Introduction
Here at Dancesport Scotland, we are committed to ensuring a safe, nurturing, and positive environment for all participants in dance sports. As the governing body for Ballroom and Latin Dancing in Scotland we recognise our duty of care to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and young people involved in our activities.
This section of our website is dedicated to child wellbeing and protection and aims to bring together all our information on this, plus signpost you to other external sources of guidance and help.
|
Concerned about Child Wellbeing or Protection? If you have any child welfare or protection concerns, please contact us via email on: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Further support and advice is available from: • Children First: 08000 2822 23 • Childline: 0800 1111 • Parent Line: 0808 801 0323 If you are concerned that a child is immediate danger, contact Police Scotland. |
Council’s Leadership Role
As the Council Members for our organisation, we recognise our duty of care to protect our young members so all of us have undergone training to be fully aware of what to put in place and look out for. In addition, we have a fully-trained Child Wellbeing and Protection Officer who is able to deal with any issues, should they arise. There is more on all of this on the Roles & Responsibilities sub-page.
Standards for Child Wellbeing and Protection
At the heart of everything we do is our focus on the eight standards for Child Wellbeing and Protection in Sport. Our goal is not just to satisfy these but to achieve best practice thereby meeting our commitment outlined in the opening paragraph above. The eight standards are;
• Every child’s voice is taken into account
• Every child’s rights and wellbeing are promoted, supported and safeguarded
• Every child is protected from abuse
• Every child is accepted without discrimination
• Every child has volunteers and staff working alongside them who have been considered suitable to work with children and young people
• Every child has sports coaches and volunteers who are well supported and trained
• Every child’s sports organisation is managed well and accountable for keeping children and young people safe
• Every child’s sports organisation evaluates how it safeguards children and young people and makes improvements where necessary.
As we are a governing body and don’t do training directly, some of the standards are in the hands of the dance schools that do. Where that is the case, we provide best practice guidance for dance schools. This guidance is also very relevant to a parent or guardian looking for a dance school for their young person as it provides the areas where they may like to ask questions about the school’s practices.
A diagram summarising the standards can be downloaded here, plus there is a link to the Children 1st website where there is a fuller document for those who are interested.
Child Wellbeing and Protection policies and procedures
Our policy is aligned with the relevant child protection legislation in Scotland, including but not limited to:
• The Children (Scotland) Act 1995 sets out the rights of children and the responsibilities of those involved in their care.
• The Protection of Vulnerable Groups (Scotland) Act 2007 introduced the Protecting Vulnerable Groups (PVG) Scheme, which helps to ensure that individuals who are unsuitable to work with children do not gain access to them.
• Getting It Right for Every Child (GIRFEC). A national approach to improving child outcomes that promotes a coordinated approach to child protection and well-being.
The policy also includes how we respond to concerns and links to our other policies such as Bullying and Harassment and Codes of Conduct.
Policy and Supporting Documentation: