Introduction to Safeguarding and Child Protection

In 2020, The Department of Education (DfE) introduced the Code of Practice - ‘Keeping Children Safe during Community Activities, After-School Clubs and Tuition’. The Society believes that this non-statutory guidance for providers in out-of-school settings is an excellent guide for our members, to ensure that children and young adults have the best quality dance experience within schools and communities. 

We will be guiding our members through this document and offering workshops to educate through the key areas of safeguarding and child protection, health and safety, employing staff and governance. As part of this support, we are also adding materials to the member portal on our website so that you can access resources, reading materials and find further signposts to additional training and development. 

These workshops have been developed for the Society by experienced safeguarding specialists and dance professionals – Kayleigh Chambers and Victoria Race. These sessions have been designed to support you as dance teachers and educationalists ensuring that you feel confident and well informed with safeguarding and child protection in the community and within schools and dance settings. 

The first of our workshops is a webinar on safeguarding and child protection. 

This is an essential package for any dance teacher, new, experienced or in training and will ensure that you are up to date with practice and procedures. This will be followed by paid CPD workshops that will guide you through specific detail in smaller groups.

Members can attend this webinar for free

Please register your attendance online here.

Time: 10:00 - 11:30 (BST)

This session will introduce the legal framework and fundamentals of safeguarding and child protection in relation to teaching dance. Whether you want to recap or learn afresh as a new teacher, this free introductory session will relate specifically to dance practice and will offer you elements to consider and explore further. 

What you will learn

• What is Safeguarding? What is Child Protection?
• How and Why does this apply to dancers? In studio and online.
• 4 categories of harm.
• Risks of child-on-child harm.
• Relevant case studies and 

These workshops have been developed for the Society by experienced safeguarding specialists and dance professionals – Kayleigh Chambers and Victoria Race. These sessions have been designed to support you as dance teachers and educationalists ensuring that you feel confident and well informed with safeguarding and child protection in the community and within schools and dance settings. 

Kayleigh Chambers

Kayleigh has been an ISTD member for almost 20 years, teaching Ballroom, Latin-American, Disco/Freestyle and Rock ‘n’ Roll. Kayleigh was trained as a child and professional by Ann Lister and Louise Inman. As well as teaching for exams and competitions, Kayleigh teaches social dancers, wedding dances, for her Local Authority and several local education settings.

Aside from dancing, Kayleigh has worked professionally in Child Protection for over 10 years including for Fire & Rescue Services, Education settings, Special Educational Settings and a leading National Children’s charity. She has a degree in Education and Early Childhood Studies and is a qualified project manager.

Victoria Race

Victoria runs Dance School Safeguarding Services, an organisation which was created to empower dance teachers by providing high quality safeguarding training tailored to those teaching in the performing arts industry. Victoria is a specialist safeguarding trainer with extensive experience delivering training for local authorities and on behalf of local safeguarding children’s partnerships. Through Dance School Safeguarding Services Victoria has provided training and consultation services for Dance Associations, Professional Dance Companies, Production Companies and over 250 independent freelance dance teachers. In addition Victoria is a dance school owner, Fellow of the International Dance Teachers Association and teacher of the new Rambert Creative Contemporary Dance Grades, with 20 years dance teaching experience. She has a BA hons degree in dance, MEd.dip in Dance Education (from the Royal Academy of Dance) and a PGCE which she has used over the years to develop an exciting variety of teaching experiences.

Members can register their attendance for free here. 

Not a member? Book your place online today

General Admission: £20

Event sold out? Please email coursebookings@istd.org.

Society members are entitled to a 20% discount for the following courses:

NSPCC

• Introduction to safeguarding and child protection training
• Protecting children in entertainment training for chaperones

Dance School Safeguarding Service

• Designated Safeguarding training

Click here to log in and retrieve your discount code.