CHILDREN’S IMAGES

An everyday activity It is likely that all practitioners will take photos of children at some point The overwhelming majority of photo events are entirely innocent and harmless The vast majority of staff or visitors have no desire to hurt, abuse or exploit the children in their care

A harmless activity? The following scenarios may be acceptable: Recording children’s achievements Illustrating activities and events Evidencing EYFS requirements Other specific and known reasons for taking images of children

A step too far? The following scenarios seem questionable: Collecting evidence for training portfolios Taking photographs for personal use Uncontrolled, indiscriminate use of cameras Images taken on mobile phones Removing images from the setting

Check with the parent Whatever the reason for taking images of children, parents should give explicit permission in advance If you are unsure of a parent’s wishes you should err on the side of caution and exclude a child from a photo until you have obtained written permission

Finding that happy medium Ask yourself… Why do we want to take this photo? What will happen to it? Who will see or be given copies of it? Are there any children who must not be included?

Justify your decision Could you justify your decision to take or allow others to take images of children, if asked to do so by: Ofsted? parents? the media? the police?

Ask the question Is it possible to take images of children? Is it possible to remove those images from the setting? Do staff question when images are taken? Would you raise a concern about a colleague’s actions?

Keeping it in perspective No one is suggesting that children and young people should never be filmed or photographed in a setting or on a trip, but this should be monitored and regulated. The challenge for practitioners is to ensure that a balanced and properly considered approach is maintained.

Activity In groups, or with your tutor / supervisor, discuss the situations when it would and would not be acceptable to take photographs of children. Look at your setting’s practices with regard to the taking of photos of the children. Do you need to be more specific about when and where photos can be taken? Do you control the equipment used to take photos of children and what happens to the images once they are taken?