Principles to safeguard children from harm:

Elevation is committed to safeguarding children and protecting the welfare, dignity and privacy of its members by recognising the following principles-

 

• promote and prioritise the safety and wellbeing of children and young people 

• value, listen to and respect all children and vulnerable adults, whatever their age, culture, ability, gender, language, racial origin, religious belief and/or sexual identity

• ensure robust safeguarding arrangements and procedures are in operation 

• adopt safeguarding best practice through our policies, procedures and code of conduct for staff and volunteers  

• ensure everyone understands their roles and responsibilities in respect of safeguarding and is provided with appropriate learning opportunities to recognise, identify and respond to signs of abuse, neglect and other safeguarding concerns relating to children and young people

• provide effective management for staff and volunteers through supervision, support, training and quality assurance measures so that all staff and volunteers know about our policies, procedures and behaviour codes and follow them confidently and competently

• ensure appropriate action is taken in the event of incidents or concerns of abuse and support provided to the individual(s) who raise or disclose the concern  ensure that confidential, detailed and accurate records of all safeguarding concerns are maintained and securely stored. Elevation subscribes to the principle of mandatory reporting

• record and store information securely, in line with data protection legislation and guidance

• all Elevation School of Performing Arts employees who work with children and vulnerable adults will be recruited with regard to their suitability for that responsibility, and will be provided with guidance and/or training in good practice and child and vulnerable adult protection procedures

• appoint a nominated Relevant Person for children and young people, and a Designated Liaison Person for safeguarding  

• develop and implement an effective online safety policy and related procedures  

• make sure that children, young people and their parents know where to go for help if they have a concern

 

The policy and procedures will be widely promoted and are mandatory for everyone involved in Elevation. Failure to comply with the policy and procedures will be addressed without delay and may ultimately result in dismissal or exclusion from the organisation.

 

Risk Assessment:

We have carried out an assessment of any potential for harm to a child while availing of our services including the area of online safety when accessing the internet. Below is a list of the areas of risk identified and the list of procedures for managing these risks.

 

 

Risk identified / Procedure in place to manage identified risk:

Risk of a student being bullied by another student / Anti- bullying Policy in place with open lines of communication between teachers and students encouraged.

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Risk of a student being abused by a member of staff / Vetting and Safeguarding training in place prior to employment. Procedures for investigation and reporting in place.

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Risk of injury to a child during drop off/ collection time / Drop off/Collection procedures in place in School Policy to ensure children are accompanied and supervised by an appropriate adult at all times.

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Risk of exploitation or trolling of a child on Social Media / Strict Social Media Policies in place on photography in class, permissions sought from parents and how content is shared

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Risk of injury to a student during a class / Staff trained and certified in spotting techniques for safe physical contact. Teachers certified in First Aid. Permission for medical treatment granted by Parents.

 

 

Procedures:

Our Child Safeguarding Statement has been developed in line with requirements under the Children First Act 2015, Children First: National Guidance for the Protection and Welfare of Children (2017), and Tusla’s Child Safeguarding: A Guide for Policy, Procedure and Practice. In addition to the procedures listed in our risk assessment, the following procedures support our intention to safeguard children while they are availing of our service:

 

• Procedure for the management of allegations of abuse or misconduct against workers/volunteers of a child availing of our service;

• Procedure for the safe recruitment and selection of workers and volunteers to work with children;

• Procedure for provision of and access to child safeguarding training and information, including the identification of the occurrence of harm;

• Procedure for the reporting of child protection or welfare concerns to Tusla;

• Procedure for appointing a relevant person.

 

All procedures listed are available upon request.

 

 

Implementation:

We recognise that implementation is an on-going process. Our service is committed to the implementation of this Child Safeguarding Statement and the procedures that support our intention to keep children safe from harm while availing of our service.

 

This Child Safeguarding Statement will be reviewed in 24 months or as soon as practicable after there has been a material change in any matter to which the statement refers.

 

 

Signed:   Kate O’Connor         

 

For queries, please contact Serena Kennedy, Designated Liaison Person under the Children First Act 2015.