Your child’s enjoyment and safety is at the heart of everything we do.

Showtime Academy continuously review and update their child protection and safeguarding policy. Copies of he full policy are available from your Showtime Academy principle .  Without exception, all Showtime Academy employees, professional tutors, teaching assistants and representatives must clear enhanced checks made by the Disclosure and Barring Service.

 Our Child Protection Policy

1. Purpose
1.1. Showtime Performing Arts Academy is committed to ensuring a safe environment for its students, and to safeguard their welfare, by a commitment to best practice to protect them.  It also has a duty to ensure that it makes safe decisions in the engagement of teachers and volunteers.

1.2. This policy applies to all paid staff, self­employed teachers, volunteers and anyone else working on behalf of Showtime Performing Arts Academy.

We recognise that:

The welfare of the child/young person is paramount
All children, regardless of age, disability, gender, racial heritage, religious belief, sexual orientation or identity, have the right to equal Protection from all types of harm or abuse
Working in partnership with children, young people and their parents is essential in promoting young people’s welfare.
The purpose of the policy is to:

Provide protection for our students, and
Provide teachers and volunteers with guidance on procedures they should adopt in the event that they suspect a child or young person may be experiencing, or be at risk of, harm.
We will seek to safeguard children and young people by:

Valuing them, listening to and respecting them
Adopting child protection guidelines through procedures and safe working practice for teachers and volunteers
Recruiting teachers and volunteers safely, ensuring all necessary checks are made
Sharing information about child protection and safe working practice with children, parents, teachers and volunteers
Providing effective management for teaching and volunteers through supervision, support and training.

2. Disclosure and Barring Service
2.1. The Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) was set up by the Home Office to improve access to these criminal records. This is done via a Disclosure Check, which is a process for gathering information about someone’s spent and unspent criminal convictions and other cautions, reprimands and final warnings given by the Police. This service enables organisations to make safer recruitment decisions by identifying candidates who may be unsuitable, or present a risk, for certain work, especially when working with children and/or adults classed as vulnerable.

2.2. The results of the check are printed on a document officially known as a Disclosure.

2.3. This policy sets out how Showtime Performing Arts Academy will meet its obligations to conduct Disclosures where necessary.

3. Scope
3.1 This policy relates to any applicant or existing teacher or volunteer who is offered work by Showtime Performing Arts Academy.

3.2 Portability of a paper Disclosure Check between organisations is not endorsed by the DBS. Accordingly Showtime Performing Arts Academy will not accept a Disclosure obtained for a position in another organisation, and will expect a new Check to be undertaken.

4. Definitions of Regulated Activity
4.1 Under the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006 and amended by the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012, a child is defined as someone who has not yet attained the age of 18. Regulated activity in relation to children focuses on work which involves close and unsupervised contact, specifically:

Regularly undertaking unsupervised activities: teach, train, instruct, care for or supervise children, or provide advice/guidance on well­being, or drive a vehicle only for children;
Regularly working for a limited range of establishments (‘specified places’) with opportunity for contact: for example, schools, children’s homes, childcare premises, but not work by supervised volunteers;
Relevant personal care, for example washing or dressing; or health care by or supervised by a professional, even if on a ‘one­off’ occasion;
Registered child minding and foster­carers;
Day to day management, on a regular basis, of an individual undertaking regulated activity.
4.2 ‘Regularly’ means a regulated activity carried out by the same person either once a week or more, or, on 4 or more days in a 30 day period or in some cases overnight between 2am and 6am.

5. Contracts in Roles Requiring Disclosure
5.1 The offer of a contract made by Showtime Performing Arts Academy will be subject to the outcome of the Disclosure application.

5.2 In the event that a teacher declines to apply for Disclosure where it is deemed a requirement, Showtime Performing Arts Academy will be entitled to withdraw any offer of a contract that may have been made.

5.3 In the case of a substantial record of overseas residence, a Police certificate of good conduct, if applicable to that country, or Disclosure from that country may also be required.

5.4 Showtime Performing Arts Academy will also ensure that the role and the Disclosure are regularly reviewed and updated as appropriate. It also the responsibility of the teacher to update Showtime Performing Arts Academy of any changes to their criminal record.

6. Handling Disclosure Data
6.1 Showtime Performing Arts Academy policy has been produced to comply with the regulations outlined in the DBS Code of Practice and the Safeguarding of Vulnerable Groups

Act 2006, the Children Act 1989 (and 2004), and also operate within the remit of the Data Protection Act 1998.

7. Handling complaints
7.1 Showtime Performing Arts Academy takes seriously all complaints made against teachers. Procedures are in place for students, parents and teachers to share any concern that they may have about the actions of any teacher. All such complaints will be brought immediately to the attention of one of the Directors of Showtime Performing Arts Academy.

These procedures are used in respect of all cases in which it is alleged that a teacher has:

Behaved in a way that has harmed a child, or may have harmed a child;
Possibly committed a criminal offence against or related to a child; or
Behaved towards a child or children in a way that indicates he or she would pose a risk of harm children.
7.2 Showtime Performing Arts Academy has a legal duty to refer to the DBS anyone who has harmed, or poses a risk of harm, to a child and who has been removed from working (paid or unpaid) in regulated activity, or would have been removed had they not left. The DBS will consider whether to bar the person. Referrals will be made as soon as possible after the removal of the individual.