Everyone at the festival shares responsibility for keeping children and young people safe. This page explains what we do, what we ask of you and how to raise a concern.
Raising a concern
During the festival: tell any steward. Every steward wears an official CFPA lanyard. They will find the Festival Safeguarding Officer and, where it helps, take you somewhere private to talk.
At any other time: contact the Festival Safeguarding Officer.
| Safeguarding Officer | Lesley Hendrie |
| safeguarding@cfpa.org.uk |
If a child is in immediate danger, call 999.
Reporting outside the festival
You never have to come to us first. If your concern is about anyone connected with the festival, including a trustee, a volunteer or the Safeguarding Officer, go straight to the council.
A concern about an adult working or volunteering with children
Gloucestershire County Council’s Local Authority Designated Officer handles allegations about people in a position of trust. They respond within 24 hours.
| amadmin@gloucestershire.gov.uk | |
| Phone | 01452 426994 |
A concern about a child
| Front Door service | 01452 426565, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm |
| Out of hours | 01452 614194 |
| Immediate danger | 999 |
If you would rather not go to the council
| NSPCC helpline | 0808 800 5000, for adults |
| Childline | 0800 1111, for children and young people |
Our commitment
Cheltenham Festival of Performing Arts believes that no child or young person should ever experience abuse of any kind. We have a responsibility to promote the welfare of all children and young people and to work in a way that protects them.
The welfare of children is paramount. Regardless of age, disability, gender, racial heritage, religious belief, sexual orientation or identity, every child has the right to equal protection from all types of harm or abuse. Some children and young people are additionally vulnerable because of their level of dependency or their communication needs, and working in partnership with their parents, teachers and carers is essential to their welfare.
The festival is a member of the British and International Federation of Festivals and follows its child protection policy and procedures.
What we do
- We appoint a Festival Safeguarding Officer to oversee every aspect of safeguarding.
- All festival staff and volunteers receive best practice advice, support and training, including clear reporting procedures for anyone with a concern about a child.
- Appropriate recruitment and induction procedures apply to all festival staff and volunteers.
- Every steward wears an official identification lanyard, so there is always someone identifiable to report a concern to.
- Reported incidents are handled in line with child protection best practice and, where appropriate, in a quiet room where concerns can be raised in private.
- All performers are covered by a Body of Persons Approval obtained by the festival committee.
What we ask of you
Supervision
Throughout the festival, teachers, parents, guardians and carers remain responsible for the continuous care and supervision of their own children, pupils and vulnerable adults. That includes every festival venue, and the performance, rehearsal and changing areas.
If you cannot attend in person, you must delegate that responsibility to an identified adult and make sure the child knows who is looking after them and what they are called.
Performers under 16
Every performer born on or after needs a chaperone. That can be a parent, a teacher or a licensed chaperone. Performers missing part of the school day also need headteacher approval, which is checked at the Front Desk on arrival.
Chaperones and headteacher approval
Photography and recording
No photography, sound recording or video recording of any kind is permitted inside the Town Hall, except by people approved by the festival committee. This follows our child protection policy, copyright law and the terms under which we hire the Town Hall.
If you do not want a child in your care to appear in officially authorised photographs, tell the responsible adult attending with them so they can make sure the child is not included.
Consent
By submitting an entry form, parents, guardians, carers and teachers of entrants under 18, and of vulnerable adults of any age, confirm that they give or have obtained all the consents needed for that person to take part.
If a performer needs support
If a child or vulnerable adult needs something specific in order to take part, please contact us before the festival. We will do what we can to meet the need, but we have to know in advance so we can prepare, or tell you honestly if we cannot help on this occasion.
The full documents
- Child Protection Policy Statement: our commitment to keeping children safe
- Child Protection Procedures: what everyone working with children at the festival must do
Both documents are published by the British and International Federation of Festivals and cover all member festivals. Anything specific to Cheltenham is on this page. If you need either document in another format, email info@cfpa.org.uk and we will send it.