Child Safety and Wellbeing Policy
Stage Left Performing Arts School acknowledges the Kulin Nation People, the Traditional Owners of the land on which we operate. We acknowledge and respect their contributions, experience and knowledge as First Nations people. We pay our respects to their Elders, past and present.
This Child Safety and Wellbeing Policy was approved by the Management Committee on 1 December 2025. It demonstrates the strong commitment of management, staff and volunteers to child safety and wellbeing, and how our organisation keeps children safe from harm, including child abuse.
PARENTS & STUDENTS RIGHTS
In the case of a suspected incident of child abuse, or a breach of our Child Safe Policy you can report it to:
- Any staff member on site (which will be passed on to the Directors)
- Directly to the Stage Left office info@stageleft.com.au 1300 369 443
- to Managing Director Martin Lane, Artistic Director Ana Mitsikas or Office Manager Amy Calvert – they are all contactable via the Stage Left office
- The Victorian Police by dialling 000
Commitment to child safety
All children who come to Stage Left Performing Arts School have a right to feel and be safe. The welfare of the children in our care will always be our first priority and we have a zero-tolerance approach to child abuse and harm. We aim to create a child safe and child-friendly environment where children feel safe and have fun while enjoying learning the performing arts.
Purpose
This Policy outlines how Stage Left Performing Arts School prioritises the safety and wellbeing of children and what steps we will take to do this.
Scope
This policy applies to all staff, volunteers, children and other individuals involved in our organisation. This policy applies to all activities – classes, workshops and performances – conducted by Stage Left Performing Arts School.
Definitions
Management Committee means the Managing Director and Artistic Director
Child abuse means:
a sexual offence committed against a child
an offence committed against a child under section 49M(1) of the Crimes Act 1958 (Vic), such as grooming
physical violence against a child
causing serious emotional or psychological harm to a child
serious neglect of a child.
Harm is damage to the health, safety or wellbeing of a child or young person, including as a result of child abuse by adults or the conduct of other children. It includes physical, emotional, sexual and psychological harm. Harm can arise from a single act or event and can also be cumulative, that is, arising as a result of a series of acts or events over a period of time.
Child/Children means a person who is under the age of 18 years.
Concerns and complaints
A concern refers to any potential issue that could impact negatively on the safety and wellbeing of children.
A complaint is an expression of dissatisfaction to Stage Left Performing Arts School related to one or more of the following:
our services or dealings with individuals
allegations of abuse or misconduct by a staff member, a volunteer or another individual associated with Stage Left Performing Arts School
disclosures of abuse or harm made by a child or young person
the conduct of a child or young person at Stage Left Performing Arts School
the inadequate handling of a prior concern
general concerns about the safety of a group of children or activity.
Role of the Management Committee
The Management Committee has the role of making sure Stage Left Performing Arts prioritises children’s safety and that action is taken when anyone raises concerns about children’s safety.
The Management Committee will champion and model a child safe culture at Stage Left Performing Arts School. We encourage anyone involved with the organisation to report a child safety concern. The Management Committee will work to create a positive culture around reporting so that people feel comfortable to raise concerns.
Everyone at Stage Left Performing Arts School has a role in identifying and managing risks of child abuse and harm.
The Management Committee will conduct an annual review of how effectively Stage Left Performing Arts School is delivering child safety and wellbeing. The input of people involved with Stage Left Performing Arts School will be sought as part of this review.
Children’s empowerment and participation
Stage Left Performing Arts School is a child-centred organisation. We actively seek to include children’s views and ideas in our organisational planning, delivery of services including rehearsals and performances, and management of facilities.
We want children to develop new friends through Stage Left Performing Arts School and encourage children to be supportive of each other. We do not tolerate bullying or abusive behaviour between children and take action if this occurs.
Stage Left Performing Arts School values the voices of children and will act on safety concerns raised by children or their families. Stage Left Performing Arts School supports children’s participation in the following ways:
Stage Left staff and volunteers encourage children to express their views. We listen to their suggestions, especially on matters that directly affect them. We actively encourage all children who use our services to ‘have a say’ about things that are important to them.
We teach children about what they can do if they feel unsafe. We listen to and act on any concerns children, or their parents, raise with us.
Venue Managers include any concerns raised by parents, children, staff or volunteers in their Weekly Managers Checklist which is emailed to the office after each session. Any concerns that a Manager feels needs to be dealt with urgently are conveyed directly to the office via phone or email. Any concern that the Manager feels is an emergency is conveyed to the Directors of Stage Left and/or the Office Manager immediately via phone.
A weekly assembly for group classes where any changes to physical environment, polices, procedures and staffing are outlined
A Venue Manager/Head Techer at each school whose job includes making sure students feel included. If students are sitting alone this staff member will talk with them to see if they would like to join with a group. The child’s voice will be heard and respected.
