Safeguarding and Policies
Phoenix Brass Band is serious about safeguarding and takes every opportunity to ensure that the Band provides a safe and enjoyable environment for all its members, its Training Section, youth members and any vulnerable members.
Phoenix Brass is committed to protecting and safeguarding the welfare of the children and young people in its care. The Band aims to ensure that all children and young people are welcomed into a safe and caring environment, with a positive attitude to inclusion, learning and support. Phoenix Brass Band recognises that it is the responsibility of each one of its staff/ volunteers to prevent the physical, emotional, sexual abuse or neglect of young people and children and will report any incident or behaviour that causes concern with regard to the welfare of the child or young person.
To this end Phoenix Brass has in place a number of policies and procedures that protect children and young people accessing its services. The Band recognises its responsibility to implement, maintain and regularly review procedures, which are designed to prevent and be alerted to abuse. These procedures apply to all children and young people regardless of their race, religion, first language or culture; age; gender or sexuality; health or disability; location or placement; political or immigration stature or involvement in criminal behaviour.
Phoenix Brass acknowledges that some children and young people are more vulnerable to abuse than others. For example, those children and young people who are disadvantaged; disabled children and young people; those living away from home; those in the family home living with parental ill health, mental illness or substance misuse as well as children and young people who are suffering from racial or religious harassment.
The Band is currently working on Brass Bands England’s ‘Band Safe‘ initiative which is a self-assessment tool and safeguarding training for brass bands to ensure that our policies and procedures are fit for purpose and in place to minimise risks to the members and integrity of the Band. Phil Gray has recently completed the Band Safe Training Course, “Safeguarding in Brass Bands”, developed in association with the NSPCC and tailored specifically to the needs of brass bands. The course was delivered by Brass Bands England. This three hour course is designed for all band safeguarding officers and covers everything from the legal basis of safeguarding through to practical steps bands need to be prepared to take to help make their band a safe environment for everyone. Refresher training takes place every two years.
Philip Gray BandSafe Certificate 07.02.23Frequently Asked Questions
Can I watch the session my child is attending?
Parents are extremely welcome to stay and observe all our Main Band rehearsals and Training Section sessions taking place. Some parents do stay and watch, and we will make you feel very welcome at any rehearsal.
If your child is performing in a concert with us, we actively encourage you to bring family, relatives and friends to enjoy the performance.
What safeguarding policies and safe working practices do you have in place?
The Band believes that it is important that everyone associated with the Band should, always, show respect and understanding for the safety and welfare of others. Therefore, all Band members are always encouraged to be open and to share concerns or complaints that they may have about any aspect of the Band.
We want every Band member to enjoy their time with Phoenix Brass both at rehearsal and at other engagements so we have just a few rules to ensure that this can happen, and at the same time, the Band can continue to improve and progress. We have a Code of Conduct for all Band members and those adults who work with Training Section members and youth members. The Code of Conduct is not intended to replace the Band’s Statement of Association, rather it is intended to supplement the Statement of Association and provide more detailed guidelines for all Band members in the running of the Band.
We have an inclusive Safeguarding Policy which also includes information about anti-bullying, e-safety and whistleblowing.
We have a comprehensive Risk Assessment which is designed to minimise potential risks to the health and safety of all our members, Training Section members, youth and vulnerable members.
We thoroughly vet the staff and volunteers who regularly work directly with youth members. This includes reference checks, qualification verification and DBS checks through to ongoing professional development including safeguarding training.
We keep a record of all audio-visual consent for all our members to ensure that no images or video footage of children are used for publicity purposes without prior consent. Audio-visual consent is sought as part of the Membership Registration process.
We keep a record of emergency contact information for all Main Band members, Training Section members and youth members and a record of any medical information we may need to be aware of to keep members safe. All the information about members that we hold complies with current GDPR legislation. The Band’s full Data Protection and Privacy Policy can be found via our Website.
I would like more information about what to expect when my child joins the band
We have a Welcome and Information Pack for all new members and potential new members which explains in further detail how Phoenix Brass Band operates.
To speak to someone about your child joining, please either speak with David Watson, Musical Director, on 01672 841315 or our Director of Training, Marilyn Mason, on 01672 512634. They will be pleased to answer any questions you may have and provide any additional information that you require.
I have questions or would like to raise a concern
We are only too pleased to discuss any concerns that any of our members or prospective members or their families have. If possible, please speak to either David Watson, Musical Director, or Phil Gray directly who will be able to answer any queries or concerns that you have or will direct you to someone who can help.
Last Reviewed – April 2023