Part 1: Policy

1. Our commitment

Dash Arts believes that everyone who takes part in our work has the right to be safe, to be treated with dignity and respect, and to be free from abuse, harm and exploitation. We take every concern seriously and we act on it.

We aim to make our rehearsal rooms, workshops, performances and online spaces inclusive and emotionally safe, so that people can take part, speak up and raise concerns without fear. Safeguarding is the responsibility of everyone connected with Dash Arts.

2. Wellbeing

Safeguarding protects people from abuse and serious harm. Alongside it, Dash Arts aims to look after the everyday wellbeing of everyone involved in our work, so that people feel supported, can do their best work and can raise small worries before they become bigger ones.

We aim to:

• plan projects with wellbeing in mind, including hours, rest, travel and the demands of the material;

• have a wellbeing practitioner attached to each major production, where resources allow, as a named point of support for the company and participants;

• tell people at the start of a project who to go to for support;

• check in during and after demanding or distressing work; and

• respond kindly and promptly to wellbeing concerns, without waiting for them to become safeguarding matters.

Wellbeing and safeguarding. Wellbeing support is not counselling or therapy, and it does not replace the Safeguarding Officers. If anything suggests that someone may be at risk of abuse or serious harm, it must be reported under Part 2 and cannot be kept confidential. If you are not sure which applies, ask a Safeguarding Officer.

3. Scope

This policy applies to everyone working for or on behalf of Dash Arts: trustees, employees, freelancers and contractors (including artists, creative teams and crew), volunteers and interns. It protects everyone who takes part in or comes into contact with our work, including participants, audiences, collaborators and partners.

It covers all settings: rehearsals, workshops, performances and events; touring and residencies; our office; online and digital activity (social media, video calls, messaging); travel and accommodation; and work overseas.

• Partners. Where we work with partner organisations, we agree safeguarding responsibilities in writing before work begins and expect equivalent standards.

• Overseas. UK safeguarding standards are the minimum wherever we work. We also follow local law and use local emergency services. Concerns arising abroad are reported to a Safeguarding Officer in the same way.

4. Who we safeguard, and key terms

Child - Anyone under 18. All children are protected by law. The duty to act applies whatever a child’s age, capacity or apparent consent.

Adult at risk - Under the Care Act 2014, an adult (18 or over) who has care and support needs, is experiencing or at risk of abuse or neglect, and cannot protect themselves because of those needs. Disability, age or mental ill health does not of itself make someone an adult at risk. Some people may be at greater risk because of their circumstances even if they do not meet this definition; we take extra care and seek advice from a Safeguarding Officer.

Concern - You notice or suspect something, or someone’s behaviour worries you.

Disclosure - Someone tells you about something that has happened or is happening.

Allegation - Someone alleges that a person has harmed, or may have harmed, someone. This must be reported and referred as set out in Part 2.

Significant harm - The threshold for statutory intervention to protect a child. Professionals assess it, based on the child’s circumstances and development. You do not need to decide whether it applies before you report.

Adult safeguarding is person-led. It follows the principles of the Care Act 2014 and Making Safeguarding Personal: empowerment, prevention, proportionality, protection, partnership and accountability. Consent and capacity are central, unless someone’s vital interests override them.

5. Legal and guidance framework

• Children: Children Act 1989 and 2004; Working Together to Safeguard Children 2026 (statutory guidance); NSPCC guidance.

• Adults: Care Act 2014; Mental Capacity Act 2005; Making Safeguarding Personal (SCIE); Ann Craft Trust guidance.

• Both: Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006; Data Protection Act 2018 and UK GDPR; Equality Act 2010; Charity Commission guidance on safeguarding and protecting people for charities and trustees.

6. Roles and responsibilities

Names and contact details are in Appendix A, so this section does not need to change when people do.

Board of Trustees

• Holds overall legal responsibility for safeguarding.

• Approves this policy annually and keeps safeguarding on the risk register.

• Receives a report from the DST for consideration at, at least, two board meetings, and immediately after any serious incident.

• Ensures safeguarding has the resources, training and oversight it needs.

Designated Safeguarding Trustee (DST)

A trustee nominated by the Board. The role is oversight, not day-to-day delivery. The DST is available for consultation by phone or email and does not run activities.

• Advises Safeguarding Officers on concerns and agrees decisions on referrals to the police, local authority, LADO, Charity Commission and funders (with the Chair where appropriate).

• Receives any concern involving a Safeguarding Officer or senior staff member.

