Safeguarding policy
The purpose and scope of this policy statement
It’s Our Planet Too is a children’s eco brand and a social enterprise. We produce children’s eco subscription boxes and activity kits – Tool Kits For Eco Heroes – to inspire children to love our environment.
As a predominantly retail business, much of our work is remote, however on occasion we attend events - such as at fairs, markets and schools - we come into direct contact with children and their families. We do not engage in 1:1 contact with children without their responsible adult present or provide care in any form. While most events are a positive experience for those who attend there are risks associated with them for children and some adults.
We occasionally use images of children interacting with our Tool Kits across our marketing activity. This policy sets out our position on using these images.
The purpose of this policy statement is:
to protect children and young people who receive our services from harm.
to provide staff and volunteers, as well as children and young people and their families, with the overarching principles that guide our approach to child protection.
This policy applies to anyone working on behalf of It’s Our Planet Too, including paid staff, volunteers and students.
Legal framework
This policy has been drawn up on the basis of legislation, policy and guidance that seeks to protect children in England. A summary of the key legislation and guidance is available here.
We believe that:
children and young people should never experience abuse of any kind children and young people should never experience abuse of any kind
we have a responsibility to promote the welfare of all children and young people, to keep them safe and to practise in a way that protects them.
the welfare of children is paramount in all the work we do and in all the decisions we take
working in partnership with children, young people, their parents, carers and other agencies is essential in promoting young people’s welfare
all children, regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex, or sexual orientation have an equal right to protection from all types of harm or abuse
some children are additionally vulnerable because of the impact of previous experiences, their level of dependency, communication needs or other issues
extra safeguards may be needed to keep children who are additionally vulnerable safe from abuse.
Event safeguarding checklist (risks to be aware of):
Type of event: Community or city centre, family event, in-store event, school event.
Potential risks to children / adults: Lost or unsupervised children, accidental harm, exposure to inappropriate behaviour.
Risk management policy at events:
To mitigate these risks while children are taking part in our activities, the following points must be adhered to:
Staff and volunteers must not be in 1:1 contact with any under 18s without their responsible adult being present.
Staff and volunteers should not take any responsibility for minding children at events.
Use of children’s images in our marketing activity:
On occasion it is necessary to use images of children interacting with our products, including our Tool Kits For Eco Heroes. Such images are used in the legitimate interests of It’s Our Planet Too and its community including but not limited to web content, advertising and publicity and are unlikely to cause any negative impact on children. In all instances, the following procedures are followed:
Full permission is received from parent or responsible adult, setting out the scope of how a picture may be used.
All children feel safe and willing to take part, knowing why the photographs are being taken.
User generated content may be shared with the full permission of the sharing parent or responsible adult. For example sharing customer photographs on social media.
Pictures are not saved on any phones or shared unnecessarily amongst staff.
Contact details
Kate Cohen (Owner / founder)
hello@itsourplanettoo.co.uk