Digital Social Media Policy
Introduction
Project Female CIC is aware that social media provides opportunities for us to engage, connect and develop unique relationships with people in a creative and dynamic medium where users are active participants.
Information about classes, workshops, performances or projects can be dissipated virally amongst supporters within online communities.
Social media refers to the latest generation of interactive online services such as blogs, discussion forums, podcasts and instant messaging. This list is not exhaustive and will include future developments in social media.
It is important for Project Female CIC to give careful consideration to the use of social media and to balance the benefits of creativity, spontaneity and immediacy of communication with the potential risks, including the risks to children, young people and vulnerable adults.
YOUTH-LED ORGANISATION
Project Female CIC applies a youth work approach to a dance setting.
Our activity engages young people within their own frame of reference to ensure that they are authentically welcomed into the space with no expectation to be anything apart from their true selves.
As such - we acknowledge the omnipresence of social media within their lives and the complex relationship that they have with communicating, maintaining social status and sharing content online.
Project Female CIC enters into honest and open conversations with young people about their online activity and the choices they make within the world. Our safe adults are appropriately trained and use our creative process as a catalyst for conversations about important issues that impact their day to day lives..
As part of our registration process all young people sign an online safety agreement which is tailored to suit the context of Project Female CIC activity.
OUR BELIEFS
The online world provides everyone with many opportunities; however it can also present risks and challenges. Children and young people should never experience abuse of any kind and safeguarding policies need to be in place to ensure they are kept safe at all times.
We have a duty to ensure that all children, young people and adults involved in our organisation are protected from potential harm online.
We have a responsibility to help keep children and young people safe online;
working in partnership with children, young people, their parents, carers and other agencies is essential in promoting young people’s welfare and in helping young people to be responsible in their approach to online safety.
All children, regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation, have the right to equal protection from all types of harm or abuse.
Purpose of Policy
This policy is in place to minimise the risks to our business through use of social media, to protect children, young people and vulnerable adults and also to protect staff members.
This policy deals with the use of all forms of social media, including Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Google+, Wikipedia, Instagram and all other social networking sites, internet postings and blogs. It applies to use of social media for business purposes as well as personal use that may affect our business in any way.
This policy outlines the standards we require staff to observe when using social media, the circumstances in which we will monitor your use of social media and the action we will take in respect of breaches of this policy.
This policy covers all employees, freelancers, students, volunteers and interns.
WHAT DO WE USE SOCIAL MEDIA FOR
Sharing Project Female CIC’s key messages, mission, vision and values creatively and dynamically.
Communicate directly with our online audience in a friendly and approachable manner.
Increase participation by promoting classes and opportunities which the school may offer.
Create Community by celebrating achievements of young people.
Support fundraising and marketing efforts to reach a wider audience.
Build relationships with other Arts Organisations.
Address barriers to young people accessing dance activities by providing visual representation of what to expect at PF.
HOW DO WE MONITOR OUR SOCIAL MEDIA CONTENT
Project Female CIC follows our safeguarding checklist prior to posting content online:
All content is check by Social Media Advisory Board prior to posting on our channels.
Ensuring images present the activity or individual in a positive light.
Communicating an honest and authentic representation of the activity that takes place with our young people.
Not identifying the children or young people in the images unless consent has been obtained by the child and their parent / carer.
Only using first names to identify young people and AVOID including social media tags of any young person on any Project Female CIC content.
Adhering to our policy for young people to wear branded merchandise in the majority of our online content.
Only young people who have signed the online safety agreement will be included on our social media channels.
Being vigilant to ensure only those who have justifiable reason for taking pictures / videos can do so.
Comments are closely monitored and deleted/switched off in response to any unacceptable online activity on the Project Female CIC social media accounts.
Copy right - the right to be credited as the creator of material and the right to be financially rewarded if another party uses the material
Any young person or any parent carer can request the removal of any footage from the Project Female CIC social media accounts.
