We like to be pretty thorough in everything we do so we've included the following for your information and reassurance (for the purposes of the act a child is 0 - 16 years of age).
Staff / Crew
The Vulnerable Children Act regulations only apply to government / government funded organisations, other businesses and organisations are encouraged to check staff but it is not a legal requirement. Staff can be paid or volunteers and can be core or non-core (core refers to the staff member in charge or the only person present). At our venues the Venue Manager is the core staff member, all other crew are non-core.
We do not check crew, the main reason being that we know our dancers well before they become crew. While this does not necessarily guarantee that someone is safe, it is still a significant factor. However, we state that no child should be left on their own with a crew member. Many of our crew are employed in the public services such as teaching and health care and have had background checks.
In General
Most of our dancers are aged 17 and above. Children are welcome but parents / guardians need to be aware that they will be mixing with adults. As a general precaution, no child should be on their own in a room or hall with another dancer in any situation.
