this code.
CEIRD will provide an induction session for all new workers, giving them basic training in child protection and welfare.
CEIRD will seek Garda Vetting for its staff whenever possible.
Child Protection and social media:
Should a worker bring a Laptop to a workshop, all access to adult contents should be blocked on his/her computer.
Workers must not add children as friends on their personal Facebook page. CEIRD has a professional Facebook page that is moderated daily, and through which all staff, parents and young people can make contact with the organisation. There will be NO EXCEPTION TO THIS RULE. Any worker adding an under 18 as a friend on Facebook WILL be expelled from the organisation.
Should workers be concerned over a certain child, CEIRD has a formal reporting procedure in place. Batsheva Battu received Child Protection Training from the HSE and she is CEIRD’s Designated Person for Child Protection. Workers who are concerned about a child welfare or protection issue should contact her. Batsheva can be contacted at: 085 2704576 or by email: info@ceird.ie . In case of Batsheva’s unavailability, workers may contact the Duty Social Worker in Galway City, at 25 Newcastle Road, Co. Galway. Tel: (091) 546366 /370/ 325 /369, or in case of emergency they can directly contact An Garda Síochana.
If Batsheva believes there are no grounds for concern over a certain child, but you as a worker are still concerned over the child, you may still contact your Duty Social Worker or An Garda Síochana.
Whoever brings concerns of child ill treatment to the attention of the authorities, provided it is in good faith, will have immunity from civic liability under the Protection for Persons Reporting Child Abuse Act, 1998.
Children and young people’s code of practice:
Be nice! You must be nice to the other children, to your teachers and other members of staff, no kicking, no bad words.
Every child is different. Some may be younger or older than you, of a different religion or from a different country. Be nice to everyone no matter who the others are!
Someone in the group might find the workshops difficult to understand. Don’t laugh at this child but think you should try and help him/her understand!
Tell your teacher if you are having problems with the class or with others. The teacher will not be upset but will do his or her best to help/improve his or her teaching.
You may not use a mobile phone during workshops. This is to make sure that you pay full attention to the classes. No phoning, no texting.
If you are worried about your safety or that of another child’s, you should come and talk to a teacher in confidence. All information you will give will be confidential, the teacher will only inform those people who need to know what you said in order to help you.
Abuse is never your fault, you deserve to be happy, participating in the artistic activities you love.
Help from parents/carers:
In the interest of your child’s safety, please make CEIRD aware:
Of any food allergies your child may have.
Of any medical conditions that might occur such as epilepsy, asthma, heart problems etc. You may be asked to provide guidance as to what staff needs to do in case of a seizure.
Because of the risks caused by nut allergy, CEIRD students and staff members MUST NOT bring their own food to CEIRD’s workshop venues.
If your child suffers from meningitis, he/she MUST NOT, under any circumstances, attend the workshop.
If you find out your child caught meningitis after attending a workshop, you must contact CEIRD immediately so all those who were in contact with your child are informed of the risks of infection.
Generally, if your child is too sick to attend school, he/she should be considered too sick to come to CEIRD’s workshops.
You must return all consent forms presented to you.
You must provide us with an emergency contact number.
If a new person (e.g. another family member, a new babysitter) is meant to collect your child from the workshops, you should inform CEIRD.
In case of an accident or incident involving a child, or indeed anyone of CEIRD’s students, the accident shall be recorded in an appropriate logbook. Should your child sustain a serious accident or incident, CEIRD will immediately contact the emergency number provided.
If your child has particular needs such as wheelchair access/learning difficulties/disabilities, etc., you MUST book workshops at least TEN DAYS in advance. For practical reasons, admission cannot be guaranteed if you don’t book in advance.
If your child has particular needs/ a disability, you may be asked to provide guidance as to what staff needs to do in order to best cater for your child.
Please note that CEIRD is not responsible for your child outside of workshop hours, you are responsible for your child getting to us/getting home safely before and after CEIRD workshops.
