POLICIES

OUR  COMMITMENT TO STUDENT SAFETY

The Dance Centre is committed to student safety.

We are committed to remaining up to date with current best practice and implementing within our studio.

• We want our students to be safe, happy and feel empowered. The Dance Centre’s core values support this commitment.
• We support and respect all children, as well as our staff and volunteers.
• We are committed to the safety, participation and empowerment of all children.
• We believe dance is for everyone. We will work in partnership with parents and students to ensure that class placement is appropriate to the level and need of the student. We will plan, create and  deliver class content to meet each individual’s needs and goals.
• At The Dance Centre we are supportive and nurturing amongst our staff team, students and families. We are always considering how we can best serve and engage with our students and families. We are constantly looking and participating in local activities that promote dance and our students.
• Our team are constantly learning and evolving so we can ensure we provide up to date teaching styles, methods and modern choreography to our students in an age and skill appropriate level.
• We have zero tolerance of child abuse, and all allegations and safety concerns will be treated very seriously and consistently with our policies and procedures.
• We have legal and moral obligations to contact authorities when we are worried about a child’s safety, which we follow rigorously.
• Our organisation is committed to preventing child abuse and identifying risks early, and removing and reducing these risks.
• Our organisation will continue to keep up to date with all obligations via our partnered associations - Australian Dance Institute, YPAD, Fitness Australia, Dance Arts Alliance and AUSdance Victoria.
• Our organisation is committed to regularly discussing, training and educating our staff and volunteers on child abuse risks.
• We have specific policies, procedures and training in place that support our leadership team, staff and volunteers to achieve these commitments.
• Our organisation has robust human resources and recruitment practices for all staff and volunteers.
• We are committed to providing an environment where all student’s feel valued and can learn in a supportive atmosphere regardless of their skill level.
• We support and respect all children, as well as our staff and volunteers. We are committed to the cultural safety of Aboriginal children, the cultural safety of children from a culturally and/or linguistically diverse background, and to providing a safe environment for children with a disability.
• We are committed to employing teachers that uphold these values and we will stop classes and remove a teacher should we feel their behaviour is inappropriate.
• As a minimum, all staff will hold a current Working with Children Check and Level 2 First Aid certificate. Staff will have extensive knowledge and experience relevant to the style they teach and a formal qualification (or be in the process of obtaining qualifications under the direction of the Principal). All staff will attend regular internal and external professional development.
• Parents are an important part of our dance community and should always feel their children are safe. We expect all parents and carers to uphold the child safe standards and code of conduct.
• We are committed to the holistic learning and development of the children in our care and endeavour to incorporate discussions, workshops and masterclasses. The teachers will always aim to lead by example.

Our Children

This policy is intended to empower children who are vital and active participants in our organisation. We involve them when making decisions, especially about matters that directly affect them. We listen to their views and respect what they have to say.

We promote diversity and tolerance in our organisation, and people from all walks of life and cultural backgrounds are welcome. In particular we:

• promote the cultural safety, participation and empowerment of Aboriginal children
• promote the cultural safety, participation and empowerment of children from culturally and/or linguistically diverse backgrounds
• ensure that children with a disability are safe and can participate equally.

Our Staff and Volunteers

This policy guides our staff and volunteers on how to behave with children in our organisation. 

All of our staff and volunteers must agree to abide by our code of conduct which specifies the standards of conduct required when working with children. All staff and volunteers, as well as children and their families, are given the opportunity to contribute to the development of the code of conduct. 

Training and supervision

Training and education is important to ensure that everyone in our organisation understands that child safety is everyone’s responsibility. 

Our organisational culture aims for all staff and volunteers (in addition to parents/carers and children) to feel confident and comfortable in discussing any allegations of child abuse or child safety concerns. We train our staff and volunteers to identify, assess, and minimise risks of child abuse and to detect potential signs of child abuse. 

We also support our staff and volunteers through ongoing supervision to: develop their skills to protect children from abuse; and promote the cultural safety of Aboriginal children, the cultural safety of children from linguistically and/or diverse backgrounds, and the safety of children with a disability. 

New employees and volunteers will be supervised regularly to ensure they understand our organisation’s commitment to child safety and that everyone has a role to play in protecting children from abuse, as well as checking that their behaviour towards children is safe and appropriate. Any inappropriate behaviour will be reported through appropriate channels, including the Department of Health and Human Services and Victoria Police, depending on the severity and urgency of the matter.

Recruitment

We take all reasonable steps to employ skilled people to work with children. We develop selection criteria and advertisements which clearly demonstrate our commitment to child safety and an awareness of our social and legislative responsibilities. Our organisation understands that when recruiting staff and volunteers we have ethical as well as legislative obligations.

We actively encourage applications from Aboriginal peoples, people from culturally and/or linguistically diverse backgrounds and people with a disability. 

All people engaged in child-related work, including volunteers, are required to hold a Working with Children Check and to provide evidence of this Check. 

We carry out reference checks and police record checks to ensure that we are recruiting the right people.

Allegations, concerns and complaints

Our organisation takes all allegations seriously and has practices in place to investigate thoroughly and quickly. Our staff and volunteers are trained to deal appropriately with allegations. 

We work to ensure all children, families, staff and volunteers know what to do and who to tell if they observe abuse or are a victim, and if they notice inappropriate behaviour. 

We all have a responsibility to report an allegation of abuse if we have a reasonable belief that an incident took place.

If an adult has a reasonable belief that an incident has occurred then they must report the incident. Factors contributing to reasonable belief may be:

• a child states they or someone they know has been abused (noting that sometimes the child may in fact be referring to themselves)
• behaviour consistent with that of an abuse victim is observed
• someone else has raised a suspicion of abuse but is unwilling to report it
• observing suspicious behaviour. 

Privacy

All personal information considered or recorded will respect the privacy of the individuals involved, whether they be staff, volunteers, parents or children, unless there is a risk to someone’s safety. We have safeguards and practices in place to ensure any personal information is protected. Everyone is entitled to know how this information is recorded, what will be done with it, and who will have access to it. 

Regular review

This policy will be reviewed every two years and following significant incidents if they occur. We will ensure that families and children have the opportunity to contribute.