Introduction
Any person who will be working with children (under the age of 18), young people or vulnerable adults in any capacity on behalf of UKTV should familiarise themselves with this policy.
This applies regardless of whether that work is undertaken as part of a commission, volunteering on behalf of UKTV or as part of your day to day role with us.
These overall principles should be regarded as a guiding framework, however, each situation should have a specific risk assessment completed in conjunction with Compliance/HR and if necessary compliance structure provided. Each project should therefore be discussed upfront with Compliance/HR to scope the necessary risk assessment required.
Therefore, it is important that you and our suppliers consult with the Compliance team (when working on commissions) and/or HR before undertaking any work with children, young people or vulnerable
adults.
We are committed to safeguarding the welfare of children and young people in our care. We adopt BBC guidelines in relation to our practices, and the below policy and procedures are largely based on
BBC policies.
The guidelines and procedures prescribed within this policy also apply to vulnerable adults in our care.
Principles
- Children and young people should be treated with care, respect and dignity.
- Those working for UKTV will be perceived by children as trusted representatives of UKTV.
- Compliance/HR will need to carry out a risk assessment when children undertake UKTV activities. Please refer to HR or Compliance for further guidance.
- You should act responsibly with regards to physical contact with children which may be necessary for work or health and safety reasons, or under supervision.
- An offer of work in a position where working alone with children and young people is an expected part of the role will be subject to a satisfactory DBS check. This applies to individuals engaged on any type of UKTV contract (e.g. employment, casual or freelance contracts). For the purposes of the DBS, a child is defined as someone who is under 18 or under 16 if the child is employed.
- Managers offering work experience placements must be compliant with the UKTV Work Experience Policy.
- While all under 18’s are covered by Child Protection law, for the purposes of these guidelines a ‘child’ is someone under the age of 15 and ‘young people’ are those aged 15, 16 and 17. For further information please refer to HR or Compliance.
Additional factors relevant to commissioned programming:
- Child licensing: When a child or young person needs to be licensed to take part in a programme the necessary steps must be taken in accordance with the guidance provided by the relevant Local Education Authority.
- Each commission should have a specific risk assessment and where necessary a compliance structure provided.
Please refer to the BBC Guidelines where you will find Working with Children Good Practice Guide and BBC Child Protection Policy, and other useful guidance such as whether DBS checks may be required.
Always check with HR/Compliance before undertaking any such work.
Please contact a member of the UKTV Human Resources Team if you require any further help or advice regarding this policy.
This policy is not part of any employee’s contract of employment and is not intended to be contractually binding.
April 2019