child protection

The policy of the Fiona Henderson School of Dance (FHSD) is to have an explicit duty to safeguard and protect children from abuse as defined in the Children Act 2004 and the Education Act 2002.

Everyone at our dance school shares an objective to help keep children, young people and vulnerable adults safe by:

• Providing a safe environment to learn in
• Identifying and responding to children, young people and vulnerable adults in need of support and / or protection
• Supporting children’s development in ways which will foster a sense of self-esteem and independence
• Fostering a learning environment in which every pupil feels valued and able to articulate their wishes and feelings in their preferred method of communication in an atmosphere of acceptance and trust.

We endeavour to ensure that children and vulnerable adults are protected from harm while they visit or are attending our classes. We will do this by:

• Making sure our staff are carefully selected
• Providing appropriate training for staff in issues of child protection
• Ensure all staff (including teaching staff, administrators and relevant ancillary staff) are PVG disclosed
• To establish and maintain an ethos where children and young people feel secure and are encouraged to talk, and are listened to
• Taking all reasonable steps to ensure the health, safety and welfare of any child or vulnerable adult in contact with us
• Not physically, emotionally or sexually abusing any child or vulnerable adult in contact with us
• Taking all reasonable steps to prevent any staff member, persons working for us or member of the public from putting any child or vulnerable adult in a situation in which there is an unreasonable risk to their health and safety
• Taking all reasonable steps to prevent any staff member, persons working for us or member of the public from physically, emotionally or sexually abusing any child or vulnerable adult
• Reporting to the Principal any evidence or reasonable suspicion that a child or vulnerable adult has been physically, emotionally or sexually abused in contact with us or anyone in our organisation
• Referring to statutory authorities all incidents reported to the Principal
• Implementing this policy in conjunction with our Health and Safety guidelines already in place

Everyone working or applying to work for this organisation is to be made aware of our policy for children’s welfare. Furthermore, this document should be issued to all staff and other people who are likely to have contact with children as part of their work with us. Copies of the policy will be held by the Principal.

ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES FOR ALL STAFF

These guidelines apply to:

• A situation involving children and young people up to age 18, whether or not accompanied by adults. We also recognise that vulnerable people of any age will benefit from similar safeguards. Wherever guidelines refer to children, this broader meaning applies
• All staff, contractors, freelance staff and volunteers working within our organisation or on our premises. In the case of contractors and consultants it is incumbent upon the Principal to ensure that they are made aware of these guidelines

GENERAL DUTIES FOR ALL STAFF

In regard to the safety and welfare of children and similarly vulnerable people all staff are required to:

• Be PVG disclosed
• Take all reasonable steps to protect children from hazards
• Strictly observe the code of behaviour in this document
• Take appropriate action if an accident occurs
• Take all reasonable steps to prevent abuse of children in contact with anyone within the organisation
• Report any incident or suspicion of abuse

ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES FOR ALL STAFF

• Safety of participants and staff is always of prime consideration
• All accidents involving anyone should be recorded in the dance school’s accident book immediately or as soon as practicably possible
• Staff are responsible for familiarising themselves with building/facility safety issues, such as, fire procedures, location of emergency exits, location of emergency telephones and first aid equipment
• Staff are responsible for reporting suspected cases of child abuse to the named responsible person and/or agencies
• Appropriate staff should have access to any parent consent/emergency consent forms for all children taking part in any activities [this information should be confidential]
• Staff should ensure that their activities start and end on time
• Staff are expected to promote, demonstrate and incorporate the values of fair play, trust and ethics throughout their activities

ADMISSION PROCEDURES

A register of names, addresses, contact / next of kin and contact addresses and telephone numbers for emergencies will be kept.

CODE OF BEHAVIOUR FOR ALL STAFF

People working at our organisation must always observe the following requirements where children, young people or similarly vulnerable people are concerned.

Do’s and Don’ts for Working with Children

DO:

• Behave professionally
• Listen to children
• Treat everyone with respect
• Communicate at an appropriate level
• Be aware of policy and procedures
• Report any suspicions within our guidelines
• Be aware, approachable and understanding

DO NOT:

• Harm a child or frighten a child
• Touch inappropriately
• Use inappropriate language
• Threaten, shout or be aggressive
• Force a child to do something they do not want to do
• Mistreat, demean, ignore, or make fun of
• Show favouritism to any one individual or groups of individuals
• Let a child expose him/herself to danger
• Make racist, sexist or any other remark which upset or humiliate

Do’s and Don’ts for Working with Vulnerable Adults

DO:

• Be respectful, responsible and professional
• Act in an appropriate manner
• Listen and communicate
• Use common sense; be caring, attentive and aware
• Be sympathetic to their needs
• Be aware of your responsibility
• Be aware of policy and procedures as outlined in this document

DO NOT:

• Treat vulnerable adults as children
• Engage in inappropriate behaviour
• Be aggressive or physically restrain
• Do anything of a personal nature they can do for themselves
• Place yourself in a vulnerable position

Our staff have a duty never to subject any child to any form of harm or abuse. Failure to adhere to these procedures will be treated as gross misconduct.

PHOTOGRAPHING and FILMING CHILDREN

The FHSD terms and conditions state that photographs and filming of pupils might be taken and reproduced for general marketing purposes as the default position. If a parent or guardian does not want their child to be photographed under any circumstances, they must advise the Principal in writing.

WHAT TO DO IF AN ACCIDENT HAPPENS

Depending the teacher’s judgment of the situation, they will go to the scene immediately if possible and/or summon First Aid assistance and/or contact the emergency services. With children it can be hard to assess whether they have been injured or the extent of the seriousness of an injury. If they have any doubt about this, they should err on the side of caution and contact the emergency services. Even if a child is accompanied and they think an accident is not being treated seriously enough, get medical assistance on their own initiative if necessary. All accidents should be reported in the Health and Safety manual.