Safeguarding & Child Protection Policy. The Big Dance Company Statement of intent
Our aims are to:
● Provide and create a safe environment which encourages young people to develop a positive self belief, regardless of race, language, religion, sex, culture or home background.
● help young people to establish and sustain satisfying relationships within their families, with peers and with other adults.
● Encourage young people to have the self confidence and vocabulary to resist inappropriate approaches.
● Work with parents to build their understanding of and commitment to the welfare of all young people.
The legal framework for our work is:
● The rehabilitation of offenders act
● The children's act 1989
● Human rights act 1998
● Data protection act 1999
● The children (NI) order
● The children (Scotland) order
● The children’s act 2004
● The children’s and social work act 2017
Liaison with other bodies
● Working within the area child protection committee guidelines.
● Safeguarding team to work alongside the staff of The Big Dance Company on child protection issues, including maintaining a list of names and contact details of social workers and support groups specialised in their field.
● Records of the local NSPCC contacts made available.
● If a report is to be made to the authorities, the safeguarding team will act within the area of child protection guidance in deciding whether we must inform the child’s parents at the same time.
Methods
Staffing and Volunteering
● Named person to coordinate child protection issues: Fiona Richardson, proprietor and dance instructor of The Big Dance Company.
● Follow a ‘SAFER RECRUITING’ procedure where all teachers and volunteers to hold a DBS and Cornwall Council Chaperone licence. In addition, teachers to hold own Public Liability Insurance of up to £5000,000. All references will be followed up.
Use of Photography and filming
The Big Dance Company will:
● Initiate consent during registration from parents, allowing opportunity to decline.
● Display notices in the studios stating that photography and filming is restricted to authorised personnel of The Big Dance Company.
● See additional policy adopted for use of online classes
Complaints
● Parents made aware of the complaints procedure, how to submit a complaint against a volunteer or member of the team which may include an allegation of abuse.
● Follow the guidance of the Area Child Protection Committee when investigating any complaint that a volunteer or team member has abused a young person
● Follow the disclosure and recording procedures when investigating an allegation that a volunteer or team member has abused a young person.
Responding to suspicions of abuse
● Acknowledge that abuse of young people can take different forms - physical, emotional, sexual and neglect.
● When a young person is suffering from physical, sexual or emotional abuse this may be demonstrated through changes in behaviour or in play and performance. Where such changes in behaviour occur, or where a child’s play gives cause for concern, the Big Dance Company will pass on their concerns to them and their legal guardian.
● Investigation to be carried out with sensitivity, taking care not to influence the outcome through the manner in which the child is spoken to and how questions are asked.
● Where a child shows signs of symptoms of failure to thrive or neglect, appropriate referrals will be made.
Disclosures
Where a child makes a disclosure to a Big Dance Company representative they will:
● Listen to the child and give them time to talk.
● Reassure them that they have been right to talk to a member of staff and that the information given will be disclosed only with the necessary authorities.
● Make notes as soon as possible after talking to the child.
● Only discuss the disclosure with the designated person.
The staff representative will not:
● Promise the child that their disclosure will be in confidence or kept a secret.
● Ask leading questions or make assumptions.
● Re-question the child.
Recording suspicions of abuse
The staff representative will make record of:
● The child’s name
● Address
● Age of child
● Date and time of observation or disclosure
● An objective record of the observation or disclosure.
● The exact words spoken by the child.
● The names of any other person present during the observation or disclosure. Records are to be signed and dated and kept in a separate, confidential file. Information will be passed on to Children’s Social Care.
Confidentiality
All suspicions and investigations will be kept confidential, shared only with those who are required under the policy to know. Any information is shared under the guidance of the ‘area child protection committee.’
Support to families
● Every step is taken to build trusting and supportive relations among families, staff and volunteers.
● Confidential records shared with a child’s parents or legal guardian where deemed necessary under guidance of the area child protection committee.
● With proviso that the care and safety of the child is paramount. The Big Dance Company will do all in our power to support and work with the child’s family.
The Big Dance Company Teacher Guide and Protocol for using Zoom Policy adopted and issued to staff and volunteers on 1st April 2020
Safeguarding
It is important that all staff who interact with children, including online, continue to look out for signs a child may be at risk. Any such concerns should be dealt with as per the Child Protection Policy and where appropriate, referrals should still be made to children’s social care and as required, the police.
Online teaching should follow the same principles as set out in the code of conduct. The Big Dance Company will ensure any use of online learning tools and systems is in line with privacy and data protection/GDPR requirements.
Organisation
Below are some things to consider when delivering virtual lessons/video conferencing, especially where webcams or phones are involved:
● Staff must only use platforms agreed by The Big Dance Company to communicate with pupils, and it is the responsibility of the teachers to gate keep and check content and comments;
● On no occasion should staff make or take video calls on a 1:1 basis with students unless this is arranged prior to the call between teacher and parent;
● Video calls through Zoom will only take place when the teacher is in the studio;
● Suitable clothing should be worn by the teacher and other adults;
● Language and behaviour must be professional and appropriate in the lesson and the chat;
● Teachers should record the length, time, date and attendance of any sessions held and report any issues to Fiona immediately after the session;
● Teachers should ensure that once all children are within the meeting, the meeting will be locked so that no other members can join;
● Staff will remove any participants who are not following these guidelines. Recording Zoom Classes
● Zoom classes will be recorded for the purpose of students being able to review learning or access classes that they have missed. Classes will only be recorded with teacher view, so no students will be visible.
● Zoom class recordings will be available only on Google Drive via the private members section of the website, which is password protected.
● All Zoom meetings will be ended if the member of staff witnesses or hears anything of concern. The details will be passed to the DSL.
Fiona Richardson
GUILD, ADFP, CSTD, UKA, UDO, ADC
Safeguarding Officer for The Big Dance Company: