Safeguarding

Safeguarding Policy and Procedures

This policy applies to the Board of Trustees and volunteers or anyone working on behalf of Aquarian Opera.

The purpose of this policy is;

1. To protect children, young people and vulnerable adults volunteering or involved in ‘in-house’ productions.

2. To provide all Trustees and volunteers with the overarching principles that guide our approach to safeguarding.

Legal framework

This policy has been drawn up on the basis of law and guidance that seeks to protect children, namely:

• Children & Young Persons Act 1963

• Children (Performance & Activities) (England) Regulations 2014

• Children Act 2004 • Criminal Justice & Court Services Act 2000

• Working Together to Safeguard Children 2018

All Trustees and volunteers of Aquarian Opera share an objective to help keep children, young people and vulnerable adults safe by:

1. Providing a safe environment to either perform or assist Front of House or backstage.

2. Identifying and responding to children, young people and vulnerable adults in need of support and/or protection.

3. Supporting the development of children, young people and vulnerable adults in ways which will foster a sense of self-esteem and independence and encourage them to know how to approach adults if they are experiencing difficulties.

4. Raising the awareness of all Aquarian Opera Trustees and volunteers of the need to safeguard children, young people and vulnerable adults and of their responsibilities in identifying and reporting possible cases of abuse.

At Aquarian Opera we will ensure that:

1. We work to establish and maintain an ethos where children, young people and vulnerable adults feel secure and are encouraged to talk and are listened to.

2. We take all reasonable steps to ensure the health, safety and welfare of any child, young person or vulnerable adult in contact with us.

3. We take all reasonable actions to ensure that no child, young person or vulnerable adult is subjected to physical, emotional or sexual abuse whilst in our care or on our premises.

4. We take all reasonable steps to prevent any Trustee, volunteer or member of the public from putting any child, young person or vulnerable adult in a situation in which there is an unreasonable risk to their health and safety.

5. Any evidence or reasonable suspicion that a child, young person or vulnerable adult has been physically, emotionally or sexually abused is reported to the Trustee responsible for Safeguarding/Welfare or other appropriate body.

6. We implement this policy in conjunction with our Health & Safety Policy which is already in place.

Aquarian Opera has a dedicated Safeguarding/Welfare Officer, who oversees the safeguarding policy and procedures are adhered to.

That person's name is James Vinall, Trustee, and he can be contacted on 07501 984135.

In implementing this safeguarding policy, we at Aquarian Opera will:

1. Behave professionally

2. Listen to children

3. Treat everyone with respect

4. Communicate at an appropriate level

5. Be aware of our policies and procedures

6. Report any suspicions within our guidelines

7. Be aware, approachable and understanding

In addition, we at Aquarian Opera will not:

1. Harm a child or frighten a child

2. Touch a child inappropriately

3. Use inappropriate language

4. Threaten, shout or be aggressive

5. Force a child to do something they do not want to do

6. Willfully mistreat, demean, ignore or make fun of any child

7. Show favouritism to any one individual

8. Let a child expose him/herself to danger

9. Make a racist, sexist or other remark which intentionally upsets or humiliates

10. Take photos of children for publicity purposes without permission

11. Permit use of electronic recording devices (phones, tablets, etc.) in any part of the theatre, by either children themselves or those adults supervising them, particularly in order to take and share pictures on social media

12. Allow the consumption of alcohol on stage or backstage by anybody

Photographing children

Photographs of individual children should only be used for publicity purposes if consent has been obtained from a parent or guardian.

Safeguarding Procedures

Section 1 – Introduction

These procedures have been designed to ensure the welfare and protection of any child, young person or vulnerable adult at Aquarian Opera whether they are on or off stage.

Child performers are chaperoned. In accordance with the law, those children, young people and vulnerable adults who are not actually performing on stage, are exempt from the rules that apply to performers. However, if such persons are helping or learning skills in the art of theatre, e.g. stage crew, lighting, sound or working front of house, they should be under the supervision of the Stage Manager, Front of House Manager etc. (or other delegated responsible person) at all times who will have a duty of care towards them.

Aquarian Opera is committed to the belief that protecting children and young people is everybody’s responsibility and therefore to provide guidelines that will enable all volunteers to act appropriately to any concerns that arise in respect of a child, young person or vulnerable adult. All volunteers must comply with the Equal Opportunities Policy and Health & Safety Policy.

