KIMBERLY WYATT DANCE ACADEMY SAFEGUARDING AND CHILD PROTECTION POLICY
Effective 1st September 2024
Status and Review Cycle: Statutory Annual Next Review Date: August 1st 2024
Kimberly Wyatt Dance Academy (hearby known as KWDA) Designated Safeguarding Leads are:
Main Designated Safeguarding Lead: Max Rogers
Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead: Faye Jones
Second Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead: Kimberly Rogers
REPORTING CHANNELS
Please report concerns about a child to:
The main Designated Safeguarding Lead: Mr Max Rogers. Contact details:
kimberly@kwdance.com
The deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead: Mrs Faye Jones Contact details:
fayejonesconsultant@yahoo.com
The second Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead: Mrs Kimberly Rogers Contact details:
kimberly@kwdance.com
The Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) will report concerns to Children’s Social Care where appropriate, and the Police if a crime is committed.
Concerns/allegations about an adult working with children should be reported to Max Rogers, who will contact the Designated Officer (LADO) for advice within one working day.
Never delay in reporting concerns/allegations. Not reporting is a form of abuse. Report immediately. Anybody can make a referral. Referrals to statutory agencies do not require parental consent. ALL referrals with concerns about children, young people and
adults should be discussed with the Surrey Children’s Single Point of Access (C-SPA) Monday to Friday 09.00 to 17.00, telephone 0300 470 9100 email cspa@surreycc.gov.uk Outside those hours, urgent concerns about a child's safety to the Emergency Duty Team on 01483 517898. The LADO number is 0300 123 1650 (Monday to Friday 09.00 to 17.00) or LADO@surreycc.gov.uk In an emergency where you are concerned for the child's immediate safety you should call Surrey Police on 999. Local Referral, Intervention and Assessment Services for Mole Valley can be called on 0300 123 1620. If a crime may have been committed, the matter should be reported to the Police.
NAMED PERSON(S) FOR CHILD PROTECTION
KWDA has an appointed individual who is responsible for dealing with any child protection concerns. In their absence, a deputy will always be available for workers/members to consult with.
The named persons for Child Protection within KWDA are:
Max Rogers
Email: kimberly@kwdance.com
Faye Jones
Email: fayejonesconsultant@yahoo.com
Kimberly Rogers
Email: kimberly@kwdance.com
The roles and responsibilities of Max Rogers are:
- To ensure that all staff are aware of what they should do and who they should go to if they are concerned that a child/young person may be subject to abuse or neglect.
- To ensure that any concerns about a child/young person are acted on, clearly recorded on standard incident report records, referred on where necessary and, followed up to ensure the issues are addressed.
-To record any reported incidents in relation to a child/young person. These will be kept in a secure place.
Part 1 Principles
Everyone has a responsibility for safeguarding children. This policy is about the abuse and maltreatment of a child. Someone may abuse or neglect a child by inflicting harm, or by failing to act to prevent harm.
KWDA has a duty of care to safeguard all children involved in the academy from harm. All children have a right to protection, and the needs of disabled children and others who may be particularly vulnerable must be considered.
KWDA will ensure the safety and protection of all children involved in the academy through adherence to its duty of care under the Children and Young Persons Act 2004, the Children (Performances and Activities) (England) Regulations 2014, the Children Act 1989 and the Criminal Justice and Court Services Act 2000 (in Scotland Protection of Children (Scotland) Act 2003).Children and social work Act 2017 and Working Together to Safeguard Children 2018
KWDA faculty are committed to the care and welfare of all the children in our academy with safeguarding given high priority. Faculty are encouraged to adopt an open and accepting attitude towards all dancers and to promote a safe environment and a clear understanding of paths of communication to raise any potential problems or concerns within or outside the academy.
We recognise that;
•The welfare of the child/young person is paramount.
•All children, regardless of age, disability, gender, racial heritage, religious belief, sexual orientation, or identity, have the right to equal protection from all types of harm or abuse.
•Working in partnership with children, young people, their parents, carers and their agencies is essential in promoting young people's welfare.
•All suspicions and allegations of abuse should be taken seriously and responded to swiftly and appropriately, as outlined by our policies.
•All members and employees of the organisation should be clear on how to respond appropriately. A child is defined as a person under the age of 18 (The Children Act 2004).
The purpose of the policy:
• To provide protection for the children and young people who are learning to dance at KWDA.
• To provide staff and volunteers with guidance on procedures they should adopt in the event that they suspect a child or young person may be experiencing, or be at risk of, harm.
