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Photography and Filming Policy

1.0 Introduction

Your Trust is committed to promoting a safe, respectful, and positive environment for all children and young people who participate in our activities, events, and programs. This policy statement reflects our dedication to safeguarding the welfare and rights of children and young people by ensuring that photography and filming within our facilities and at our events are conducted in a responsible and ethical manner.

This policy aligns with our broader safeguarding policies, procedures, and standards, and is designed to protect the privacy and dignity of children and young people while recognising the importance of capturing and sharing moments of participation and achievement.

2.0 Policy Statement

The purpose of this policy statement is to:

  • protect children and young people who take part in Your Trust’s services, events and activities, specifically those where photographs and videos may be taken
  • set out the overarching principles that guide our approach to photographs/videos being taken of children and young people during our events and activities
  • 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 applies to all staff, volunteers and other adults associated with Your Trust.

We recognise that:

  • sharing photographs and films of our activities can help us celebrate the successes and achievements of our children and young people, provide a record of our activities and raise awareness of our organisation
  • the welfare of children and young people is our paramount concern. All photography and filming activities must prioritise the safety, privacy, and well-being of the children and young people involved
  • children, their parents and carers have a right to decide whether their images are taken and how these may be used, regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation
  • we are committed to protecting the privacy of children and young people. Images and videos should only be captured and used with appropriate consent and in a way that respects their dignity and personal boundaries
  • consent to take images of children is only meaningful when children, their parents and carers understand how the images will be used and stored, and are fully aware of the potential risks associated with the use and distribution of these images
  • there are potential risks associated with sharing images of children online

3.0 Guidelines for Photography and Filming

3.1 Obtaining Consent:

  • Written consent must be obtained from a parent or guardian before photographing or filming any child or young person. This consent will specify the purpose of the images or footage and how they will be used.
  • Young people aged 14 – 18 years old should also be consulted and, where appropriate, their consent obtained, as they are of an age to understand the purpose of the photography or filming.

3.2 Appropriate Use of Images:

  • Images and footage of children and young people will be used only for the purposes outlined in the consent form. Any changes in the intended use require additional consent.
  • We will not use images or footage that could be interpreted as being exploitative, inappropriate, or that could place a child or young person at risk.

We will be 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
  • never publishing personal information about individual children and disguising any identifying information (for example the name of their school or a school uniform with a logo)
  • only using images of adults in appropriate clothing
  • using images that positively reflect young people’s involvement in the activity.

3.3 Storage and Access:

  • All images and footage will be stored securely, in accordance with our safeguarding policy and data protection law, with access limited to relevant staff.
  • Images and footage will be retained only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purpose for which they were captured.

4.0 Use of External Photographers/Videographers

Any external photographers or videographers engaged by Your Trust will be vetted in line with our safeguarding procedures. They must adhere to this policy and any other relevant safeguarding policies and standards.

If we hire a photographer for one of our events, we will seek to keep children and young people safe by:

  • providing the photographer with a clear brief about appropriate content and behaviour
  • ensuring the photographer wears identification at all times
  • informing children, their parents and carers that a photographer will be at the event and ensuring they give written consent to images which feature their child being taken and shared
  • not allowing the photographer to have unsupervised access to children
  • reporting concerns regarding inappropriate or intrusive photography following our child protection procedure

5.0 Photography and/or Filming for Wider Use

If people such as local journalists, professional photographers (not hired by Your Trust) or students wish to record one of our events and share the images professionally or in the wider world, they will need to seek permission in advance.

They should provide:

  • the name and address of the person using the camera
  • the names of children, young people or adults they wish to take images of (if possible)
  • the reason for taking the images and/or what the images will be used for
  • a signed declaration that the information provided is valid and that the images will only be used for the reasons given.

Your Trust will verify these details and decide whether to grant permission for photographs/films to be taken. We will seek consent from those who are the intended subjects of the images, who will seek consent from their beneficiaries and we will inform the photographer of anyone who does not give consent.

At the event we will inform children, parents, carers and those present that an external photographer is present and ensure the photographer is easily identifiable, for example by issuing them with a coloured identification badge.

If Your Trust is concerned that someone unknown to us is using their sessions for photography or filming purposes, we will ask them to leave and (depending on the nature of the concerns) follow our child protection and safeguarding procedures.

  • If you wish to withdraw your consent for the use of photographs or footage after a period of time, you may do so by submitting a formal request to Your Trust via marketing@yourtrustrochdale.co.uk Upon receiving your request, we will make reasonable efforts to discontinue further use of your image and remove or blur it from any future publications, digital platforms, or promotional materials, where feasible.
  • We will make it clear that if a child or their family withdraw consent for an image to be shared, that it may not be possible to fully retract content that has already been widely distributed, published, or archived, but we will strive to honor your request to the fullest extent possible.

If children, parents and/or carers do not consent to photographs being taken, we will respect their wishes. We will agree in advance how they would like to be identified so the photographer knows not to take pictures of them, and ensure this is done in a way that does not single out the child or make them feel isolated. We will never exclude a child from an activity because we do not have consent to take their photograph.

8.0 Reporting Concerns

Any concerns from staff, volunteers, children, parents and carers about the inappropriate use or distribution of images or footage must be reported immediately to the designated safeguarding officer. All concerns will be handled in accordance with our safeguarding policies and procedures.

9.0 Contact Details

Senior Lead for Safeguarding and Child Protection
Andrea Pardoe, Director for People, Organisational Development & Wellness
Email: andrea.pardoe@yourtrustrochdale.co.uk

Marketing and Communications
Email: Marketing@yourtrustrochdale.co.uk