Policies

The financial stability of the theatre relies on the support of our audiences in the form of ticket sales.  It is important for us to protect ourselves, our visiting companies and the livelihood of our actors, technicians, production, sound and lighting crews so please be aware of our ticket return policy.

We will do our best to seat late arrivals safely but it may be necessary to wait until the interval.

We do not charge booking or credit card fees but if you would like to add a donation to support our work it would be most appreciated.

Theatre Royal Bury St Edmunds is committed to being an anti-racist organisation. We recognise the critical role the arts play in our culture and national conversations and accept our responsibility to make positive change through our work, our practices, and our policies.

We recognise that institutional and systemic racism exists at all levels and in all facets of society, including in cultural institutions, and that we must play an active role in addressing societal, systemic, and everyday racism both in our theatre and in our wider community. The theatre has a zero-tolerance approach to racism and condemns all racist and discriminatory behaviour. We are committed to challenging and dismantling structural racism within our practices, policies, procedures and our community. It is unacceptable that anyone in our theatre experiences racism or discrimination. Our Equality and Diversity action plan details the actions we will take as an organisation to begin this work. The action plan is a live document, updated and revised as our learning progresses.

The organisation is committed to the protection and promotion of the mental health and wellbeing of all staff.
The organisation shall continuously strive to improve the mental health environment and culture of the
organisation by identifying, eliminating, or minimising all harmful processes, procedures and behaviours
that may cause psychological harm or illness to its employees.
The organisation shall continuously strive, as far as is reasonably practicable, to promote mental health
throughout. Find the full policy here.

Theatre Royal is a registered charity formed for the advancement of the arts for the benefit of the public, in particular through the operation of a theatre in Bury St Edmunds and the advancement of education in relation to the arts for the benefit of the public.
FUNDRAISING STATEMENT
Theatre Royal Bury St Edmunds needs to fundraise in order to deliver on its constitution and provide services to the community. This is in addition to revenue raised from ticket sales, bar income and commercial hires. Fundraising is solicited from trusts & foundations, corporate organisations and businesses, and individual donors in line with our Ethical Fundraising Policy.
ETHICAL FUNDRAISING POLICY
Theatre Royal Bury St Edmunds aims to fundraise in an open and honest manner. We set the following ethical guidelines within which we are prepared to accept money to meet our fundraising objectives:
• As a registered charity, we will always adhere to regulations set by the Charity Commission.
• Funding will only be sought in line with our constitution, objectives and values.
• We will always report to donors and funders within the specified time frames and maintain an honest and open relationship with our donors.
• We will not accept money from organisations that have been proven to have undertaken criminal activity. We will never knowingly accept funds from any source that have been gained through criminal activity. If this is discovered after receipt of funds, then we will take steps to resolve this to the best of our ability. We will ensure corporate funders are registered with company’s house and investigate their own trading policies on their website.
• We will endeavour to assess the ethics and attitudes of each organisation we solicit funds from and will not pursue any fundraising from those that we judge to have acted in an unethical way relating to the nine protected characteristics of the Equality Act or the Environmental Protection Act.
• We will not accept funds or sponsorship from organisations for which advertising is banned. All sponsors and funders for events will be appropriate for the relevant target audience.
• Accepting money from any organisation does not align us to their political views.
• We will always assess the level of risk of accepting funding, donations or sponsorships against the potential benefits and consider how the risk (if any) can be mitigated.
• We will avoid over-reliance on one or more key donors.
• Funding will only ever be used and distributed under the terms of our constitution.

Theatre Royal Bury St Edmunds is committed to a zero-tolerance approach to sexual harassment towards its workers to create an environment where everybody feels safe. Following the receipt of a concern, management will take action and/or begin an investigation. Individuals may be asked to leave the premises immediately and their return may not be appropriate until the outcome of any investigation is known.

Policy Scope

This policy applies to all staff, contractors and volunteers at Theatre Royal Bury St Edmunds.

Introduction

Theatre Royal Bury St Edmunds makes a positive contribution to a strong and safe community and recognises the right of every individual to stay safe.

Theatre Royal Bury St Edmunds comes into contact with children and vulnerable adults through hiring for performance in production, public audiences & workshop participants.

The type of contact with children will be intensive regulated activity (i.e. 3 days or more within a 30-day period) and controlled activity (i.e. ancillary roles where there may be contact with vulnerable groups.)

This policy seeks to ensure that Theatre Royal Bury St Edmunds undertakes its responsibilities with regard to protection of children and will respond to concerns appropriately. The policy establishes a framework to support paid and unpaid staff in their practices and clarifies the organisation’s expectations.

