HSL Music Safeguarding policy
Note: The terms ‘child’, ‘children’ and ‘young person’ describe any person under the age of 18.
Our Statement
HSL Music acknowledges its duty of care to safeguard and promote the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults (adults in receipt of services). It is committed to ensuring safeguarding practice reflects statutory responsibilities, government guidance and complies with best practice.
This policy has been written with awareness of the ‘Working together to safeguard people’ guidance which is set out in the Welsh Government expectations in relation to safeguarding arrangements.
Safeguarding is everybody’s responsibility. The Welsh Government expects individuals, groups and organisations offering activities or service to follow this advice. This will demonstrate reasonable steps are being taken to ensure the safety of children and adults at risk.
This policy recognises that the welfare and interests of children are paramount in all circumstances. It aims to ensure that regardless of age, ability or disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation, socio-economic background, all children:
- have a positive and enjoyable experience at HSL Music Youth performance choir in a safe and child-centred environment
- are protected from abuse whilst participating in HSL Music Youth performance choir or outside of the activity.
We acknowledge that some children, including deaf and disabled children or those from Black, Asian, ethnic communities, can be particularly vulnerable to abuse and we accept the responsibility to take reasonable and appropriate steps to ensure their welfare.
Our policy
What we’ll do
As part of our safeguarding policy we will:
- promote and prioritise the safety and wellbeing of children and young people
- value, listen to and respect children
- ensure safeguarding arrangements and procedures are in operation
- adopt safeguarding best practice through our code of conduct for staff and volunteers, policies and procedures
- ensure everyone understands their roles and responsibilities in respect of safeguarding and has the appropriate, up to date, training and learning opportunities to recognise, identify and respond to signs of abuse, neglect and other safeguarding concerns relating to children and young people
- provide effective management for staff and volunteers through supervision, support, training and quality assurance measures so that staff and volunteers know about our policies, procedures and behaviour codes and follow them confidently and competently
- ensure appropriate action is taken in the event of all incidents or concerns, from lower-level concerns and poor practice to more serious abuse
- provide support to the individual(s) who raise or report the concern
- ensure that confidential, detailed and accurate records of all safeguarding concerns are maintained and securely stored
- record and store information securely, in line with data protection legislation and guidance
- prevent the employment or deployment of unsuitable individuals by recruiting and selecting staff and volunteers safely, ensuring all necessary checks are made
- appoint a nominated safeguarding officer
- make sure that children, young people and their parents know where to go for help if they have a concern
The policy and procedures will be widely promoted and are mandatory for everyone involved in HSL Musics youth performance choir. Failure to comply with the policy and procedures will be addressed without delay and may ultimately result in dismissal or exclusion from the organisation.
If you have concerns about HSL Music please read our Privacy Policy.
Monitoring
This policy will be reviewed every three years, or in the following circumstances:
- changes in legislation and/or government guidance
- as a result of any other significant change or event.
This policy was last reviewed on 01/08/2025
Contact details
| HSL Music Youth Performance Choir, Safeguarding officer | Heidi Luckens | hsl.music@icloud.com |
| NSPCC Helpline service | Open 10am – 4pm Monday – Friday | help@nspcc.org.uk 0808 800 5000 |
In a safeguarding emergency, where a child is at immediate risk of harm, call 999.