Safeguarding Policy

EMMA PILLING DANCE ACADEMY (EPDA)
SAFEGUARDING POLICY

1. Purpose and Scope

Emma Pilling Dance Academy (EPDA) aims to provide efficient, up to date, enjoyable and safe instruction in dance to all students who enrol in the school or join in the classes or activities. EPDA is committed to safeguarding the welfare of children and young people taking part in classes, workshops, examinations and shows.

A ‘child’ is anyone who has not yet reached their 18th birthday. The fact that a child has reached 16 years of age, is living independently, in further education, or working does not change their entitlement to protection as a child. This policy applies to all children and young people until their 18th birthday.

The purpose of this policy statement is:
• To protect children and young people who receive EPDA’s services from harm. This includes the children of adults who use EPDA’s services.
• To provide staff and volunteers, as well as children and young people and their families, with the overarching principles that guide our approach to child protection.
This policy applies to anyone working on behalf of EPDA including staff and students. We will make sure this policy is accessible to all staff, parents and students, where appropriate. All staff and volunteers at EPDA must adhere to this policy and must understand their duties and responsibilities regarding safeguarding. All staff and volunteers have a strict duty never to subject a child to any form of harm or abuse. Failure to adhere to these procedures will be treated as gross misconduct.

2. Legal Framework

This policy has been drawn up on the basis of legislation, policy and guidance that seeks to protect children in England, the Children Act 1989 and 2004 and the Education Act 2002.

3. Supporting Documents

Other policies relevant to safety and safeguarding at EPDA are shown below. Copies of these are available in the EPDA Office for Parents with children currently enrolled as a student at EPDA.
• EPDA Terms and Conditions (also available on our website).
• EPDA Health and Safety Policy (also available on our website).
• EPDA Separated Parents Policy.

4. Key Principles

EPDA believes that:
• Children and young people should never experience abuse of any kind.
• We have a responsibility to promote the welfare of all children and young people, to keep them safe and to practise in a way that protects them.

EPDA recognises that:
• The welfare of children is paramount in all the work we do and in all the decisions we take working in partnership with children, young people, their parents, carers and other agencies is essential in promoting young people’s welfare.
• All children, regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex, or sexual orientation have an equal right to protection from all types of harm or abuse.
• Some children are additionally vulnerable because of the impact of previous experiences, their level of dependency, communication needs or other issues.
• Extra safeguards may be needed to keep children who are additionally vulnerable safe from abuse.

EPDA will seek to keep children and young people safe by:
• Valuing, listening to and respecting them.
• Appointing a nominated child protection lead for children and young people, and a deputy child protection lead for safeguarding.
• Adopting child protection and safeguarding best practice through our policies and procedures for staff and any volunteers.
• Providing effective management for staff and volunteers so that all staff and volunteers know about and follow our policies, procedures and behaviour codes confidently and competently.
• Recruiting and selecting staff and volunteers safely, ensuring all necessary checks are made (e.g. Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks).
• Recording and storing and using information professionally and securely, in line with data protection legislation and guidance.
• Making sure that children, young people and their families know where to go for help if they have a concern.
• Using EPDA’s safeguarding procedures to share concerns and relevant information with agencies who need to know, and involving children, young people, parents, families and carers appropriately.
• Using EPDA’s policies and procedures to manage and investigate any allegations against staff and volunteers appropriately, including EPDA’s formal complaints process.
• Creating and maintaining an anti-bullying environment and ensuring that we deal effectively with any bullying that does arise.
• Ensuring that we have effective complaints measures in place.
• Ensuring that a whistle-blowing process is understood by all staff. Staff should be aware of their duty to raise concerns, where they exist, about the management of child protection, which may include the attitude or actions of other staff. If it becomes necessary to consult outside the school, they should speak in the first instance to the statutory local authority child protection services (The Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO)).
• Ensuring that we provide a safe physical environment for our children, young people, staff and volunteers, by applying health and safety measures in accordance with the law and regulatory guidance.
• Building a safeguarding culture where staff and volunteers, children, young people and their families, treat each other with respect and are comfortable about sharing concerns.

5. Child Protection Lead

The nominated Child Protection Lead (CPL) at EPDA is the Principal, Emma Ellam. The purpose of a Child Protection Lead is:
• To take the lead in ensuring that appropriate arrangements for keeping children and young people safe are in place at EPDA.
• To promote the safety and welfare of children and young people involved in EPDA’s activities at all times.

Duties and responsibilities:
• Take a lead role in developing and reviewing EPDA’s safeguarding policies and procedures.
• Take a lead role in implementing safeguarding policies and procedures: ensuring all safeguarding and child protection issues concerning children and young people who take part in activities are responded to appropriately.
• Make sure that everyone working or volunteering with or for children and young people understands the safeguarding policy and knows what to do if they have concerns about a child’s welfare.
• Make sure children and young people who are involved in activities and their parents know who they can talk to if they have a welfare concern and understand what action the organisation will take in response.
• Receive and record information from anyone who has concerns about a child who takes part in activities.
• Take the lead on responding to information that may constitute a child safeguarding concern that may present a risk to children or young people. This includes:
o Assessing and clarifying the information.
o Making referrals to statutory organisations as appropriate.
o Consulting with and informing the relevant staff members.
o Following EPDA’s safeguarding policy.
o Following EPDA’s complaints policy as appropriate.
o Managing safeguarding allegations or disclosures in line with EPDA’s policy.
o Liaise with, pass on information to and receive information from statutory child protection agencies such as the statutory local authority child protection services (The Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) or the police.
o Making formal referrals to agencies when necessary.
• Store and retain child protection records according to legal requirements and the organisation’s safeguarding policy and procedures.
• Be familiar with issues relating to child protection and abuse and keep up to date with new developments in this area.
• Work flexibly as may be required and carry out any other reasonable duties.

6. Key contacts

Please note that appointment to these roles are subject to satisfactory vetting and barring checks.

Child Protection Lead
Name: Emma Ellam
Position: EPDA Principal
Email: epda@emmapilling.com

Deputy Child Protection Lead
Name: Claire Freeman
Position: Office Manager
Email: epda@emmapilling.com