THE LODGESCHOOL OF THEATRE DANCE

SafeGuarding Statement/policy

Aims

Our Aim is to teach each and every child to the best of ourand the child's ability. To nurture the child's talent and to provide anenvironment that is safe and secure for them to flourish and Develop in. Toenable each child to progress as people not just dancers and to feel secure inthe knowledge that they are cared for and protected within our organisation.

The purpose of this policy statementis:

• to protect children and young people who receive classesand tuition at 'The Lodge School of Theatre Dance' from harm. This includes the children ofadults who use our services

• to provide staff and volunteers, as well as children andyoung people and their families, with the overarching principles that guide ourapproach to child protection. This policy applies to anyone working on behalfof 'The Lodge School of Theatre Dance' including senior Roles and, staff and Principal, Volunteers andstudents.

This policy has been drawn up on the basis of legislation,policy and guidance that seeks to protect children in England.

A summary of the key legislation and guidance is availablefrom nspcc.org.uk/child protection. Supporting documents

This policy statement should be read alongside ourorganisational policies, procedures, guidance and other related documents:

• role description for the designated safeguarding officer

• dealing with disclosures and concerns about a child oryoung person

• managing allegations against staff and volunteers

• recording concerns and information sharing

• child protection records retention and storage

• code of conduct for staff and volunteers

• behaviour codes forchildren and young people

• photography and sharing images guidance

• safer recruitment

• online safety

• anti-bullying

• managing complaints

• whistleblowing

• health and safety

• induction, training, supervision and support

• adult to child supervision ratios.

Webelieve that:

• children and young people should never experience abuse ofany kind

• we have a responsibility to promote the welfare of allchildren and young people, to keep them safe and to practise in a way thatprotects them

We recognise that:

• the welfare of childrenis paramount in all the work we do and in all the decisions we take

• working in partnership with children, young people, theirparents, carers and •other agencies is essential in promoting young people'swelfare

• all children, regardless of age, disability, genderreassignment, race, religion or belief, sex, or sexual orientation have anequal right to protection from all types of harm or abuse

• some children are additionally vulnerable because of theimpact of previous experiences, their level of dependency, communication needsor other issues, extra safeguards may be needed to keep children who areadditionally vulnerable safe from abuse.

• safeguardingchildren who come from Black, Asian and minoritized ethnic communities

• safeguarding d/Deaf and disabled children and young people

• safeguarding LGBTQ+ children and young people

• safeguarding children with special educational needs anddisabilities (SEND).

We willseek to keep children and young people safe by:

• valuing, listening to and respecting them

• appointing a nominated child protection lead for childrenand young people, a deputy and a lead trustee/board member for safeguarding

• adopting child protection and safeguarding best practicethrough our policies, procedures and code of conduct for staff and volunteers

• developing and implementing an effective online safetypolicy and related procedures

• providing effective management for staff and volunteersthrough supervision, support, training and quality assurance measures so thatall staff and volunteers know about and follow our policies, procedures andbehaviour codes confidently and competently

recruiting and selecting staff and volunteers safely,ensuring all necessary checks are made

• recording and storing and using information professionallyand securely, in line with data protection legislation and guidance

• sharing information about safeguarding and good practicewith children and their families via leaflets, posters, group work andone-to-one discussions

• making sure that children, young people and their familiesknow where to go for help if they have a concern

• using our safeguarding and child protection procedures toshare concerns and relevant information with agencies who need to know, andinvolving children, young people, parents, families and carers appropriately

• using our procedures to manage any allegations againststaff and volunteers appropriately

• creating andmaintaining an anti-bullying environment and ensuring that we have a policy andprocedure to help us deal effectively with any bullying that does arise

• ensuring that we have effective complaints andwhistleblowing measures in place

• ensuring that we provide a safe physical environment forour children, young people, staff and volunteers, by applying health and safetymeasures in accordance with the law and regulatory guidance

• building a safeguarding culture where staff and volunteers,children, young people and their families, treat each other with respect andare comfortable about sharing concerns

Contact details Nominated child protection lead

Name: Lyndsey Taylor

Trustee/Senior leadfor safeguarding and child protection

Name: Sarah-Jane Bullock

We are committed to reviewing our policy and good practiceannually.

This policy was last reviewed on: January 2023

Signed, S. J Bullock Date: 15^th January2023