Centre for Inclusion and Diversity

Children on Campus Policy

Policy Owner:	Udy Archibong, Pro Vice Chancellor, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
Author:	Chris Hall and Tori McKay
Approved by:	Executive Board
Date of Approval of this Version:	October 2023
Next Review Date:	May 2024
Version Number:	v1
Applicable Statutory, Legal or National Best Practice Requirements:	Health and Safety at Work Act Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations The Children Act The Safeguarding of Vulnerable Groups Act Working together to Safeguard Children Keeping Children Safe in Education UK Data Protection Laws The Equality Act
Equality Impact Assessment Completion Date:	September 2023
Data Protection Impact Assessment Completion Date:	September 2023

1. Introduction and Aims

1.1 The University of Bradford places great value on the diversity of its staff and student body and on fostering a sense of belonging, trust and community where everyone, regardless of background, feels supported to achieve their full potential.

1.2 The safety, health and wellbeing of our staff, students, as well as any visitors to our campus, is paramount. The University is committed to ensuring that not only are we meeting our statutory obligations with regards to health and safety, but also that we are providing a safe environment where the needs of the individual are carefully and sensitively balanced against those of the wider campus community.

1.3 This policy outlines the University’s position and approach to welcoming and accommodating children on campus. It aims to ensure that staff, students and visitors are clear on their roles and responsibilities when navigating a range of scenarios that may arise and that any activities involving children on campus are conducted responsibly and within a clear, safe and supportive framework.

2. Purpose and Scope

2.1 This policy applies to all staff and students, as well as any visitors to the University of Bradford campus.

2.2 For any University activities that take place away from the campus (for example at partner organisations or work placement providers), the relevant health, safety and other applicable policies and/or procedures in those settings should be followed.

2.3 For the purposes of this policy, a ‘child’ is defined as someone under the age of 18 who is not a member of staff or a student at the University. Information about supporting students or staff members who are under 18 can be found in the University’s safeguarding policy and guidance.

2.4 ‘Responsible adult’ is used in this policy to describe any individual who holds responsibility for the safety and wellbeing of a child in their care. This could include, for example, a parent, foster carer, grandparent or other family member, childminder, schoolteacher, or nursery worker. Children brought onto campus, regardless of age, should not be left alone or with anyone else unless that person is able and willing to assume the role and expectations of the child’s responsible adult as detailed in this policy.

2.5 For the purposes of this policy, a ‘space/activity owner’ is any individual (or group of individuals) who is responsible for leading campus activities and/or managing particular campus spaces and services. These owners could be staff or students, depending on the context. Examples of space/activity owners could include:

Student union officers or staff when running a session with students on campus.
A lecturer when teaching in a classroom setting.
A tutor when conducting a tutorial.
Members of Library staff when supporting students and ensuring study facilities are being used appropriately.
Members of student support services when having appointments with students.
Line managers overseeing the office/operating space of their teams.
Colleagues that run school visits, or visits to campus from other organisations where children may form part of the delegation.
Where an activity is taking place in a space where there may usually be an ‘owner of a space’, the ‘owner’ for the purposes of this policy, would be the activity leader.

2.6 ‘Other campus users’ are defined for the purposes of this policy as students, staff and visitors not in the category of ‘responsible adult’ or ‘space/activity owner’ in a given situation.

2.7 This policy aims to align with, and support, a range of other University policies. These include:

Health and Safety;
Safeguarding Policy and Procedures;
Under 18’s Safeguarding Policy:
New and Expectant Mothers Guidance;
Student Pregnancy and Parental Leave Policy and Procedures;
Parental Leave Policy and Procedures;
Special Leave Policy;
Flexible Working Policy;
Dignity and Respect.

2.8 The University is not expected to assume responsibility for the welfare of children on campus, unless it has expressly stated to do so, for example as part of a planned activity (e.g. at the University’s Nursery).

