CREATIVE STAGEWORKS CHILD PROTECTION POLICY

Here at Creative Stageworks we ensure that your child’s safety and happiness is our number one priority.

Policy Aims

The aim of the Creative Stageworks Child Protection Policy is to promote good practice in:

Providing children and young people with appropriate safety and protection whilst in the care of Creative Stageworks.
Allow all staff/volunteers to make informed and confident responses to specific child protection issues.

The Creative Stageworks team believes that:

The welfare of children is vital and that safety and welfare come first in all instances.
All children, whatever their age, culture, disability, gender, language, racial origin, religious beliefs and/or sexual identity have the right to protection from abuse.
All suspicions and allegations of abuse will be taken seriously and responded to swiftly and appropriately.
All staff including cast, assistants and volunteers working for Creative Stageworks have a responsibility to report concerns to the producers of Creative Stageworks.

The Creative Stageworks team has a duty of care to safeguard all children involved in our productions from harm.

All children have a right to protection and the needs of disabled children and others who may be particularly vulnerable must be taken into account.

Promoting Good Practice

The Creative Stageworks team will encourage the following:

Always working in an open environment (e.g. avoid private or unobserved situations and encouraging an open environment i.e. no secrets)
Treating all young people/disabled and adults equally, and with respect and dignity
Maintaining a safe and appropriate distance with students (e.g. it is not appropriate to have an intimate relationship with a child)
Building balanced relationships based on mutual trust which empowers children to share in the decision making process
Making performing fun, enjoyable and promoting fair play
Ensuring that all material (i.e scripts/scene content) is age appropriate and never makes a child feel uncomfortable or concerned.
Keeping up to date with the skills, qualifications and insurance in performing arts.
Being an excellent role model – this includes not smoking or drinking alcohol in the company of young people, always aiming to speak in a positive manner and remembering that building confidence and ensuring the child is having a positive experience is always the main aim.
Giving enthusiastic and constructive feedback rather than negative criticism
Keeping a written record of any injury that occurs, along with the details of any treatment given in an accident report book.
Informing parents if any child is taken ill or injured during class.
Never offering or allowing children to be transported home or to events in teachers’ cars.
Allowing all students to have a cell phone on-site (in their bag) so that they can have easy communication with parents/guardians at all times

Unacceptable Practice

The following practice is not acceptable. A teacher should never:

Engage in rough, physical or sexually provocative games
Allow or engage in any form of inappropriate touching
Allow children to use inappropriate language unchallenged
Make sexually suggestive comments to a child, even in fun
Reduce a child to tears as a form of control
Allow allegations made by a child to go unchallenged, unrecorded or not acted upon
Do things of a personal nature for children that they can do for themselves

Guidelines for Use of Photography and Filming

Under no circumstances does Creative Stageworks allow any filming or photographing to take place UNLESS:

We have signed consent in advance from parents.
We do not allow parents to take photos of their children in shows, nor to make videos.

Recruitment and Selecting Staff and Volunteers

The Creative Stageworks Producers recognise that anyone may have the potential to abuse children in some way and that all reasonable steps are taken to ensure that unsuitable people are prevented from working with children.

When undertaking pre-selection checks the following should be included:

All adults working with the children in a teaching situation and as a supervisor will undertake
a criminal record vetting, which will give Creative Stageworks information about an applicant’s past and criminal record (if any).
Evidence of identity (passport or driving licence with photo)

Responding to Suspicions or Allegations

It is not the responsibility of anyone working for Creative Stageworks in a paid or unpaid capacity to take responsibility or to decide whether or not child abuse has taken place.

However, there is a responsibility to act on any concerns through contact with the appropriate authorities.

The Creative Stageworks Producers will assure all staff/volunteers that it will fully support and protect anyone who in good faith reports his or her concern that a colleague/volunteer is or may be abusing a child.

When there is a complaint against a member of staff there may be three types of investigation:

A criminal investigation
A child protection investigation
A disciplinary or misconduct investigation

The results of the police and child protection investigation may well influence the disciplinary investigation.

Action to Help the Victim and Prevent Bullying in Performing

Have a zero tolerance policy to bullying
Take all signs of bullying very seriously
Encourage all children to speak and share their concerns
Help the victim to speak out and tell the person in charge or someone of authority
Create an open environment
Investigate all allegations and take action to ensure the victim is safe
Speak with the victim and the bully/ies separately
Reassure the victim that you can be trusted and will help them, although you cannot promise to tell no one else
Keep records of what is said (what happened by whom, when etc.)
Report any concerns to the Producers

Action Towards Bullies

Talk with the bully/ies, explain the situation (with their parents present) and try to get them to understand the consequences of their behaviour
Seek an apology to the victim/s
Inform the bully’s parents
Provide support for the teacher of the victim
Impose sanctions as necessary
Encourage and support the bully/ies to change behaviour
Hold meetings with the families to report on progress
Inform all appropriate members of the action taken
Keep a written record of action taken (whom, when etc.)

Contact Details

Designated Safeguarding Officer (DSO)

Producers: Shane Brown

Email: info@creativestageworks.co.nz
Website: www.creativestageworks.co.nz

Reviewed: 31 January 2026
Next review: January 2027

Key Contact Agencies

Police

Emergency: Ph 111
Non Emergency: Ph 105
Online reporting: 105.police.govt.nz

Oranga Tamariki

Report of Concern: Ph 0508 326 459
Email: contact@ot.govt.nz

Youthline

Ph: 0800 37 66 33
Email: talk@youthline.co.nz
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