Section 2- Responsibilities of Aquarian Opera

At the outset of any ‘in-house’ production the Aquarian Opera will:

1. Undertake a risk assessment and monitor risk throughout the production process;

2. Identify at the outset the person with designated responsibility for safeguarding;

3. Engage in effective recruitment of chaperones when necessary and other individuals with responsibility for children, including appropriate vetting (if necessary in consultation with the local authority);

4. Put measures in to place to ensure that children are supervised at all times;

5. Know how to get in touch with the local authority social care services, in case there is a need.

What to do in the case of an accident

Depending on your assessment of the situation, go to the scene immediately if possible and/or summon first aid assistance and/or contact the emergency services. With children, it can be hard to assess whether they have been injured or the seriousness of an injury. If you have any doubt about this, you should err on the side of caution and contact the emergency services. Even if a child is accompanied and you think an accident is not being treated seriously enough, get medical assistance on your own initiative if necessary. All accidents should be recorded on the designated report file located in the theatre foyer.

First aid

If possible, treatment should only be given by a trained first aider. Initially consent should be requested and the capacity of the patient assessed. A child cannot give consent. If the parent is not on the premises, obtain their phone number and try and make contact. The parents of all children who are performing in Aquarian “in house “productions will have been asked to sign a consent form for medical intervention to be administered should it be deemed necessary .However, if a child is alone and seriously injured or unconscious, the situation will need to be dealt with immediately and the emergency services contacted.

Section 3 - Named Person(s) for Safeguarding

Aquarian Opera has an appointed individual who is responsible for dealing with any safeguarding or welfare concerns. In their absence, a deputy will be contactable.

The named persons for Safeguarding within Aquarian Opera are:

James Vinall and Andrew Claringbull Mobile number: 07501 984135 email melanie@aquarianopera.com

The role and responsibilities of the named person(s) are:

1. To ensure that all volunteers are aware of what they should do and who they should contact if they are concerned that a child, young person or vulnerable adult may be subject to abuse or neglect.

2. To ensure that any concerns regarding a child, young person or vulnerable adult are acted on, clearly recorded, referred on where necessary and, followed up to ensure the issues are addressed.

3. To record any reported incidents in relation to a child, young person or vulnerable adult. These will be kept in a secure place.

Useful contacts

Child Employment Office 01483 517838

Child Employment Manager 01483 518464 / 07971 664861

Children’s Services 0300 470 9100

Children’s Services Emergency

Privacy Policy

Privacy Policy

The owners of this website are committed to protecting and respecting your privacy.

This policy (together with our terms of use, available on this website under the Legal section and any other documents referred to on it) sets out the basis on which any personal data we collect from you, or that you provide to us, will be processed by us. Please read the following carefully to understand our views and practices regarding your personal data and how we will treat it. By visiting this website you are accepting and consenting to the practices described in this policy.

For the purpose of the Data Protection Act 1998 (the Act), the data controller is the owner this website of the address shown on the website.

Information we may collect from you

We may collect and process the following data about you:

Information you give us. You may give us information about you by filling in forms on this website or by corresponding with us by phone, e-mail or otherwise. This includes information you provide when you register to use our site, subscribe to our service, search for a product, place an order on our site, participate in discussion boards or other social media functions on our site, enter a competition, promotion or survey and when you report a problem with our site. The information you give us may include your name, address, e-mail address and phone number, financial and credit card information, personal description and photograph.
Information we collect about you. With regard to each of your visits to our site we may automatically collect the following information:
technical information, including the Internet protocol (IP) address used to connect your computer to the Internet, your login information, browser type and version, time zone setting, browser plug-in types and versions, operating system and platform;
Information about your visit, including the full Uniform Resource Locators (URL) clickstream to, through and from our site (including date and time); products you viewed or searched for; page response times, download errors, length of visits to certain pages, page interaction information (such as scrolling, clicks, and mouse-overs), and methods used to browse away from the page and any phone number used to call our customer service number.
Information we receive from other sources. We may receive information about you if you use any of the other websites we operate or the other services we provide. [In this case we will have informed you when we collected that data that it may be shared internally and combined with data collected on this site.] We are also working closely with third parties (including, for example, business partners, sub-contractors in technical, payment and delivery services, advertising networks, analytics providers, search information providers, credit reference agencies) and may receive information about you from them.

Cookies

Our website uses cookies to distinguish you from other users of our website. This helps us to provide you with a good experience when you browse our website and also allows us to improve our site. For detailed information on the cookies we use and the purposes for which we use them see our Cookie policy, available on this website under the Legal section.

Uses made of the information

We use information held about you in the following ways:

Information you give to us. We will use this information:
to carry out our obligations arising from any contracts entered into between you and us and to provide you with the information, products and services that you request from us;
to provide you with information about other goods and services we offer that are similar to those that you have already purchased or enquired about;
to provide you, or permit selected third parties to provide you, with information about goods or services we feel may interest you. If you are an existing customer, we will only contact you by electronic means (e-mail or SMS) with information about goods and services similar to those which were the subject of a previous sale or negotiations of a sale to you. If you are a new customer, and where we permit selected third parties to use your data, we (or they) will contact you by electronic means only if you have consented to this. If you do not want us to use your data in this way, or to pass your details on to third parties for marketing purposes, please tick the relevant box situated on the form on which we collect your data;
to notify you about changes to our service;
to ensure that content from our site is presented in the most effective manner for you and for your computer.
Information we collect about you. We will use this information:
to administer our site and for internal operations, including troubleshooting, data analysis, testing, research, statistical and survey purposes;
to improve our site to ensure that content is presented in the most effective manner for you and for your computer;
to allow you to participate in interactive features of our service, when you choose to do so;
as part of our efforts to keep our site safe and secure;
to measure or understand the effectiveness of advertising we serve to you and others, and to deliver relevant advertising to you;
to make suggestions and recommendations to you and other users of our site about goods or services that may interest you or them.
Information we receive from other sources. We may combine this information with information you give to us and information we collect about you. We may us this information and the combined information for the purposes set out above (depending on the types of information we receive).

Disclosure of your information

We may share your personal information with any member of our group, which means our subsidiaries, our ultimate holding company and its subsidiaries, as defined in section 1159 of the UK Companies Act 2006.

We may share your information with selected third parties including:

Business partners, suppliers and sub-contractors for the performance of any contract we enter into with [them or] you.
Analytics and search engine providers that assist us in the improvement and optimisation of our site.

We may disclose your personal information to third parties:

In the event that we sell or buy any business or assets, in which case we may disclose your personal data to the prospective seller or buyer of such business or assets.
If the company or substantially all of its assets are acquired by a third party, in which case personal data held by it about its customers will be one of the transferred assets.
If we are under a duty to disclose or share your personal data in order to comply with any legal obligation, or in order to enforce or apply our terms of use (available on this website under the Legal section) or terms and conditions of supply and other agreements; or to protect the rights, property, or safety of the company, our customers, or others. This includes exchanging information with other companies and organisations for the purposes of fraud protection and credit risk reduction.

Where we store your personal data

The data that we collect from you may be transferred to, and stored at, a destination outside the European Economic Area ("EEA"). It may also be processed by staff operating outside the EEA who work for us or for one of our suppliers. Such staff maybe engaged in, among other things, the fulfilment of your order, the processing of your payment details and the provision of support services. By submitting your personal data, you agree to this transfer, storing or processing. We will take all steps reasonably necessary to ensure that your data is treated securely and in accordance with this privacy policy.

All information you provide to us is stored on our secure servers. Any payment transactions will be encrypted using SSL technology. Where we have given you (or where you have chosen) a password which enables you to access certain parts of our site, you are responsible for keeping this password confidential. We ask you not to share a password with anyone.

Unfortunately, the transmission of information via the internet is not completely secure. Although we will do our best to protect your personal data, we cannot guarantee the security of your data transmitted to our site; any transmission is at your own risk. Once we have received your information, we will use strict procedures and security features to try to prevent unauthorised access.

Your rights

You have the right to ask us not to process your personal data for marketing purposes. We will usually inform you (before collecting your data) if we intend to use your data for such purposes or if we intend to disclose your information to any third party for such purposes. You can exercise your right to prevent such processing by checking certain boxes on the forms we use to collect your data. You can also exercise the right at any time by contacting us using the contact email address on this website.

Our site may, from time to time, contain links to and from the websites of our partner networks, advertisers and affiliates. If you follow a link to any of these websites, please note that these websites have their own privacy policies and that we do not accept any responsibility or liability for these policies. Please check these policies before you submit any personal data to these websites.

Access to information

The Act gives you the right to access information held about you. Your right of access can be exercised in accordance with the Act. Any access request may be subject to a fee of £10 to meet our costs in providing you with details of the information we hold about you.

Changes to our privacy policy

Any changes we may make to our privacy policy in the future will be posted on this page and, where appropriate, notified to you by e-mail. Please check back frequently to see any updates or changes to our privacy policy.

Contact

Questions, comments and requests regarding this privacy policy are welcomed and should be addressed to the contact email address on this website.

