2: Safeguarding: Part 2

So we can talk now a little bit about the role that organizations within the music sector, so hubs, services, sector bodies, et cetera, can play in creating safer environments for children.

So not just your reporting, but how you can actually foster those sorts of environments, how you can make sure children are aware of the role they can play in creating and fostering those sorts of environments.

I will come, I think, to Sarah first for this one.

yeah um so obviously for us um the bread and butter of our work is is making life easier for people who who want to make music and who have really really limited time and capacity um to digest a lot of this really really meaty information so for me one of the most important roles that um sector bodies and support organisations can play is making the resources that they provide specific for the context that those accessing it are going to be using them.

the requirements of community organisations are different to the requirements of schools and it's important that we aren't pushing organisations down a track that's actually far too advanced than what they need and the context that they need.

So most of our work is based on the voluntary and community standards but obviously we bring in a lot of specific tools guidance that is relevant for when there will be that kind of, I guess, crossover interaction with community organisations in schools.

So maybe if they're visiting or they're coming to deliver an assembly or they do happen to have a stream of work where they do deliver in schools, which some of our members do, but making sure that they really understand what's right and relevant for them.

I think we also have a role in championing the importance of this work.

And I think Brass Bands England are unusual in that, in that safeguarding is one of our core services.

And that's the band safe.

Training and resources is part of that, but also DBS checking and just making it as easy as possible for members to come to us to make that happen.

We also have an important role in advocating for change as well and making sure that the needs of our sector are heard really loud and clear for those who are creating legislation to make sure that... that there's not inadvertent barriers being put in place by very well-meaning legislation that comes into play.

So that's something that we're doing more of at the moment to make sure that community music and music education more generally continues to be a safe place for children and a place that they can really thrive making music, which should be a right for every child.

Yeah, I think I'd echo that, what you just said there about feeling safe because the children feel safe that's very fundamental to unlocking the creativity they need.

You know, many schools, you can't, you can't learn unless you feel safe.

And the same in music, isn't it? You can't, I'm sure you can't do your best unless you, unless you feel safe.

So we, we talk about, um, and a lot of our training about safeguarding culture, which we've touched on a little bit already today, um, where those policies and practices, which are documents, but they're actually embedded and they're lived.

And those in our organization understand them and, subscribe to them and kind of live the way they're meant to be really um and in those settings and those organizations children and young people need to know that if they've got a concern or they raise a concern they'll be listened to and that'll be taken seriously and acted upon and you know that's the the sort of what we mean by that culture whereby they can turn to anyone really and hopefully anyone will do the right thing I pass that on so that they themselves feel safe, but also they feel part of an organization safe.

And the other thing I think you all know yourselves and working with young people, they look after each other really well.

And they may sometimes feel less confident to share their own concern, but they're often quite happy to say, my friend's got an issue I'm worried about.

And they'll pass that thing on as well.

So having a environment where that's common as well, where you look after each other.

And I think that part of that is modeling as adults.

You know, we model that behavior.

We speak about safeguarding.