A ‘buddy’ system is applied to all new or trialling students to try to ensure they feel comfortable and included straight away
Information provided to children and families about Stage Left Performing Arts School operations, staffing and programs are made suitable for different age groups and diversity of the children.
Families and communities
Stage Left Performing Arts School recognises the important role of families and involves parents and carers when making significant decisions about their child. Parents, families and communities are welcome to provide feedback at any time through our contact email address and are encouraged to raise any concerns they have with us.
Stage Left Performing Arts School provides information to families and community about our child safe policies and practices including through:
publishing this Child Safety and Wellbeing Policy and Code of Conduct on our website
having a Venue Manager or Head Teacher available at each venue to be a communication point for parents, students, teachers and administration
Creating culturally safe environments for all Aboriginal children and their families
Stage Left Performing Arts School is committed to creating environments where Aboriginal culture is celebrated and Aboriginal children, families and community members are welcomed and included. Strategies to embed cultural safety for Aboriginal children include:
an Acknowledgement of Country at all performances
providing opportunities for children to share their cultural identity and express their culture through class actitivities
supporting children who wish to explore their culture, including consulting with their family and relevant Aboriginal organisations
seeking feedback from Aboriginal children, families and communities on their experience at Stage Left Performing Arts School, particularly how safe they feel expressing their identity including their culture.
The Stage Left Performing Arts School ‘Code of Conduct and Best Practices for Teaching’ includes information about respecting cultural, religious and political differences and acting in a culturally sensitive way. There is zero tolerance for any breaches of this code
Consideration will be taken to ensure there is no cultural appropriation involved in performances and class activities
Valuing diversity
We value diversity and do not tolerate any discriminatory practices. To achieve this we:
- promote the cultural safety, participation and empowerment of children from culturally and/or linguistically diverse backgrounds and their families
- welcome children with a disability and their families and act to promote their participation
- seek appropriate staff from diverse cultural backgrounds.
- offer students and families through our enrolment forms the opportunity to provide information about themselves, including any specific needs to participate fully in our programs
- have zero tolerance of racism and other forms of discrimination and take action when discrimination or exclusion is identified
- have a physical and online environment that actively celebrates diversity
Code of Conduct & Best Practices for Teaching
Stage Left Performing Arts School has a Child Safe Code of Conduct and Best Practices for Teaching. All staff including teacher, Managers and administration staff Management Committee must comply with this Code of Conduct at all times. Breaches of the Code of Conduct may result in disciplinary action including termination of a person’s involvement with the organisation.
All teachers receive the Code of Conduct and Best Practices for Teaching with their contract. Teachers sign their contract to acknowledge that they have received, read and will apply this Code and Practices.
Recruiting staff and volunteers
Stage Left Performing Arts School puts child safety and wellbeing at the centre of recruitment and screening processes for staff and volunteers as outlined in the recruitment and screening policy. We only recruit staff and volunteers who are appropriate to engage with children. Members of the administration staff must also be screened.
We require a Working with Children Check and referee checks for all staff. All volunteers must have a Working with Children Check and be either parents of current students, a current student or a past student. We require staff to have appropriate qualifications for their roles and check to make sure these qualifications are valid.
Supporting staff and volunteers
Stage Left Performing Arts School is committed to ensuring that all leaders, staff and volunteers receive clear guidelines to ensure they understand their responsibilities in relation to child safety and to support their engagement with children. These guidelines assist our leaders and staff to incorporate child safety considerations into decisions and to promote a safe environment where children are empowered to speak up about issues that affect them.
Stage Left Performing Arts School provides guidelines to all staff including:
Code of Conduct and Best Practices for Teaching
Guidelines for Venue Mangers
Guidelines for teaching individual disciplines
Guidelines for supervision for students at Holiday Workshops
Guidelines for Workshop Leaders
Volunteers always work under the supervision of Stage Left staff members and receive clear guidelines as to their roles and responsibilities.
Staff and volunteers will receive supervision to support their engagement with children and for compliance with our Code of Conduct and Best Practices for Teaching and Child Safety and Wellbeing Policy.
Issues or concerns about behaviour with children will be raised immediately and addressed in line with our Code of Conduct & Best Practices for Teaching, and termination policy.
Complaints and reporting
All reports of child abuse and child safety concerns will be treated seriously, whether they are made by an adult or a child and whether they are about the conduct of an adult or a child. All complaints and child safety concerns will be responded to promptly and thoroughly.
Stage Left Performing Arts School has a complaint handling policy that includes information for staff about the procedure for raising concerns and complaints. Parents are provided with a phone number and email address to make direct contact with the Stage Left office as required. Students are able to raise concerns or complaints with their Venue Manager/Head Teacher, with any member of staff or directly to the Stage Left office.
If a complaint includes an allegation or incident of child abuse or harm, then staff and volunteers at Stage Left Performing Arts School must report it in accordance with our ‘Procedures for raising concerns and complaints’ outlined in our Code of Conduct and Best Practices for Teaching’ policy.
