Mission.

Establish and maintain an environment where children feel secure, are encouraged to talk, and are listened to when they have a worry or concern. Establish and maintain an environment where Theatre Factory staff and volunteers feel safe, are encouraged to talk and are listened to when they have concerns about the safety and wellbeing of a child.

The Theatre Facorty has considered its responsibilities to the students participating in classes very carefully, and therefore has produced the following safeguarding and child protection policy and underpinning procedures in order to set out the standards we wish to uphold in providing activities for children and in safeguarding the welfare of children in our care. This policy has been developed in accordance with the principals established by the Children Acts 1989 and 2004; The Education Act 2002 and Working Together to Safeguard Children 2018.

POLICY STATEMENT

The Theatre Factory acknowledges its duty of care to safeguard the welfare of all students (defined as those under 18 years of age) involved in activities within the school. All children have the right to protection, and have their particular needs taken into account.
Every child should feel safe and protected from any form of abuse which in this policy means any kind of neglect, sexual exploitation, non-accidental physical injury or emotional treatment. This pertains to direct contact and virtual contact through online social networking and mobile technology. Where a child is at risk,
suffering significant harm, or is likely to do so action will be taken to protect the child.
The Theatre Factory acknowledges its duty at act appropriately to any allegations, reports or suspicions of abuse and will therefore, endeavour to ensure the safety and protection of all children involved within the school through the child protection guidelines adopted by the Principal. It is the responsibility of all adults within the school to assist the Principal in this endeavour.

POLICY AIMS

To provide children with the appropriate safety and protection whilst in the care of the school and also to help then enjoy their experience.
To reassure parents/carers that their children will receive the best practicable care possible whilst participating in activities within the school.
To provide support to staff and volunteers to make informed and confident responses to specific child protection issues and to fulfil their role effectively.
Ensure we practice safe recruitment in checking the suitability of staff and volunteers to work with children.
Raising awareness of child protection issues and equipping children with the skills need to keep them safe.
Developing and implementing procedures for identifying and reporting cases or suspected cases of abuse.
Establish and maintain a safe environment where children feel safe, secure, valued and respected and are encouraged to talk, believing they will be listened to.
Ensure children know there are adults within the school that they can approach if they are worried.
We seek to ensure that the child’s wishes and feelings are taken into account when determining what action to take and what services to provide to protect children from harm.

PRINCIPALS

A child is defined by law as a person under the age of 18.
The welfare of children is paramount.
All children, regardless of their age, race, religion or belief, disability, sex or sexual orientation, have the right to protection from abuse.
We undertake to act with integrity, to treat children with respect, to listen to their concerns and act upon them.
All concerns and allegations of abuse and poor practice will be taken seriously and responded to swiftly and appropriately.
All staff and volunteers within the school have a responsibility to report concerns to the Principal.
Adults – Staff and volunteers will be supported to understand their role and responsibility with regard to the duty of care and protection of children and young people.
Individuals will receive support though education and training to be aware of and understand best practice on how to manage any welfare or child protection issues that may come to light.
The Theatre Factory will work in partnership with parents/carers to review and implement Child Protection and Welfare procedures.
The Children’s Act 1989 and 2004
The Data Protection Act 1994 and 1998
The Police Act 1997
The Human Rights Act 1998 Caring for the Young and Vulnerable – Home Office Guidance for preventing the abuse of trust 1999
The Criminal Justice and Court Service Act 2000
What to do if you are worried a child is being abused 2005
Working Together to Safeguard Children 2006
The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child
Any subsequent legislation relating to Child Protection would implicitly be incorporated in to
this document.

TRAINING

When staff join our school they will be informed of the safeguarding children arrangements in place.
All staff will receive induction in safeguarding children. The induction programme will include basic child protection information relating to signs and symptoms of abuse, how to manage a disclosure from a child, when and how to record a concern about the welfare of a child and advice on safe working practice.

RESPONSIBILITIES AND IMPLEMENTATION

The policy will be reviewed every three years by the Principal and amended as appropriate.
The Principal has responsibility for ensuring that the policy and procedures are implemented, including taking any appropriate action necessary.
The DSL has a responsibility for responding to any allegations, concerns or Child Protection incidents, passing information to the Principal and any other leading
authority and informing appropriate staff and volunteers.
Risk assessments will be carried out at all venues, making sure that everyone is aware of fire exits and emergency procedures.
Keep written records of concerns about children, including the use of body maps, even where there is no need to refer to the matter immediately.
Ensure all child protection records are kept securely, separate from the main pupil file, and in locked/password protected locations
Parents have a responsibility to work together with the School in implementing procedures and providing their Children with the necessary information to safeguard themselves.