• Reviews the concerns log for patterns and reports to the Board.

• Oversees the annual policy review and training compliance.

Safeguarding Officers

The first point of contact for staff, freelancers, volunteers and participants. Either Officer can receive a concern and cover for the other.

• Receives and records concerns and takes immediate action to keep people safe.

• Consults the DST promptly, and on the same working day where possible.

• Makes referrals, agreed with the DST (in an emergency, either Officer may refer without waiting).

• Approves safeguarding risk assessments for projects, and keeps the concerns log, DBS record and training log.

• Inducts new people into this policy and the Code of Conduct.

Project and activity leads

• Complete a safeguarding risk assessment with a Safeguarding Officer before any activity involving children or adults at risk.

• Name an On-site Safeguarding Contact for each activity (DBS-checked where eligible), who has emergency contact details and pick-up arrangements.

• Ensure ratios, consents and supervision are in place on the day.

Wellbeing Practitioner

Offers support to the company and participants. Receives the policy and safeguarding induction before work begins. Passes any safeguarding concern to a Safeguarding Officer the same day. 

Everyone

• Follows this policy and the Code of Conduct and keeps professional boundaries.

• Completes required training and supervision, and provides the information needed for safer recruitment.

• Reports any concern immediately and does not investigate it themselves.

• Asks a Safeguarding Officer if they are unsure. It is always better to ask.

7. Safer recruitment, training and supervision

• Recruitment. Each role is assessed for safeguarding responsibility. Our commitment to safeguarding is stated in role descriptions. We take up references, check identity and qualifications, explore any gaps in work history, and ask safeguarding questions at interview. Where someone has lived or worked abroad, we seek appropriate overseas checks.

• DBS checks. We request the appropriate level of DBS check, in line with DBS eligibility rules, before anyone starts work that involves regulated activity with children or adults at risk. A Safeguarding Officer and the DST decide the level and keep a record. Results are handled confidentially and in line with data protection law and our equal opportunities policy. Checks are reviewed at least every three years, or through the DBS Update Service.

• Unchecked adults. Anyone without a check (because they are not eligible, or it is pending) is never left alone with children or adults at risk.

• Induction and training. Everyone, including freelancers, volunteers and trustees, receives this policy and the Code of Conduct before they start and all public-facing team members complete safeguarding awareness training within three months of starting, refreshed at least every three years. Safeguarding Officers and the DST take additional training, refreshed at least every two years. A training log is kept.

• Supervision and review. Activity leads have regular check-ins and safeguarding is a standing item in project meetings. Before each project, and after any significant change, a Safeguarding Officer reviews the risks: frequency, supervision, venue, travel, online elements and content.

8. Planning activities

Every project involving children or adults at risk has a safeguarding risk assessment, approved by a Safeguarding Officer before work begins. It considers who is taking part, what we are doing, where, how often, supervision, travel, online elements, sensitive subject matter and, for overseas work, local context.

Children

• A minimum of two adults (18 or over) must be present. At least one is a DBS-checked lead where eligible. Only adults aged 18 or over count towards ratios.

• We follow the NSPCC recommended minimum ratios below, and use more adults where risk is higher (for example off-site activity, travel, or children with additional needs).

• Where children of different genders take part, adults of different genders attend where practicable.

• No adult is left alone with a child out of sight and hearing. If one-to-one contact is unavoidable (for example, rehearsing with a young solo performer), it takes place in an open or visible space, with another adult aware.

• Written consent (email is fine) is obtained from a parent or carer for every child before they take part. It includes emergency contacts, relevant health or access needs, pick-up arrangements (including permission for another adult to collect), and photography and filming consent. We also involve young people in decisions about their own participation.

• A register is kept. Children are released only to authorised adults. Two adults (one DBS-checked where eligible) are the last to leave and make sure children are collected or get home safely.

• Where children take part in a performance or rehearsal that needs a licence or approved chaperones under the Children (Performances and Activities) (England) Regulations 2014, or equivalent rules elsewhere, the producer puts this in place before work begins.

• Travel and overnight stays have their own risk assessment and parental consent, and need Safeguarding Officer approval in advance.

Child’s age Adults Children

Under 2 1 3

2 to 3 1 4

4 to 8 1 6

9 to 12 1 8

13 to 18 1 10

Source: NSPCC recommended adult to child ratios. These are recommended minimums, not legal limits, and always with at least two adults.

Adults at risk

• We ask people what they want and need, and plan with them (and with their carer or support worker where they agree).

• We make reasonable adjustments to venues, schedules and materials, and support people to make their own decisions. We assume capacity unless there is reason to doubt it, in line with the Mental Capacity Act 2005.

• We protect dignity, choice and autonomy and do not treat adults like children.

9. Recognising abuse and harm

You do not need to be certain, and reporting a concern is not making an accusation. One sign alone may not mean abuse; look for changes in behaviour and patterns over time.

Children

Physical abuse - Hitting, shaking, burning, or otherwise causing physical harm.

Emotional abuse - Persistent emotional maltreatment, including humiliation, threats, rejection and isolation.

Sexual abuse - Forcing or enticing a child into sexual activity, including online, and grooming.

Neglect - Persistent failure to meet a child’s basic physical or emotional needs.

Other harms - Sexual or criminal exploitation, online abuse, bullying, and the effects of domestic abuse on a child. Children often experience more than one harm at once.

Adults at risk

The Care Act 2014 describes ten categories of abuse.

Physical abuse - Hitting, slapping, misuse of medication, inappropriate restraint.

Domestic abuse - Abuse by someone close: physical, emotional, sexual or financial, including coercive control.

Sexual abuse - Sexual acts without consent, harassment and exploitation.

Psychological or emotional abuse - Threats, intimidation, humiliation, isolation, coercive control.

Financial or material abuse - Theft, fraud, misuse of property or benefits, pressure over money.

Modern slavery - Trafficking, forced labour, domestic servitude, sexual exploitation.

Discriminatory abuse - Harassment or unfair treatment because of race, gender, disability, religion or other characteristics.

Organisational abuse - Poor practice within an organisation, including lack of dignity, choice or respect. It can include an organisation failing to provide safeguarding training, restrictive routines without consultation, or ignoring people’s needs. It applies to us too.

You might notice: withdrawal from community or family contact, loss of choice or independence, distress or resignation, being treated like a child.

Neglect and acts of omission - Failing to meet basic needs such as food, shelter, medical or personal care.

Self-neglect - An adult not caring for themselves, putting their health or safety at risk.

Bullying, harassment and abuse between adults are covered in the Code of Conduct and, where they involve a risk of harm, in this policy.

Part 2: Procedures

At a glance

1. Immediate danger or medical emergency: call 999, then tell a Safeguarding Officer.

2. Listen, stay calm, reassure. Do not promise confidentiality and do not investigate.

3. Write down what was said or seen, as soon as possible and on the same day.

4. Tell a Safeguarding Officer immediately (the same day). If the concern involves one of them, go to the other Officer. If it concerns both, go to the DST directly.

5. The Officer consults the DST and decides next steps. Anyone can contact the police or children’s social care directly if they believe someone is at risk and cannot reach a Safeguarding Officer or the DST.

10. Emergencies

If anyone is in immediate danger or needs urgent medical attention, call 999 first. Do not wait for permission or for a Safeguarding Officer. Then tell a Safeguarding Officer as soon as it is safe to do so.

11. Responding to a disclosure

• Listen in a quiet, safe space. Stay calm and take the person seriously. Reassure them that they were right to tell you.

• Let them speak in their own words. Do not ask leading questions, press for detail, or ask them to repeat it.

• Do not promise confidentiality. Explain that you will need to pass the information on to the people who can help.

• Do not confront the person alleged to have caused harm, and do not investigate.

• Tell them what happens next, and follow through.

12. Reporting and recording

• Report to a Safeguarding Officer immediately, and always on the same day. Pass on what you have heard or seen without judgement or interpretation.

• If you are reporting something about yourself, you can tell a Safeguarding Officer or any person you trust, who should pass it on.

• Record the date, time and place; who was present; what was said or seen, using the person’s own words and just the facts; and any change in behaviour if relevant. Sign and date it. Appendix B has a form.

• Records are kept securely, shared only on a need-to-know basis, and retained in line with our data protection policy and statutory guidance.

13. If the Safeguarding Officers are unavailable, or involved

• If neither Safeguarding Officer is available, go to the DST.

• If the concern involves a Safeguarding Officer or another senior member of staff, report it directly to the DST or the Chair of Trustees.

• If the concern involves the DST, report it to the Chair. If it involves the Chair, report it to another trustee.

• Anyone involved in, or connected to, the concern takes no part in deciding how it is handled.

