The Department for Education releases guidance on Keeping Children Safe in Out-Of-School Settings in England
CDMT, One Dance UK and People Dancing welcome the Department for Education’s issue of guidance on Keeping Children Safe in Out-Of-School Settings in England*.
It provides advice on how organisations and individuals should address crucial areas of concern on safeguarding in the delivery of work across community activities, after-school clubs and tuition, and what parents/carers should look for when choosing suitable provision for their children.
The information is written from the perspective of addressing all subject areas offered in community and after school contexts. CDMT, One Dance UK and People Dancing look forward to working with the authorities and the sector at large to disseminate and promote the application of this guidance within the performing arts.
The Department for Education has published a range of documents aimed at providers, volunteers and parents/carers which can be accessed here
Note:
* An out-of-school setting can mean many things, from places like community and youth centres, sports clubs, and places of worship to individuals offering tuition in their own home or providing coaching at a playing field or local park. Most out-of-school settings are safe spaces which provide fun, educational activities and classes for children of all ages.
However, there is no single legal framework that governs how these settings operate, and they are not inspected or assessed by a single regulator. This means there is no single responsible body with complete oversight of these settings, or the quality and safety of their provision.
To help keep children safe during community activities, after-school clubs and tuition, the Government has released guidance for providers, which lays out the minimum level of safeguarding practice they should have in place to reduce the risk of harm to children in clubs, tuition or community-led activities in England. This also sits alongside guidance to help parents/carers choose safe out-of-school settings for their children.