Photography and filming of children and young people policy
Highlands Rewilding works with children and families as part of its activities which include: outdoor classes with local schools, guided walks and nature-related events.
Our policy is:
· to protect children and young people who take part in these events and activities, specifically those where photographs and videos may be taken,
· to set out the principles that guide our approach to photographs/videos being taken of children and young people, and
· to ensure that we operate in line with our values and within the law when creating, using and sharing images of children and young people.
This policy statement is based on NSPCC guidance and applies to all staff, volunteers and other adults associated with Highlands Rewilding
We believe that:
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
any images of children and young people participating in our activities should be taken, shared and used safely.
We will seek to keep children and young people safe by:
always asking for written consent from a child and their parents or carers before taking and using a child’s image
always explaining what images will be used for, how they will be stored and what potential risks are associated with sharing images of children,
making it clear that if a child or their family withdraw consent for an image to be shared, it may not be possible to delete images that have already been shared or published
changing the names of children whose images are being used in our published material whenever possible (and only using first names if we do need to identify them)
never publishing personal information about individual children
making sure children, their parents and carers understand how images of children will be securely stored and for how long (including how we will control access to the images and their associated information)
reducing the risk of images being copied and used inappropriately by:
only using images of children in appropriate clothing (including safety wear if necessary)
avoiding full face and body shots of children taking part in activities such as swimming where there may be a heightened risk of images being misused,
using images that positively reflect young people’s involvement in the activity.
Our procedure for reporting the abuse or misuse of images of children is to report any concerns to Photography and images co-ordinator whose contact details are at the end of this policy statement.
We will store photographs and videos of children securely in accordance data protection law. We will keep hard copies of images in a locked drawer and electronic images in a protected folder with restricted access. Images will be stored for a period of two years only unless otherwise agreed. We will never store images of children on unencrypted portable equipment such as laptops, memory sticks and mobile phones. Highlands Rewilding does not permit staff and volunteers to use any personal equipment to take photos and recordings of children. Only cameras or devices belonging to the company should be used.
Photography and images co-ordinator
Frances Mills