SAFEGUARDING

At Orchestras for All, we are committed to safeguarding the welfare of the young people that we work with. We have high standards and expect these to be shared by all adults involved with the organisation, in both paid and voluntary capacities. 

We promote a culture of:

Safety: physical and emotional wellbeing is prioritised in all activities.

Respect: everyone participating in our activities is valued equally and listened to.

Openness: we encourage anyone (adult or young person) participating in OFA activities who has a concern or worry to speak to their relevant OFA employed adult (this could be an orchestral tutor, pastoral tutor, or OFA core team member). 

Integrity: Anyone expressing a concern can expect it to be taken seriously and dealt with sensitively, with clear explanation of process and outcome.

How do we keep the young people we work with safe?

Our safeguarding policy, developed with the support of NSPCC guidance, is reviewed annually, and all of our events and activities are carefully risk assessed.

All adults involved in OFA are DBS checked and, prior to working with us, complete an online survey, demonstrating they have read and understood our expectations. They also undertake safeguarding training prior to participating in any OFA activities or events. This training includes communicating our expectations of standards of behaviour and OFA's attitudes and values, which underpin good safeguarding practice.

The training also ensures the adults we work with understand the process for sharing a concern about a young person, whether it relates to an incident at an OFA event, or in the young person's home life. 

Ellie Dunachie, OFA's Head of Programming and Partnerships, is the Designated Safeguarding Officer (DSO), and is supported by the Deputy Designated Safeguarding Officer Sasha Mattock, as well as OFA Safeguarding Trustee Rachael Adediran.

Keen to find out more?

For further information, you can read our policies in full below:

If you have any questions about our safeguarding practice, please contact our Designated Safeguarding Lead, Ellie, here

If you have a concern about a young person, you can contact the NSPCC helpline on 0808 800 5000, or get advice via their website.  

Report a concern

If you would like to report a concern, please complete the form below.