Farnham Astronomical Society (FAS) takes the welfare of children and young people very seriously and the policy extends to all those under the age of 18 (Young People or Young Person). This policy sets out the principles under which adult members of FAS (Members) should act with regard to Young People.
The FAS committee will take responsibility for Child Protection and act as a focal point for questions and ensure that meeting or event leaders are aware of the requirement to be compliant with this policy. Members are encouraged to bring any issues to the attention of the Secretary, who will be responsible for keeping a record and deciding the appropriate course of action. Members do not have regular contact with Young People and so registration with the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) is not currently required.
General Guidelines
1. Young People should be treated with care, respect and dignity at all times.
2. Members will present a positive role model to Young People at all times.
3. Communication with Young People should be open, clear and appropriate to the FAS activity.
4. During FAS events Members should make reasonable efforts not to be in a position where they are alone with Young People and especially not for long periods.
5. Members should avoid physical contact with Young People.
6. Members must not be placed in a caring or supervisory position without the prior agreement of a parent, guardian, teacher or Scout leader.
7. Members will not provide Young People with their contact details but can offer the general FAS contact address maintained on the FAS website. Members will not ask for the personal or contact details of any young person except in connection with society membership. These details will be treated as private and only used for the purposes of FAS business.
8. Permission must be obtained from a parent(s) or guardian(s) before using any images of Young People on the FAS website or publications. When images of Young People are used, names should not appear in the accompanying text or vice-versa.
FAS monthly meetings
9. Young People can attend FAS monthly meetings provided that Members are not responsible for their transport to and from the meetings unless they are acting in a guardian or parental role.
10. Unaccompanied Young People under the age of 16 can attend meetings provided that
10.1. A parent or guardian signs them in and out, provides emergency contact details and agrees to return in good time to collect them at the end of the meeting or should early closure of the meeting be necessary.
10.2 A FAS Member agrees to monitor the Young Person and ensure their welfare during the meeting. This person should be made aware of any special needs, medical conditions or allergies the Young Person may have that could arise during the meeting.
FAS public or outreach events
11. At public events, FAS members may not be in a position to control the participation of unaccompanied Young People. Event leaders should make sure that this policy is followed as far as reasonably possible.
12. Any participating organisations e.g. Scouts or Schools should be made aware of this policy and its contents.
13. The event leader is responsible for understanding the arrangements for the care and supervision of Young people from a participating organisation (e.g. by a teacher, youth leader, parent, guardian or chaperone) and communicating these arrangements to participating Members.
14. A risk assessment is carried out for any FAS activity as a matter of course. Special care should be paid to the risks to Young People and the equipment they will be using. For example the height of observing equipment could represent a collision hazard and warnings about the dangers of solar observing should be considered.
15. Should physical contact with Young People be necessary as part of the activity or for health and safety reasons then this should be undertaken by a parent, guardian, teacher or Scout leader. If it is absolutely necessary for Members to have contact with Young People they should act responsibly or under supervision. For observing sessions, event leaders should ensure that tripods are set at the appropriate level or an appropriate step used so that Young People do not need to be lifted to a telescope eyepiece.
Notes:
The organisations referred to in the above guidelines (e.g. Scouts, schools) are given as examples representative of the normal participants in FAS activities and are not intended to be comprehensive or inclusive of all possible participating organisations.