Last reviewed: September 2026
Next review: September 2027, or sooner if legislation or guidance changes

Aquila Youth Theatre (AYT) is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of every child and young person who takes part in our activities.

For safeguarding purposes, a child is anyone under the age of 18.

The welfare of the child is our paramount consideration. Everyone involved with AYT has a responsibility to help create an environment in which young people feel safe, respected, listened to and able to speak to an adult if they have a concern.

This policy applies to all AYT staff, directors, tutors, volunteers, chaperones, technical personnel and other adults working on behalf of the company.

AYT follows current safeguarding legislation and guidance, including Working Together to Safeguard Children 2026, relevant Disclosure and Barring Service requirements and the Department for Education's safeguarding guidance for organisations providing out-of-school activities.

​

Our Safeguarding Principles

AYT will:

• place the welfare and safety of children and young people at the centre of its work;

• listen to children and take their concerns seriously;

• treat every young person with dignity and respect;

• provide an inclusive environment and challenge discrimination, harassment and bullying;

• recognise that safeguarding is everyone's responsibility;

• appoint a Designated Safeguarding Lead with responsibility for coordinating safeguarding within AYT;

• ensure staff and volunteers understand how to recognise and report safeguarding concerns;

• use appropriate safer-recruitment and suitability procedures;

• respond promptly and appropriately to safeguarding concerns or allegations;

• maintain appropriate confidentiality while sharing information when necessary to protect a child;

• work with parents, carers and statutory safeguarding agencies where appropriate.

​

Designated Safeguarding Lead

AYT will appoint a Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) who has overall responsibility for safeguarding and child protection within the company.

Where appropriate, AYT will also nominate a deputy or another safeguarding-trained adult who can act if the DSL is unavailable.

The DSL is responsible for:

• providing safeguarding advice and support;

• ensuring concerns are acted upon appropriately;

• maintaining secure safeguarding records;

• making or supporting referrals to Children's Social Care and other agencies where necessary;

• managing concerns or allegations relating to adults in accordance with local safeguarding procedures;

• ensuring staff and volunteers receive appropriate safeguarding information and training;

• reviewing this policy at least annually.

The DSL does not investigate allegations of abuse. Their role is to receive concerns, assess the safeguarding response required and refer or seek advice from the appropriate statutory agency where necessary.

​

Staff, Volunteers and Safer Recruitment

AYT takes reasonable and proportionate steps to ensure that adults working with children are suitable for their roles.

This includes identity and suitability checks, references where appropriate and Disclosure and Barring Service checks at the level legally appropriate to the individual's role.

Adults undertaking regulated activity with children will be subject to the appropriate Enhanced DBS check and Children's Barred List check where required and eligible.

AYT will comply with current DBS requirements for staff and volunteers and will reassess DBS eligibility when an individual's role or responsibilities change.

No person known to be barred from regulated activity with children will be permitted to undertake such activity.

DBS checking is only one element of safer recruitment. AYT also considers conduct, references, experience, training, supervision and suitability for working with young people.

​

Expected Behaviour

Adults working with AYT must:

• treat young people fairly, respectfully and without favouritism;

• maintain appropriate professional boundaries;

• act as positive role models;

• use appropriate language and behaviour;

• challenge bullying, discrimination, sexual harassment, intimidation and abusive behaviour;

• respect a young person's privacy while recognising that safeguarding concerns may need to be shared;

• ensure that communication with young people is appropriate and connected with legitimate AYT activities;

• be aware that actions or comments may be misunderstood and conduct themselves accordingly;

• report anything that causes them safeguarding concern.

Adults must never:

• enter into an inappropriate sexual, romantic or otherwise exploitative relationship with a young person;

• make sexual or suggestive comments or gestures;

• use humiliating, threatening, discriminatory or degrading language;

• engage in unnecessary or inappropriate physical contact;

• deliberately place themselves in circumstances where appropriate professional boundaries cannot be maintained;

• exchange inappropriate private messages, images or online communications with young people;

• ignore bullying, harassment, abuse or concerning behaviour;

• promise a young person that a safeguarding disclosure can be kept secret.

​

One-to-One Contact

AYT aims to avoid unnecessary situations in which an adult is isolated with a young person.

Where one-to-one contact is necessary, it should wherever possible:

• take place in an observable or accessible environment;

• be known to another responsible adult;

• last only as long as necessary;

• maintain clear professional boundaries.

There may be legitimate reasons for individual tuition, pastoral conversations, first aid or other one-to-one contact. These situations should always be managed transparently and with the welfare of the young person as the priority.

​

Physical Contact

Theatre and drama occasionally involve physical contact, for example during movement work, choreography, costume adjustment or first aid.

Any physical contact must be necessary, appropriate to the activity and explained to the young person beforehand wherever possible.

Young people should be able to say that they are uncomfortable with physical contact.

Emergency first aid may be given without prior consent where this is necessary to protect life or prevent serious harm.

​

Recognising Safeguarding Concerns

Safeguarding concerns can take many forms and may include:

• physical abuse;

• emotional abuse;

• sexual abuse;

• neglect;

• bullying and cyberbullying;

• child-on-child abuse;

• sexual harassment or harmful sexual behaviour;

• exploitation or grooming;

• abuse within teenage relationships;

• coercive or controlling behaviour;

• online abuse;

• discriminatory or prejudicial abuse;

• concerns about a child's safety or wellbeing at home, in the community or online.

