Next visit: Worcester Cathedral -> 25th-26th October 2025
The Harsnett Choir is committed to safeguarding the wellbeing of all individuals, including members, committee members, those who are invited to work with and perform with the choir, and members of the general public who may interact with the Choir from time to time. The Choir shall work with relevant authorities, including the Church of England and other organisations that host the Choir, to uphold all parties’ safeguarding commitments.
This Safeguarding Policy applies to members of the Harsnett Choir and all others invited to work with or perform with the Choir.
Safeguarding means “protecting a citizen’s health, wellbeing and human rights; enabling them to live free from harm, abuse and neglect.”1 Children, young people and vulnerable adults (being those who are or may be unable to take care of themselves or are unable to protect themselves against significant harm or exploitation)2 are identified as being most in need of this protection and the use of the term in the context of this policy is considered to be in relation to these vulnerable groups.
The Harsnett Choir is a Registered Charity composed of choir members. The Choir is overseen by a committee of volunteers who are appointed by members.
The Choir exists predominantly as a visiting choir for Church of England cathedrals. Visits are between a single day to a week long and involve rehearsing in the cathedral’s song schools and singing all of the cathedral services for the duration of the visit.
Services are conducted by, and rehearsals run by, the Choir’s self-employed Music Director (or an appointed substitute). Organ and piano accompaniment for rehearsals and services is provided by a self-employed organistwho will usually be an existing organ scholar or assistant director of music for a Church of England church or cathedral.
The law requires an organisation to identify its interactions with vulnerable groups, to take all reasonable measures to ensure that the risk of harm to their welfare is minimised and, where there are concerns, to share them with other local agencies. The relevant legal requirements arise from various UK laws and government guidance, including the Strategy for Dealing with Safeguarding Issues in Charities.3
The Choir recognises that it is not the role of the Choir to decide whether a child or vulnerable adult has been abused or not. This is the role of the Social Services department who have legal responsibility, the NSPCC who have powers to investigate child protection concerns under the Children Act, or the police.
The majority of choir activities are performed whilst as a visiting choir at a Church of England cathedral. The Choir acknowledges the significant commitment made to safeguarding by the Church in its own policies and seeks to support, replicate and uphold those commitments in its own activities.
The Choir officially operates as an adult-only choir and does not work with children or young people. All members, volunteersand others invited to work with or perform with the Choir must be at least 18yearsof age to participate.
The activities of the Choir require a level of physical and mental individual capacity that is unlikely to be suitable for a vulnerable adult. The choir is audition-only and the Musical Director and the Safeguarding Officer will establish during the audition process whether a potential member might be described as a vulnerable adult. Where this is identified, the Safeguarding Officer will seek, with due sensitivity, to explore any implications for the individual’s role as a member of the choir and ensure that any safeguarding concerns can be adequately mitigated before membership is offered. The same approach will be applied to any existing member who, for reasons such as illness or advanced age, becomes classified as vulnerable.
Choir rehearsals and performances are group activities and there is no need for any member to be alone with another member or with the Music Director or organist. For prospective members, however, there is a short audition which is usually held on a one-to-one basis with the Music Director. Auditions will only be held once the Music Director and Safeguarding Officer have satisfied any concerns regarding vulnerability and the option of a chaperone will be available during the audition.
In consideration of these factors, and the general absence of children, young people or vulnerable adults from the Choir’s activities, the activities of the Choir are themselves assessed to create a very low direct safeguarding exposure.
Nonetheless, the Choir performs its activities in facilities provided by its host that are open to whomever the host organisation authorises to be present. This includes areas open to the general public (e.g. cathedral choir stalls) and areas accessible by individuals specifically authorised by the host organisation (e.g. song schools). At any point, Choir members may therefore be approached by members of the public during the course ofthe Choir’s activities and such interaction could include contact with children, young people and vulnerable adults. Whilst the Choir would not have direct safeguarding responsibility for these individuals, the Choir recognises and embraces its duty to safeguard the welfare of those with whom it may come into contact.
In consideration of the above, the Choir has agreed the following Safeguarding Policy:
The Choir shall publish this Policy on its website and bring it to the attention of members at the start of each visit.
The Choir shall appoint a Safeguarding Officer who is DBS checked and shall be trained, as appropriate, in safeguarding. For this the Choir appoints Graham Spearman. Any members with safeguarding concerns should report these to the Safeguarding Officer.
The Choir shall appoint an external Safeguarding Advisor who is DBS checked and trained in safeguarding. Should the Safeguarding Officer be named in a safeguarding issue, this shall be reviewed by the Safeguarding Advisor. For this role the Choir appoints Dr Clare Coombe.
Whilst the Choir does not directly recruit any individuals, it shall ensure that any individuals it appoints to the roles of Music Director and Organist are DBS checked in accordance the applicable regulation.
The Choir shall produce and maintain a Safeguarding Risk Assessment. This shall identify both generic risks and any risks specific to the Choir and/or individual members. The Assessment shall confirm what action is in place to mitigate any risks identified.
The Choir shall cooperate fully with its host organisation to support that entity’s own safeguarding commitments. This shall include co-production of risk assessments and procedures to identify the responsibilities of each party and the communication of such procedures to Choir members.
The Safeguarding Officer may be contacted at graham@gspearman.co.uk or by telephone on 07721 505296. For safeguarding concerns involving the Safeguarding Officer, please contact the Safeguarding Advisor at claremcoombe@gmail.com or by telephone on 07837 574073.
All reports to the Safeguarding Officer and Advisor shall be treated in confidence and in accordance with the Choir’s Data Protection Policy.