Please also note that it is forbidden to use a mobile phone during CEIRD’s workshops. No phoning, no texting. This is to ensure your child is not distracted and that you, in turn, get full value for your money. The only exception to this rule is in case of an emergency.
As a parent of a CEIRD student, you have the right to ask questions about workshop facilitators, teaching methods, outcomes, etc. You may also visit one of CEIRD’s workshops should you want to experience what workshops are like. Should you be unhappy with the service provided, CEIRD has a complaints’ procedure in place.
Anti-bullying policy:
Bullying is a form of violence in which an individual or individuals pick on someone they perceive as weaker or more vulnerable than themselves. Bullying may include name calling, threats, aggressive physical contact such as hitting, punching or kicking, stealing someone’s food or money, saying hurtful things and swearing at someone, and all forms of harassment. Bullying may occur between young people, between an adult ill-treating a child or a child ill-treating an adult, or between two adults.
A child bullying another child, an adult bullying a child, a child or any student bullying a workshop facilitator or indeed a parent bullying one of our staff is unacceptable behaviour and will not be tolerated. In case of bullying, disciplinary action will be taken against the perpetrator and may, in extreme cases, involve expelling a student from taking part in CEIRD’s activities or pressing charges with An Garda Síochana.
Anti-bullying code for children:
We don’t insult each other.
We don’t touch others in ways we wouldn’t want to be touched ourselves.
We don’t push, hit, kick others.
We don’t ignore or isolate others.
We don’t steal from other people (we don’t steal toys, food, money, clothes, etc).
We don’t harass others on the phone or on the Internet.
If yourself or someone else in the group is being bullied, please tell an adult about it!
Protection code of practice for vulnerable adults.
Community Expressions Ireland (CEIRD) may work with vulnerable adults from time to time. An adult may be vulnerable if he/she is disabled, sick, belongs to a minority group or is elderly. CEIRD is committed to protecting these adults from discrimination and bullying as much as it can. CEIRD is also aware that some otherwise healthy adults can be made vulnerable at some point in their lives by depression, divorce, family problems, financial difficulties etc.
Workshop facilitators’/staff code of practice:
Workers should treat all adults with respect, regardless of age, nationality and race, religious beliefs, physical appearance, gender, sexual orientation, abilities or social and economic status.
Workers should endeavour to ensure all adults work in a safe and enjoyable environment at all times.
Workers should keep records of attendance, medical history and dietary requirements/food allergies for each adult. They should also keep emergency contact details for disabled adults.
Workers should have their own liability insurance.
All venues should be insured and in compliance with health and safety regulations.
Workers should make every effort to use safe materials in the workshops (e.g. non toxic paints).
Workers should use appropriate verbal/physical language with their students. No swearing, no sexual innuendos or jokes, no threats at or in front of the students.
Workers should provide encouragement for effort, and constructive, rather than harsh, criticism.
Workers should be sensitive as to what constitutes appropriate physical contact with elderly or
disabled adults.
Workers should learn how to help elderly or disabled adults with mobility, as some physical contact could be harmful to those adults.
Workers should be sensitive to the fact some vulnerable adults might dislike physical contact (e.g., autistic adults). Refusal to be touched should be respected.
Workers should always endeavour to understand the needs related to the age or disability of students, and to provide as much comfort as possible to those students.
Workers should not touch adults on intimate parts of their bodies or for physical punishment.
Workers should not offer to give lifts to vulnerable adults. Should a carer fail to collect the adult after a workshop, CEIRD will contact the emergency number provided.
If the worker believes he may have caused upset to a student, he should clarify/resolve the situation as soon as possible.
Should the worker fail to resolve the situation, CEIRD has a complaints’ procedure in place.
All workers, whether voluntary or paid, must have read and agreed to this code.
CEIRD will seek Garda Vetting for its staff whenever possible.
Adults’ code of practice:
All adults should treat the other students and staff with respect, regardless of their age, nationality and race, religious beliefs, physical appearance, gender, sexual orientation, abilities or social and economic status.
