Our Photography & Filming Policy

Founding Futures takes its extended moral and legal duty of care very seriously in relation to children, young people, and adults. We seek to ensure their safety and well-being and protect them from harm or abuse when they engage in any activities conducted under the name of Founding Futures.

Our commitment to safeguarding and protecting children, young people, and those of all ages with whom we come into contact is captured in our Child Protection and Safeguarding policy and Founding Futures’ Safeguarding Adults Policy.

We ensure that everyone in our organisation knows the procedures to follow for reporting concerns and has access to our Safeguarding Report Form.

The purpose of this policy statement is to:

• protect children, young people, and adults who take part in Founding Futures’ services, events and activities, where photographs and videos may be taken
• set out the overarching principles that guide our approach to photographs/videos being taken of children, young people, and adults during our events and activities
• ensure that we operate in accordance with our values and within the law when creating, using and sharing images of children, young people, and adults.

This policy statement applies to all staff, volunteers and other adults associated with or sponsored by Founding Futures to carry out activities.

Legal Framework

This policy has been drawn up based on legislation, policy, and guidance that seeks to protect children, young people, and adults in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales.

We recognise:

• sharing photographs and films of our activities can help us celebrate the successes and achievements of the people we support, providing a record of our activities and raising awareness of our organisation
• the welfare of the children, young people, and adults taking part in our activities is paramount
• children, their parents and carers have a right to decide whether their images are taken and how these may be used, regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation
• consent to take images of children is only meaningful when children, their parents and carers understand how the images will be used and stored and are fully aware of the potential risks associated with the use and distribution of these images
• there are potential risks associated with sharing images of children online
• Some of the users of Founding Futures or with whom our staff and volunteers have contact may additionally be vulnerable or live and work within families and communities where there are increased levels of risk for children, young people and adults. For example, support groups for the elderly or those experiencing social deprivation and inequality.

Founding Futures Photoshoot and Filming Procedures

Obtaining Consent

We will work with the relevant organisations, clients, or partner companies to ensure consent wherever we do not directly contact those participating in the shoot.

We will always obtain written consent from a child and their parents or carers before taking and using a child’s image.

We will always obtain written consent from an adult before taking and using their image. If an adult lacks the capacity to consent, we will not use their image.

Adults must be able to consent to their image being used. Legally, the only person who can offer consent for using their image is the adult themselves. Family members such as adult children, parents, spouses or siblings and support workers / personal assistants should not be approached to sign consent forms for adults. The only circumstances where individual consent would not be needed are a large-scale public event and not a small community initiative.

If we or any volunteer has concerns that an adult does not have the capacity to give consent to photography or filming or understand the purpose for which photographs or films are being taken during an activity, they will discuss this with them, including if appropriate, any support person or personal assistant for the adult. If, after this conversation, we feel that the adult still cannot consent, we will not use their photo.

Providing Clear Information

We will always explain what images will be used for, how they will be stored, for how long and what potential risks are associated with sharing their image.

When the shoot involves children and young people, we will explain the potential risks associated with sharing images of children.

We will clarify that if they withdraw consent for an image to be shared, it may not be possible to delete images that have already been shared or published.

Information about how the images will be used should be provided and made available in accessible formats, if needed, for example, easy-read language, pictures or where English is not their first language.

During the Shoot

The photographer must always wear identification.

We will not allow the photographer to have unsupervised access to children. A Founding Futures staff member will be present at any event where photographs are being taken. Founding Futures does not permit its staff to use personal equipment to take photos and recordings of children. Staff should only use cameras or devices belonging to Founding Futures.

After the Shoot

Photographs/films on cameras or devices belonging to Founding Futures staff should be sent to the Founding Futures team for appropriate usage and storage and deleted from staff mobiles and devices within 10 days or when Founding Futures team have confirmed receipt and storage.

Before using any photographs or film footage for publicity purposes, we will seek approval from individuals where applicable. We will change the names of children whose images are being used in our published material whenever possible and only use first names if we need to identify them.

We will be reducing the risk of images being copied and used inappropriately by:

• only using images of children in appropriate clothing, including safety wear if necessary
• avoiding full face and body shots of children taking part in activities such as swimming where there may be a heightened risk of images being misused
• never publishing personal information about individual children and disguising any identifying information (for example, the name of their school or a school uniform with a logo)
• only using images of adults in appropriate clothing
• only using images that positively reflect young people’s and adults’ involvement in the activity

We will store photographs and videos of our users securely in accordance with our child protection and safeguarding policies and our data protection policy. We will keep hard copies of images in a locked container and electronic images in a protected folder with restricted access to External Affairs team members.

Images will be stored for 8 years. We will never store images on unencrypted portable equipment such as laptops, memory sticks, and mobile phones.

Event Photography Policies

Photography and/or Filming for Founding Futures’ Use

Photography and filming as part of our support activities should only be done with Founding Futures’ permission and with the equipment or the equipment of the hired photographer/videographer.

We will share in the pre-event communications that photos/filming will be taking place on-site and to contact support@foundingfutures.org if they do not wish to be included in any footage. We will also place several clear signs at the event to remind guests of this if they haven’t seen the pre-event communications.