Stage Left Performing Arts School staff and volunteers are required to prioritise children’s safety in any response and to report all potentially criminal conduct to Victoria Police. Staff and volunteers may be subject to actions to support child safety including:
being stood down during an investigation or terminated following an investigation
having their duties altered so they do not engage with children at Stage Left Performing Arts School
not allowing unsupervised contact with children at Stage Left Performing Arts School
removing their access to the Stage Left Performing Arts School system and facilities.
Complaints can be emailed to info@stageleft.com.au or you can speak with any staff member, office staff or the Managing Director, Artistic Director of Office Manager.
If there is concern for the immediate safety of a child, immediately call 000.
Child Safety Person
The Management Committee are responsible for responding to any child safety related complaints or concerns.
If a person does not feel comfortable making a report to the Management Committee, they may report their concern to any other member of staff.
Record keeping
Stage Left Performing Arts School is committed to making and keeping full and accurate records about all child-related complaints or safety concerns.
All child safety complaints, concerns, incidents are recorded on the Weekly Managers Checklists that are completed and returned to the office after each session. All items on the Checklists are investigated and actioned by the Stage Left office and passed on to the Directors as required.
At workshops and private singing tuition any child safety complaints, concerns and incidents are reported to the Stage Left office and/or Directors via phone or email depending on the degree of urgency.
Records which may assist with the investigation of a complaint or safety concern will be identified and kept as part of the record of an investigation. Records will be kept even if an investigation does not substantiate a complaint.
We will record and keep the outcome of any investigations, and the resolution of any complaints. This includes findings made, reasons for decisions and actions taken.
Records will be stored securely and kept by Stage Left Performing Arts School.
RISK MANAGEMENT
We recognise the importance of identifying and managing risks of child harm and abuse in the physical and online environments operated by Stage Left Performing Arts School.
Our Code of Conduct and Best Practices of Teaching promote the safety and wellbeing of students by outlining in detail policies and procedures including the safety and supervision of students and expected behaviours of all our staff.
These measures include:
- Never leave or send students out of the classroom alone unsupervised OR leave students in the classroom unsupervised. Teachers should contact their manager via mobile telephone and arrange for the Manager to supervise the students as required.
- Students may go to the toilet in pairs after asking the teacher
- Never dismiss class before the bell has rung. If you find yourself with time at the end of a session, fill it in.
Our Code of Conduct and Best Practices of Teaching document also states that Stage Left staff and volunteers must NOT:
- make physical contact with the students
- be alone with one student.
- send students out of the classroom alone unsupervised.
- Leave students unsupervised in the classroom
- have contact with students outside of class time in person.
- Have contact with children and young people online or by phone or any type of social media– this includes mobile numbers, facebook, twitter, etc.
- Share any images or footage of students on any form of social media or with anyone except the Stage Left office as required for promotional and educational purposes
- exchange personal contact details such as phone number, social networking site or email addresses with children
- seek to use children in any way to meet the needs of adults
- ignore or disregard any concerns, suspicions or disclosures of child abuse
- use prejudice, oppressive behaviour or language with children
- engage in rough physical games
- discriminate on the basis of age, gender, race, culture, vulnerability or sexuality
- initiate unnecessary physical contact with children or do things of a personal nature that children can do for themselves, such as toileting or changing clothes
- develop ‘special’ relationships with specific children or show favouritism through the provision of gifts or inappropriate attention
Photos and footage taken of students for promotional purposes will only be shared by key office staff with permission to do this.
Information sharing
Stage Left Performing Arts School may share relevant information to promote the safety and wellbeing of children, where it is appropriate and in their best interests. Stage Left Performing Arts School will keep information about complaints confidential, except where it is necessary to share information to respond properly to a complaint or to prioritise child safety. We may also need to share information about incidents or complaints with external authorities to comply with the law or to prioritise safety.
Non-compliance with this policy and the Code of Conduct
Stage Left Performing Arts School will enforce this policy, the Code of Conduct and any other child safety and wellbeing policies. Potential breaches by anyone will be investigated and may result in restriction of duties, suspension or termination of employment or engagement or other corrective action.
Review
Stage Left Performing Arts School will review all child safe practices and policies at least every two years.
Supporting documents – Stage Left Performing Arts School child safety and wellbeing system
The following policies and procedures work together to support child safety and wellbeing across all of our operations:
Child Safety and Wellbeing Policy
Code of Conduct and Best Practices for Teaching
Guidelines for Managers
Stage Left Ethos
Roles and responsibilities of Workshop Leaders
Supporting legislation
Child Wellbeing and Safety Act 2005 (Vic) (including Child Safe Standards)
Children, Youth and Families Act 2005 (Vic) (including reporting to Child Protection)
Crimes Act 1958 (Vic) (including Failure to Protect and Failure to Disclose offences)
Wrongs Act 1958 (Vic) (including Part XIII – Organisational liability for child abuse)
