Safe Guarding Policy

LOCATION	POTENTIAL RISK IDENTIFIED	RESPONSIBILITY	ACTIONS TO MINIMISE THE RISK
EXTERIOR AREAS INCLUDING CAR PARK	The Hall is situated on a busy road. Strangers have access to the car park even though it is labelled as private. The car park is not patrolled. There is no CCTV. There is a dark passageway from the Wallis Room gate around the back of the building where there has been very occasional anti-social behaviour by youths unconnected with the Hall.	All hirers	Children and adults at risk should not be outside unsupervised. Classes should be let in promptly and discouraged from lingering afterwards. Anyone hiring the Hall is instructed never to let in anyone not in their group, nor to leave any doors unlocked for the next group. All authorised users will either have their own keys or be let in by a trustee/the bookings manager. Hirers are instructed to keep the outside doors closed and locked from the inside. It is not permitted for the public to enter the Hall to use the toilets. A notice outside the main door is clearly displayed. The trustees rely on Hall hirers to comply with instructions to keep the main door locked in order to enforce this rule. There is no officer of the Hall present when activities are taking place.
TOILETS	The ladies’ cloakroom is shared by people using both the upper and the lower halls. It has separate cubicles and washbasins in an enclosed space not visible from the corridor. There are also facilities for changing for ballet or sport, i.e. a bench and pegs which are not private. People from different groups unknown to each other may meet. The gentlemen’s cloakroom is shared by people using the upper and lower halls and also the Club Room via a rear connecting door. The Club Room has a separate ladies’ cloakroom not shared by any other hall. The Wallis Room is self-contained with one unisex adapted cubicle.	All hirers	Everyone booking the Hall is told that the toilets are shared. It is their responsibility to decide whether it is appropriate for children/adults at risk to be unsupervised. Age, ability and location of the cloakroom need to be considered. Anyone accompanying a child/adult at risk into the gents/ladies should be of the same gender out of respect for other users. There is the option of using the unisex adapted cubicle, which is self-contained. The door from the Club Room into the shared gentlemen’s cloakroom should be left bolted on the Club Room side when not in use to prevent anyone from accessing one hall from the other.
ENTRANCE LOBBY AND CORRIDOR	Access to the upper and lower halls is via the main door into a shared lobby where different groups unknown to each other may come into contact. The corridor leads to the toilets which are shared. There may be contact between different groups.	All hirers	Access to the upper hall is only through the main door and lobby. It has no second entrance. Those using the lower hall may choose to open the rear door/fire exit to let in classes for children/adults at risk without them having contact with strangers.
THE UPPER HALL	The fire exit opens onto the metal fire escape stairs and from there into the rear yard and back of the car park. These areas are hidden from general view and have been the site of very occasional antisocial behaviour by youths unconnected with the Hall.	All hirers	Hirers are instructed not to open this door except in an emergency.
THE LOWER HALL THE LOWER HALL KITCHEN	The rear doors/fire escape open into a small lobby which leads to the door opening onto the Ewell Road. The lobby cannot be observed from the main hall. This is accessed from the main hall but also from a door into the corridor.	All hirers	When activities are in progress, hirers are advised to keep the outer door locked except in an emergency to prevent entry by unauthorised persons. The second door into the corridor should be kept bolted on the inside.
THE WALLIS ROOM	The rear door/fire escape in the kitchen leads into the passage which runs around the back of the building. It cannot be observed from the main room.	All hirers	When activities are in progress hirers are advised to keep the kitchen exit door locked except in an emergency to prevent entry by unauthorised persons.
THE CLUB ROOM	The main door opens directly onto the car park.	All hirers	When activities are in progress, hirers are advised to keep the outer door closed.
ALL AREAS	Cleaning	Contract cleaning company	The cleaners should have no contact with hirers. All cleaning should be finished before hire periods begin. All cleaning materials must be stored locked in the cleaner’s cupboard when not in use. Only brooms, dustpans and brushes may be left out for use by hirers.
ALL AREAS	Maintenance	Independent self-employed contractors	Whenever possible all maintenance is carried out when the halls are empty. The garden is maintained by a reputable local company. They have no need to enter the Hall. Occasionally, and only in an emergency, a plumber, electrician or heating engineer might need to work unsupervised when the Hall is occupied (but not in a hall which is in use). Whenever possible hirers will be informed beforehand.