1. Purpose and Commitment

Theative Performing Arts is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all children and young people who participate in our classes, rehearsals, examinations, performances, camps, workshops and other activities.

We recognise that safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and that all children have the right to be protected from harm, abuse, neglect and exploitation.

The welfare and best interests of the child are paramount. We are committed to creating an environment in which children feel safe, respected, included and able to speak to a trusted adult if something is worrying them.

All safeguarding concerns, disclosures and allegations will be taken seriously and responded to appropriately.

2. Our Safeguarding Principles

Theative Performing Arts will:

• Treat children and young people with dignity and respect.

• Provide an inclusive environment where children are valued regardless of age, disability, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, gender reassignment or other individual characteristics.

• Challenge bullying, discrimination, harassment and inappropriate behaviour.

• Maintain appropriate professional boundaries between adults and children.

• Recruit and engage staff and contractors with appropriate regard to safer recruitment and safeguarding.

• Ensure relevant staff and contractors receive appropriate safeguarding information and training.

• Maintain appropriate records and procedures for responding to safeguarding concerns.

• Work with parents, carers and statutory agencies where appropriate.

• Share information where necessary to safeguard a child.

• Review our safeguarding arrangements regularly.

We recognise that some children may be particularly vulnerable to harm because of their age, disability, communication needs, family circumstances or other factors and may require additional consideration and support.

3. Legal and Guidance Framework

This policy has regard to relevant safeguarding legislation and guidance in England, including:

• Children Act 1989

• Children Act 2004

• Children and Young Persons Act 1963

• Children (Performances and Activities) (England) Regulations 2014

• Working Together to Safeguard Children 2026

• Department for Education guidance on keeping children safe in out-of-school settings

• Data Protection Act 2018 and UK GDPR

• Relevant local safeguarding procedures

The Department for Education's out-of-school-settings guidance specifically applies to providers including after-school activities, holiday clubs, private tuition, music lessons and sports training.

The Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) for Theative Performing Arts is:

Amy Lynn Swarbrick Principal, Theative Performing Arts Email: missamy@theative.co.uk Telephone: 07752 570 998

The DSL is responsible for overseeing safeguarding procedures, maintaining appropriate safeguarding records, providing guidance to staff and contractors, and making or supporting referrals to statutory agencies where necessary.

All staff and contractors have an individual responsibility to recognise, respond to and report safeguarding concerns. A safeguarding concern must never be ignored or action delayed because the DSL is unavailable.

Where the DSL is unavailable and a safeguarding concern requires immediate action, staff and contractors should contact the appropriate local safeguarding service or police directly.

Where a safeguarding concern or allegation relates to the DSL/Principal, it must not be reported to or investigated by the DSL. The person raising the concern should instead contact the appropriate local authority safeguarding service directly, including the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) where the concern relates to the DSL's conduct towards a child.

Relevant external safeguarding contact details are provided in Section 24 of this policy.

5. Recognising Safeguarding Concerns

Safeguarding concerns may arise from something a child says, something an adult observes, information provided by another person, changes in a child's behaviour or appearance, or concerns about the conduct of an adult or another child.

Concerns may relate to, among other things:

• Physical abuse

• Emotional abuse

• Sexual abuse

• Neglect

• Domestic abuse

• Bullying or cyberbullying

• Child-on-child abuse

• Sexual harassment or harmful sexual behaviour

• Online abuse or exploitation

• Grooming

• Criminal or sexual exploitation

• Radicalisation

• Discrimination or hate-related abuse

• Unsafe or inappropriate conduct by an adult

• A child's physical or emotional wellbeing

Staff and contractors are not expected to investigate or determine whether abuse has occurred. Their responsibility is to recognise concerns, respond appropriately and report them.

6. If a Child Makes a Disclosure

If a child tells a member of staff or contractor something that raises a safeguarding concern, the adult should:

• Listen calmly and take the child seriously.

• Allow the child to speak in their own words.

• Avoid expressing shock, disbelief or judgement.

• Not ask leading or unnecessary investigative questions.

• Not promise to keep the information secret.

