Kirkstall Art Trail is committed to acting promptly, calmly and proportionately to protect the safety and welfare of any child under 18 or adult at risk who becomes separated from their parent, guardian, carer, family member or support person during the event.
As a multi-venue event, Kirkstall Art Trail will support swift and coordinated action across separate physical locations, busy public spaces and diverse volunteer teams. Individual venues will be connected with the central coordination team so that searches are organised, recorded and escalated appropriately.
Kirkstall Art Trail will ensure that the safeguarding lead, coordinators, venue hosts, artists and volunteers have a single, clear response process for a multi-venue public event, supported by the event safeguarding policy and volunteer briefing materials.
2. Scope, roles and responsibilities
This policy applies to all Kirkstall Art Trail venues, activities, artists, volunteers, coordinators and venue hosts. It covers children under 18 and adults at risk who are reported missing, found alone, or separated from their parent, guardian, carer, family member or support person during the event.
Safeguarding is the priority throughout this policy. If a child or adult at risk appears to be in immediate danger, is very young, distressed, injured, vulnerable to harm, or there are concerns about abduction, abuse or exploitation, emergency services must be contacted immediately by calling 999.
Information must be shared discreetly and only with those who need it for safeguarding purposes. Personal information, including descriptions, contact details, incident logs and any images, must be collected only where necessary, stored securely, and handled in line with the Kirkstall Art Trail’s Privacy Policy and data protection arrangements.
The following roles have specific responsibilities under this policy:
- Safeguarding lead – the designated individual responsible for safeguarding oversight, welfare decisions and escalation where required.
- Coordinators – responsible for event safety, planning, communications, incident logging and coordination of wider searches.
- Venue hosts – responsible for venue-specific safety, access arrangements, local emergency procedures and reporting concerns to coordinators.
- Artists – responsible for managing risks linked to their exhibits, materials, demonstrations and activities, and for reporting concerns promptly.
- Volunteers – responsible for supporting agreed control measures, following this procedure and reporting concerns to venue hosts or coordinators.
- Participants and visitors – responsible for following instructions, supervising children in their care where required, and taking reasonable care for their own safety and that of others.
3. Designated Meeting Points
- Use the Information Point at St Stephen’s Church Hall, Norman Street, Kirkstall, Leeds LS5 3JN as the main contact point for lost or found child and adult at risk concerns.
- At Kirkstall Abbey, Hollybush and Lilac, report concerns first to the local venue contact or coordinator.
- For houses and venues around the St Stephen’s triangle, report concerns directly to the Information Point.
- The local contact, coordinator or Information Point must contact the safeguarding lead where required and follow the relevant lost/missing or found person procedure below.
4. Lost or Missing Child or Adult at Risk
If a parent, guardian, carer or other responsible adult reports that a child or adult at risk is missing, the venue host, artist or volunteer receiving the report should follow these steps:
- Stay calm and keep the reporting adult with you. Reassure them, but do not make promises. If possible, keep them at the venue or Information Point so they are available for updates and questions.
- Gather essential information immediately. Record the child or adult at risk’s name, age if known, clothing, physical description, time and place last seen, who they were with, any immediate risks or vulnerabilities, and the reporting adult’s name and mobile number.
- Notify the right people straight away. Tell the venue host or a coordinator so the incident can be logged. The coordinator should inform the safeguarding lead, open an incident log and agree the next steps.
- Search the immediate area promptly and safely. Check the place where the person was last seen, nearby pavements, toilets, storage areas, behind displays, under tables and other likely hiding places. If safe and appropriate, the reporting adult may remain with the searcher in case the person recognises them.
- Escalate without delay if there is any immediate concern. Call 999 immediately if there is danger, suspected abduction, injury, serious distress, safeguarding concern, or the person is very young or particularly vulnerable.
- Escalate after the initial search if they are not found. If there is no immediate danger but the person is not found within a maximum of 10 minutes, the safeguarding lead should coordinate a wider search, circulate essential details discreetly to relevant coordinators, venue hosts, artists, volunteers and stewards, and decide whether to contact police on 101 or follow police advice. There is no requirement to wait 24 hours before reporting a missing person to the police.
- Keep communications discreet and proportionate. Share only necessary details with coordinators, relevant venue hosts, artists, volunteers and stewards. Do not make public announcements that identify the missing person by name, description or personal details, and do not circulate unnecessary images or information. If calling the safeguarding lead, state: “This is Venue [Number/Name]. We have a missing child/adult at risk report.”
- Keep contact details active. If the reporting adult leaves the venue or Information Point, confirm their current mobile number and ask them to update the Information Point immediately if the child or adult at risk is found.
5. Parent or Reporting Adult Support
The reporting adult may be distressed and should be supported while the lost or missing person procedure is followed.
- Keep the reporting adult at the venue or Information Point unless the safeguarding lead or police advise otherwise.
- Provide calm reassurance, but do not make promises about the outcome or timescales.
- Keep your phone line free for updates from the coordinator or safeguarding lead.
6. Found Child or Adult at Risk
If a child or adult at risk is found or brought to a venue host, artist or volunteer, follow these steps:
- Keep them safe and reassure them. Stay calm, introduce yourself, and explain that you will help them find their parent, guardian, carer, family member or support person. Keep them away from public view where possible.
- Do not leave them alone. Wherever possible, two appropriately briefed adults should remain present. If this is not possible, contact the safeguarding lead for advice and record the reason.
- Gather only essential information. Ask for their name, age if appropriate, who they are with, when and where they last saw that person, and any immediate needs or concerns. If they cannot provide this information because of age, language or communication difficulty, use a careful estimate.
- Notify the right people immediately. Tell the venue host or a coordinator, and ask them to inform the safeguarding lead if required. Provide the person’s name, description, clothing, last known location of their parent or group, and any welfare concerns.
- Avoid unnecessary photographs. Do not take or circulate a photograph unless the safeguarding lead decides it is necessary and proportionate for safeguarding purposes. Do not post images publicly.
- Stay where they were found if safe. If a reunion is likely quickly, remain nearby with appropriate supervision. If they are not quickly reunited, take them to the designated safe area or Information Point unless the safeguarding lead or police advise otherwise.
- Check for welfare or medical concerns. Seek advice from a coordinator or the safeguarding lead if the person is distressed, injured, unwell, very young, exposed to cold, wet, heat or sun, or may need emergency services support.
- Only release them safely. Before release, check the identity of the collecting person where appropriate, record their name, relationship and contact details, and obtain a signature on the found person report form. If anything feels uncertain, do not release the person until further checks have been completed; seek advice from the safeguarding lead and contact police if necessary.
7. Records, Data Protection and Review
- Record the time of the report, who reported it, the information provided, actions taken, decisions made, who was informed, police reference numbers where applicable, and the time the incident was resolved.
- Only collect information that is necessary to safeguard the child or adult at risk and manage the incident.
- Store completed forms, notes and any related communications securely. Share them only with the safeguarding lead, event organisers, police, local authority safeguarding services or insurers where there is a lawful and necessary reason.
- After the event, the safeguarding lead should review any incident to identify learning, update risk assessments and improve future briefings.
8. Related policies and procedures
This policy should be read alongside the following related Kirkstall Art Trail policies and procedures:
These documents set out the wider safeguarding arrangements, identified risks and control measures that support the safe management of lost, missing or found children and adults at risk during the event.
9. Monitor and Review
Kirkstall Art Trail will review this policy annually, or sooner following an incident, change in legislation, change in event arrangements or updated safeguarding guidance.
10. Last reviewed
11 June 2026