Cookie Policy

Information about our use of cookies

Our website uses cookies to distinguish you from other users of our website. This helps us to provide you with a good experience when you browse our website and also allows us to improve our site. By continuing to browse the site, you are agreeing to our use of cookies.

A cookie is a small file of letters and numbers that we store on your browser or the hard drive of your computer if you agree. Cookies contain information that is transferred to your computer's hard drive.

We use the following cookies:

Strictly necessary cookies. These are cookies that are required for the operation of our website. They include, for example, cookies that enable you to log into secure areas of our website, use a shopping cart or make use of e-billing services.
Analytical/performance cookies. They allow us to recognise and count the number of visitors and to see how visitors move around our website when they are using it. This helps us to improve the way our website works, for example, by ensuring that users are finding what they are looking for easily.
Functionality cookies. These are used to recognise you when you return to our website. This enables us to personalise our content for you, greet you by name and remember your preferences (for example, your choice of language or region).
Targeting cookies. These cookies record your visit to our website, the pages you have visited and the links you have followed. We will use this information to make our website and the advertising displayed on it more relevant to your interests. We may also share this information with third parties for this purpose.

Please note that third parties (including, for example, advertising networks and providers of external services like web traffic analysis services) may also use cookies, over which we have no control. These cookies are likely to be analytical/performance cookies or targeting cookies.

You block cookies by activating the setting on your browser that allows you to refuse the setting of all or some cookies. However, if you use your browser settings to block all cookies (including essential cookies) you may not be able to access all or parts of our site.

Except for essential cookies, all cookies will expire after 30 days.

Accessibility Information

The owners of this website care that their website is accessible to all and welcomes visitors of all races, religions and abilities.

This page is to give you information on what aids this website offers for people with a disability. It also explains how the WC3 Accessibility Guidelines I.O and 2.O have been implemented on this site.

Using this website

For those screen reader and non-mouse users, please use the ‘jump’ menus provided to skip straight to the content, navigation and/or site map
Please use the text variations provided;
- ‘Standard text’ will provide a 12px equivalent version on most browsers and hide accessibility elements
- ‘Large text’ will provide a 24px equivalent version on most browsers and hide accessibility elements
- ‘Easy Read’ will provide a low simple contrast version, using standard text size on a pale yellow background to aid legibility which is often helpful for users with dyslexia
- ‘No Style’ will strip off all our styles and provide a plain text, linear version
- To resize the text without our help:
  - In Internet Explorer: View > Text size > Largest
  - In Firefox: View > Text size > Increase
  - In Opera: File > Preferences > Fonts > Minimum font size (pixels)
  - Alternatively, scroll with the wheel of your mouse whilst holding down the control key.
  - To use the keyboard instead of the mouse;
    - Use the Tab key to move and browse amongst the menus and links.
    - Pressing ‘Enter’ is the same as clicking a mouse
    - Use the arrow keys on your keyboard to move up or down the page or from left to right.
All images contain an ALT tag unless decorative, where they are marked as empty.
Links make sense out of context. Wherever possible, title tags have also been used to expand on their meaning.
Drop down menu bars are sometimes used. Please select a category and click (or press ‘Enter’) on the option you wish to view. If your system does not support drop-down menus, please use the site map link for quick and easy browsing
Most of our sites have ‘breadcrumbs’ on the top of each page which allow you to retrace your steps and go back to where you started. However, older sites may not have this facility so you may need to use the ‘Back’ button on your browser. Back buttons are usually on the top left hand corner of your browser. By simply clicking on this button you can retrace your steps through the pages you have already viewed on our website. Some keyboards also have a Back Button as part of their options.

General Accessibility.

This website conforms to the WCAG 2.0 four principles of accessibility and so is: perceivable, operable, understandable and robust
The original designers, Access by Design, have considered the full range of techniques, including the advisory techniques, as well as to seeking relevant advice about current best practice to ensure that this web content is accessible, as far as possible, to all communities.
This website has been thoroughly tested on multiple browsers, platforms and devices
This website has been tested using multiple automated accessibility testing software
This website has been tested by a REAL person with a disability who tested the website and submitted a report to the original designers who then used it to improve accessibility further.

Web Standards

All CSS and XHTML created by this website validate to the document type.
Validation does not equal accessibility.
If a page on this website does not validate it is almost always because a third-party ‘plug-in’ has needed to be employed.
Although we try to use only accessible third-parties and we alert designers to accessibility issues, rectifying them is beyond our control
We reserve the right to use the web standards CSS and XHML buttons on this website as all elements within our control validate correctly.