• Explain, in an age-appropriate way, that the information may need to be shared with someone who can help keep them safe.

• Reassure the child that they have done the right thing by speaking to someone.

• Make an accurate written record as soon as possible, recording the child's own words where possible.

• Record the date, time, circumstances and anyone else who was present.

• Report the concern to the DSL or Deputy DSL as soon as possible.

Staff must not attempt to investigate the allegation themselves.

This approach is consistent with Lambeth's current guidance, which advises adults receiving safeguarding allegations to take them seriously, avoid leading questions, not promise confidentiality and make an accurate written record.

7. Reporting and Referring Safeguarding Concerns

All safeguarding concerns should normally be reported promptly to the DSL or Deputy DSL.

The DSL will consider the information available and determine the appropriate next steps, which may include seeking safeguarding advice, speaking with parents or carers where appropriate, making an Early Help referral, referring to Children's Social Care or contacting the police.

Staff do not need proof that abuse has occurred before raising a concern.

Where a child appears to be at immediate risk of significant harm, emergency services should be contacted immediately by calling 999.

Where a member of staff or contractor believes a child remains at risk and cannot contact the DSL or Deputy DSL, they should contact Children's Social Care or the police themselves rather than delay action.

For Lambeth referrals, the current Integrated Referral Hub contact numbers are 020 7926 3100 during office hours and 020 7926 5555 outside office hours.

8. Allegations or Concerns About an Adult Working With Children

Any allegation or concern about the behaviour of a teacher, contractor, volunteer or other adult working on behalf of Theative Performing Arts must be taken seriously.

This includes concerns that an adult may have:

• Harmed or potentially harmed a child.

• Committed or potentially committed an offence involving a child.

• Behaved towards a child in a way that may indicate that they pose a risk to children.

• Behaved in a way inside or outside their work that raises concerns about their suitability to work with children.

Concerns about a member of staff or contractor should be reported immediately to the DSL.

Where the concern or allegation relates to the DSL/Principal, it should be reported directly to the appropriate local authority safeguarding service, including the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) where applicable.

Theative Performing Arts will not conduct its own investigation where doing so could compromise a statutory safeguarding or criminal investigation. Appropriate advice will be sought from the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO), Children's Social Care or police as applicable.

The adult who is the subject of the allegation should not automatically be informed before appropriate safeguarding advice has been obtained.

Lambeth's current guidance says relevant allegations about adults working with children should be referred to the LADO and advises organisations not to investigate or interview the accused person themselves.

9. Safer Recruitment and Suitability

Theative Performing Arts is committed to taking reasonable steps to ensure that people working with children are suitable to do so.

Depending on the role, this may include:

• Application and interview processes

• Checking identity and relevant qualifications

• Obtaining references

• Appropriate DBS checks

• Checking the person's suitability and experience

• Safeguarding induction and training

• Clear expectations regarding professional conduct

These requirements apply as appropriate to employees, self-employed contractors and other adults engaged to work with children.

10. Staff Conduct and Professional Boundaries

Adults working with students must maintain appropriate professional boundaries.

Staff and contractors must:

• Treat students respectfully and fairly.

• Use appropriate language and behaviour.

• Avoid humiliating, intimidating, threatening or degrading children.

• Avoid favouritism or relationships which could reasonably be perceived as inappropriate.

• Avoid unnecessary private communication with children.

• Not establish inappropriate personal or secretive relationships with students.

• Report concerning behaviour by another adult.

• Use information about students only for authorised Theative Performing Arts purposes.

• Follow Theative Performing Arts procedures regarding photography, communication and digital systems.

Where possible, communication about younger students should take place through their parent or guardian.

11. Physical Contact in Dance and Acro

Dance, acrobatics and performing arts teaching may legitimately involve physical contact.

Teachers may need to use appropriate physical contact to:

• Correct alignment or technique.

• Demonstrate positioning.

• Assist with stretching or movement.

• Support or spot acrobatic skills.

• Prevent injury.

• Assist a student who has fallen or become injured.

• Participate in choreography, partner work or class activities.

Physical contact must always have a legitimate teaching, safety or welfare purpose and be appropriate to the student's age and the activity.

