NEWCASTLE UNIVERSITY
CHILD PROTECTION POLICY FOR EVENT
ORGANISERS
1. CONTEXT
This document has been produced by Student Recruitment to provide guidance for University staff
organising recruitment events on campus involving pupils under the age of 18. The Policy, and
Procedure for Safeguarding Children (Appendix A) have been put together to ensure the safety of pupils
and staff involved in residential summer schools on campus, but many of the issues raised relate to any
on-campus event involving pupils under the age of 18.
The Policy and associated Procedure aim to:
 ensure the protection of children under the age of 18 who attend recruitment events on campus
 ensure that staff do not put themselves in a situation where allegations could be made against
them
 set out the procedure to follow where an incident of abuse is suspected.
As such, it is vital that all staff involved in running activities should read and understand the documents.
They are as much about protecting staff as they are about protecting the pupil.
The documents have been written with advice from the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) and the Senior
Education Welfare Officer in Newcastle City Council. In addition, the Department of Health guidelines
‘Working together to safeguard children’ and the National Society of Prevention of Cruelty to Children
(NSPCC) ‘Stopcheck: a step by step guide for organisations to safeguard children’ have been consulted.
They have also been read and approved by Human Resources at the University.
2. GUIDANCE FOR ALL STAFF
Staff are required to report any incident of abuse or cause for concern which arises in the course of their
work with pupils. The following general principles are those upon which local procedures are based and
which all staff should acknowledge and adhere to:
 Children have a right to protection
 Everyone working in contact with children has a responsibility for their protection
 The term “abuse” can take many forms: physical, emotional, sexual or neglect, and could be racist,
homophobic or related to gender
 Responsibility relating to concern for a child’s safety must be shared
 Child protection depends on all staff and all agencies working together; procedures have therefore
been agreed by all agencies
 Child protection over-rides confidentiality, relationships with the family and agency hierarchy and
objectives
 Child protection issues are to be regarded as a top priority and staff are reminded that it is the welfare
of the child which is of primary concern
 If staff, in the course of their work at the University have a child protection issue brought to their
notice, observe an instance of abuse themselves, or have cause for concern, they must treat this as
a priority over other work and address the issue immediately (see Appendix A)
 If staff wish to seek guidance with regard to a specific incident or area of concern, advice can be
sought from Lucy Backhurst (Assistant Director of Student Recruitment) or Emma Reay (Widening
Participation Officer) who may refer the matter to a Senior Education Welfare Officer or the Principal
Education Welfare Officer
 Staff should be aware that if a referral to Social Services is the appropriate course of action then this
needs to be done without delay
 Staff should not collude with a parent or child to keep concerns secret in areas of child protection
 If staff have any reason to suspect, or are party to, a specific allegation, they should listen and ask
only the minimum of questions as sensitively as is possible in order to clarify details
 It is important to recognise issues of confidentiality. Staff should, if appropriate, explain to a pupil that
only people who need to know in order to help will be informed of the allegation. It is important that
staff reassure the pupil that any disclosures or allegations will be taken seriously
 Staff should recognise that it is their duty to inform but not to investigate: this is the role of the Police
and Social Services.
In order that behaviour is not misinterpreted, staff should always work to the following guidelines:

Conduct all conversations with pupils in a public place

Avoid one-to-one situations with pupils at all times

Avoid all physical contact with pupils

If physical restraint is required for a pupil’s own safety then the minimum force should be used
for as short a time as possible. An Incident Report Form (Appendix B) should be completed and
the names of any witnesses recorded

If first aid is required and administered an Accident Report Form (available online from the
Health and Safety Office www.ncl.ac.uk/internal/safety/acc-form.html) should be completed and
the names of any witnesses recorded

