Safeguard Policy
 

Swara Nritya is fully committed to safeguarding the welfare of all the children and young people up to the age of 18 to keep them safe and to practice in a way that protects them. All teachers and volunteers at Swara Nritya will read and have access to this policy. They must also understand their legal and moral responsibility to protect children and young people from harm, abuse and exploitation and be able to confirm how they will safeguard the children in their care.

• We recognise the welfare of children is paramount in all the work we do and in all the decisions we take

• All children, regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex, or sexual orientation has an equal right to protection from all types of harm or abuse

• Some children are additionally vulnerable because of the impact of previous experiences, their level of dependency, communication needs or other issues

Purpose:

The purpose of Swara Nritya’s safeguarding policy is to ensure every child at our organisation is safe and protected from harm.

This means that the school will always work to:

• Protect children from maltreatment. 

• prevent impairment of children’s health or development.

• ensure that children are growing up in circumstances consistent with the provision of safe and effective care.

• take action to enable all children to have the best outcomes.

This policy applies to anyone working on behalf of Swara Nritya, including directors, chaperones, guest teachers, staff and students. Failure to comply with the policy and related procedures will be addressed without delay and may ultimately result in dismissal/exclusion from the organisation.

 

Safeguarding children: 

Swara Nritya should have in place arrangements that reflect the importance of safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people as well as vulnerable adults.

 

The School will therefore:

• Establish and maintain an ethos where children feel welcome and familiar with their environment and are informed of personal (toilets, dressing rooms etc) and emergency arrangements (fire exits, meeting points etc) and any Health and Safety Procedures (dangerous equipment, First Aid etc)

• Inform each child who the appropriate person or people are to speak to should they have any questions, problems or concerns

• Ensure that all children are treated equally and with respect and dignity

• Always work in an open environment (e.g. avoiding private or unobserved situations and unnecessary physical contact with children) and involve/allow parents/chaperones wherever possible, to take responsibility for the child/children they are responsible for (parents must only have responsibility for their own child)

• Recognising the individual needs of the child e.g. recognising when a child may be tired and may need a break

• Ensure that children are supervised appropriately

​

Confidentiality and Information Sharing:

Swara Nritya expects all teachers to maintain confidentiality.  Information will only be shared in line with the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) and Data Protection.

 

However, information should be shared with the Local Authority if a child is deemed to be at risk of harm or contact the police if they are in immediate danger, or a crime has been committed. 

 

Our duties and responsibilities: 

● It is our requirement that all teachers have a clear and up-to-date enhanced DBS check.

● Our teachers and volunteers have a duty to report anything concerning that has happened in class. This must also be confirmed in writing as soon as possible if the initial conversation is verbal.

● Our teachers must take practical steps to keep our children safe from harm and abuse, including no disclosing of sensitive/personal information, keeping children safe from hazards in class and responding appropriately in the event of an accident

The policy will be reviewed annually.

Date of last review: 1st September 2026

Signed : Swara Nritya Team