Child Protection at the Bbc: Policies and Practices
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CHILD PROTECTION AT THE BBC: POLICIES AND PRACTICES NOTE: Following the interim report provided in December 2012 to the Trust this report contains an update on actions taken as the result of the review of policies processes and practices in relation to child protection. Further amendments might be necessary following the outcome of Dame Janet Smith’s independent inquiry. 1 Contents CHILD PROTECTION AT THE BBC : POLICIES AND PRACTICES.......................................................... 1 I. Foreword ............................................................................................................................................................. 5 II. Executive summary ........................................................................................................................................... 6 III. Definition of children ...................................................................................................................................... 10 IV. The BBC and children – different interactions .................................................................................... 11 A. as members of our audiences, accessing our programmes, ensuring the content children consume is appropriate. ..................................................................................................................................... 11 B. As visitors in our buildings (this could include children of staff), .................................................... 11 C. As spectators to shows organised on BBC premises or on location ............................................ 11 D. As participants in our programmes or activities organised by or on behalf of the BBC ........... 12 E. As participants in work experience placements under the National Curriculum ....................... 12 F. As persons interviewed or filmed in our output, for instance in a news or current affairs programme ............................................................................................................................................................ 12 G. As actors, under licence ............................................................................................................................ 12 V. Policies................................................................................................................................................................ 13 A. What are the applicable laws? .................................................................................................................. 13 B. History of BBC policies around child protection .............................................................................. 13 C. What are the BBC policies currently in place? .................................................................................... 13 1. Summary ................................................................................................................................................... 14 2. How have they been created? Have they been consulted on? .................................................... 15 3. Do they follow best practice? Legal requirements? ....................................................................... 15 4. How do they compare with other broadcasters ‘policies? .......................................................... 17 5. When have the BBC children policies last been reviewed? ......................................................... 18 6. Are they easy to access? ....................................................................................................................... 18 D. Who is accountable for implementation of the policies? .................................................................. 19 E. Are there external regulators controlling our compliance? ............................................................. 19 F. Scope of our policy ..................................................................................................................................... 20 G. Is relevant staff appropriately trained to work with children? How is compliance monitored? 20 VI. How are these obligations implemented? ............................................................................................. 21 A. DBS/PVG Scheme Checks ........................................................................................................................ 21 B. Staff interaction with children .................................................................................................................. 22 C. Children’s appearances in content: chaperones, parental consent and risk assessment ........... 22 1. Licensing system ..................................................................................................................................... 23 2. Staff awareness of safeguards: training and points of contact ...................................................... 23 3. The referrals process ............................................................................................................................ 24 4. Online provisions ................................................................................................................................... 24 5. Personal data ........................................................................................................................................... 25 2 VII. Monitoring .................................................................................................................................................... 25 A. Do users find policies easy to use and fit for purpose? ..................................................................... 25 B. How do we track incidents and what are the data available? .......................................................... 25 C. Do we children’s parents’ or chaperones’ views? ............................................................................... 26 VIII. Actions taken and next steps ................................................................................................................... 26 A. The BBC policies themselves ................................................................................................................... 26 B. The Thane report ....................................................................................................................................... 27 C. The BBC’s response to these consultations ......................................................................................... 29 ANNEX 1: What are the applicable laws? .......................................................................................................... 31 1. Protecting children involved in content-making ............................................................................. 31 2. Child protection: licensing and chaperones ..................................................................................... 32 3. Legislation to protect children from adults who pose a risk ....................................................... 32 4. Legislation directly relating to child sexual abuse offences .......................................................... 33 5. Legal obligations with regards to hiring staff ................................................................................... 33 6. Identification and detection of children at risk ............................................................................... 34 7. Rights of the Child ................................................................................................................................. 34 8. Risk assessment ...................................................................................................................................... 35 9. Data protection requirements ............................................................................................................ 35 IX. Annex II: History of BBC Children’s policies ....................................................................................... 36 X. Annex III. Child Protection Steering Group : Terms of Reference ................................................... 38 XI. Annex IV: DBS /PVC checks ................................................................................................................... 39 Appendix 1 Case studies ......................................................................................................................................... 43 A. A programme involving children as actors on a regular basis: EastEnders ................................... 43 1. Storylining ................................................................................................................................................. 43 2. Scene Content......................................................................................................................................... 43 3. Casting ...................................................................................................................................................... 44 4. Scheduling ................................................................................................................................................. 44 5. Family Induction ...................................................................................................................................... 45 6. Schools & Tutoring ...............................................................................................................................