Policies

Edinburgh Graduate Theatre Group (EGTG) recognises its responsibility to keep children and young people involved in the group safe and to respond appropriately in the event of safeguarding concerns. 

The policy and procedures below are based on legislation and guidance that seeks to protect children in Scotland and should be read in conjunction with the group’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Policy, Grievance and Disciplinary Policy and Health and Safety Policy. 

This document applies to all children and young people under the age of 18, although young people over the legal school leaving age do not require a performance licence, chaperone or to abide by the restrictions listed in the section on chaperones. 

Parental Consent

• A consent form is required for each child or young person involved in a production. This should be completed by their parent/guardian and will be stored in line with GDPR requirements.

EGTG Activities

• The group will attempt to ensure that no adult has unsupervised contact with children or young people. 
• If unsupervised contact is unavoidable, steps will be taken to minimise risk. For example, work will be carried out in a public area, or in a designated room with a door open.
• If it is predicted that an individual is likely to require unsupervised contact with children or young people, he or she may be required to become a member of the Protecting Vulnerable Groups (PVG) scheme.
• Adults will only touch children or young people when it is absolutely necessary in relation to the particular activity. Adults will seek the consent of the child or young person prior to any physical contact and the purpose of the contact shall be made clear.

Chaperones 

• Chaperones will be appointed by the group for the care of children during rehearsals and performances.
• It is recommended that chaperones are members of the PVG scheme
• All chaperones will be given a copy of the group’s Child Protection Policy and Procedures.
• By law the chaperone is acting in loco parentis and should exercise the care which a good parent might be reasonably expected to give to a child. 
• The maximum number of children in the chaperone’s care will not exceed ten.
• Chaperones should be aware of where the children in their care are at all times.
• Children should not leave the theatre or rehearsal space unsupervised by a chaperone unless in the company of their parent/guardian or in a manner directly sanctioned by their parent/guardian. 

Photography

• Photographs and videos may be taken of children and young people during rehearsals and performances providing parental permission has been given on the consent form. 
• Such pictures may be used for publicity purposes, but should not be associated with a child or young person’s name unless specific permission has been sought from their parents/guardians. 
• Photographs or videos should not be taken in areas such as dressing rooms when people are changing, or in other similar situations.

Licences

• Most productions involving children under school leaving age require a child entertainment licence. 
• For amateur productions, where a group of children are not being paid for taking part, a ‘body of persons approval’ can be sought instead of applying for individual licences.
• If a production meets the criteria for a licence, it is a legal requirement to get one and failure to do so is an offence.
• Licences are applied for through Edinburgh Council and applications must be received at least 21 days before the production takes place.
• It is the responsibility of the production team and EGTG committee to ensure that any relevant licences are obtained.
• More information on licences can be found at: https://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/licences-permits/child-entertainment-licence 

Reporting Concerns

The designated Child Protection Officer for EGTG is Claire Wood 

All concerns and issues relating to the safeguarding of children and young people should be passed to the Child Protection Officer as soon as possible. A concern is if someone suspects a child or young person in the group may be suffering any form of abuse or if a child or young person discloses abuse. Types of abuse include:

• Emotional
• Physical
• Sexual
• Neglect
• Bullying
• Discriminatory
• Financial
• Institutional

When alerted to concerns about a child or young person the Child Protection Officer should:

• Ensure that the child or young person is in no immediate danger and that any medical or police assistance required has been sought
• Consider whether the concern is a safeguarding issue or not. If there is any doubt or uncertainty, statutory agencies should be consulted.  

• If there is considered to be a safeguarding issue, details should be passed to the police and/or statutory bodies such as social services. 
• If the concern is not considered to be a safeguarding issue and it is decided that no referral should be made, a record should be made of the concern including any action taken and the reasons for not referring. If relevant, the situation should be monitored on an ongoing basis.
• If a safeguarding issue arises that involves any member or volunteer as the alleged abuser, that individual should be excluded immediately from all group activities until any police or statutory body investigation is concluded. The EGTG committee may later decide to conduct their own investigation following the Grievance and Disciplinary Policy, but this must not be initiated until any external investigation is completed.
• Both the alleged abuser and the child who is thought to have been abused have the right to confidentiality and a criminal investigation could be compromised through inappropriate information being released.

