Imagination Gaming – Child Protection Policy Statement

Imagination Gaming is committed to the following:

• the welfare of the child is paramount
• all children, whatever their age, culture, ability, gender, language, racial origin, religious belief and/or sexual identity should be able to participate in a fun and safe environment
• taking all reasonable steps to protect children from harm, discrimination and degrading treatment and to respect their rights, wishes and feelings all suspicions and allegations of poor practice or abuse will be taken seriously and responded to swiftly and appropriately
• all Imagination gaming employees who work with children will be recruited with regard to their suitability for that responsibility, and will be provided with guidance and/or training in good practice and child protection procedures
• working in partnership with parents and children is essential for the protection of children

Good Practice

All personnel should adhere to the following principles and action:

• Always work in an open environment (e.g. avoiding private or unobserved situations and encouraging open communication with no secrets)
• Make the experience of our events fun and enjoyable: promote fairness, confront and deal with bullying
• Treat all young people equally and with respect and dignity
• Always put the welfare of the young person first, before winning
• Maintain a safe and appropriate distance with players (e.g. it is not appropriate for staff or volunteers to have an intimate relationship with a child or to share a room with them)
• Avoid unnecessary physical contact with young people. Where any form of manual/physical support is required it should be provided openly and with the consent of the young person. Physical contact can be appropriate so long as it is neither intrusive nor disturbing and the young person’s consent has been given
• Involve parents/carers wherever possible, encouraging parents to take responsibility for their own child.
• Request written parental consent if company officials are required to transport young people in their cars
• Be an excellent role model, this includes not smoking or drinking alcohol in the company of young people
• Always give enthusiastic and constructive feedback rather than negative criticism
• Recognising the developmental needs and capacity of the young person and do not  risk sacrificing welfare in a desire for business or personal achievements. This means not pushing them against their will
• Keep a written record of any injury that occurs, along with details of any treatment

Poor Practice

The following are regarded as poor practice and should be avoided by all personnel:

• Unnecessarily spending excessive amounts of time alone with young people away from others
• Taking young people alone in a car on journeys, however short
• Taking young people to your home where they will be alone with you
• Sharing a room with a young person
• Engaging in rough, physical or sexually provocative games, including horseplay
• Allow or engage in inappropriate touching of any form
• Allowing young people to use inappropriate language unchallenged
• Making sexually suggestive comments to a young person, even in fun
• Reducing a young person to tears as a form of control
• Allow allegations made by a young person to go unchallenged, unrecorded or not acted upon
• Do things of a personal nature that the young person can do for themselves