Legislation

The principal pieces of legislation governing this policy are:

• Working together to Safeguard Children Department of Education 2023
• Keeping Children Safe in Education 2024
• The Children Act 1989
• The Adoption and Children Act 2002
• The Children act 2004
• Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006
• Care Standards Act 2000
• Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998
• The Police Act – Amendment Regulation 2008
• Mental Health Act 1983
• NHS and Community Care Act 1990
• Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974
• Data Protection Act 2018 – GDPR

Definitions

Safeguarding is about embedding practices throughout the organisation to ensure the protection of children and vulnerable adults wherever possible. In contrast, child protection is about responding to circumstances that arise where a child is likely to be suffering significant harm.

Abuse is not restricted to any socio-economic group, gender or culture.  It can take a number of forms, including the following:

• Physical abuse
• Sexual abuse
• Emotional abuse
• Bullying
• Neglect
• Financial (or material) abuse

Definition of a child

A child is under the age of 18 (as defined in the United Nations convention on the Rights of a Child).

 Responsibilities

All staff (paid or unpaid) have responsibility to follow the guidance laid out in this policy and related policies, and to pass on any welfare concerns using the required procedures.

We expect all staff (paid or unpaid) to promote good practice by being an excellent role model, contribute to discussions about safeguarding and to positively involve people in developing safe practices.

Implementation

The scope of this Safeguarding Policy is broad ranging and in practice, it will be implemented via a range of policies and procedures within the company and at the venues we work from. These include:

• Health & Safety Policy
• Equal Opportunities Policy – safeguarding procedures are in line with this policy, particularly in respect of discriminatory abuse.
• Data Protection Policy
• Confidentiality Policy

Communications training and support for staff

Theatre Royal Bury St Edmunds commits resources for training of staff (paid or unpaid), effective communications and support mechanisms in relation to Safeguarding.

All staff (paid or unpaid), who, through their role, are in contact with children and/or vulnerable adults, will have access to safeguarding training at an appropriate level. Regular updates are provided. All training will be renewed annually.

Commitment to the following communication methods will ensure effective communication of safeguarding issues and practice:

• Staff (paid or unpaid) meetings.
• One to one meetings (formal or informal).
• Discussion of the Safeguarding Policy (and confirmation of understanding).
• Encouraging open discussion during staff meetings to identify any barriers to reporting so that they can be addressed.
• Refresher sessions to remind staff (paid or unpaid) about policies and procedures.

We recognise that involvement in situations where there is risk or actual harm can be stressful for the staff concerned. The mechanisms in place to support staff include:

• Debriefing support for paid and unpaid staff so that they can reflect on the issues they have dealt with.
• Seeking further support as appropriate, e.g. access to counselling.

Reporting

All concerns must be reported to the General Manager and DSL Richard Melchior, [email protected], or Programming and Administration Co-Ordinator & ADSL Sharron Stowe [email protected]

Concerns about a staff member (paid or unpaid)

If you have concerns about a member of staff (paid or unpaid), or an allegation is made about a member of staff (paid or unpaid) posing a risk of harm, speak to the DSL as soon as possible.

If the concerns/allegations are about the DSL, speak to the CEO Owen Calvert-Lyons.

If the concerns/allegations are about the CEO, speak to the safeguarding board member  .

The DSL/CEO/safeguarding board member will then report directly to the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) if appropriate.

Where you believe there is a conflict of interest in reporting a concern or allegation about a member of staff report it directly to the local authority designated officer (LADO).

If you wish to report a concern relating to an outside organisation that is using the Theatre premises, follow our safeguarding policy as you would with any safeguarding allegation.

Monitoring

Theatre Royal Bury St Edmunds will monitor the following Safeguarding aspects:

• Safer recruitment practices.
• DBS checks undertaken and reviewed every 3 years.
• References applied for in respect of new staff.
• Register/record of staff training on child/vulnerable adult protection.
• Monitoring whether concerns are being reported and actioned.
• Checking that policies are up to date and relevant.
• Regularly review and update policies in line with statutory guidance and legislation.

Managing Information

Information will be gathered, recorded and stored in accordance with the Data Protection Policy/GDPR.

All staff (paid or unpaid) must be aware that they have a professional duty to share information with other agencies in order to safeguard children and vulnerable adults. The public interest in safeguarding children and vulnerable adults may override confidentiality interests.

All staff (paid or unpaid) must be aware that they cannot promise children or their families/carers that they will keep secrets.

Communicating and reviewing the policy

Theatre Royal Bury St Edmunds will make staff aware of the Safeguarding Policy by publishing the policy on its website. A hard copy will be available upon request.

This policy will be reviewed by the Board and DSL every year and when there are changes in legislation.

Designated Safeguarding Lead

The Designated Safeguarding Lead is Richard Melchior, General Manager of Theatre Royal Bury St Edmunds.

The Designated Safeguarding Lead’s responsibilities are to:

• Promote the welfare of children and vulnerable adults.
• Ensure staff (paid and unpaid) have access to appropriate training/information.
• Receive staff safeguarding concerns in a timely and appropriate manner.
• Ensure accurate records are maintained.
• Keep up to date with local arrangements for safeguarding and DBS.
• Develop and maintain effective links with relevant agencies.