Teachers should explain physical corrections where appropriate and remain sensitive to a student's comfort, communication and individual needs.

Students have the right to communicate that they are uncomfortable with physical contact, and teachers should respect this wherever it is safe and practicable to do so.

Physical contact must never be secretive, punitive, sexualised or used in a manner intended to humiliate or intimidate a student.

12. Supervision, Drop-Off and Collection

Parents and carers remain responsible for children outside their scheduled lesson or supervised activity unless alternative arrangements have specifically been made.

For regular weekly classes:

• Parents/carers are expected to remain on-site for children under 8 unless an alternative responsible adult has been arranged or another arrangement has been agreed with Theative Performing Arts.

• Children under 11 must not be left unsupervised outside the classroom.

• Teachers assume responsibility for students during their scheduled lesson once the student has been received into the class.

• Parents/carers must collect children promptly at the end of their lesson.

• Parents should inform the teacher where another adult will be responsible for their child.

Different supervision arrangements may apply during camps, performances, examinations and other activities where Theative Performing Arts has explicitly accepted responsibility for children for a longer period.

13. Late or Uncollected Children

If a child is not collected when expected, reasonable attempts will be made to contact the parent/carer and emergency contacts held on the student's account.

The child will remain supervised by an appropriate adult where reasonably possible.

Staff must not take an uncollected child to their own home or make private arrangements outside Theative Performing Arts procedures.

If parents/carers and emergency contacts cannot be reached and there is a concern for the child's welfare, advice may be sought from Children's Social Care or the police.

14. Medical Conditions, Injuries and Additional Needs

Parents and carers are responsible for providing accurate and up-to-date information about medical conditions, allergies, injuries, disabilities, additional needs or other information relevant to their child's safe participation.

Relevant information will be made available to authorised staff where necessary for the student's safety and participation.

Where a child requires medication, including an inhaler, adrenaline auto-injector or other emergency medication, parents/carers should discuss their child's requirements with Theative Performing Arts.

Staff will only administer or assist with medication where appropriate arrangements and permissions are in place and they are willing and competent to do so.

In an emergency, staff will act reasonably to protect the child's health and safety and may contact emergency services.

15. Bullying and Child-on-Child Concerns

Bullying, harassment, discrimination, intimidation and abusive behaviour between students are not accepted.

Safeguarding concerns can arise from the behaviour of another child as well as an adult.

Concerns involving child-on-child abuse will be taken seriously and considered from the perspective of all children involved. Appropriate action may include speaking with parents/carers, adjusting supervision, implementing behaviour or safety measures, seeking external advice or making a safeguarding referral.

Behaviour will not be dismissed as "banter", "just messing around" or an inevitable part of growing up where it may constitute harmful or abusive behaviour.

16. Photography and Video

Photographs and video may be captured during Theative Performing Arts activities for legitimate school purposes.

Permission for the public promotional use of identifiable student photographs and video is recorded separately.

Where public-use permission has not been given, Theative Performing Arts will not knowingly publish identifiable promotional images or footage of that student. Images may, where appropriate, be cropped, edited or have identifying features obscured.

Students will not normally be excluded from class activities or group filming solely because public-use permission has not been provided.

Authorised staff and contractors may temporarily capture photographs or video on their devices for authorised school purposes. Material must be handled appropriately, transferred as required and deleted from personal devices when it is no longer required there.

Further information is provided in our Privacy Policy.

17. Online Safety, Digital Communication and Social Media

Theative Performing Arts recognises that digital technology provides valuable opportunities but can also expose children to safeguarding risks.

Staff and contractors must maintain the same professional boundaries online as they would in person.

They should not use personal digital communication to establish inappropriate private relationships with students or communicate secretly with children.

Where direct digital communication with an older student is reasonably necessary, it should have a legitimate Theative Performing Arts purpose and appropriate professional boundaries should be maintained.

Personal information, photographs and video must be handled in accordance with our privacy, safeguarding and photography procedures.

Any concerning online behaviour involving a student or adult associated with Theative Performing Arts should be reported through the same safeguarding procedures as an offline concern.

