Child protection policies

Each museum or gallery has a responsibility for providing a safe environment for all its users, including children and young people.

Each museums or gallery should have in place a policy which details how it will ensure that children are protected. This will include details of working practices, and practices in the recruitment of staff. Staff includes salaried staff, long-term and short term volunteers, and contracted staff such as artists and re-enactors.

Working practices should include how the museum staff will deal with unaccompanied children, and the use of toilets.

Museums which are part of larger organisations, such as Local Authorities, should use the policy set by the organisation, and may find it possible to adopt the working practices, or adapt them for museum use.

Please ask if you need help in drawing up your child protection policy.

'Disclosure' (aka 'vetting' or 'checking')

Each institution must decide for itself on what level of contact between children and adults would make disclosure necessary, and whether a 'standard' or 'enhanced' disclosure should be obtained. In schools, for example, it is recommended that teachers and caretakers obtain an 'enhanced disclosure', cooks should obtain a 'standard disclosure'. The ideal scenario is that all staff responsible for the welfare and supervision of children (and other vulnerable individuals) should be checked. There is a cost involved, but this is waived for volunteers.

It is recommended that people should obtain a new disclosure if they take up a new appointment with a different employer, but this is impracticable in every case for those employed for a very short contract (e.g. 1 or 2 days). The institution will make a judgement about the nature of the employment: the Teachernet site gives some examples which may help.

If you have longstanding employees or volunteers, these should obtain a new disclosure every three years - or more often, if you have cause for concern.

Useful websites

The CILIP site is aimed at librarians, but contains much good advice and information which applies equally to staff working in museums and galleries.

The Disclosure Service gives advice on the Disclosure processes.

The Teachernet site gives good basic guidance on recruitment and management procedures.