Please Note: although this website was designed and built by a company specialising in accessible websites, it is run by us. We are not experts on web accessibility ourselves and sometimes mistakes can happen. If you find an accessibility error, please alert us as soon as possible, using the contact email address on this website, telling us the nature of the problem so that we can fix it.

Further Help

You may wish to download “Browsealoud”. This is a FREE speech reader that enables you to listen rather than read our website. Browsealoud may be helpful to people with dyslexia, those who find reading difficult, those who have a mild visual impairment or those who just like to do more than one thing at a time!

Please follow this link to download Browsealoud onto your computer or select the image above.

WC3 WAI Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 1.0 and W.A.G 2.0

To be considered to be Priority 1 (A) standard a website should meet all of the following points.

This website provides a text equivalent for every non-text element (e.g., via “alt”, “longdesc”, or in element content). This includes: images, graphical representations of text (including symbols), image map regions, animations (e.g., animated GIFs), applets and programmatic objects, ascii art, frames, scripts, images used as list bullets, spacers, graphical buttons, sounds (played with or without user interaction), stand-alone audio files, audio tracks of video, and video. (1.0)
This website provides text alternatives for any non-text content so that it can be changed into other forms people need, such as large print, braille, speech, symbols or simpler language.
This website ensures that all information conveyed with colour is also available without colour, for example from context or markup. (1.0)
This website clearly identifies changes in the natural language of a document’s text and any text equivalents (e.g., captions). (1.0)
This website may be read without style sheets; when an HTML document is rendered without associated style sheets, it is still be possible to read the document. (1.0)
This website ensures that equivalents for dynamic content are updated when the dynamic content changes. (1.0)
This website avoids causing the screen to flicker. (1.0)
This website uses the clearest and simplest language appropriate for its content.
This website does not use image maps(1.0)
This website does not use tables(1.0)
This website does not use frames(1.0)
This websitedoes not use multimedia(1.0)
- This website has 1 area that is sadly, still inaccessible to some users. (1.0)
  - After our best efforts, we have not been able to create an accessible page for the Social Networking buttons. Please see the bottom of this page for alternatives.
  - Pages on this website are still usable when scripts, applets, or other programmatic objects are turned off or not supported. If this is not possible, this website provides equivalent information on an alternative accessible page. (1.0)
  - Programmatic elements such as scripts are directly accessible and compatible with assistive technologies (1.0)

This website passes Priority 1 (A) Accessibility.

Priority 2 checkpoints

To be considered to be Priority 2 (AA) standard, a website should meet all of the following points;

This website ensures that the foreground and background colour combinations in images provide sufficient contrast when viewed by someone having colour deficits or when viewed on a black and white screen. (1.0)
When an appropriate markup language exists, this website uses usesmarkup rather than images to convey information. (1.0)
This website documents validate to published formal grammars. (1.0)
This website uses style sheets to control layout and presentation. (1.0)
This website uses relative rather than absolute units in markup language attribute values and style sheet property values. (1.0)
This website uses header elements to convey document structure and uses them according to specification. (1.0)
This website marks up lists and list items properly. (1.0)
This website marks up quotations and does not use quotation markup for formatting effects such as indentation. (1.0)
This website ensures that dynamic content is accessible (or provides an alternative presentation or page only when no other option is possible). (1.0)
Until user agents allow users to control blinking, this website avoids causing content to blink (i.e., change presentation at a regular rate, such as turning on and off). (1.0)
Until user agents provide the ability to stop the refresh, this website does not use periodically auto-refreshing pages. (1.0)
Until user agents provide the ability to stop auto-redirect, this website does not use markup to redirect pages automatically. (If redirects are needed they are configures via the server) (1.0)
Until user agents allow users to turn off spawned windows, this website does not cause pop-ups or other windows to appear and does not change the current window without informing the user. (1.0)

Please note: this website uses ‘highslide’, a JavaScript technique to give the appearance of a pop-up window to preview links or content. However, highslide is NOT a pop-up, the JavaScript can be disabled (and the link will still work) and is for graphic purposes only.

