Child Safeguarding Statement

Emerald Park provides a range of educational and recreational activities to children and their families from across Ireland and abroad. Emerald Park staff members have a variety of levels of contact with children from brief encounters to immersive week-long summer day camp programmes.

Programmes / activities include

• Wild Adventures Day Summer Camp Programme
• Formal taught education sessions in our Eagle Sky classroom including ecology, genetics, biodiversity, zoo conservation & stewardship, biogeography, animal behaviour
• School tours featuring access to activities in our theme park and guided tour of the zoo for both primary and secondary school children
• Access and entry to amusement rides for children without the accompaniment of an adult (subject to height/age restrictions)

Emerald Park agrees that

• The protection and welfare of children is of paramount importance.
• We will fully comply with our obligations under the Children First Act 2015, and other relevant legislation relating to the protection and welfare of children.
• We will fully co-operate with the relevant statutory authorities in relation to child safeguarding measures.
• We promote safe practices to mitigate the possibility of harm to children and protect our staff from the necessity to take unnecessary risks that may leave themselves open to accusations of abuse or neglect.
• Confidentiality requirements when dealing with child protection matters will be respected and carried out accordingly.

Emerald Park believes that the safety and welfare of children is everyone’s responsibility. Our objective is to ensure that through our educational/recreational activities and interactions that the best interest of the child is continually at the forefront of our operational procedures.

Emerald Park is committed to safeguarding children through the following processes

• Comprehensive recruitment of all staff and work experience university students.
• Thorough vetting including Garda vetting (as applicable).
• Comprehensive training and induction protocols and procedures.
• Child safeguarding policy and training, which includes a code of conduct for staff interacting with children and visitors.
• Comprehensive health and safety policy and risk assessments for all activities, rides and the zoo.
• Comprehensive ‘lost child’ policy and reporting procedures to minimize stress/negative welfare of children and parents who find themselves in this difficult situation.

Risk Assessment

We have carried out a risk assessment of any potential for harm to a child while availing of our services. Taking the definition of Harm in relation to a child as: “assault, ill treatment, or neglect of the child in a manner that seriously affects or is likely to seriously affect the child’s health, development or welfare, or sexual abuse of the child”.

Below is a list of the areas of risk identified and the list of procedures for managing risks:

Risk identified

The child may be subject to harm from other children in playground climbing and slide structures, the Spiral Mound, and Maze, where parents may not have a child in view at all times.

Procedure in place to manage identified risk

Staff are present throughout the park at all times during operational hours, thus limiting the risk of unsupervised play. Playground attendants do not replace parent supervision but offer additional safety and support.

Risk identified

The child may be subject to harm from staff or work experience students

Procedure in place to manage identified risk

Comprehensive recruitment and vetting is in place. Anyone working on a 1 to 1 basis with a child which is unsupervised by parent/guardian or qualified teacher must be Garda Vetted. 1 to 1 interaction with children is restricted to Wild Adventures Summer Camp. All formal education programmes must include supervision by one of the visiting school’s teachers at all times. The ratio is 1 teacher per 30 students. Lost Child policy requires staff members to double up when a lost child is encountered, ensuring the child is with 2 members of staff at all times.

Risk identified

Lost Child subject to harm from the adult visitor

Emerald Park is a theme park and zoo dedicated to creating adventure, passing on knowledge, conserving nature and serving our community.

Emerald Park believes that the safety and welfare of children is everyone’s responsibility. Our objective is to ensure that through our educational/recreational activities and interactions that the best interest of the child is continually at the forefront of our operational procedures. Emerald Park is committed to safeguarding children.

Procedure in place to manage identified risk

Comprehensive ‘Lost Child’ policy and procedures, which includes a wristbands programme to enable staff to quickly and efficiently track down parents and reunite families.

Risk identified

The child in Wild Adventures Summer Camp programming going home with an unauthorised adult

Procedure in place to manage identified risk

The policy ensures that no child may leave with another adult unless the parent/guardian has informed specifically that this is authorized and have informed camp staff in advance. Supervision of children participating in the camp programme is.

Procedures

Our Child Safeguarding Statement has been developed in line with requirements under the Children First Act 2015, Children First: National Guidance for the Protection and Welfare of Children (2017), and Tusla’s Child Safeguarding: A Guide for Policy, Procedure and Practice. In addition to the procedures listed in our risk assessment, the following procedures support our intention to safeguard children while they are availing of our service:

• Procedure for the management of allegations of abuse or misconduct against workers/volunteers of a child availing of our service.
• Procedure for the safe recruitment and selection of workers and work experience university students to work with children.
• Procedure for the provision of and access to child safeguarding training and information, including the identification of the occurrence of harm.
• Procedure for the reporting of child protection or welfare concerns to Tusla.
• Procedure for maintaining a list of the persons in the relevant service who are mandated, persons
• Procedure for appointing a relevant person.

All procedures listed are available upon request.

Implementation

We recognise that implementation is an on-going process. Our service is committed to the implementation of this Child Safeguarding Statement and the procedures that support our intention to keep children safe from harm while availing of our service.

This Child Safeguarding Statement will be reviewed every twelve months or as soon as practicable after there has been a material change in any matter to which the statement refers.

Signed:
Charles Coyle, GM Emerald Park

Signed:
Jessica Harley, Designated Relevant Person Under the Childrens First Act 2015