British Plate Armour Society Child Protection Policy

British Plate Armour Society Child Protection Policy

Introduction

This document details the child protection policy for the British Plate Armour Society. We are a medieval re-enactment group who put on displays of medieval combat and battles around the country

We are not a youth group and do not accept members under 18 but parents who join as family members may bring the children to events and they then may take part in show activities. This policy is therefore limited to the situation where under 18s are always accompanied by their parents to events. However during the course of a days events children may not be directly under the parents supervision at all times, so society offices and members may be interacting with the children while their parents are not present. Any problems, issues or concerns about a child should be reported to the parents as soon as possible.

Society Rules

This section outlines the society rules governing children and their participation in society events.

No members under 18 are allowed.

Parents joining with a family membership may bring their children under 18 to events and they can then take part.
Children covered by their parents family membership may not attend shows without their parents
All children under 18 are considered as non-combatant and must be treated as such during displays.
Training may be given to over 16s with parental consent, but they may not fight in displays.
Scripted and non-combatant roles (standard bearers, water carriers etc) may be undertaken by children with parentally consent only

The full list of society rules & regulations are available separately.

Guidelines for dealing with children

Good Practice guidelines

All society officers and members should be encouraged to demonstrate exemplary behavior towards children in order to protect against false allegations. The following are a common sense set of guidelines that should be followed when dealing with any children attending an event or taking part in a show.

Always work in an open environment
Treat all children equally and with respect and dignity
Maintain a safe and appropriate distance
Any physical contact required during a display (e,g, scripted capture of an opponents standard bearer) is performed safely and with only appropriate contact, ensuring the safety of the child at all times.
Always gain parentally approval for any training or activities the child wishes to take part in.
Parents must be present when their children are taking part in a display or training.
Do not push children into anything against their will

Practices to be avoided

The following should be avoided except in emergencies. If case occur where these situations are unavoidable they should occur with the full knowledge and consent of the child’s parents or a senior society officer. E.g. a child sustains an injury and needs to go to hospital, or a parent can’t be found.

Avoid spending time alone with children away from others.
Avoid taking children to your home or tent where they will be alone with you.

Practices never to be sanctioned

The following should never be sanctioned.

Engaging in rough, physical or sexually provocative games, including horseplay.
Share a room or tent with a child.
Allow or engage in any form of inappropriate touching
Make sexually suggestive comments to a child, even in play
Allow allegations made by a child to go unchallenged, unrecorded or not acted upon.
Do things of a personal nature for a child that they can do themselves
Invite or allow children to stay with you at your home unsupervised

If any of the following occur they should be reported to the parents and/or a society officer immediately

If a child is accidentally injured
If a child appears unduly distressed
If a child appears sexually aroused by any actions taken

Responding to suspicions and allegations

It is not the responsibility of anyone taking part in re-enactment to take responsibility or decide whether or not child abuse has taken place. However there is a responsibility to act on any concerns through contact with the appropriate authorities.

Action if there are concerns

The following action should be taken if there are concerns.

Poor practice

If, following consideration, the allegation is clearly about poor practice (e.g. not following the guidelines outlined in this policy) then the society officers and/or retinue leaders will deal with it as a misconduct issue.

Suspected abuse

Any suspicion should be reported to a society officer or retinue leader.
The society officer or retinue leader should take any necessary steps to ensure the safety of the child.
Social services or the police should be informed as appropriate.

Confidentiality

Every effort should be made to ensure that confidentiality is maintained for all concerned, Information should be handled and disseminated on a need to know basis.

Bullying

If bullying is suspected or witnessed then the parents of the children concerned should be informed. The society will leave the course of action up to the parents, but if bullying between children continues the society will require that the bully is not brought along to shows or events by their parents in future.