Saffron Walden Musical Theatre Company Youth Group

DIGITAL SAFETY POLICY

Terminology:

Staff refers to all those working for or on behalf of SWMTC, full time or part time, in either a paid or voluntary capacity.

Child refers to all young people who have not yet reached their 18th birthday.

Parent refers to birth parents and other adults who are in a parenting role, for example stepparents, foster carers and adoptive parents.

Use of mobile devices in rehearsals and performances

Youth Group Members are permitted to bring mobile devices to rehearsals and backstage areas of the Town Hall.  Mobile devices are not permitted in the green room or on stage.

 They are asked not to use these devices in rehearsals as a matter of courtesy, except where permitted by staff.

Youth Group Members use their devices at their own risk; SWMTC cannot accept any liability for loss or damage.

SWMTC reserves the right to remove access to mobile devices temporarily if it is necessary to safeguard or promote the welfare of anyone in the SWMTC community.

Group chats

Youth Group Members are cautioned against the creation of group chats, particularly where this crosses large age gaps.

Youth Group Members are reminded of this at the beginning of each production season.

Inappropriate content found to be shared in the presence of children will be dealt with in line with the Safeguarding Policy.

Social Media

SWMTC creates closed ‘groups’ on Facebook for the main and youth groups which allow Youth Group Members and staff to communicate safely and securely, and  promote the activities of the company.

SWMTC staff are instructed not to accept ‘friend’ requests or otherwise follow the social media profiles of SWMTC Youth Group Members under the age of 18 that would allow private contact between the staff member and child, or would give the child access to the personal profile of a member of staff. This rule applies for any member of staff and SWMTC Youth Group Member, even after the production has ended, and remains in effect until the child is 18 and has left school. 

Additionally, SWMTC Staff are not permitted to post or publish information, including media, pertaining to Youth Group Members except where it has previously been published by SWMTC.

Photography and video

SWMTC predominantly uses photography and video for three purposes:

·       publicity,

·       education (in the course of a learning exercise, for example as a reference for a dance routine)

·       parental communication.

SWMTC sources permission for photography and video of Youth Group Members in the lead up to first rehearsals for each production with provision for parents/Youth Group Members to opt out of specific uses or all uses.

The law recognises Youth Group Members’ own rights – from the age of 13 – to decide how their personal information, including images, is used.

Youth Group Member use of photography and video should conform to the company Safeguarding Policy. Where staff judge photography or video use by Youth Group Members to be inappropriate, restrictions of devices or other appropriate measures may be put in place.

SHARING NUDES AND SEMI-NUDES  See the SWMTC Safeguarding Policy, available on the SWMTC website.

APPENDIX A: POLICY UPDATES & REVIEW

This version dated 1 August 2024

 Date of next review: August 2025