The website uses W3C technologies when they are available and appropriate for a task and uses the latest versions when supported. (1.0)
This website avoids deprecated features of W3C technologies. (1.0)
This website divides large blocks of information into more manageable groups where natural and appropriate. (1.0)
This website does not identify the target of each link because it is written in XHTML 1.0 Strict
This website provides metadata to add semantic information to pages and sites. (1.0)
This website provides information about the general layout of a site (e.g., a site map). (1.0)
This website uses navigation mechanisms in a consistent manner. (1.0)
Tables are not used for layout. (1.0)
Until user agents support explicit associations between labels and form controls, all form controls are combined with implicitly associated labels and the label is properly positioned. (1.0)
Form labels are explicitly associated with their controls. (1.0)
Event handlers used in scripts are input device-independent. (1.0)
Until user agents allow users to freeze moving content, this website avoids movement in pages. If movement is present it can be instantly and easily stopped or blocked. (1.0)
Programmatic elements such as scripts are directly accessible and compatible with assistive technologies (1.0)
Any element that has its own interface can be operated in a device-independent manner. (1.0)
When using scripts, this website specifies logical event handlers rather than device-dependent event handlers. (1.0)

This website passes Priority 2 (AA) Accessibility.

Priority 3 checkpoints

This website ensures that the foreground and background colour combinations in text provide sufficient contrast when viewed by someone having colour deficits or when viewed on a black and white screen. (1.0)
This website specifies the expansion of each abbreviation or acronym in a document where it first occurs. (1.0)
This website identifies the primary natural language of a document. (1.0)
This website provides keyboard shortcuts (such as jump menus) to important links (including those in client-side image maps), form controls, and groups of form controls. (1.0)
Until user agents (including assistive technologies) render adjacent links distinctly, this website includes non-link, printable characters (surrounded by spaces) between adjacent links. (1.0)
This website provides information so that users may receive documents according to their preferences (e.g., language, content type, etc.) (1.0)
This website provides navigation bars to highlight and give access to the navigation mechanism
This website groups related links, identifies the group (for user agents), and, until user agents do so, provides a way to bypass the group. (1.0)
This site enables different types of searches for different skill levels and preferences. These might include a search box, site maps and content ‘tagging’(1.0)
This website places distinguishing information at the beginning of headings, paragraphs, lists, etc. (1.0)
This website does not use ASCII ART
This website supplements text with graphic or auditory presentations where they will facilitate comprehension of the page. (1.0)
This website uses a style of presentation that is consistent across pages. (1.0)
This website now refers to the new WC WCAG 2.0 guidelines and does NOT include default, place-holding characters in edit boxes and text areas in forms as user agents ARE now able to handle empty controls correctly. (1.0)

This website passes Priority 3 (AAA) Accessibility.

Accessibility Problems?

This website may have the following minor access problems/issues. These are explained here and alternatives given.

This site does not use meta access keys (sometimes called ‘hot keys’). Our research suggest that these are actually detrimental to most keyboard-users as they already have their own keys set up which are then overwritten or confused by websites (who do not use a consistent approach). We will review this decision periodically and if research proves otherwise (or technology improves) we will resume these techniques.
This site may fail validation on third-party technologies. This is because we have little or no ability to recode these to meet our high accessibly standards. However, we always aim to use plug-ins that are either accessible, increase the accessibility or have simple accessible alternatives. If forced to choose between accessibility features and validation, we have taken the difficult decision to always choose accessibility.

Acceptable Use Policy

This acceptable use policy sets out the terms between you and us under which you may access our website. This acceptable use policy applies to all users of, and visitors to, our site.

Your use of our site means that you accept, and agree to abide by, all the policies in this acceptable use policy, which supplement our terms of website use (available on this website under the Legal section).

This website is a site operated by the company named on this website. All relevant company details and regulatory authorities are on this website.

Prohibited uses

You may use our site only for lawful purposes. You may not use our site:

In any way that breaches any applicable local, national or international law or regulation.
In any way that is unlawful or fraudulent, or has any unlawful or fraudulent purpose or effect.
For the purpose of harming or attempting to harm minors in any way.
To send, knowingly receive, upload, download, use or re-use any material which does not comply with our content standards below.
To transmit, or procure the sending of, any unsolicited or unauthorised advertising or promotional material or any other form of similar solicitation (spam).
To knowingly transmit any data, send or upload any material that contains viruses, Trojan horses, worms, time-bombs, keystroke loggers, spyware, adware or any other harmful programs or similar computer code designed to adversely affect the operation of any computer software or hardware.

You also agree:

Not to reproduce, duplicate, copy or re-sell any part of our site in contravention of the provisions of our terms of website use (available on this website under the Legal section).
Not to access without authority, interfere with, damage or disrupt:
any part of our site;
any equipment or network on which our site is stored;
any software used in the provision of our site; or
any equipment or network or software owned or used by any third party.

Interactive services

We may from time to time provide interactive services on our site, including, without limitation:

Chat rooms.
Bulletin boards.
Blogs

Where we do provide any interactive service, we will provide clear information to you about the kind of service offered, if it is moderated and what form of moderation is used (including whether it is human or technical).

We will do our best to assess any possible risks for users (and in particular, for children) from third parties when they use any interactive service provided on our site, and we will decide in each case whether it is appropriate to use moderation of the relevant service (including what kind of moderation to use) in the light of those risks. However, we are under no obligation to oversee, monitor or moderate any interactive service we provide on our site, and we expressly exclude our liability for any loss or damage arising from the use of any interactive service by a user in contravention of our content standards, whether the service is moderated or not.

The use of any of our interactive services by a minor is subject to the consent of their parent or guardian. We advise parents who permit their children to use an interactive service that it is important that they communicate with their children about their safety online, as moderation is not foolproof. Minors who are using any interactive service should be made aware of the potential risks to them.

Where we do moderate an interactive service, we will normally provide you with a means of contacting the moderator, should a concern or difficulty arise.

Content standards

These content standards apply to any and all material which you contribute to our site (contributions), and to any interactive services associated with it.

You must comply with the spirit and the letter of the following standards. The standards apply to each part of any contribution as well as to its whole.

Contributions must:

Be accurate (where they state facts).
Be genuinely held (where they state opinions).
Comply with applicable law in the UK and in any country from which they are posted.

Contributions must not:

Contain any material which is defamatory of any person.
Contain any material which is obscene, offensive, hateful or inflammatory.
Promote sexually explicit material.
Promote violence.
Promote discrimination based on race, sex, religion, nationality, disability, sexual orientation or age.
Infringe any copyright, database right or trade mark of any other person.
Be likely to deceive any person.
Be made in breach of any legal duty owed to a third party, such as a contractual duty or a duty of confidence.
Promote any illegal activity.
Be threatening, abuse or invade another’s privacy, or cause annoyance, inconvenience or needless anxiety.
Be likely to harass, upset, embarrass, alarm or annoy any other person.
Be used to impersonate any person, or to misrepresent your identity or affiliation with any person.
Give the impression that they emanate from us, if this is not the case.
Advocate, promote or assist any unlawful act such as (by way of example only) copyright infringement or computer misuse.

Suspension and termination

We will determine, in our discretion, whether there has been a breach of this acceptable use policy through your use of our site. When a breach of this policy has occurred, we may take such action as we deem appropriate.

Failure to comply with this acceptable use policy constitutes a material breach of the terms of use (available on this website under the Legal section) upon which you are permitted to use our site, and may result in our taking all or any of the following actions:

Immediate, temporary or permanent withdrawal of your right to use our site.
Immediate, temporary or permanent removal of any posting or material uploaded by you to our site.
Issue of a warning to you.
Legal proceedings gainst you for reimbursement of all costs on an indemnity basis (including, but not limited to, reasonable administrative and legal costs) resulting from the breach.
Further legal action against you.
Disclosure of such information to law enforcement authorities as we reasonably feel is necessary.

We exclude liability for actions taken in response to breaches of this acceptable use policy. The responses described in this policy are not limited, and we may take any other action we reasonably deem appropriate.

Changes to the acceptable use policy

We may revise this acceptable use policy at any time by amending this page. You are expected to check this page from time to time to take notice of any changes we make, as they are legally binding on you. Some of the provisions contained in this acceptable use policy may also be superseded by provisions or notices published elsewhere on our site.

Risk Assessment Policy and Procedures

This policy applies to the Board of Trustees and volunteers or anyone working on behalf of Aquarian Opera.

Prior to every rehearsal and performance, Aquarian Opera will conduct a risk assessment to identify any potential hazards in the rehearsal space or theatre. An inspection will be carried out by a nominated, competent trustee or assigned volunteer to ensure the safety and suitability of the accessed areas. The inspection should include items such as:

appropriately safe and comfortable area to assemble performers and crew
the suitability of staging
floor surfaces
portable appliances
equipment
lighting, props and storage of items
suitability of areas for special effects, particularly pyrotechnics or smoke machines
assessment of any accessibility issues
Identify a suitable person (or persons) to act as safety co-ordinator (usually the trustee) to ensure that risks are managed effectively.
Develop and implement procedures for performers and crew to follow whilst working in the rehearsal space or theatre and ensure that these are documented.
Make sure that appropriate training and instruction is provided to trustees and volunteers.
Ensure that arrangements are reviewed regularly and any training, instructions, or actions are recorded.
Any incidents or near misses must be reported and recorded by relevant trustees and volunteers.