2.9 In the event of an accident or (suspected) incident involving a child on University premises, staff, students and/or visitors must report this to the Health and Safety team, and to the Security Team via the following mechanisms:

Contacting Campus Security directly on the Emergency Number (ext. 8888) or via Richmond reception.
Using the SafeZone app.
Completing an accident report form.

3. Categories of Activity and Spaces

3.1 The Health and Safety at Work Act requires the University to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, that everyone working, studying or visiting on campus is safe.

3.2 As part of this obligation, and the fact that many University buildings are not designed with the attendance of children in mind, it is important that staff, students and visitors understand when children can and cannot be accommodated on campus. This policy outlines three categories of campus activity/spaces as they relate to the presence of children; public/planned, restricted and context dependent.

3.3 It is important to note that, regardless of the activity/space category, the responsible adult involved in any given scenario is accountable, at all times, for the safety, conduct and wellbeing of the child(ren) in their care.

Public and/or planned

3.4 Public spaces and/or planned activities are those in which children are welcomed and can be accommodated safely on campus. Public spaces are defined as areas which, while they may not be actively promoted as such, are accessible to the public. These include:

Café/food outlet seating areas – e.g. Richmond Atrium or Student Central Café
Restaurant areas – e.g. Richmond Eatery
Shops – e.g. in Student Central or Richmond Atrium
Seating areas in publicly accessible spaces – e.g. Richmond Atrium
Campus parks and gardens

3.5 Planned activities are those that, while they may or may not have been aimed at or promoted to children specifically, have been explicitly risk-assessed to consider the safety and wellbeing of children on campus at those times. These include, but are not limited to:

Open days or other outreach activities on campus
Graduation ceremonies
University-wide events – e.g. Team Bradford Day
Public events/festivals
Educational and outreach activities/events
Recreational/social or sporting events
Attendance of children at UoB Nursery
School/nursery visits to other areas of campus
Work experience activity

3.6 Where planned events are taking place on University premises, a risk assessment must be completed in all instances by the organisers of the activity. Risk assessment templates can be found on the Health & Safety SharePoint pages. Where it is intended and/or anticipated that children may attend the event or activity, the risk assessment must identify how the University’s Safeguarding Policy will be implemented and managed.

3.7 Where organised visits by schools/academies and other youth-centered organisations (e.g. scouts, cadets) are arranged and employees of that organisation are in attendance, the organisation should complete its own risk assessment and take its own child safeguarding steps, in accordance with Local Education Authority guidelines. The children within their care must be supervised at all times.

Restricted

3.8 Certain spaces and activities are only accessible to children when the visit has been pre-arranged and the necessary risk assessments conducted, for example, as part of the range of activities set out above. Beyond those circumstances, children are not allowed to enter spaces or activities that may present risks, hazards or otherwise be inappropriate for children to enter. These include, but are not limited to:

Laboratories or other teaching/research spaces with hazardous materials/equipment.
Chemical and/or specialist equipment stores.
Access-controlled computer facilities.

3.9 Owners of restricted spaces and/or activities must ensure that children are not permitted to enter laboratories, workshops or other designated high-risk areas.

3.10 Restricted activities also include those which, while not necessarily posing a significant health and safety risk to children, would prevent the activity in question being conducted in line with University regulation, policy and/or an individual’s contractual obligations. Such activities include:

Examinations and other forms of in-person assessment – e.g. presentations, vivas
Formal meetings/hearings – e.g. misconduct/disciplinary/grievance panels
Confidential/sensitive meetings

3.11 Students who experience childcare issues that prevent them from completing formal examinations or other forms of in-person assessment should submit evidence of this as part of an Extenuating Circumstances application.

Context dependent

3.12 Most University activities are not designed with the attendance of children in mind, and it is expected that staff and students with children arrange suitable and sustainable childcare to align with their normal work/study schedule.

3.13 The University does recognise that occasionally staff and/or students wish to, or feel they need to, bring their child(ren) onto campus outside the activities of a public space or planned event. The University is generally supportive of these occasional visits of children to campus, but it is important that the safety and wellbeing of the child(ren), as well as the impact on other campus users, are considered.