SOCIAL MEDIA GUIDANCE FOR STAFF/TEACHERS/FREELANCERS
Ensure that your language within any social media channel or digital communication cannot be misconstrued and does not suggest in any way that you are trying to develop a personal relationships with a child, young people or vulnerable adult.
Do NOT use ANY digital and social media accounts to send personal messages to children, young people and vulnerable adults or to write indiscrete or inappropriate posts about any child or vulnerable adult that you have come into contact with during the course of your employ
If you receive a message from a young person on your personal social media accounts please re-direct them to the official Project Female CIC accounts for communication purposes.
You should make it clear in social media postings, or in your personal profile, that you are speaking on your own behalf. Write in the first person and use the appropriate email address.
Do not accept personal friendship requests on social networking or messaging sites from current students or vulnerable adult service users.
Do not use your personal profile to generate content which communicates in any way for official Project Female CIC business. Your personal profile can be used to amplify call outs for content that has come from the Project Female CIC official accounts.
Avoid using your own device to photograph, film or communicate with a child, young person or vulnerable adult. If any footage is captured using your own devices please upload it to Project Female CIC dropbox account as soon as possible and ensure it is deleted from all storage areas including the cloud.
Never encourage children to join any social media platforms if they are younger than the legal age to do so - for the majority of platforms this is 13.
SAFEGUARDING
Project Female CIC will seek to keep children and young people safe by:
appointing an online safety coordinator.
providing clear and specific directions to staff and volunteers on how to behave online through providing appropriate training.
supporting and encouraging the young people using our service to use the internet, social media and mobile phones in a way that keeps them safe and shows respect for others.
supporting and encouraging parents and carers to do what they can to keep their children safe online.
implementing our online safety agreement for use with young people and their parents or carers.
developing clear and robust procedures to enable us to respond appropriately to any incidents of inappropriate online behaviour, whether by an adult or a child or young person.
reviewing and updating the security of our information systems regularly.
ensuring that usernames, logins, email accounts and passwords are used effectively.
ensuring personal information about the adults and children who are involved in our organisation is held securely and shared only as appropriate.
ensuring that images of children, young people and families are used only after their written permission has been obtained, and only for the purpose for which consent has been given.
providing supervision, support and training for staff and volunteers about online safety.
examining and risk assessing any social media platforms and new technologies before they are used within the organisation.
BREACH OF THIS POLICY
You may be required to remove any social media content that we consider to constitute a breach of this policy. Failure to comply with such a request may in itself result in disciplinary action.
WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS POLICY?
Project Female CIC Directors have a specific responsibility for operating within the boundaries of this policy, ensuring that all staff understand the standards of behaviour expected of them and taking action when behaviour falls below its requirements.
REVIEW OF POLICY
Given the fast pace of change in digital media and Project Female CIC’s commitment to best practice, this policy will be reviewed annually and updated and developed as required to ensure that the guidelines are not simply a snapshot of best practice at any particular point in time but a resource providing relevant and up to date guidance.
REPORTING A DIGITAL SAFEGUARDING CONCERN
Any concern relating to an inappropriate image, posting or e-mail should be reported to the Designated Safeguarding Lead:
Pip Sayers
Record and pass the information on as soon as possible and no later than 24 hours to the named person.
If you are concerned that a child, young person or vulnerable adult may be in danger contact the Police for assistance on 999 or 112.
DATA PROTECTION
Some social media campaigns may ask you to provide personal data.
In the UK data protection law states that all visitors to websites must be made aware of how their details are being used , how they will be stored and who will have access to them.
It is important to note that, as far as consent and data use is concerned, these will be effectively covered by the terms and conditions and privacy notices of each of these social media channels. This means both you and your social media audience agree to the terms of the tools you use. GDPR will also require them to have an accountable EU representative that can be held to account for the GDPR compliance of the organisation.
This Policy has been reviewed by the Directors of Project Female CIC in July 2023.