• This policy applies to all staff, volunteers, students and anyone working on behalf of KWDA.
We will seek to safeguard children and young people by:
• Adopting good practice guidelines by following Government guidance in their document ‘Working Together to Safeguard Children’ (2018).
• Valuing them, listening to and respecting them.
• Through recruiting staff safely, ensuring necessary checks are made.
• Sharing information about safeguarding and good practice with children, parents, staff and volunteers.
• Sharing information about concerns with agencies who need to know and involving parents and children appropriately. • Providing effective management for staff and volunteers through supervision, support and training.
Part 2
Roles and Responsibilities
All adults in the academy have an individual responsibility to safeguard and promote the welfare of children by taking appropriate action.
This includes taking action where there are child protection concerns.
Recruitment and training of staff and volunteers:
KWDA recognises that anyone may have the potential to abuse children in some way and that all reasonable steps are taken to ensure unsuitable people are prevented from working with children. Pre-selection checks must include the following:
• Two confidential references, including one regarding previous work experience with children will be obtained.
• Evidence of identity (passport or driving licence with photo) will be obtained. This will be used as evidence for the right to work in the UK.
• Paid staff will be thoroughly interviewed in advance of any job offer and trial classes may be used to confirm suitability.
• Job requirements and responsibilities will be clarified.
• Safeguarding procedures will be explained, and training needs identified for both paid staff and volunteers. • Paid staff and volunteers will hold a current enhanced DBS.
• All Chaperones are registered with the local authority.
Cover Teachers
In situations where regular teachers are unavailable and cover teachers are required for one-off classes, current enhanced DBS checks are required as well as checks in the form of two trusted referrals. Trusted referral includes anyone who has previously passed and met our recruitment standards such as regular faculty members.
Cover teachers will also be under constant surveillance and monitoring while working with children by either DSL Max Rogers, Deputy DSL Faye Jones or second Deputy DSL Kimberly Rogers.
Procedures for Handling Disclosures
A child may decide to disclose information that may indicate they are suffering from abuse or neglect. A child chooses to speak to an adult because they feel that they will listen and that they can trust them. The adult needs to listen to what the child has to say and be very careful not to ‘lead’ the child or influence in any way what they say.
It is important that the adult remembers to:
• Stay calm.
• Listen and be supportive.
• Not ask any leading questions, interrogate the child, put ideas in the child’s head, or jump to conclusions. • Not stop or interrupt a child who is recalling significant events.
• Never promise the child confidentiality – it must be explained that information will need be to be passed on to help keep them safe.
• Avoid criticising the alleged perpetrator.
• Tell the child what must be done next (the safeguarding process must be followed).
• Record what was said immediately as close to what was said as possible. Also record what was happening immediately before the child disclosed. Be sure to sign and date the record in ink.
• Contact the designated person immediately.
• Seek support.
We are clear that the Local Authority and Police must lead any investigation into any allegation regarding safeguarding. If we have a concern about a child or children, we will telephone the C-SPA. We will make sure we are prepared with full details of the child and family, plus what our concerns are, details of any support we have provided to the child/family and what we would like to happen. We will ensure we gain consent from the parent/carer unless to do so would place the child at further risk of harm or undermine a criminal investigation. If we have not sought consent from the parent/carer we will inform C-SPA. We will make careful records of all conversations, in ink, including the dates and times of who we spoke to, the information shared, and the action agreed. We do not need to send a written referral.
Part 3 Recognising abuse
KWDA recognises the importance of all staff having an awareness of safeguarding issues including:
Bullying, cyberbullying, children missing education, child missing from home or care, child criminal exploitation (CCE), child sexual exploitation (CSE), county lines, domestic abuse, drugs, fabricated or induced illness, faith abuse, female genital mutilation
(FGM), forced marriage, gangs and youth violence, gender based violence/violence against women and girls (VAWG), hate, mental health, private fostering, preventing radicalisation, relationship abuse, youth produced sexual images and trafficking.
It is recognised that behaviours linked to activities such as drug taking, alcohol abuse, truanting and sexual images put children in danger.
Child protection
Child protection is one very important aspect of safeguarding. It refers to the activity which is undertaken to protect specific children who are suffering, or are likely to suffer, significant harm.
