Photography Policy

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Film And Photography Policy Statement

Sandal Methodist Church works with children and families as part of its activities.

These include: religious services, organised youth activities, concerts and other activites.

The purpose of this policy statement is to:

protect children and young people who take part in Sandal Methodist

Church’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

to 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 trustees, members, adherents, volunteers and

other adults associated with Sandal Methodist Church.

Legal framework

This policy has been drawn up on the basis of legislation, policy and guidance

that seeks to protect children in England as advised by the NSPCC.

We believe that:

children and young people should never experience abuse of any kind

we have a responsibility to promote the welfare of all children and young

people and to take, share and use images of children safely.

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 the children and young people taking part in our activities

is paramount

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

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 ofthese images

there are potential risks associated with sharing images of children online.

We will seek to keep children and young people safe by:

always asking for written consent from a child’s parents or

carers before taking and using a child’s image

always explaining what images will be used for, how they will be stored

and what potential risks are associated with sharing images of children

making it clear that if a child or their family withdraw consent for an image

to be shared, it may not be possible to delete images that have already been

shared or published

changing the names of children whose images are being used in our

published material whenever possible (and only using first names if we do

need to identify them)

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)

making sure children, their parents and carers understand how images of

children will be securely stored and for how long (including how we will

control access to the images and their associated information)

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

using images that positively reflect young people’s involvement in the activity.

Photography and/or filming for personal use

When children themselves, parents, carers or spectators are taking

photographs or filming at our events and the images are for personal use, we

will publish guidance about image sharing in the event programmes and/or

announce details of our photography policy before the start of the event. This

includes:

reminding parents, carers and children that they need to give consent

for [name of group/organisation] to take and use their images

asking for photos taken during the event not to be shared on social media or

asking people to gain permission from children, their parents and carersbefore sharing photographs and videos that include them

recommending that people check the privacy settings of their social

media account to understand who else will be able to view any images

they share

reminding children, parents and carers who they can talk to if they have

any concerns about images being shared.

Photography and/or filming for Sandal Methodist Church use

We recognise that our group leaders may use photography and filming as an

aid in activities such as worship, music or drama. However, this should only be

done with permission from the group leader/organiser and using agreed

equipment.

Children, young people, parents and carers must also be made aware

that photography and filming is part of the programme and give

written consent.

If an external official/hired photographer attends 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 and ensuring that 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

not allowing the photographer to carry out sessions outside the event or at

a child’s home

reporting concerns regarding inappropriate or intrusive photography following

our child protection procedures.

Photography and/or filming for wider use

If people such as local journalists, professional photographers (not hired by

[name of group/organisation]) or students wish to record one of our events and

share the images professionally or in the wider world, they should seek

permission in advance.

They should provide:

the name and address of the person using the camera

the names of children 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.

The group leader/organiser will verify these details and decide whether to grant

permission for photographs/films to be taken. We will seek consent from the

children who are the intended subjects of the images and their parents and carers and

inform the photographer of anyone who does not give consent.

At the event we will inform children, parents and carers that an external

photographer is present and ensure the photographer is easily identifiable, for

example by issuing them with a coloured identification badge.

If an accredited photographer 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 procedures.

If consent to take photographs is not given

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.

Storing images

We will store photographs and videos of children securely, in accordance

with our safeguarding policy and data protection law.