Child Safeguarding Statement

Irish Professional Photographers and Videographers Association
38/39 Fitzwilliam Square, Dublin 2

Nature of the services provided

IPPVA supports professional photography and videography in Ireland.
Our activities involving children and young people include the Emerging
Photography Awards and associated exhibitions and events, as well as
workshops and other activities delivered by or on behalf of IPPVA.

We are committed to treating every child with dignity and protecting
them from harm while using our services. This Statement applies to
anyone under 18 and to IPPVA personnel, judges, volunteers and
contractors working with them. It covers in-person activities,
online contact, submitted photographs and publicity.

Principles to safeguard children from harm

• All under-18s must be accompanied at all times during IPPVA
  events and in-person activities by a parent, guardian or
  parent-authorised responsible adult aged 18 or over. This includes
  arrival, breaks, interviews, photo calls and departure. There is no
  drop-off attendance. IPPVA retains its own safeguarding responsibilities.
• People working for IPPVA must undergo appropriate suitability checks,
  complete Garda vetting where legally required and receive safeguarding
  training appropriate to their roles before relevant duties begin.
• Interactions with children must remain open and observable. Private
  meetings, secret messages, personal lifts and unsupervised one-to-one
  activity are prohibited. Routine communications must use monitored
  IPPVA channels.
• Children must be listened to and treated respectfully. Bullying,
  discrimination, degrading treatment and exploitative conduct are
  prohibited. Practical support needs should be agreed with the
  accompanying adult before an activity.
• Reasonable child-protection or welfare concerns must be reported
  promptly to Tusla. Anyone may report directly. Call 112 or 999
  for immediate danger.
• Clear permissions are required for photographs and publicity.
  Personal information must be restricted to authorised users,
  public identification limited and unnecessary image metadata removed.
  Entrant databases and contact details must not be shared with sponsors.

Risk assessment

The following risks of harm have been identified for IPPVA activities.
The responsible programme or event lead must confirm that the required
controls are operating before the affected activity proceeds.

Supporting procedures

This Statement is intended to give effect to the Children First Act
2015, Children First National Guidance and Tusla safeguarding guidance.
The following written procedures must support its implementation:

• Managing identified risks and allegations of abuse or misconduct
  concerning people working for IPPVA.
• Safe recruitment, selection and required Garda vetting.
• Providing safeguarding information and training, including
  recognising harm.
• Reporting child-protection and welfare concerns to Tusla and,
  where appropriate, An Garda Síochána.
• Maintaining a list of mandated persons, where applicable, and
  appointing a Relevant Person for this Statement.
• Safe events and communications, consent and image use, complaints,
  confidential records and data protection.

Awards participation and permissions

For the Emerging Photography Awards, entrants aged 13–15 require
parent or guardian permission at entry. Entrants aged 16–17 may
enter themselves, with parent or guardian permission required if
selected as a finalist. Entrants aged 18 or over authorise their
own participation. Entry permission is separate from publicity
permission and does not change the under-18 accompaniment rule.

For identifiable publicity involving an under-18, the young person’s
agreement and parent or guardian permission are required. Refusing
optional publicity must not affect judging. Any sponsor image use
requires a separate, limited licence and appropriate permissions;
entry never requires Credit Union membership, account opening or
marketing consent.

Implementation and review

The IPPVA Council is responsible for approval and oversight.
The Relevant Person coordinates the availability and review of
this Statement. Personnel must be briefed on their responsibilities,
and supporting procedures must be implemented before the relevant
activity proceeds.

The Statement and risk assessment must be reviewed at least every
two years, or sooner following a material change or an incident
affecting safeguarding. The approved Statement must be made
available to personnel, families and the public and displayed
prominently where services operate.

Safeguarding contacts

A child or adult can raise a concern with any IPPVA team member or
the contacts above. Information is shared only where necessary
to protect a child or meet legal duties; absolute confidentiality
cannot be promised.