All adults have a right to good tuition at CEIRD’s workshops. If an adult has a problem with teaching methods or with the behaviour of another student, he/she should inform a CEIRD staff member of the problem. Should talking to a staff member not be enough, CEIRD has a complaints’ procedure in place.
Should a vulnerable adult not feel safe in a CEIRD’s workshop, himself/herself or his/her carer should inform CEIRD of the issue. CEIRD will then try to resolve the situation.
Please also note that it is forbidden to use a mobile phone during CEIRD’s workshops. No phoning, no texting. This is to ensure you are not distracted and get full value for your money. The only exception to this rule is in case of emergency.
All adults deserve good, enjoyable, safe artistic activities, and CEIRD will endeavour to provide students with the same.
Help from carers:
In the interest of the adult in your care, please make CEIRD aware:
Of any food allergies this adult may have.
Of any medical conditions that might occur such as epilepsy, asthma, heart problems etc. You may be asked to provide guidance as to what staff needs to do in case of a seizure.
Because of the risks caused by nut allergy, CEIRD students and staff members MUST NOT bring their own food to CEIRD’s workshop venues.
If the adult in your care suffers from meningitis, he/she MUST NOT, under any circumstances, attend the workshop.
If you find out the adult in your care caught meningitis after he/she attended a workshop, you must contact CEIRD immediately so all those who were in contact with this adult are informed of the risks of infection.
You must return all consent forms presented to you.
You must provide us with an emergency contact number.
If a new carer is meant to collect the adult from the workshops, you should inform CEIRD.
In case of an accident or incident involving anyone of CEIRD’s students, the accident shall be recorded in an appropriate logbook. Should the adult in your care sustain a serious accident or incident, CEIRD will immediately contact the emergency number provided.
Adults with particular needs such as wheelchair access/learning difficulties/disabilities, etc., MUST book workshops at least TEN DAYS in advance. For practical reasons, admission cannot be guaranteed if an adult with particular needs just drops in.
If an adult has particular needs/a disability, you may be asked to provide guidance as to what staff needs to do in order to best cater for this adult.
Please note that CEIRD is not responsible for students outside of workshop hours, carers are responsible for adults getting to us/getting home safely before and after CEIRD workshops.
Carers of vulnerable adults have a right to stay in the room with those adults free of charge, and to help them with workshop activities. These carers should however be sensitive to the fact that CEIRD teaches group workshops and that workers must divide their attention between all students.
Should you be unhappy with the service provided, CEIRD has a complaints’ procedure in place.
Anti-bullying policy:
Bullying is a form of violence in which an individual or individuals pick on someone they perceive as weaker or more vulnerable than themselves. Bullying may include name calling, threats, aggressive physical contact such as hitting, punching or kicking, stealing someone’s food or money, saying hurtful things and swearing at someone, and all forms of harassment. Bullying may occur between young people, between an adult ill-treating a child or a child ill-treating an adult, or between two adults.
A child bullying another child, an adult bullying a child, a child or any student bullying a workshop facilitator or indeed a parent bullying one of our staff is unacceptable behaviour and will not be tolerated. In case of bullying, disciplinary action will be taken against the perpetrator and may, in extreme cases, involve expelling a student from taking part in CEIRD’s activities or pressing charges with An Garda Síochana.
Anti-bullying code for all:
Bullying is unacceptable. Unacceptable behaviours related to bullying include:
Students insulting each other, students insulting workers, or parents/carers insulting workers or students.
Physically touching others in inappropriate ways (sexual touching, pushing, hitting, kicking, willingly harming).
Ignoring or isolating someone on purpose in order to hurt or humiliate that person.
Stealing someone else’s personal belongings.
Harassing others on the phone, in person or on the Internet.
Bullying does not only happen among children. If you feel an adult in your group is suffering as a result of bullying, you should inform a member of staff immediately.
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