3.14 Such occasional and/or unforeseen instances when children are brought onto campus might include:

Short visits to University services and/or other non-public spaces – e.g. office to pick up laptop, Library to return books.
Bringing a new baby to work to visit colleagues.
Exceptional failure of regular/scheduled childcare resulting in not being able to come to work/study without child(ren).
Unforeseen circumstances – e.g. needing to take care of a relative’s child at short notice.

3.15 Before bringing the child(ren) into non-public campus spaces, the responsible adult must obtain permission for the child to be present from the leader/manager of the given activity/space. Examples of this might include:

Staff seeking permission from their line manager before bringing child(ren) into the office.
Students seeking permission from their tutor before bringing child(ren) into a meeting/tutorial/lecture.
Students seeking permission from the Library front desk to bring child(ren) into a study area.
Visitors seeking permission from their named University contact to bring child(ren) with them on a visit to campus.

3.16 In reaching a view on whether the environment is appropriate for the child, the following criteria should be followed:

Safe – Is the area restricted or hazardous in any way? Can these be mitigated? Could the safety of colleagues or students be put at risk by the presence of the child(ren)?
Space – Is there enough physical space for the child(ren) to be present without compromising their safety and comfort, or the safety and comfort of others?
Suitability – Is the activity age-appropriate for the child(ren), even if they will not be directly participating? For example, taking a toddler to a silent study area would likely disrupt other users of that space. Equally, an older child may be able to sit quietly in a lecture theatre, but the content of the session may not be appropriate for a non-adult audience, creating an emotional challenge for them.
Student and staff impact – Has the comfort and potential impact on fellow staff and/or students been considered? Where possible, have other students or staff been consulted about accommodating a child in the space/activity?
Support – If applicable, is there any support that could be provided/signposted which could assist the responsible adult in sourcing childcare, either now or in the future?

3.17 Space/activity owners should acknowledge feedback from other campus users on any impact of child(ren) being present. If the presence of a child/children is being disruptive to the learning/work of others, the responsible adult may be asked to remove the child from the setting/activity.

3.18 If the leader/manager of a particular space/activity deems it to be inappropriate to allow a child into the given setting, according to the guidelines outlined in this policy, they should explain their reason/s and the responsible adult must respect (not debate) the decision and make alternative arrangements. Examples of alternative arrangements might include:

Staff arranging to meet colleagues outside of work time/settings.
Staff taking (annual or dependent’s) leave to manage childcare issues.
Students rearranging meetings/tutorials with their tutors.
Students catching up on work missed by using resources on the VLE, notes from peers and any revision/catch up materials from their tutor.
Students booking the family-friendly study room in the Library.
Visitors postponing/rearranging their visit onto campus.

3.19 If campus users feel their learning and/or work is being impacted by the presence of child(ren) in particular spaces/activities, they should raise this with the activity/space owner or another member of staff present, who can then escalate the concern to the appropriate manager/space owner.

3.20 As part of a wider community, campus users can be supportive to colleagues and peers with childcare issues in other ways. These include, for example:

Helping peers with resources from sessions missed.
Signposting sources of support to peers.
Ensuring peers are kept in the loop regarding missed communications.

3.21 Further guidance for staff and students on context dependent activities is available in the appendices of this policy.

3.22 If a person wishing to bring a child onto campus is in any doubt as to which category their intended activity belongs, they should seek advice and guidance from, as appropriate, their line manager, the organiser of the activity and/or the Health and Safety team.

4. Oversight, Implementation and Support

4.1 This policy and its implementation are owned and overseen by the University of Bradford’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Committee.

4.2 Faculties and Directorates are responsible for ensuring that everyone is aware of this policy, as well as any related policies, procedures and training (e.g. Safeguarding and Prevent).

4.3 This policy and accompanying appendices shall be reviewed annually.

5. Appendices

For appendices see the attached PDF version of this policy.

A. Prompt Card for Activity/Space Owners

B. FAQs and Scenarios

A PDF version of this policy is available here: Children on Campus Policy