Significant harm
The Children Act 1989 introduced the concept of significant harm as the threshold that justifies compulsory intervention by statutory agencies in family life in the best interests of children. There are no absolute criteria on which to rely when judging what constitutes significant harm. Sometimes it might be a single traumatic event but more often it is a compilation of significant events which damage the child’s physical and psychological development. Decisions about significant harm are complex and, in each case, require discussion with the statutory agencies: Children’s Social Care and Police.
Child abuse
Knowing what to look for is vital to the early identification of abuse and neglect. All faculty should be aware of indicators of abuse and neglect so that they are able to identify cases of children who may need help or protection.
If faculty are unsure, they should always speak to the DSL or a Deputy DSL.
Faculty should be aware that abuse, neglect and safeguarding issues are rarely standalone events that can be covered by one definition or label.
In most cases multiple issues will overlap with one another.
Abuse is a form of maltreatment of a child. Somebody may abuse or neglect a child by inflicting harm, or by failing to act to prevent harm.
Harm can include ill treatment that is not physical as well as the impact of witnessing ill treatment of others. This can be particularly relevant, for example, in relation to the impact on children of all forms of domestic abuse. Children may be abused in a family or in an institutional or community setting by those known to them, or more rarely, by others.
Abuse can take place wholly online, or technology may be used to facilitate offline abuse.
Children may be abused by an adult or adults or another child or children.
It is generally accepted that there are four main forms of abuse. It is accepted that in all forms of abuse there are elements of emotional abuse, and that some children are subjected to more than one form of abuse at any one time. The following definitions are from Department of Education, Keeping Children Safe in Education KCSIE (Sept. 2024):
i) Physical abuse
A form of abuse which may involve hitting, shaking, throwing, poisoning, burning or scalding, drowning, suffocating, or otherwise causing physical harm to a child. Physical harm may also be caused when a parent or carer fabricates the symptoms of, or deliberately induces, illness in a child.
ii) Emotional abuse
The persistent emotional maltreatment of a child such as to cause severe and persistent adverse effects on the child’s emotional development. It may involve conveying to a child that they are worthless or unloved, inadequate, or valued only insofar as they meet the needs of another person. It may include not giving the child opportunities to express their views, deliberately silencing them or ‘making fun’ of what they say or how they communicate. It may feature age or developmentally inappropriate expectations being imposed on children.
These may include interactions that are beyond the child’s developmental capability, as well as overprotection and limitation of exploration and learning or preventing the child participating in normal social interaction. It may involve seeing or hearing the ill-treatment. of another. It may involve serious bullying (including cyberbullying), causing children. frequently to feel frightened or in danger, or the exploitation or corruption of children. Some level of emotional abuse is involved in all types of maltreatment of a child, though it may. occur alone.
iii) Sexual abuse
Involves forcing or enticing a child or young person to take part in sexual activities, not necessarily involving violence, whether the child is aware of what is happening. The activities may involve physical contact, including assault by penetration (for example rape or oral sex) or non-penetrative acts such as masturbation, kissing, rubbing and touching outside of clothing. They may also include non-contact activities such as involving children in looking at, or in the production of, sexual images, watching sexual activities, encouraging children to behave in sexually inappropriate ways, or grooming a child in preparation for abuse. Sexual abuse can take place online, and technology can be used to facilitate offline abuse. Sexual abuse is not solely perpetrated by adult males. Women can also commit acts of sexual abuse, as can other children. The sexual abuse of children by other children is a specific safeguarding issue in education and all staff should be aware of it and of their school or college’s policy and procedures to deal with it.
iv) Neglect
The persistent failure to meet a child’s basic physical and/or psychological needs, likely to result in the serious impairment of the child’s health or development. Neglect may occur during pregnancy because of maternal substance use. Once a child is born, neglect may involve a parent or carer failing to: provide adequate food, clothing and shelter (including exclusion from home or abandonment); protect a child from physical and emotional harm or danger; ensure adequate supervision (including the use of inadequate caregivers); or ensure access to appropriate medical care or treatment. It may also include neglect of, or unresponsiveness to a child’s basic emotional needs.
Action taken by the DSL
Any disclosure or indicators of abuse will be reported verbally to the DSL or Deputy straight away. Within 24 hours, the DSL will refer the matter to Surrey Social Care or the Police without further investigation within the academy. The academy will follow their guidance about what to do next. Their statutory responsibility is to initiate any necessary investigations, and they will want relevant academy faculty to assist in the way appropriate to the circumstances and will advise on this. Anyone who feels that their concerns have not been dealt with seriously must contact Surrey Social Care.