This policy is dated 7th December 2023 and is due for review on 7^th December 2026 

Edinburgh Graduate Theatre Group (EGTG) is a society open to anyone with an interest in amateur theatre regardless of race, colour, nationality, ethnic or national origin, gender, gender reassignment, marital or civil partner status, pregnancy or maternity, sex or sexual orientation, age, disability, religion or belief, party political views or socio-economic status.
This policy sets out the group’s approach to equal opportunities and the avoidance of discrimination. The committee has overall responsibility for the effective operation of this policy, but all members and volunteers are expected to adhere to its basic principles. The committee will consider any feedback carefully and take reasonable steps to respond to suggestions and complaints as quickly as possible.

Edinburgh Graduate Theatre Group is committed to:
Treating all members, volunteers and ticket holders equitably.
Maintaining an atmosphere of kindness, support and respect so that all members and volunteers enjoy their time with the group and are made to feel welcome and included.
Trying to meet the access requirements of all members, volunteers and ticket holders. If individuals are disabled or become disabled, they are encouraged to tell the group so that reasonable adjustments or support can be provided as appropriate.
Taking action on accusations of discrimination. The procedure for this is covered in EGTG’s Grievance and Disciplinary Policy. Remarks and behaviour that might generally be considered sexist, racist, homophobic, transphobic or otherwise offensive and inflammatory are not acceptable and have no place in the group.
Operating open auditions and ensuring that no one is excluded from the audition process.
Casting inclusively. Production teams should not prejudge the personal characteristics of an actor beyond what is integral for delivery of the chosen script.
Ensuring equality of opportunity when seeking new volunteers, members and committee members, and when selecting creative teams and filling other production roles.

This policy is dated 13th March 2023 and is due for review on 13th March 2026

To ensure that all members and volunteers associated with Edinburgh Graduate Theatre Group (EGTG) can enjoy their experience as part of the group and to safeguard people, property and facilities, the group is committed to maintaining satisfactory standards of behaviour. This policy sets out the way in which EGTG will deal with complaints and grievances from members and volunteers as well as behaviour that puts productions, themselves or other people at risk.

EGTG will not tolerate discrimination, harassment, abuse or other inappropriate behaviour. In the event that any member or volunteer feels that they have been the subject of, or witnessed, such behaviour, from another member or volunteer, the following procedure will be followed:

1. The matter should be reported to the President or another member of the committee. The report should include as much detail about the nature, time and place of the incident as possible. The person making the complaint may also include suggestions on how they believe the situation can be addressed satisfactorily.
2. If the complaint is against a committee member, that member will not be part of any discussion regarding the complaint.
3. The committee will consider the complaint as soon as possible and the person making the complaint will be kept informed about the decision-making processes. A record of this discussion will be taken and kept by the Secretary. 
4. Information will be treated confidentially unless there are allegations of a criminal offence, or any safeguarding concerns, in which case, if appropriate, these will be passed to the relevant authorities. If the matter is passed to the police or a statutory body, the group should refrain from investigating the matter further until any official investigation is completed.
5. The committee may decide that an investigation is necessary. In this case both the person making the complaint and the person who the complaint is against will be given the opportunity to express their views. If there are any witnesses to the incident, they will be given the same opportunity. The details of the investigation will be recorded by the Secretary. No disciplinary action will be taken without an investigation.
6. If appropriate, the committee may decide to suspend membership of the group or require that the member or volunteer under investigation does not attend rehearsals, meetings or events during any internal or external investigations.
7. Following the investigation, the committee will take appropriate action as they deem fit. Any person found to have been behaving unacceptably may be asked to leave a production, may be removed from office or may be banned from being a member of EGTG. 
8. If a member is asked to leave the group, their membership fee will not be refunded. 

On occasions, it may be necessary to take action against members or volunteers who are jeopardising a production or causing risk to themselves or other people through behaviour such as non-attendance at rehearsals or failure to follow good health and safety practices. In these instances (unless there is immediate or significant risk), the following procedure will be followed:

1. The production team will make the committee aware of the issue.
2. A member of the production team or committee will speak privately with the individual. During this conversation they should highlight the problematic behaviour, clearly explain any issues that stem from this behaviour and ask the person whether the group can provide any support to improve the behaviour.
3. If the behaviour continues, a member of the production team or committee should again speak privately to the individual and explain that if the behaviour does not improve there may be consequences such as being asked to leave the production. This conversation should be followed up with an email that reiterates the key points of the discussion. 
4. If the behaviour continues, the committee, in discussion with members of the production team, will decide on appropriate action going forward. A record of this discussion should be taken and kept by the Secretary.
5. If there is deemed to be an immediate or significant risk, the activity should be ceased immediately and the most relevant part of this policy or the Health and Safety Policy should be followed at the discretion of the production team or committee.

