1. Safety Measures

1.1 Definition of Young People and Children

Anyone under 18 years may be referred to as a child

1.2 Statement of Value and Principles

At J’s Dance Factory, we believe that:
- It is the responsibility of all organisations to give proper attention to the welfare of minors who utilise their services or are active members in their activities
- Our students should be motivated to explore their potentials
- The well-being of children rests upon the shoulders of everybody in society. Appointed Safeguarding Officers. Our appointed staff are those vested with the responsibility of ensuring effective child safeguarding procedures are met. Please check with your dance school manager who your appointed person is. Their name should be displayed on the notice board and the date of their last child protection training.
Under the Child Safeguarding Policy, duties include:
- The receiving and recording of information from children, parents/guardians/care givers, staff and volunteers who have concerns for child protection.
- Careful evaluation of the information recorded; certifying or getting more details about the issue appropriately, and seeking professional advice from senior colleagues where necessary.
- Relating concerns with a recognised child protection agency, as soon as possible , and immediately make a formal referral.

1.3 Code of Conduct
Our staff must:
- Respect all of our students
- Be an example of the lifestyle they want our students to leas

- Ensure that when dealing with or talking to our students, there are two or more adults around
at any one time in view of or hearing of the students and hearing any conversations.

Every student has equal right to confidentiality which must be respected. Every student should feel comfortable enough to reveal things they are unhappy about in a safe environment without making promises of non disclosure.

- Be aware that during interaction with a child, physical contacts could be misinterpreted
- When discussing some sensitive issues with young people and children, caution must be taken

- Get to know our anti-bullying policy
- Recognise general unacceptable behaviour of both students and staff and make all suspicions
and allegations of abuse known to management or the relevant organisation.
- Offer guidance and assistance to less experienced helpers or volunteers.

Staff must not:

- Develop any questionable contact; whether verbal or physical, with our students and their
parents or guardians.
Get involved in attention seeking attitudes and behaviours or use negatively implied gestures or

remarks in the presence of our students

Be rash to make conclusion, even without any available facts
- Amplify or play down any child abuse related issue or allegation - Give preferential treatment to anyone
- Believe they cannot be victims
- Go against logic and policy

1.4 Event and Project Planning, Supervision and Risk assessment

At J’s factory, we understand the importance of making adequate arrangements for effective
supervision of our students, which helps to reduce the exposure to harm while in our care.

1.4.1 Planning

- Proper planning should be put in place to ensure adequate supervision of children as well as
engagement in suitable activities.
- Coordinators should get a written agreement where parents and guardians give their consent

to their children participation in the project or event
- The children’s role in the project or event should be duly communicated to the parents.
- Coordinators would ensure the environment where the children are to rehearse is safe and
secured.
1.4.2 Supervision
- Every child should always be under the supervision of a certified DBS checked adult or a
licensed chaperone.
- Chaperones must always know the current position of the children and their activities at every
point in time.
- Organisers must report any unacceptable behaviour from children

1.4.3 Risk Assessment in Relation to Child Protection

Our risk assessment principle is tailored to assess:
- The likely risks associated with the project or event
- The most vulnerable children
- Solutions to such hazards
After this, we may:
- Create palliatives to curb the risk
- Assign people to supervise and control child protection
- Risk Assessment is recommended for all projects and events

1.5 Photographic Procedures

- When parent’s enrol their child at one of our schools you will be asked to sign a parental
permission form seeking permission for their children to be videoed or photographed and used

for commercial purposes.
- Where applicable, the child’s consent should be obtained before his/her image is being used.
- Images or videos of a child will be used, solely, for the purpose agreed upon by parent and
guardians. Any further unauthorised use is unacceptable.
- Where permission is granted to use a child’s image, the image must be highly secured. It is
recommended that they are store in a hidden location on a storage device.
- To see examples of how children’s images should be used, visit our website and agencies’
who publish our photographs. We do not use any personal information about a child that could
expose the child’s personal information without additional consent.

- We ensure we express expectations to press or photographers at the event, so they are duly informed of our policy on child protection. Photographers must be supervised at all times when supervising the children

- All photography must be carried out within at an event or studio environment
1.6 Recruitment Process
We have clearly stated procedures that guide our recruitment. To ensure the optimal safety of

our students, we:
Ensure vacant positions are out rightly defined and those requiring a DBS have one processed prior to starting
Endeavor to send a a copy of this policy prior to starting
Require that all applicants sign a declaration regarding any criminal convictions that may deem them unfit to work with children or young people.
Will ensure that during interviews, questions related to best practices in child’s safety will be
asked.
Referees should be able to vouch for their applicants in respect of their suitability to work with
children.

1.7 Other J’s Dance Factory Policies

More regulations on safeguarding include:
- An appropriate number of trained and responsible adults are employed.
- Adequate space is provided
- Easy access to effective telecommunication
- Professional and routine risk assessment

- Quick Access to First Aid supplies and first-aid-trained staff. Everyone should be confident with the process of evacuation
- Names and telephone contacts of parents and emergency contact should be easily
accessible.