Code of Conduct

All Aquarian Opera trustees, volunteers, performers and crew members are expected to conduct themselves in an inclusive, considerate, productive, effective and non-threatening manner
The trustees require that volunteers, performers and crew members be respectful and mindful of the safety and well-being of others
At the end of a rehearsal or performance, a nominated Aquarian Opera trustee or volunteer will ensure that all equipment has been rendered safe, any appliances, props, or other items have been stored safely, and all electrical equipment used has been switched off.

Back Stage

Back stage areas must be kept clear of obstructions. Where this is unavoidable they should be clearly marked and brought to the attention of the performers and crew.
Ensure that all items are put away or returned to the props table after use.
Provide safe storage for costumes, make-up and similar items.
Restrict access to the back stage areas at all times – especially when the stage is set for a production – friends and family members are not permitted on the stage, in the wings or back stage at any time.

Electrical

All electrical and mechanical equipment should be operated by an assigned qualified and/or experienced operative.
Electrical equipment should be checked regularly and checks should be recorded.
Any portable equipment should be given a visual check by the user before use.
All fixed and permanently-wired installations should be inspected and tested regularly, as part of the electrical installation check.
Cables should be kept tidy, securely tied, and properly routed.
Extension cable should be fully unwound from any reels to avoid overheating.
Never work on any equipment whilst it is ‘live’, always switch off and disconnect before any work begins.

Stage Lighting

Stage lighting must be inspected regularly and must meet the conditions set out in the current regulations.
Any electrical work must be carried out by a qualified electrician.
Stage lights should only be changed or moved by a competent person, and never by a student.

Fire

Make sure that Aquarian Opera trustees, volunteers, performers and crew members and the audience are aware of emergency evacuation procedures. This is particularly relevant to all Aquarian Opera Front of House volunteers.
All exit routes must be clearly signed, and any emergency lighting should be operative.
Any stage material or curtaining must be flame resistant, or treated with flame proofing solution.
A competent person should review the fire risk assessment for rehearsals and every performance.

Special Effects

Carry out a risk assessment for any special effects such as, for example, lasers, smoke machines and dry ice. Make sure that any special effects are handled under the strict supervision of a suitably trained competent person.
Risk assessment should also ensure that the environment, size of stage or room and proximity to audience is taken into consideration when planning any special effects.
Purchase or hire any pyrotechnics or special effects from reputable suppliers and always use these in full accordance with the manufacturer's instructions.
Make one person responsible for setting and executing any special effects. Ensure that students know who to report any issues to, and keep them away from equipment at all times.
Make sure that your performers know about any special effects in advance of using them, and that they are aware of where to stand to keep themselves safe.
Ensure that you have appropriate insurance cover in place for any specialist equipment. It’s very costly to replace if it gets broken or damaged!
Make sure that assessment is made of what could go wrong and that contingency plans and procedures are in place. Ensure that these are known and understood by all staff and students.
Check whether any smoke generated on stage will cause fire alarms to activate automatically where smoke detectors are fitted in the building.
All weapons (guns, knives, clubs), whether serviceable or theatrical, must be noted in a weapons declaration, reported in advance of the first in theatre rehearsal to the Police weapons in productions officer and under the close control of the appointed armourer

The audience must be informed of strobe lighting or laser effects before each production starts to warn those who may be sensitive to such effects

Medical Information

It’s essential that Aquarian Opera trustees, volunteers, performers and crew members have information on the medical conditions, especially allergies, of those involved with rehearsal and theatre productions. Considerations and emergency procedures should include those who may react negatively to make up, paints and other substances such as smoke machines, dry ice and also laser and strobe lights.

Stage Platforms and Rostra

Ensure that any stage platforms or rostra are clipped or fastened together securely. Ensure that the stage platform and rostra are inspected before each use by a member of staff.
Make sure that all scenery, including flats, movable scenery, platforms and free-standing scenery is stable and secure at all times. Check this between each rehearsal and performance.

Working at Height

Any activity that involves working at height must be assessed carefully and should only be undertaken by a responsible person
Anyone working at height should use appropriate equipment, positioned safely and correctly, and should be aware of people below – possibly by creating an exclusion zone beneath any work taking place.

Safeguarding

Safeguarding Policy and Procedures

Privacy Policy

Risk Assessment Policy and Procedures

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