This policy is dated 13th March 2023 and is due for review on 13th March 2026 

Edinburgh Graduate Theatre Group (EGTG) seeks to provide, as far as is reasonably practical, a safe and healthy environment for members and others who may be affected by its activities. 

This document is divided into two parts, the first sets out the group’s health and safety policy. The second part provides guidance on how the group’s principal activities can be carried out safely.

Objectives and Expectations

EGTG will take all reasonably practical steps to:

• Maintain any premises under the group’s control in a safe condition.
• Provide adequate control of the health and safety risks arising from the group’s activities.
• Provide any information, training and supervision that is considered necessary to ensure the health and safety of its members.

To achieve these objectives, co-operation between members is essential. Whilst engaged in the group’s activities, members will be expected to act with reasonable care for themselves, other members and the general public.

Members are expected to:

• Follow any health and safety instructions that are given to them. 
• Use common sense in unexpected circumstances or when carrying out activities that may have an element of risk.
• Report any health and safety concerns to a member of the committee.
• Not interfere with, or misuse anything provided for health and safety purposes.

Sites

The nature of EGTG means that there is regular use of a diverse range of venues, including performance, rehearsal, storage and workshop spaces. These are collectively referred to here as sites. 

EGTG owns and maintains a store and workshop called Home Street. This is the only site that EGTG has sole health and safety responsibility for and its procedures are noted separately.  

Risk Assessment

Risk assessments have been produced for the common activities undertaken by the group (see appendix A), but the nature of working on different projects at different sites is such that there may be unique production or venue risks. If this is the case, these should be risk assessed separately by the stage manager, production manager or another designated member of the production team. There is a blank template to help with this process and any production or site-specific risk assessments should be sent to helloegtg@gmail.com. A copy of the risk assessment should also be made available to the production team. 

It is, however, recognised that it is not possible to detail in written form every possible risk or hazard, as unexpected situations can occur. Consequently, members of the group are required to act in a sensible manner and adhere to any verbal instruction that they are given.

Accidents and Medical Emergency

• In the event of a medical emergency or serious accident, an ambulance should be called. If there is a first aider available, they should also be utilised.
• In the event of more minor accidents, first aid should be given as necessary.
• Performance sites will usually have their own first aiders and first aid procedures and production teams should make themselves familiar with these. 
• Where relevant, site staff should be made aware of any incident as soon as possible. Performance sites will need to record any accident that occurs and this will be done by a member of site staff.

Home Street

There is a first aid box located on the pigeonhole shelves. Any accidents occurring in Home Street should be recorded in the accident book kept with the first aid box.

Fire Safety

• A member of site staff or a member of the production team should ensure that cast and crew are aware of the fire escape routes, how to raise the alarm and the procedures for evacuation for any rehearsal or performance site.
• Access and egress routes should be kept clear at all times.

Home Street

Home Street has two fire exits:

• The front entrance onto the street
• At the back of the building onto the close

The exits are marked with glow-in-the-dark signs and there are smoke detectors throughout the site. These are tested and maintained regularly.

Fire exits and the foot of the ladder to the mezzanine should be kept clear at all times. The area around the back exit is marked on the floor with yellow stripes to help facilitate this. No items should be placed within the yellow lines. 

Working at Height

Working at height can be dangerous, particularly if both hands are required to complete a task. Work from ladders should be for a short duration only and the following key points should be noted:

• Before use, ensure the ladder is not defective – check for warping (or distortion of metal), splits, missing treads or rungs.
• Ensure the ladder is of adequate length to provide safe working.
• Always stand the ladder on a firm, level base and have someone securing the foot of the ladder.
• Never over-reach.

Manual Handling 

During a production (but particularly during the get-in and get-out) members may be asked to lift and carry a variety of items.

• The stage manager or another designated individual should ensure that those lifting are acquainted with good manual handling practice (see appendix B).
• No one should be obliged to carry anything that they cannot manage safely.
• Heavy or awkward lifts should be planned verbally and those involved should be clear on their role.

Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH)

• Under COSHH regulations, there are a range of chemicals regarded as hazardous to health, these can be identified by their warning label. Any supplier of such substances must provide a safety data sheet with them.
• Few substances of this sort are used by the group. Those that are used include certain paints and some special effects. These will vary from production to production.
• When such substances are in use, a risk assessment specific to the substance and its role in the production will need to be completed and this, along with the relevant safety data sheets, should be emailed to helloegtg@gmail.com. A copy of this risk assessment should also be made available to the production team.
• These substances must be used, stored and disposed of in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions.

Electrical Equipment 

• EGTG does not have many electrical items and does not own any commercial electrical equipment.
• Electrical equipment should be visually inspected before use and must not be used if there are any physical signs of damage.
• Equipment should be used in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions.
• Electrical items should be PAT tested every two years.
• Rental or venue equipment, whilst the responsibility of the company from which it comes, should be visually inspected for obvious signs of damage before use.
• Cables should be secured so they do not form a hazard.

Vehicles

This refers to hire vehicles, as well as personal vehicles used for group business

• Members must adhere to all legal requirements regarding vehicles, licensing and driving. 
• Vehicles must not be loaded beyond their stated capacity or in an unsafe fashion. Loads should be correctly secured.

Lone Working

• Lone working is not recommended, but the group recognises that it is sometimes necessary.
• When lone working, an individual should not move heavy items or use large power tools.
• Individuals should inform someone that they are lone working and carry a phone on them at all times in case of emergency.

This policy is dated 8^th May 2025 and is due for review on 8^th May 2027 

Members

We hold basic contact information about members and we use that information for the purposes of administrating membership including audition notices, notifications about performances, club activities and club fees and subscriptions. We have a legitimate interest to do this. We will hold your information for seven years after your membership lapses, and place you on our friends and supporters list and continue to communicate with you unless you ask us to remove your name from our contact lists.

Press Contacts

We hold basic contact information about press contacts and we have a legitimate interest in communicating with members of the press. If you do not want to be on our press contact list we will remove you.

Friends / Supporters / Audience

We maintain a list of former members, potential audience members, potential cast, crew and members, and those who have asked to be placed on our marketing list. We hold basic contact information and will use this information to publicise our shows and to advertise our productions.

Ad Hoc contact lists

During the course of each production we may need to hold basic contact information and some financial information about individuals who have given us consent to hold that information for the purposes of administering the financial management of our productions or for processing ticket sales.

We may hold some personal information about individuals who have been involved in our shows for the purposes of legal compliance for a longer period.

If someone wishes to be removed from our Members, Press Contacts or Friends and Supporters lists they can contact us and we will remove them.

We will never share our contact lists with a third party for any purpose whatsoever.

Edinburgh Graduate Theatre Group (EGTG) is an amateur theatre group and registered charity run entirely by volunteers. EGTG believes that all volunteers should have a full and rewarding experience with the group.

Membership

• For the majority of volunteering roles paid membership is a condition of involvement. This includes performers, directors, assistant directors, and committee members. 
• All volunteers are encouraged to become members of EGTG 
• If an individual is having genuine difficulties paying the membership fee, they are encouraged to discuss this with a member of the committee The fee may be waived at the discretion of the committee.

Recruitment

• EGTG is committed to holding open auditions and most new volunteers are recruited in this manner. 
• If new enquiries or offers to volunteer are received outside of the audition process, the individual’s details will be passed to the most appropriate member of the committee or production team to follow up. 
• On occasions, the committee may decide to actively recruit for specific volunteer roles through the wider EGTG mailing list, website or in other ways.
• EGTG will keep the minimum amount of a volunteer’s personal data necessary to fulfil the group’s purpose and will ensure that any details are kept securely. This is in line with GDPR legislation.

Volunteering Activities

• Depending on the volunteer role, members of the production team or committee are responsible for ensuring that any necessary systems are explained to new volunteers including any health and safety issues pertinent to the role.
• Volunteers will be covered by insurance while carrying out any agreed duties. 
• The group will take reasonable steps to ensure volunteers’ health, safety and welfare while volunteering, in accordance with the group’s Health and Safety Policy.
• EGTG has a range of policies in place including Child Protection, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, and Grievance and Disciplinary Policies. These outline safe and respectful behaviour for all volunteers and what to do in the event of an issue.

This policy is dated 13th March 2023 and is due for review on 13th March 2026