Rec Stars Dance Studio is committed to a culture that has child safety and well-being at the centre of all that we do.

Rec Stars Dance Studio is committed to having a sound set of policies and procedures relating to child safety in place. These will be reviewed and evaluated regularly. We are committed to remaining up to date with current best practices and implementing this within our own organisation.

We want children to be safe, happy and empowered. We support and respect all children, as well as our staff and volunteers. We are committed to the safety, participation and empowerment of all children. Rec Stars Dance Studio's core values clearly support this commitment.

Our Values

• Family: We encourage a sense of belonging and community where everyone, from students to staff, feels like part of our extended family.

• Support: We are committed to providing an environment where every student receives the guidance and encouragement they need to succeed.

• Empower: We strive to empower students to express themselves, embrace their uniqueness, and take ownership of their growth as dancers and individuals.

• Inspire: We aim to inspire our students to love the art of dance and to explore their creativity. Our teachers serve as role models, demonstrating passion, dedication, and excellence in everything they do.

• Fun: Our studio is a place where students can let loose, enjoy themselves, and develop a lifelong love for dance.

We have zero tolerance for child abuse, and all allegations and safety concerns will be treated very seriously and consistently with our robust policies and procedures.

Our Child Safety Officer (the Principal) will be the first port of call for all incidents and guide staff through all procedural requirements.

We have legal and moral obligations to contact authorities when we are worried about a child’s safety, which we follow rigorously.

We will ensure that we remain up to date with all obligations.

Our organisation is committed to preventing child abuse, identifying risks early, and removing and reducing these risks.

We are committed to remaining up to date with current best practices in this area of risk identification.

Our organisation has robust human resources and recruitment practices for all staff and volunteers.

At a minimum, all staff will hold a current Working with Children Check, and a First Aid Officer will work each day we run classes. Staff will have relevant qualifications or be in the process of obtaining qualifications under the direction of the Principal. All staff will attend regular internal and external professional development.

Our organisation is committed to regularly training and educating our staff and volunteers on child abuse risks.

Staff will participate in at least 1 internal professional development session per year. All volunteers will be given a clear briefing and induction prior to assisting with Rec Stars Dance Studio events, e.g. Annual Performances.

We support and respect all children, our staff and volunteers. We are committed to the cultural safety of Aboriginal children, the cultural safety of children from culturally and/or linguistically diverse backgrounds, and to providing a safe environment for children with a disability.

Training and development plans will be implemented annually to identify team and individual training needs. These plans will identify key areas for development and upskilling and ensure that we remain current with current best practices.

We have specific policies, procedures, and training that support our leadership team, staff, and volunteers in achieving these commitments.

If you believe a child is at immediate risk of abuse, phone 000.

Our Children

This policy is intended to empower children who are vital and active participants in our organisation. We involve them when making decisions, especially about matters directly affecting them. We listen to their views and respect what they have to say.

We promote diversity and tolerance in our organisation, and people from all walks of life and cultural backgrounds are welcome.

In particular, we:

• Promote the cultural safety, participation and empowerment of Aboriginal children.

• Promote the cultural safety, participation and empowerment of children from culturally and/or linguistically diverse backgrounds.

• Ensure that children with a disability are safe and can participate equally.

Our Staff and Volunteers

This policy guides our staff and volunteers on behaving with children in our organisation. All of our staff and volunteers must agree to abide by our code of conduct, which specifies the standards of conduct required when working with children. All staff and volunteers, as well as children and their families, are given the opportunity to contribute to developing the code of conduct.

Training and Supervision

Training and education are important to ensure everyone in our organisation understands that child safety is everyone’s responsibility.

Our organisational culture aims for all staff and volunteers (in addition to parents/carers and children) to feel confident and comfortable in discussing any allegations of child abuse or child safety concerns. We train our staff and volunteers to identify, assess, and minimise risks of child abuse and to detect potential signs of child abuse.

We also support our staff and volunteers through ongoing supervision to develop their skills to protect children from abuse and promote the cultural safety of Aboriginal children, the cultural safety of children from linguistically and/or diverse backgrounds, and the safety of children with a disability.

New employees and volunteers will be supervised regularly to ensure they understand our organisation’s commitment to child safety and that everyone has a role to play in protecting children from abuse, as well as checking that their behaviour towards children is safe and appropriate (please refer to this organisation’s code of conduct to understand appropriate behaviour further). Any inappropriate behaviour will be reported through appropriate channels.

Recruitment

We take all reasonable steps to employ skilled people to work with children. We develop selection criteria and advertisements demonstrating our commitment to child safety and an awareness of our social and legislative responsibilities. Our organisation understands that we have ethical and legislative obligations when recruiting staff and volunteers.

We actively encourage applications from Aboriginal peoples, people from culturally and/or linguistically diverse backgrounds and people with a disability.

All people engaged in child-related work, including volunteers, must hold a Working with Children Check and provide evidence of this Check. Please see the Working with Children Check website for further information.

We carry out reference checks and police record checks to ensure that we are recruiting the right people. Police record checks are used only for recruitment and discarded after completing the recruitment process. We retain our own records (but not the actual criminal record) if an applicant’s criminal history affects our decision-making process.

If, during the recruitment process, a person’s records indicate a criminal history, then the person will be given the opportunity to provide further information and context.

Fair Procedures for Personnel

The safety and well-being of children are our primary concern. We are also fair and just to personnel. When recruiting, assessing incidents, and undertaking disciplinary action, our decisions will always be thorough, transparent, and evidence-based.

We record all allegations of abuse and safety concerns using our incident reporting form, including investigation updates. All records are securely stored.

If an allegation of abuse or a safety concern is raised, we provide updates to children and families on progress and any actions we as an organisation take.

Privacy

All personal information considered or recorded will respect the privacy of the individuals involved, whether they be staff, volunteers, parents or children unless there is a risk to someone’s safety. We have safeguards and practices in place to ensure any personal information is protected. Everyone is entitled to know how this information is recorded, what will be done with it, and who will have access to it.