Where remote teaching is offered, appropriate arrangements will be established regarding supervision, clothing, the teaching environment, access to sessions, recording and communication.

18. Private and One-to-One Lessons

One-to-one teaching may legitimately form part of dance and performing arts training.

Where a child receives an individual lesson:

• The lesson should take place in an appropriate teaching environment.

• Professional boundaries must be maintained.

• Parents/carers should know when and where the lesson is taking place.

• Where practicable, teaching spaces should remain observable or accessible to other responsible adults.

• Physical contact must follow the principles in Section 11.

• Communication and arrangements should normally be made through the parent/carer for younger students.

19. Camps, Performances, Examinations and Events

Additional safeguarding arrangements may be required for camps, shows, examinations, rehearsals, trips and other activities outside regular weekly lessons.

These may include:

• Registers and sign-in/sign-out arrangements.

• Emergency contact information.

• Appropriate staffing and supervision.

• Toileting and changing arrangements.

• First aid and medication arrangements.

• Procedures for collection and authorised adults.

• Venue-specific risk assessments.

• Photography and filming arrangements.

• Performance licensing and chaperoning requirements where applicable.

Parents/carers will be informed of relevant arrangements where necessary.

20. Toileting and Changing

Children should be encouraged to manage toileting and changing independently wherever appropriate for their age and ability.

Where a younger child or a child with additional needs requires assistance, staff should provide only the level of help reasonably necessary while maintaining the child's privacy, dignity and safety.

Staff should avoid unnecessarily being alone with a child in a closed or inaccessible space.

Parents/carers should inform Theative Performing Arts in advance where a child is likely to require particular assistance.

21. Safeguarding Records and Confidentiality

Safeguarding information will be treated sensitively and shared only with people who need the information to safeguard the child or fulfil a legal responsibility.

Safeguarding records will be kept securely and, where appropriate, separately from ordinary customer records.

Records should be factual and include relevant dates, times, observations, disclosures, actions taken and decisions made.

Information may be shared without consent where there is an appropriate lawful basis and doing so is necessary to protect a child. Lambeth's referral guidance expressly recognises that information may be shared without consent where there is a lawful basis, including where safety may be at risk.

Safeguarding concerns should never be discussed casually or shared with people who do not need to know.

22. Safeguarding Training

Staff and contractors working with children will receive appropriate safeguarding information and training for their roles.

The DSL and Deputy DSL will undertake appropriate safeguarding training relevant to their responsibilities.

Safeguarding procedures and expectations will form part of staff/contractor induction and will be revisited periodically.

23. Whistleblowing and Raising Concerns

Everyone working with Theative Performing Arts is expected to raise concerns about unsafe, inappropriate or potentially harmful behaviour.

No member of staff or contractor should feel prevented from raising a genuine safeguarding concern because it relates to a colleague, senior person or the Principal.

Where a person believes that a safeguarding concern has not been appropriately addressed internally, they should raise the matter directly with the appropriate statutory safeguarding authority.

24. External Safeguarding Contacts

Immediate danger Police/Emergency Services: 999

Lambeth Integrated Referral Hub Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm: 020 7926 3100 Outside office hours: 020 7926 5555

The Integrated Referral Hub is Lambeth's current route for professional safeguarding referrals and advice concerning children.

Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) For appropriate allegations concerning adults working with children: Telephone: 020 7926 4679 / 07720 828 700 Email: lado@lambeth.gov.uk

Lambeth states that the LADO should be notified of qualifying allegations concerning people working with children and can provide advice about how the matter should be managed.

25. Monitoring and Review

The Designated Safeguarding Lead is responsible for monitoring this policy and ensuring that safeguarding procedures remain appropriate.

This policy will be reviewed at least annually and sooner where:

• Safeguarding legislation or guidance changes.

• Local safeguarding procedures change.

• The nature of our activities changes significantly.

• A safeguarding incident or concern identifies a need for review.

Policy owner: Amy Lynn Swarbrick, Principal and Designated Safeguarding Lead Last updated: August 2026 Next scheduled review: August 2027