Safeguarding - Best Practice for Dance teachers – Wednesday 6 July, 10:00 - 11:00 (BST)

It is essential that you remind yourself of what is best practice to safeguard yourself as a practitioner but also to ensure that you offer a safe and secure environment for those who learn with you. This workshop will explore all of those ‘grey’ areas that you may want to revisit and gain assurance that you are conducting best practice. This is an opportunity to pose questions and share practice as well as recap key skills. Essential for any dance teacher across all sectors and genres.

What you will learn:

• Culture and practice across the broader dance community
• The importance of psychological safety in the studio
• Contact and consent to touch
• Professional conduct

Safeguarding - A Management Perspective - Friday 15 July, 10:00 - 11:00 (BST)

This workshop is particularly important if you are managing people and employing staff. It is also important to prepare yourself in this area as a freelancer who may be interacting with professional guest teachers or other personnel. How do you safeguard your students when you have guests and industry professionals working with you? Or when you are at competitions or Festivals or visiting the theatre? What is best practice to this approach? How do you act upon something you do not see as appropriate conduct? This course will cover these areas and enable you to pose questions and share practice.

What you will learn:

• What are the minimum requirements for managers and for staff/guest teachers
• Body of persons applications and chaperones
• Quality of practice
• What do in the case of allegations

About 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 and 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.

About Victoria Race

Victoria runs Dance School Safeguarding Services, an organisation that 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, a Fellow of the International Dance Teachers Association and a teacher of the new Rambert Creative Contemporary Dance Grades, with 20 years of 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.