Staff and volunteers are not expected to diagnose abuse. If something causes concern, it should be reported.

​

If a Young Person Makes a Disclosure

If a child or young person tells an adult something that raises a safeguarding concern, the adult should:

1. Listen carefully and remain calm.

2. Take what the young person says seriously.

3. Allow them to explain in their own words.

4. Avoid leading questions or attempting to investigate.

5. Reassure them that they have done the right thing by speaking to someone.

6. Do not promise confidentiality. Explain that information may need to be shared with people whose job is to keep them safe.

7. Record what was said as accurately as possible, distinguishing fact from opinion.

8. Report the concern promptly to the DSL.

An adult should never confront a person who is suspected of abuse or conduct their own investigation.

If a child appears to be at immediate risk of serious harm, appropriate emergency action must be taken, including contacting the police on 999 where necessary.

​

Reporting Safeguarding Concerns

Safeguarding concerns should normally be reported immediately to the AYT Designated Safeguarding Lead.

The DSL will consider what action is required, including whether information should be shared with parents or carers and whether advice or referral to Children's Social Care, the police or another safeguarding agency is necessary.

A concern must never be delayed simply because the DSL is unavailable. Anyone who believes a child may be at risk can contact Children's Social Care or the police directly.

For children living in Devon:

Devon Children's Social Care – Front Door: 0345 155 1071
Emergency Duty Service (outside normal office hours): 0345 600 0388
Immediate danger: Police – 999

​

Concerns About an Adult Working With Children

Any allegation or concern about the behaviour of an AYT member of staff, volunteer, chaperone or other adult working with children must be treated seriously and reported promptly to the DSL or another senior member of AYT management if the concern relates to the DSL.

AYT will follow the local authority procedures for managing allegations against adults who work or volunteer with children.

Where the relevant threshold is met, AYT will contact the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) for advice and will cooperate fully with any subsequent safeguarding process.

AYT will also make a referral to the Disclosure and Barring Service where the statutory conditions requiring such a referral are met.

Concerns about safeguarding practice within AYT may also be raised through the company's whistleblowing arrangements. No person should suffer disadvantage for raising a genuine safeguarding concern in good faith.

​

Child-on-Child Abuse and Bullying

Abuse can be carried out by another child or young person.

AYT does not dismiss harmful behaviour as "banter", "part of growing up" or an inevitable part of being in a group.

Bullying, intimidation, harassment, discriminatory abuse, sexual harassment, harmful sexual behaviour and inappropriate online behaviour will be challenged and, where necessary, treated as safeguarding matters.

Both the young person who has experienced harm and any young person displaying harmful behaviour will be treated appropriately, with the safety of all children remaining the priority.

​

Online Safety and Communication

AYT recognises that safeguarding extends to digital communication and social media.

Communication between adults and young people must remain professional and relate to legitimate AYT activity.

AYT will use appropriate group or organisational communication channels wherever practicable. Adults must not use digital communications to create inappropriate private relationships with young people.

Images or recordings of young people will only be taken, stored and used for legitimate AYT purposes and in accordance with the permissions obtained from parents/carers and young people and applicable data-protection requirements.

​

Rehearsals, Performances, Trips and Residential Activities

Safeguarding responsibilities apply wherever AYT activities take place, including rehearsals, performances, theatres, trips, transport and residential accommodation.

Appropriate risk assessments, staffing and supervision arrangements will be established for activities.

For residential activities, AYT will establish clear arrangements concerning supervision, accommodation, boundaries, night-time arrangements, emergencies and communication with parents or carers.

Young people will not normally leave an AYT activity without appropriate permission. Parents/carers must inform AYT of any agreed alternative arrangements for arrival, departure or collection.

​

Child Performances and Chaperones

Where applicable, AYT will comply with the legislation governing children taking part in performances, including child performance licensing requirements.

Where a child is required by law to be supervised by a licensed chaperone, AYT will ensure that an appropriately approved chaperone is provided.

The welfare of the child remains the priority throughout rehearsals and performances.

​

Record Keeping and Information Sharing

Safeguarding concerns and decisions will be recorded accurately, factually and as soon as reasonably practicable.

Safeguarding records will be stored securely with access restricted to those who require the information for legitimate safeguarding purposes.

Information will be shared on a need-to-know basis when necessary and proportionate to safeguard a child.

Confidentiality and data-protection requirements do not prevent appropriate information being shared where this is necessary to protect a child from harm.

​

Parents and Carers

AYT seeks to work openly and constructively with parents and carers.

Parents and carers are encouraged to raise any concern about the welfare of a young person with the Designated Safeguarding Lead.

There may, however, be circumstances in which AYT needs to share information with Children's Social Care or another statutory agency without first seeking parental agreement, particularly where doing otherwise could place a child at increased risk.

​

Review

AYT's safeguarding arrangements are reviewed regularly and this public policy will be formally reviewed at least once each year or sooner following:

• significant changes to legislation or statutory guidance;

• a serious safeguarding incident;

• changes to the way AYT operates;

• recommendations from safeguarding agencies or lessons learned from practice.

Aquila Youth Theatre believes that safeguarding is everyone's responsibility. Every child and young person involved with AYT has the right to feel safe, to be treated with respect and to have their concerns heard.