Purpose

This policy outlines the mandatory procedures for photographing kindergarten group photos to ensure compliance with parental consent requirements, child safety obligations and Five Graces Photography's commitment to privacy and best practice.

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Policy Statement

Five Graces Photography will only include children in kindergarten group photographs where valid parental permission has been obtained.

Under no circumstances is a child to be included in a group photograph without documented permission.

This policy applies to all Five Graces Photography staff and contractors.

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Acceptable Permission Methods

A child may be included in a kindergarten group photograph only if permission has been received through one of the following approved methods:

• A completed Five Graces Kindergarten Group Permission Form.

• The online Kindergarten Group Permission Form.

• Consent provided during the Five Graces online photography registration process.

These three methods are considered equivalent forms of consent.

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Photographer Responsibilities

At the commencement of each photography day, all completed paper Kindergarten Group Permission Forms must be photographed or scanned and uploaded to the Five Graces Photography Head Office before group photography preparations begin. Head Office will register all consent forms to ensure an accurate and complete consent list is available.

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A kindergarten group photograph will only proceed if a minimum of eight (8) children have documented parental consent. If fewer than eight children have consented, the group photograph must not take place unless otherwise authorised by Head Office.

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Photographers are responsible for personally verifying which children have permission to participate.

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This responsibility must never be delegated to educators, centre staff or volunteers.

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Before the group photograph, photographers must:

1. Confirm that Head Office has completed registration of all consent forms.

2. Review the final list of children with documented permission.

3. Prepare a list of every child authorised to appear in the group photograph.

4. Call each authorised child's name individually.

5. Ensure only those children line up for the photograph.

6. Confirm the children present match the approved permission list before taking the image.
    

At no stage should photographers ask educators to identify who has permission or rely on educators to remove children from the group.

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Children Without Permission

Children who do not have documented permission must not appear in the group photograph.

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This includes circumstances where:

• an educator believes permission has been provided;

• a parent verbally states permission has been given;

• a permission form cannot be located;

• there is uncertainty regarding consent;

• the child joins the group after it has been organised; or

• excluding the child may make the group appear incomplete.
   

If documented consent cannot be confirmed, the child must not be photographed.

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There are no exceptions to this requirement.

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Educator Requests to Include Unauthorised Children

If an educator, centre employee or any other person requests that a child be included in a kindergarten group photograph despite the child not appearing on the approved Five Graces Photography consent list, the photographer must politely decline.

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The photographer must explain that Five Graces Photography is only permitted to photograph children for whom documented parental consent has been verified by Head Office. Verbal assurances or requests from centre staff cannot replace documented parental consent.

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If pressure continues, the photographer must cease preparations for the group photograph and immediately contact Five Graces Photography Head Office for direction.

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Failure to comply with documented parental consent requirements may expose both Five Graces Photography and the early learning service to complaints, regulatory investigation, legal claims, contractual consequences and other liabilities arising from unauthorised photography of children.

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Under no circumstances is a photographer authorised to include a child who does not appear on the approved consent list.

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Documentation

Photographers should retain the final approved permission list for the duration of the photography day and ensure it forms part of the job documentation.

 

Any discrepancies or concerns regarding permissions must be reported to the Five Graces Photography Head Office before the group photograph is taken.

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Child Safety Commitment

This policy forms part of Five Graces Photography's Child Safe Photography Standards and supports compliance with Australian privacy and child safety expectations.

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Maintaining accurate consent records protects children, families, early learning services and Five Graces Photography.

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Every child included in a group photograph must have documented parental consent. When consent cannot be verified, the child is not to be photographed.

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Compliance

Compliance with this policy is mandatory for all Five Graces Photography employees and contractors.

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Failure to follow any part of this policy—including obtaining and verifying parental consent, uploading permission forms to Head Office, using the approved consent list, or ensuring only authorised children are included in the group photograph—constitutes a serious breach of Five Graces Photography's Child Safe Photography Standards.

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Any unauthorised inclusion of a child in a kindergarten group photograph may have significant consequences, including but not limited to:

• A breach of a family's expressed consent and privacy expectations.

• Potential breaches of applicable privacy legislation and child safety obligations.

• Formal complaints from families.

• Damage to the reputation of both Five Graces Photography and the early learning service.

• Loss of trust between families, the centre and Five Graces Photography.

• The requirement to withdraw or destroy photographs containing unauthorised children, resulting in disappointment for participating families and additional operational costs.

• The possibility of contractual consequences for Five Graces Photography or the early learning service where child safety or privacy obligations have not been met.

• Increased regulatory scrutiny or investigations where a breach is alleged.
   

Failure by a Five Graces Photography employee or contractor to comply with this policy may result in disciplinary action, including retraining, formal performance management, suspension from photography duties, or termination of employment or engagement, depending on the seriousness of the breach.

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Failure by an early learning service to support this policy—including directing unauthorised children into a group photograph, providing incorrect information regarding consent, or requesting that Five Graces Photography disregard documented consent requirements—may result in Five Graces Photography declining to take the group photograph, reporting the incident to centre management, requiring corrective actions before future photography sessions, or reviewing the ongoing commercial relationship with the service.

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Protecting children's privacy and respecting family consent is a shared responsibility. Five Graces Photography will not compromise its child safety and consent requirements under any circumstances.

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