No visits should be made to a pupil’s accommodation by individual members of staff. If a visit is
necessary, the staff member should be accompanied by another member of staff. If the situation
is urgent, another pupil should be present and the door to the pupil’s room should be left open.
3. GUIDANCE FOR EVENT ORGANISERS
3.1. Named contact for child safeguarding issues
A named contact should be identified to take responsibility for dealing with any Child Protection issues
that arise during a particular event. In the case of centrally-organised residential summer schools, the
contacts are Lucy Backhurst and Emma Reay in Student Recruitment. For all other events the named
contact will normally be the individual responsible for organising and running the event. It is the
responsibility of the named contact to understand and implement the procedures and recommendations
set out in this document.
3.2 Health, safety and risk assessment
A Health and Safety Checklist has been developed by the Student Recruitment Office for use in the
organisation of events on campus. The event organiser is responsible for ensuring that all items on the
checklist have been considered and acted upon as appropriate. A Risk Assessment document must be
completed prior to each event on campus. This should set out potential hazards and the measures taken
to ensure the safety of participants.
3.3 CRB checking of staff/student helpers
Criminal Record Bureau (CRB) checks are designed primarily for people entering a new position of
employment that will involve “substantial unsupervised access” to the under 18s or “vulnerable adults”.
It is clearly appropriate in some cases for police checking to occur (eg for Student Recruitment Office
staff) but it is impractical to suggest that all members of University staff should be checked. Detailed
guidelines on CRB checking are given in the SRO document Procedure for Safeguarding SRO Staff
(CRB Checks), and on the web at www.disclosure.gov.uk.
In the case of residential summer schools, all Student Recruitment Office staff and all student
representatives must be police checked for enhanced disclosure. Academic colleagues do not need to
go through this process, unless they will be in one-to-one contact with any pupil. General advice for
University staff working with students under the age of 18 is to avoid unsupervised access on a one-toone basis. This advice, together with information provided in the Procedure for Safeguarding Children,
should offer protection for staff in the case of an allegation against an individual.
3.4 Recruitment and selection of staff and student representatives
3.4.1 Staff:
Recruitment of staff to the University must follow the procedures set out by Human Resources.
3.4.2 Student Representatives:
The following issues must be considered when recruiting student representatives for residential events:
 Define the role: eg provide a written job description. Include that the role involves working with
pupils under the age of 18
 Selection criteria: develop a person specification that includes a list of essential and desirable
qualifications, skills and experience, and shortlist against this
 Recruitment publicity: circulate vacancies widely
 Written applications: ask candidates to include personal details, past and current
work/volunteering experience
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
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Written declaration: request that candidates sign a statement in the Code of Conduct/Contract
that they have no past convictions, cautions or bind-overs and no pending cases that may affect
their suitability to work with children
Identification: ask for photographic evidence to confirm identity (passport or current driving
licence)
Interview: preferably two or more representatives from the organisation should meet with an
applicant to explore information contained in their application and their attitudes towards working
with children. Staff should investigate gaps in employment history, vague statements,
unsubstantiated qualifications or frequent changes of employment.
3.5 Staff training and information
Lucy Backhurst and Emma Reay in the Student Recruitment Office have responsibility for child
protection issues during residential summer schools, and will liaise with the Local Education Authority
and Area Social Services as appropriate. These designated members of staff will ensure that members
of staff and student representatives who come into contact with students:
 are aware of the possibilities of abuse
 are familiar with the Child Protection Policy and Procedure for Safeguarding Children
 will receive training on these issues.
All academic staff involved in running events at the University will be given access to a copy of the Child
Protection Policy and Procedure for Safeguarding Children prior to the start of the event.
3.6 Information for parents and carers
Parents/carers of pupils attending events at the University must be given access to the following
documents prior to the event:
 Child Protection Statement
 Child Protection Policy and Procedure for Safeguarding Children
 Risk Assessment.
3.7 Suspicion of staff
If you have any anxiety or suspicion about any adult working on an event, concerns should be brought to
the attention of the named contact with responsibility for child protection. During this investigation
process, detailed/accurate records must be maintained. Any records made must be stored in secure,
confidential files.
3.8 Anti-Bullying Policy
Prior to a residential event, pupils must be asked to sign a Code of Conduct. The Code states that
bullying and/or discrimination of any sort will not be tolerated. This message must be repeated in the
Induction session of the event and pupils should be given the name of an individual that they can go to if
they have any concerns relating to bullying.
3.9 Guidance on new technology safety
Where an event involves pupils’ use of new technology (such as the internet), guidance should be given
to pupils by event leaders or staff overseeing the session. Any risks associated with the use of new
technology must be clearly identified in the Risk Assessment document for the event, which must also
detail measures taken to ensure the safety of pupils. Organisers wishing to take photographs or video
footage at an event which involves pupils under 18 years, must first seek consent from the pupil’s parent
or carer.
Produced by: Lucy Backhurst
Assistant Director of Student Recruitment
Updated March 2007