Additional Guidance A:
Appropriate Physical Contact in Dance.
Physical contact in a dance class is sometimes required to correct the posture, position or movement of a dancer as both a learning guide and a safety procedure.
Teaching dance is a physical activity, and a teacher will sometimes need to make physical contact with a dancer to show an idea or to correct the dancer’s position.
This can include:
• Lifting or supporting.
• Adjusting arms, legs, rib cage, hips, feet, hands • Moving one student in relation to another.
Where contact is needed, we will remain sensitive to the dancer’s wishes and put their welfare first. In all cases, we will say why and how we will be correcting the dancer’s position before making any contact.
It may be appropriate to request permission to make physical contact with a dancer.
We encourage students to report any concerns.
Additional Guidance B:
Travel, Off-Site Activities and Special Events.
Comprehensive risk assessments for shows, competitions, tours and off-site activities will be carried out. Relevant chaperones and supervision will be in place.
UK states how many adults are required to look after a group of students.
In the UK some events require young performers to hold a Child Performance Licence and that any Licenced child has a designated chaperone who is pre-approved by the child’s local council.
More information about this scheme can be found on the UK Government website. Laws will be different in non-UK countries, so please check local regulations.
When chaperoning students in the theatre for competitions and performances, we will:
• Provide parents and students with detailed information about the event.
• Ensure all chaperones are fully qualified and have completed the Surrey Children’s Services Chaperone course. All chaperones are expected to always wear their identity badges backstage.
• Ensure that all parties backstage have a full DBS check.
• Ensure registers and checks are made – all students are signed in and signed out to a responsible adult.
We will ensure that chaperones hold all required checks and licences and are aware of our Child Protection Policy.
Additional Guidance C:
Use of Photographs and Film of Children.
It is common for teachers, parents and students to take images (in the form of photographs and film) at classes and events. This is appropriate as a teaching aid to assist with learning or rehearsal as well as pre-agreed and consented marketing or promotional use, including social media.
KWDA will limit the use of images to the following reasons.
-Teaching record
-Learning/rehearsal support
-To share progress with dancers, parents and sometimes online. -To promote the academy, including on social media.
There are also times when it is not appropriate for images to be taken.
These can include:
-While students are getting changed or are in their designated changing rooms.
-Where the image may be shared without prior permission publicly, including on social media.
-When students are in large groups and permission has not been sought from all those included in the image.
Images should not be taken backstage either in or out of changing rooms by students on their mobile devices.
At point of booking classes at KWDA, we seek written/electronic agreement from parents that images can be taken of their child. Where we have publicly displayed images at our academy or on social media, parents and students may withdraw their permission at any time. In such cases, the parent should request in writing to remove the content and change their photographic permissions. A period of 3 working days should be allowed to process a request of this nature.
We ask that any parent wanting to take photographs or film at our events only do so with our prior permission. Permission will only be granted on the agreement of all present.
Any images to be used outside of the agreed usages when signing initial terms and conditions will require separate permissions on a case-by-case basis.
Additional Guidance D: Social Media.
At KWDA we allow but do not actively encourage any children to engage in social media.
All social media usage should be at the discretion of parents/guardians of children attending KWDA.
Teachers and members of staff may engage with social media accounts of children in the form of publicly visible likes and comments but should avoid private conversation that cannot be monitored by parents/guardians of the child. This is with specific reference to Direct Private Messaging.
In the event of private conversation via social media or any other channels including text message, phone or email, teachers and members of staff should immediately declare and open the conversation to include parents and team members.
Under no circumstances should teachers or members of staff manage social media accounts on behalf of children who are not their immediate dependents. In the event of prior relationships with children that have resulted in this outcome before arriving at KWDA, we will strongly advise those concerned to not continue with this arrangement.
With permission from parents/guardians we happily support and share those who choose to have social media but maintain an assurance that favouritism of individuals is not acceptable.
We ensure KWDA will not unnecessarily identify individuals by name publicly, unless specific permission is requested for us to do so. This includes ‘tagging’ pictures with individual accounts on social media posted by KWDA.
Additional Guidance E: Elite Talent Consideration.
Special consideration is given to the unique pressures faced by elite talent, including physical demands, performance expectations and balancing education with training.
A win at all costs approach is to be avoided at KWDA with focus placed on individual goals for improvement.
Celebrating individual success will often be appropriate but in general, success should be celebrated as a team or group, rather than isolating individuals for praise that may cause them to feel or become elevated above the rest of the group.
