BBE's popular safeguarding programme, BandSafe, is to be rolled out to the wider music community thanks to new partnerships with membership organisations Making Music and Music Mark.
A Make Music Safe scheme launched this month, serving Making Music’s 4,000 members with safeguarding information, support and training for their music group. A similar scheme for members of Music Mark, MusEd Safe, is to launch later this year and will provide those connected with Music Education Hubs with training and resources tailored to their needs.
Crucially, these services will offer access to a national BOPA (Body of Persons Approval) covering England and Wales, administered by Brass Bands England, as a less administratively challenging option for members to comply with Child Performance Licensing when performing with young people.
The scheme, which has been developed with the Department for Education who issue the underlying BOPA, and developed with the NSPCC, also seeks to increase the level of safeguarding confidence in the sector by including training and support in policy writing. This essential training is a requirement to access the BOPA and is all included within the scheme.
Speaking about the initiative, Making Music Chief Executive Barbara Eifler said: “The administration around Child Performance Licensing can be a real barrier for our members, so much that it can discourage groups from allowing children and young people from taking part in their events, so I’m really pleased we are able to offer this new subscription service. Making Music Safe will make it easier for members to comply with the law and give additional assurance to parents and carers that our musical spaces are a safe place for children to enjoy themselves in their leisure time.”
Alex Parker, Brass Bands England's Membership Development Manager, commented: “It's down to the diligent work of brass bands in implementing good safeguarding practices that has led to the success of the existing BandSafe programme. We are really pleased to now be in a position to offer this safeguarding service out more widely. I hope it will help more music groups and practitioners have confidence in their safeguarding practices, and save some administrative hurdles along the way."
Brass bands looking for safeguarding training can visit BBE’s BandSafe information page. Anyone interested in safeguarding training for the wider music sector can contact alex@bbe.org.uk for more information.