Child Safety and Wellbeing Policy

Times Performing Arts Academy (“Times Dance”) is a Dance School catering to kids aged four and up.  The school provides a conducive environment for kids learning to dance, develop and perform their dance skills. Times Dance currently has approximately 100 students.  Times Dance studios are located in Nunawading and Mitcham, and the school has a niche market for the Chinese speaking community.

Times Dance Child Safety and Wellbeing Policy

Times Dance acknowledges the Wurandjeri Woi-Wurring People, the Traditional Owners of the land on which we operate. We acknowledge and respect their contributions, experience and knowledge as First Nations people. We pay our respects to their Elders, past and present.

This Child Safety and Wellbeing Policy was approved by the Managing Director on 1 January 2024. It demonstrates the strong commitment of management and staff to child safety and wellbeing, and how our school keeps children safe from harm, including child abuse.

Commitment to child safety

All children who come to Times Dance have a right to feel and be safe. The welfare of the children in our care will always be our first priority and we have a zero-tolerance approach to child abuse and harm. We aim to create a child safe and child-friendly environment where children feel safe and have fun while enjoying learning to dance.

Purpose

This Policy outlines how Times Dance prioritises the safety and wellbeing of children and what steps we will take to do this.

Scope

This policy applies to all staff, Management, children and other individuals involved in our school. This policy applies to all activities – classes, private tutoring, competitions and performances – conducted by Times Dance

Definitions

Management means the Managing Director of Times Dance.  Times Dance is a small business with a sole director.  The Managing Director, and if required the assistance of an outside consultant, is responsible for the operation of the school.

Child abuse means:

• a sexual offence committed against a child
• an offence committed against a child under section 49M(1) of the Crimes Act 1958 (Vic), such as grooming
• physical violence against a child
• causing serious emotional or psychological harm to a child
• serious neglect of a child.

Harm is damage to the health, safety or wellbeing of a child or young person, including as a result of child abuse by adults or the conduct of other children. It includes physical, emotional, sexual and psychological harm. Harm can arise from a single act or event and can also be cumulative, that is, arising as a result of a series of acts or events over a period of time.

Child/Children means a person who is under the age of 18 years.

Concerns and complaints

A concern refers to any potential issue that could impact negatively on the safety and wellbeing of children.

A complaint is an expression of dissatisfaction to Times Dance related to one or more of the following:

• our services or dealings with individuals
• allegations of abuse or misconduct by a staff member, a volunteer or another individual associated with Times Dance
• disclosures of abuse or harm made by a child or young person
• the conduct of a child or young person at Times Dance
• the inadequate handling of a prior concern
• general concerns about the safety of a group of children or activity.

Role of the Management

The Management has the role of making sure Times Dance prioritises children’s safety and that action is taken when anyone raises concerns about children’s safety.

The Management will champion and model a child safe culture at Times Dance. We encourage anyone involved with the school to report a child safety concern. The Management  will work to create a positive culture around reporting so that people feel comfortable to raise concerns.

Everyone at Times Dance has a role in identifying and managing risks of child abuse and harm. The Management will make sure that staff is conducting risk assessments and taking action to manage risks in accordance with this policy.

The Management will conduct an annual review of how effectively Times Dance is delivering child safety and wellbeing. The input of people involved with Times Dance will be sought as part of this review.

Children’s empowerment and participation

Times Dance is a child-centred organisation.  We listen to our students’ views and ideas in our school programs.  And we take our student’s views into consideration when planning our school program and performances.

We want children to develop new friends through Times Dance and encourage children to be supportive of each other. We do not tolerate bullying or abusive behaviour between children and take action if this occurs.

We respect the rights of children and provide them with information about their rights including the right to be safe at Times Dance, and what they can do if they feel unsafe.

Times Dance values the voices of children and will act on safety concerns raised by children or their families. Times Dance supports children’s participation in the following ways:

• Discussions with children, including child-led conversations on what makes them feel safe and unsafe.
• A suggestion box for children with the suggestions assessed and acted on where appropriate. Children are provided with feedback on their suggestions.
• Information provided to children and families about Times Dance operations, staffing and programs are made suitable for different age groups and diversity of the children.

Families and communities

Times Dance recognises the important role of families and involves parents and carers when making significant decisions about their child. Parents, families and communities are welcome to provide feedback at any time through our contact email address and are encouraged to raise any concerns they have with us.

Times Dance provides information to families and community about our child safe policies and practices through publishing this Child Safety and Wellbeing Policy and Code of Conduct on our website

Creating culturally safe environments for all Aboriginal children and their families

Times Dance endeavours to creating environments where Aboriginal culture is celebrated and Aboriginal children, families and community members are welcomed and included. Strategies to embed cultural safety for Aboriginal children include:

• an Acknowledgement of Country at all performances
• consulting with families and members of the Aboriginal community to identify opportunities to promote Aboriginal culture and practices in the Times Dance studio and programs
• providing opportunities for children to share their cultural identity and express their culture, including through performance and during Times Dance community activities
• supporting children who wish to explore their culture, including consulting with their family and relevant Aboriginal organisations
• providing training for staff and volunteers on the strengths of Aboriginal culture and its importance to the wellbeing and safety of Aboriginal children
• celebrating NAIDOC Week and acknowledging significant events including National Sorry Day and National Reconciliation Week
• seeking feedback from Aboriginal children, families and communities on their experience at Times Dance, particularly how safe they feel expressing their identity including their culture.

Valuing diversity

We value diversity and equity for all children. To achieve this, we:

• regularly briefed all staff on understanding diversity and how to support inclusion and cultural safety
• welcome and support participation of all children, including children with disability, children from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, those who are unable to live at home, LGBTIQ children and Aboriginal children and their families
• offer students and families through our enrolment forms the opportunity to provide information about themselves, including any specific needs to participate fully in our programs
• have zero tolerance of racism and other forms of discrimination and take action when discrimination or exclusion is identified
• deliver programming that reflects the diversity of our students, their interests and cultures
• commit to ensuring our facilities and online activities promote inclusion of children of all abilities.

Code of Conduct

Times Dance has a Child Safe Code of Conduct. Staff and Management must comply with the Code of Conduct at all times. Breaches of the Code of Conduct may result in disciplinary action including termination of a person’s involvement with the school.

All third-party contractors are also expected to abide by the Child Safe Code of Conduct, and where they are engaging with children will have to sign an agreement to comply with the code, prior to delivering any services.

Recruitment of staff

Times Dance puts child safety and wellbeing at the center of recruitment and screening processes for staff.  We only recruit staff who are trained and appropriate to engage with children.

To ensure we engage the most suitable people to work with children, we have the following recruitment practices in place:-

• our commitment to child safety is included in our job advertisement
• clear position description that includes our commitment to child safety and well being
• written application from applicants
• face-to-face interviews to determine the applicant’s experience and knowledge of child safeguard

We require a valid Working with Children Check, Police Checks and reference checks for all staff who have a role with children or have access to children’s personal information.

Supporting staff

Times Dance is committed to ensuring that all staff receive training to ensure they understand their responsibilities in relation to child safety and to support their engagement with children. Times Dance endeavours to incorporate child safety considerations into decisions and to promote a safe environment where children are empowered to speak up about issues that affect them.

Staff will receive supervision from Management to support their engagement with children and for compliance with our Code of Conduct and Child Safety and Wellbeing Policy.

Issues or concerns about behaviour with children will be raised immediately and addressed in line with our Code of Conduct, complaint handling policy and disciplinary policy.

Complaints and reporting

All reports of child abuse and child safety concerns will be treated seriously, whether they are made by an adult or a child and whether they are about the conduct of an adult or a child. All complaints and child safety concerns will be responded to promptly and thoroughly.

Times Dance has a complaint handling policy that includes information for staff about how a complaint or child safety concern will be responded to.  This policy is available on our website.

If a complaint includes an allegation or incident of child abuse or harm, then staff at Times Dance must report it in accordance with the complaint handling policy. Times Dance staff is required to prioritise children’s safety in any response and to report all potentially criminal conduct to Victoria Police. Under the complaint handling and disciplinary policies, staff may be subject to actions to support child safety including:

• being stood down during an investigation or terminated following an investigation
• not allowing unsupervised contact with children at Times Dance

Complaints can be emailed to 2010acda@gmail.com or speak to Management.

If there is concern for the immediate safety of a child, immediately call 000.

Responsible Person

The Managing Director at Times Dance is the Responsible Person with responsibility for responding to any child safety related complaints or concerns.

The Responsible Person is introduced to children so they know and understand who the appointed officer is, and how and when they may contact the person.

Record keeping

Times Dance is committed to making and keeping full and accurate records about all child-related complaints or safety concerns.

All child safety complaints, concerns, incidents and near misses will be recorded in the incident reporting register.

Records which may assist with the investigation of a complaint or safety concern will be identified and kept as part of the record of an investigation. Records will be kept even if an investigation does not substantiate a complaint.

We will record and keep the outcome of any investigations, and the resolution of any complaints. This includes findings made, reasons for decisions and actions taken.

Records will be stored securely and kept by Times Dance for at least 10 years.

Information sharing

Times Dance may share relevant information to promote the safety and wellbeing of children, where it is appropriate and in their best interests.  Times Dance will keep information about complaints confidential, except where it is necessary to share information to respond properly to a complaint or to prioritise child safety. We may also need to share information about incidents or complaints with external authorities to comply with the law or to prioritise safety. More information is available in our complaint handling policy.

Risk management

We recognise the importance of identifying and managing risks of child harm and abuse in the physical and online environments operated by Times Dance.

We conduct regular risk assessments and closely monitor any change of behaviour in our students for signs of possible harm or child abuse.  Staff and Management are briefed on how to address the risk of child abuse and harm at Times Dance.

Any contractors or other providers of services will always be supervised by a member of staff while working with us to ensure child safety. See also Code of Conduct above.

Non-compliance with this policy and the Code of Conduct

Times Dance will enforce this policy, the Code of Conduct and any other child safety and wellbeing policies (see list below). Potential breaches by anyone will be investigated and may result in restriction of duties, suspension or termination of employment or engagement or other corrective action. More information can be found in our disciplinary policy.

Review

Times Dance will review all child safe practices and policies at least every two years. We also review relevant practices and policies in response to a child safety incident or ‘near miss’. Findings from reviews will be discussed with staff involved at Times Dance, and also inform our approach to continuous improvement of our child safety practices. Reviews are overseen by the Management.

Supporting documents – Times Dance child safety and wellbeing system

The following policies and procedures work together to support child safety and wellbeing across all of our operations:

• Child Safety and Wellbeing Policy
• Code of Conduct
• Complaint handling policy
• Risk Management plan

Supporting legislation

• Child Wellbeing and Safety Act 2005 (Vic) (including Child Safe Standards)
• Children, Youth and Families Act 2005 (Vic) (including reporting to Child Protection)
• Crimes Act 1958 (Vic) (including Failure to Protect and Failure to Disclose offences)
• Wrongs Act 1958 (Vic) (including Part XIII – Organisational liability for child abuse)