14. Decisions and referrals

The Safeguarding Officer who received the concern consults the DST and decides whether to:

• refer to the police, for suspected criminal offences;

• refer to children’s social care (for a child) or the adult safeguarding team (for an adult at risk) at the relevant local authority;

• take other protective steps and keep the concern under review; or

• record the concern and take no further action, with reasons recorded.

Where the person at the centre of a concern is working with children or adults at risk at the time, they are removed from that contact in a sensitive manner while the matter is considered. Where the concern involves a serious incident, the DST and Chair decide whether to report to the Charity Commission, and whether to notify funders (including Arts Council England, where our funding agreement requires it) and insurers.

15. Allegations against someone working with Dash Arts

• Dash Arts does not investigate allegations of abuse itself. We take advice from the right authority first.

• For a child, the relevant Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) is contacted without delay, before any internal action or informing the person concerned. For an adult at risk, we contact the local authority adult safeguarding team and, where a crime may have been committed, the police.

• The person is kept away from children and adults at risk while advice is sought.

• Where someone is removed from regulated activity because of harm or risk of harm, Dash Arts makes a referral to the DBS where the law requires it.

• Employment or contractual action follows external advice and is taken under the Disciplinary and Grievance Policy or the relevant contract.

• Concerns about conduct that do not involve abuse or a risk of harm (for example, a breach of the Code of Conduct) are handled under the Disciplinary and Grievance Policy, not as safeguarding allegations.

16. Confidentiality and information sharing

• Children: consent is not needed to share information where it is necessary to safeguard and promote a child’s welfare, provided there is a lawful basis. We will usually tell the child and family, unless that would increase risk.

• Adults: we consider capacity and seek consent. We may share without consent where someone’s vital interests are at stake, where others (including children) are at risk, or where a serious crime is suspected, and we explain what we are sharing and why. The person may not expect it.

• The Data Protection Act 2018 and UK GDPR do not prevent sharing for safeguarding. Information is shared only with those who need it.

• Your role is to listen, record factually and report. You do not promise confidentiality or decide about sharing outside Dash Arts.

17. Support, review and follow-up

• Support. The person affected is kept informed as appropriate and signposted to support. Staff, freelancers and volunteers involved are offered a debrief with a Safeguarding Officer and signposting. No one is treated unfairly for raising a concern in good faith.

• Monitoring. Safeguarding Officers keep a confidential log of concerns. The DST reviews it for patterns and reports to the Board in anonymised form.

• Learning. After any concern or incident, the Officers and DST consider what could be done differently. We update procedures, training or risk assessments as a result, and review this policy after any serious incident.

Part 3: Supporting arrangements

18. Online safety

• Adults do not message children privately. Communication with children goes through parents or carers or an agreed Dash Arts channel that a second adult can see.

• Online sessions with children or adults at risk have at least two adults, use a Dash Arts-approved platform, and are not recorded without consent.

• Abuse or exploitation online is treated like any other concern and can also be reported to CEOP (ceop.police.uk).

Useful resources:

• NSPCC Online Safety Hub: nspcc.org.uk/keeping-children-safe/online-safety

• UK Safer Internet Centre: saferinternet.org.uk

• CEOP Education: ceopeducation.co.uk; CEOP Safety Centre: ceop.police.uk/safety-centre

• Ann Craft Trust, Digital Safeguarding Resources: anncrafttrust.org

• SCIE, Safeguarding Adults resources: scie.org.uk/safeguarding/adults

19. Images, filming and recording

• We obtain written consent before photographing, filming or recording anyone: from a parent or carer for children (with the child’s own agreement), and from adults themselves.

• Consent says what the image will be used for, is revisited for each project, and can be withdrawn.

• Children are not identified by full name alongside images. Images are stored securely and shared only for the agreed purposes.

• Public-facing material involving children carries our safeguarding statement.

• Nobody photographs or records participants without agreement.

20. Linked policies

This policy works alongside:

• Code of Conduct

• Safeguarding Statement

• Disciplinary and Grievance Policy

• Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Policy (and equal opportunities in recruitment)

• Privacy Policy

• Health and Safety Policy

• Volunteer and freelancer agreements

21. Review and accessibility

• The Board of Trustees reviews this policy annually, and after any serious incident or change in law or guidance. Version and review dates are recorded on page 1.

• The policy and the Safeguarding Statement are published on our website, included in induction packs, and given to partners. We provide them in other formats (for example large print or plain English) on request.

• We check that people understand the policy, and that the route for raising a concern is clear, at induction and at the start of each project.

Approved by / date

Board of Trustees, 28.10.2026