Safeguarding Policy


At The County Dance Centre we recognise the welfare of children is of paramount importance. We have a responsibility to protect and safeguard the welfare of all children and young people we work with and have an explicit duty to do so under the Children Act 1989 and 2004 and the Education Act 2002.


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 services or protection as a child.


At The County Dance Centre we believe that all children without exception have the right to protection from abuse regardless of their gender, ethnicity, disability, sexuality or beliefs and that no child, or group of children, should be treated any less favourably than others in being able to access the services and support to meet their needs.


All staff and volunteers have a strict duty to never subject a child to any form of abuse or harm. Failure to adhere to these procedures will be treated as gross misconduct.


Children and their parents/carers who attend The County Dance Centre ,ay view our policy where appropriate and a copy will always be kept on our website.


Designated safeguarding lead is Megan Fage

Completed Designated Safeguarding Lead (children) V3.0 15/04/2021


The designated safeguarding lead will advise members of staff and visitors to The County Dance Centre on best practise and expectations. They will be responsible for the monitoring and recording of any safeguarding concerns and for ensuring that all concerns are shared with the appropriate authorities. 


All staff and volunteers at The County Dance Centre should be made aware of this policy and should be able to demonstrate their roles and responsibilities for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people, including how to raise concerns with both children's social care and the police. 


All staff and Volunteers must report all safeguarding concerns to the designated lead  at the nearest available opportunity. It is the responsibility of all staff and volunteers at The County Dance Centre to take steps to protect children to keep them safe from hazards and to take appropriate action in the event of an accident. 


It is the responsibility of all staff and volunteers to take reasonable steps to protect children and young people

 from harm and abuse while in contact with our organisation and our staff and to report any incident of or suspicion of abuse to the designated safeguarding lead or in their absence to the appropriate statutory authority.


All staff that work at The County Dance Centre who have contact with the children are required to hold a valid clear DBS check.


Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people means: 

Protecting children from maltreatment

Preventing the impairment of a child's health or development

Ensuring that children are growing up with the provision of safe and effective care

Taking action to ensure that children have the best life chances.


At The County Dance Centre we will do this by:

Identifying and responding to concerns about a child or young person

Providing a safe and happy dance environment

Supporting development through dance in a way that fosters a sense of belonging/sense of self/sense of community/sense of independence

Supporting young people to communicate freely with us, supporting their communication methods and providing time and space for them to talk

Fostering an environment of trust and building appropriate professional relationships


Consent and information sharing

Issues of consent are essential to effective safeguarding practice. Additional consent must be sought if outside the parameters of our usual work. Basic consent for day to day activities will be sought through our enrolement process. Appropriate organisational guidance shall be provided to ensure those consenting have clear and transparent information on what they are consenting to.


Significant harm is no exception to this. Before making a referral to children's social care, parents or carers must be informed you are doing so, including the reasons why and must be asked for consent to do this. It should be noted however that in cases where parents/carers do not agree to information being ahred you are still able to refer to Children's Social Care without consent but it is important to explain clearly to social care hwy consent can not be established and to make a record of this. 


This policy shall be reviewed annually.

Date of last review 13/01/2025