Many people of all different ages choose to take up a hobby in their spare time and join a hobby group to meet and interact with people who share the same interest or passion.
There are a vast range of hobbies out there that are open to all ages including:
- Fishing clubs
- Model aircraft making
- Battle reenactments
- Amateur theatre
- Knitting
- Arts and crafts and many more.
Most hobby groups are not exclusive to one particular age group, therefore both adults and children are free to join and interact with one another.
Unfortunately there are some adults who deliberately seek employment with or join groups to gain a position of trust in order groom to and eventually abuse children. Therefore any activity that involves children should look to have safeguards in place to protect them.
It is important for any group that provides activities involving children to have a least a basic child protection policy to assure parents that the safety of their children is a priority to the group. The Safe Network has a page dedicated to writing safeguarding policies and procedures that includes a sample child protection policy statement and also a comprehensive step by step guide as part of our Are they Safe? pack. It is also advisible that groups have written safeguarding procedures in place.
These could include:
There is some confusion over who needs a Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) check in relation to hobby groups.
Although it is not a statutory requirement for CRB checks to be undertaken by staff and volunteers working in hobby groups, it is certainly best practice for anyone in a position which involves supervising or being left in charge of people under 18 years of age to undergo an enhanced CRB check. Therefore it would be advisable for group leaders to apply for enhanced disclosures as their role makes them responsibile for the children and young people in their group.
Participants should not be asked to undergo CRB checks and would not be eligible to receive one.
If you are a hobby group that is open to children, you can order one of our FREE Are they Safe? packs, which includes a step by step guide to safeguarding children in your group, a DVD resource, posters and templates.
The Safe Network has developed the CD-ROM Keeping our children safe: Raising awareness in BME communities resource to help facilitators and trainers raise awareness of child protection issues in black and minority ethnic communities.