Safeguarding Policy

Actors of Dionysus – Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy Statement

 The purpose and scope of this policy statement

Actors of Dionysus works with children and young people as part of its activities. These include running practical drama workshops for key stage 2, 3, 4 and 5 students as part of our commitment to providing first rate external teaching support in the field of Ancient Greek drama, and keeping this vital part of our heritage accessible and alive in schools, in theatres and beyond.

The purpose of this policy statement is:

  • To protect children and young people who receive Actors of Dionysus’s services. This includes the children/young people of any adults who use our services
  • To provide parents, staff and volunteers with the overarching principles that guide our approach to child protection

This policy statement applies to anyone working on behalf of Actors of Dionysus, including senior managers and the board of trustees, paid staff, volunteers, freelance staff and students. It covers all work with children/young people under the age of 18.

Legal framework

This policy has been drawn up on the basis of legislation, policy and guidance that seeks to protect children and young people in England. A summary of the key legislation and guidance is available from https://learning.nspcc.org.uk/child-protection-system/england/

We believe 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 practice in a way that protects them

We recognise that

  • The welfare of the child or young person is paramount
  • All children and young people, regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex, or sexual orientation have a right to equal protection from all types of harm or abuse
  • Some children and young people are additionally vulnerable because of the impact of previous experiences, their level of dependency, communication needs or other issues
  • Working in partnership with children, young people, their parents, carers and other agencies is essential in promoting children/young people’s welfare

We keep children and young people safe by:

Providing full Enhanced DBS checks on all of our staff who work with young people under the age of 18

  • Valuing, listening to and respecting them
  • Having a designated child protection lead and a lead trustee for safeguarding issues
  • Developing child protection and safeguarding policies and procedures which reflect best practice in line with NSPCC guidance
  • Using our safeguarding procedures to share concerns and relevant information with agencies who need to know, and involving children, young people, parents, families and carers appropriately
  • Creating and maintaining an anti-bullying environment and reporting any cases of bullying appropriately
  • Recruiting staff and volunteers safely, ensuring that all necessary checks are made
  • Providing effective management for staff and volunteers through supervision, support, training and quality assurance measures
  • Managing any allegations against staff and volunteers appropriately
  • Ensuring that we provide a safe physical environment for children, young people, staff and volunteers, by applying health and safety measures in accordance with the law and regulatory guidance
  • Recording and storing information and photographs professionally and securely

Working with Schools and Colleges

  • We will liaise with all schools and colleges we work at to understand their own policies and procedures in regard to safeguarding and child protection as these will usually take priority over our own policies during our work with them.

Staff and Trustee Training

  • We will ensure that everyone in our organisation is aware of their safeguarding responsibilities.
  • In addition, our Education Officer, Assistant Education Officer and any other members of staff including trustees, who work on our behalf in schools have undertaken the NSPCC online Safeguarding Training vis a vis working in schools

Contact details

  Executive Team Safeguarding and Child Protection Lead

Name: Tamsin Shasha

Phone/email: 07957 471949; tamsin@actorsofdionysus.com

  Executive Team Deputy Safeguarding and Child Protection Lead

Name: Mark Katz

Phone/email: 07903 390087;  mark@actorsofdionysus.com

  Lead Trustee for Safeguarding and Child Protection 

Name: Caroline Bristow

Phone/email: 07929 611252; ceb218@cam.ac.uk

NSPCC helpline – 0808 800 5000

We are committed to reviewing our policies and good practices annually. This policy was last reviewed on: 21st May 2024

This policy was created using templates and guidance from the NCVO, the NSPCC and Charity Commission