Long term health is more important than short term gain and so in the case of illness or injury, regardless of the dancer’s schedule or training program, medical advice should be sought and respected and we will prioritise a return to full health before progress can continue as a dancer.
Fear of losing place
Places in elite groups and teams should be based on the likely benefit to the dancer and nothing more. Places will not be offered or removed based on personal preference and ‘threat of removal’ will not be used as a motivational tool.
Additional Guidance F: Health and Nutrition.
-Pre-Class Warm-Up: All students must participate in a warm-up before each class to reduce the risk of injury. Our instructors will guide students through a structured warm-up session that prepares the body for physical activity.
-Stretching and Flexibility: Students are encouraged to stretch regularly to improve flexibility and reduce muscle tightness. However, all stretches should be done with proper technique to prevent overstretching or injury.
-Accident and Injury Reporting: Any accident or injury that occurs during class must be reported immediately to the DSL who will ensure that details are properly recorded in the accident/injury report record. In the case of a serious injury the student will be referred to medical professionals. Parents or guardians will be notified as soon as possible.
-Rest and Recovery: Students are encouraged to take regular breaks during intense physical activities to avoid overexertion. Rest and recovery are essential to the healing process, especially for young dancers who may be at risk of strain or fatigue.
-Balanced Diet: We encourage but do not enforce dancers to adopt a balanced diet that supports their physical activity levels. We recommend that students eat a variety of fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, and whole grains, while limiting processed foods and sugary snacks.
-Hydration: We encourage dancers to stay hydrated before, during, and after dance classes. We recommend that students bring a water bottle into the studio to every class to maintain proper hydration, especially during physical exertion.
-Food During Classes: Dancers are advised to bring healthy snacks if needed during breaks, but snacks should not disrupt the flow of class and therefore are not allowed in the studio.
-Special Dietary Requirements: If a dancer has specific dietary needs or restrictions these should be clearly indicated during sign up to KWDA via the electronic booking system. For special events outside of the usual KWDA schedule these considerations should be repeated for the attention of the DSL in advance of the event.
Health, injury and nutrition advice may be given upon request by trained members of staff only. Anecdotal advice based on personal experience or second-hand non-peer reviewed research should not be given to children.
If any concerns or issues are raised by anyone at KWDA regarding nutrition these should be immediately communicated to the DSL who will help refer to relevant sources of help.
In the case of high-performance athletes who use nutrition to supplement their training KWDA will only offer advice in the case of a safeguarding concern or if it specifically requested.
Additional Guidance G:
Regular Location Considerations.
Addlestone Community Centre
KWDA community should only use the carpark in the case of illness or injury to a dancer, otherwise the carpark should not be used by anyone accept KWDA staff or faculty.
The main doors to the centre should always be kept locked during class hours and only opened in the presence of KWDA faculty or staff who can ensure that anyone entering the building is identified upon arrival.
The kitchens should only be used with permission from KWDA staff and should not be used as a place to gather or wait.
The lobby should be used to wait and potentially prepare for class by stretching, warming up or practicing choreography. Acrobatics are not permitted in the lobby unless supervised on a one-to-one basis by a member of the KWDA teaching faculty.
Parents/Guardians of young children should remain in the lobby during classes to assist with toilet visits, outfit changes and the needs of younger children.
The window blinds in studios should remain open to provide a view of the class inside.
Salesian School
Parents/Guardians of young children should remain on site to assist with toilet visits, outfit changes and the needs of younger children.
Teachers or members of staff should maintain eye contact with all children when they are moving between studios or to the toilet.
KWDA Private Studio
Parents/Guardians of ALL DANCERS are required to always remain on site during classes.
Dancers should be escorted to the toilet and back.
Designated areas of use by KWDA: Studio, Kitchen and Toilet.
All other areas of the property are out of bounds unless agreed by owners of the property.
On-Street parking is available for parents, but local residents should be considered and the highway code, government road safety and vehicle rules should be observed at all times.
Driveways and access roads, including that which runs behind the studio should not be blocked or obstructed under any circumstances.
Evacuation Assembly Point is across the street on the pavement in front of Number 5 Burcott Gardens.
Relevant Guidance and Legislation • KCSIE Annex A and Part 1 • Working Together 2018 • What to do if You’re Worried a Child is Being Abused 2015 • Children Act 2004 • Children Act 1989 • Framework for the Assessment of Children in Need and their Families
Amended November 2024
Next update August 2025