jbl

Can anyone offer any insight into this query...

Our Village Hall is owned and run by a management committee, not the Parish Council as in many other places.
Their Child Protection policy works as follows..Mr X wants to hire the hall for a weekly Youth Group activity, village hall ask if he has a Child Protection policy, he says 'Yes'.
Village hall say 'Fine, go ahead and hire, we have done our duty by asking if you have a policy and Child Protection for the youth group is now your responsibility'. No one asks to see the policy.

Now I don't know too much about the legal responsibilities of child protection but this does seem to be too easy going for comfort ! Are the Village Hall people correct in what they are doing ?

Thanks

JBL

SJ_Skyline

I guess that should anything untoward happen such as a child being injurred on Mr. X's watch then there is no legal recourse on the committee: They asked if he had a child protection policy and he stated that he did - if he didn't then he will be at fault for not disclosing the truth, if he did then it has failed and he's at fault for having a policy that's ineffective.

As to if the committee should ask to see the policy it then open them up to having a view on the policy - who reviewed it, were they qualified and did they have the authority to sign the policy off? Far easier on their part to leave the burded on Mr. X.

This is just the way I see it and I'm happy to be corrected by someone in the legal profession

EddScott

You would think the Council would at least ask for a copy. If Mr X didn't have suitable cover and something happens I would think the council could be responsible for not carrying out due dilligence.

SJ - I like the sig quote

austinwrx

you need to see an enhanced CRB check before you book any room out to anyone wanting to work with children etc.

in fact the bloke running the group should have one in place anyway, to show to parents.

Nurse Gladys

Personally I would have thought all the Comittee could insit on was the correct Insurance as he is hiring their facility.

As for running a Youth Club / any childrens activity, he & ANYONE else involved would need to have CRB clearance.

As a parent I would need assurance from whoever is running the activity that all the correct proceedures are in place - Adult to child ratio, no single adult left with kids, CRB etc.

Not sure if Youth Groups etc come under the Ofsted umbrella, or whether they have their own Regulatory Body, but I would like to think there is something / someone that oversees these.

Perhaps you local council / police could advise.

I do know Guide / Scout / Sport leaders need to be registered.

jbl

Thanks for your thoughts.
We are in a rural area where 'it has always been done like this, we don't have a problem here' attitude still exists very strongly. I am assuming (for sake of argument and ease of answer ) that any 'Mr X' wanting to use /hire the village hall is OK, has all the checks and clearances etc, but it is the attitude of the Village Hall management that bothers me, just accepting "Yes, I'm OK', and then saying that it no longer is their responsibility at all. Do they not have to take some responsibility as to whom they hire the hall to ?

Thanks

JBL

Leslie

I am surprised that they don't want to see a copy of the policy etc. Rutland people are pretty level headed though and I would not expect a lot of PC Plonkerism there.

Les

austinwrx

a policy means nothing though. anyone could produce one with 10 mins of googling.

its simple: if an adult wants to use yr venue to work with vulnerable adults or children- you need to see an enhanced CRB check first.

how's a policy show that the adults involved haven't previously been convicted of robbing pensioners for example ?

I'm avoiding the obvious child scare stuff !!

anyone remember the story of a village hall in somewhere like malham/dales where plug sockets had had listening devices planted behind them !!!!!

all very cold war stuff ! the locals said it was the rival WI could steal their jam recipes.