PROCEDURES FOR MANAGING CONCERNS

Every member of staff, including volunteers working with children in our school, is advised to maintain an attitude of ‘it could happen here’ where safeguarding is concerned. When concerned about the welfare of a child, staff members should always act in the interests of the child and have a responsibility to take action as outlined in this policy. They should not assume a colleague or another professional will take action and share information that might be critical in keeping children safe.
All staff are encouraged to report any concerns that they have and not see these as insignificant. On occasions, a referral is justified by a single incident such as injury or disclosure of abuse. More often however, concerns accumulate over a period of time and are evidenced by building up a picture of harm; this is particularly true in cases of emotional abuse and neglect. In these circumstances, it is crucial that staff record and pass on concerns in accordance with this policy to allow the designated safeguarding lead (DSL) to build up a picture and access support for the child at the earliest possible opportunity. A reliance on memory without accurate and contemporaneous records of concern could lead to a failure to protect.
It is not the responsibility of staff to investigate welfare concerns or determine the truth of any disclosure or allegation. All staff, however, have a duty to recognise concerns and pass the information on in accordance with the procedures outlined in this policy.
The DSL should be used as a first point of contact for concerns and queries regarding any safeguarding concern. Any member of staff or visitor who receives a disclosure of abuse or suspects that a child is at risk of harm must report it immediately to the DSL.
All concerns about a child should be reported without delay and recorded in writing using the agreed template.
Following receipt of any information raising concern, the DSL will consider what action to take and seek advice from Children’s Services as required. All information and actions taken, including the reasons for any decisions made, will be fully documented.
All referrals will be made in line with local procedures as detailed on www.worcestershire.gov.uk/safeguardingchildren
If, at any point, there is a risk of serious harm to a child a referral should be made to Children’s Services immediately. Anybody can make a referral. If the child’s situation does not appear to be improving the staff member with concerns should press for reconsideration by raising concerns again with the DSL. Concerns should always lead to help for the child at some point.
Staff should always follow the reporting procedures outlined in this policy in the first instance. However, they may also share information directly with Children’s Services or the Police if:
o The situation is an emergency and the DSL or Principal are unavailable.
o They are convinced that a direct report is the only way to ensure the child’s safety.
Any member of staff who does not feel that concerns about a child have been responded to appropriately and in accordance with the procedures outlined in this policy should raise their concerns with the Principal. If any member of staff does not feel the situation has been addressed properly at this point they should contact Children’s Services directly with their concerns.

ANTI-BULLYING

Our policy on anti-bullying is to acknowledges that to allow or condone bullying may lead to consideration under child protection procedures. All incidences of bullying, including cyber-bullying, sexting, racist, homophobic and genderrelated bullying, will be dealt with in accordance with our anti-bullying policy. We recognise that children with special needs and/or disabilities are more susceptible to being bullied. We maintain a log of any reported bullying incidents in school.
We recognise that there will be occasions when bullying incidents will fall within child protection procedures or may be deemed a criminal activity and that it may be necessary

SUPPORTING CHILDREN

The Theatre Factory recognise that children who are abused or witness violence may find it difficult to develop a sense of self-worth. They may feel helpless, humiliation and some sense of blame. We will commit to support these children by:

Providing a welcoming and safe environment
Ensure that classes are available with affordable subscriptions
Adopting all relevant Child Protection Guidelines
Provide qualified teachers for all classes
Confirming that all relevant staff and volunteers are DBS checked and certified.
Maintain accurate records for each student.
Provide regular chances for performing at events and in productions
Encouraging self-esteem and self-assertiveness through classes, as well as promoting respectful relationships, challenging humiliating and bullying behaviour.
A consistently applied code of conduct for both Students and Parents.

RECORD KEEPING

Any member of staff receiving a disclosure of abuse from a student, or noticing signs or symptoms of possible abuse, will make notes as soon as possible (within the hour, if possible) writing down exactly what was said, using the child’s own words as far as possible. All notes should be timed, dated and signed, with name printed alongside the signature.
All records of a child protection nature will be passed to the DSL. All records are kept securely under lock and key or password protected, with only the appropriate persons having access to them.

INFORMATION SHARING AND CONFIDENTIALITY

Information sharing is vital in identifying and tackling all forms of abuse
All personal information will be processed fairly and lawfully in line with our duties under the Data Protection Act 2018 and GDPR and will be held securely and safely. However, we recognise that this is not a barrier to sharing information where the failure to do so would result in a child being placed at risk of harm.
We recognise that all matters relating to child protection are confidential.
The DSL or Principal will disclose any information about a child to other members of staff on a need to know basis only.
All staff must be aware they have a professional responsibility to share information with other agencies in order to safeguard children.
All staff must be aware that they cannot promise a child to keep secrets which may compromise the child’s safety or well-being.

COMMUNICATING WITH PARENTS

We recognise that good communication with parents is crucial in order to safeguard and promote the welfare of children effectively.
We will always undertake appropriate discussion with parents prior to involvement of another agency unless, to do so would place the child or an adult at further risk of harm or would impede a criminal investigation.
We will ensure that parents have an understanding of the responsibilities placed on the school and staff to safeguard children and their duty to co-operate with other agencies in this respect.

SAFER RECRUITMENT AND SELECTION OF STAFF

All staff working within our school who have substantial access to children have been checked as to their suitability, including verification of their identity, qualifications and enhanced DBS check and a right to work in the UK.
Any member of staff working in regulated activity prior to receipt of a satisfactory DBS check will not be left unsupervised and will be subject to a risk assessment.

PHOTOGRAPHY AND USE OF IMAGES

The welfare and protection of our students is paramount and consideration should always be given to whether the use of photography will place them at risk.
For this reason, consent is always sought when photographing students using any means and including iPads, smart phones or cameras.
Consent must be sought from those with parental responsibility.
Many pupils own or have access to hand held devices and parents should be encouraged to consider measures to keep their children safe when using the internet and social media at home and in the community.
No student is permitted to use their mobile device in any class, rehearsal or production.

SAFE ENVIRONMENT

The school undertakes appropriate risk assessments and checks in respect of all equipment and of the studio in line with national guidance and regulations concerning health and safety.
The school has adequate security arrangements in place in respect of the use of its studio
Visitors to the school, for example guest teachers, local councillors, will be appropriately checked and vetted.
This policy was ratified on 7th January 2019 and will be reviewed again in December 2019

Mission.

Interesting Info

The Theatre Factory

Opening Hours