KidsArt! works with children and families as part of its activities which include art classes, holiday camps, parties and private classes

The purpose of this policy statement is to:

• protect children and young people who take part in KidsArt! services, events and activities specifically those where photographs and videos may be taken
• set out the overarching principles that guide our approach to photographs/videos being taken of children and young people during our events and activities
• to ensure that we operate in line with our values and within the law when creating, using and sharing images of children and young people.
• This statement applies to all teachers, helpers, volunteers and other adults associated with KidsArt!

Legal framework

This policy has been drawn up on the basis of legislation, policy and guidance that seeks to protect children in Great Britain. Summaries of key legislation and guidance is available from the  NSPCC https://learning.nspcc.org.uk/online-safety/preventing-online-abuse-and-harm and https://learning.nspcc.org.uk/child-protection-system

We believe that:

• children and young people should never experience abuse of any kind
• we have a responsibility to promote the welfare of all children and young people and to take, share and use images of children safely.

We recognise that:

• sharing photographs and films of our activities can help us celebrate the successes and achievements of our children, provide a record of our activities and raise awareness of our organisation
• the welfare of children taking part in our activities is paramount
• children, their parents and carers have a right to decide whether their images are taken and how these may be used, without discrimination
• consent to take images of children is only meaningful when children or as appropriate their parents and carers understand how the images will be used and stored, and are fully aware of the potential risks associated with the use and distribution of these images
• there are potential risks associated with sharing images of children online. Find out more on NSPCC Learning https://learning.nspcc.org.uk/online-safety/photographing-filming-children

We will seek to keep children and young people safe by:

• always asking for written consent from a child or their parents, carers or legal guardians before using a child’s image
• always explaining if requested what images will be used for, how they will be stored and what potential risks are associated with sharing images of children
• making it clear that if a consent is withdrawn for an image to be shared, it may not be possible to delete images that have already been shared or published
• changing the names of children whose images are being used in our published material when possible (and only using first names if we need to identify them)
• never publishing personal information about individual children and disguising any identifying information (for example the name of their school or a school uniform with a logo)
• making sure children, their parents and carers understand how images of children will be securely stored and for how long (including how we will control access to the images)
• reducing the risk of images being copied and used inappropriately by:
• only using images of children in appropriate clothing
• using images that positively reflect young people’s involvement in the activity.

We have a procedure for reporting the abuse or misuse of images of children as part of our child protection procedures. We will ensure everyone involved in our organisation knows the procedures to follow to keep children safe.

Photography and/or filming for use by KidsArt!

We recognise that our group leaders may use photography and filming as an aid in activities. However, this should only be done with the permission of KidsArt!

Children, young people, parents and carers must also be made aware that photography and filming is part of the programme and give written consent.

If we hire a photographer for one of our events, we will seek to keep children and young people safe by:

• providing the photographer with a clear brief about appropriate content and behaviour
• ensuring the photographer wears identification at all times
• informing children, their parents and carers that a photographer will be at the event and ensuring they give written consent to images which feature their child being taken and shared
• not allowing the photographer to have unsupervised access to children
• not allowing the photographer to carry out sessions outside the event or at a child’s home
• reporting concerns as to inappropriate / intrusive photography following our child protection procedures.

Storing images

We will store photographs and videos of children securely, in accordance with our safeguarding policy and data protection law.

Related policies and procedures

This policy statement should be read alongside our organisational policies and procedures,

Senior lead for safeguarding and child protection

Name: Barbara Kay
Phone/email: info@kidsartuk.com
We are committed to reviewing our policy and good practice annually.

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© KidsArt Limited, 2024