CHILDREN IN OUR LIBRARIES
Central Swindon North Parish Community Libraries in partnership with Swindon Libraries & Information Service

Children in Our Libraries
We aim to create a safe, welcoming environment for all our library users. It is especially important to ensure that we protect the health, safety, and welfare of children. Parents, guardians, and caregivers are reminded that:
  1. Children are the legal responsibility of their parents, guardians, and caregivers, and they should always accompany their young children (under the age of 8) whilst at the library. Children under 8 must never be left in a library without a parent or carer. 
  2. Children of all ages using our libraries remain the responsibility of their parents, guardians, and caregivers at all times.
  3. Parents, guardians, and caregivers are responsible for monitoring their children’s internet use whilst in the library, both on library computers and on devices using our Wi-Fi. Consent given on the part of parents or guardians for a Library card constitutes acknowledgment by the parent or guardian that they have a responsibility for monitoring their child's use of all Library resources, including the public computers.
  4. Parents, guardians, or caregivers of children attending activities sponsored by the library are expected to remain in the library until the event concludes.
  5. Parents, guardians and caregivers should be available to take children home fifteen minutes prior to library closing.
  6. Central Swindon North Parish Community Libraries and Swindon Libraries & Information Service have a legal duty of care to notify the relevant authorities where there are concerns about a child’s welfare.
If a child under the age of 16 is unsupervised library staff will:
  1. Seek to establish whether the child is allowed by the parent or carer to come and go alone.
  2. Ask the child if they are expecting to be collected by an adult.
  3. Try to contact the parent, guardian, or caregiver if the child can supply contact information
  4.  If attempts to contact the parent, guardian, or caregiver fail, library staff will attempt to contact a close relative or family friend of the child who may be able to assist library staff in contacting the parent, guardian, or caregiver. Please note that library staff will not release a child into the care of someone (other than police or Social Services), unless they are sure that they are parent, guardian, or caregiver, or the parent, guardian, or caregiver has given permission.
  5. If all attempts at contacting the parent, guardian, or caregiver fail then the library staff will contact Social Services.
  6. In the event that library staff cannot contact Social Services they will contact the Police via 101.


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