Safeguarding is aimed at protecting vulnerable children and adults from harm, Northern School of Contemporary Dance (NSCD) acknowledges the duty of care to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and adults at risk and is committed to ensuring safeguarding practice reflects statutory responsibilities, government guidance and complies with best practice.
Part of our safeguarding duty includes Section 26 of the Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015 requiring NSCD to have ‘due regard to the need to prevent people from being drawn into terrorism’ (the guidance is issued under section 29 of the act).
The 2011 Prevent strategy, is part of the governments overall counter-terrorism strategy, CONTEST and has three specific strategic objectives:
• respond to the ideological challenge of terrorism and the threat we face from those who promote it
• prevent people from being drawn into terrorism and ensure that they are given appropriate advice and support
• work with sectors and institutions where there are risks of radicalisation that we need to address
Prevent is one of four national strands within CONTEST
Pursue – focuses on detecting, investigating and disrupting terrorist threats to the UK and our interests overseas.
Protect – aims to reduce the vulnerability of the UK and UK interests overseas to terrorist attack. This includes aviation security for both cargo and passengers.
Prepare – aims to minimise the impact of any attack, manage any incidence of an ongoing attack and recover quickly and effectively
Prevent – aims to stop people becoming terrorists or supporting terrorism
NSCD have a legal obligation to promote and facilitate academic freedom and freedom of speech. Section 31 Counter Terrorism and Security Act – Freedom of Expression in Universities states, that in meeting the statutory duty, higher education institutions must have particular regard to the duty to ensure freedom of speech and the importance of academic freedom.
The Office for Students are our monitoring body and have provided a Monitoring Framework .
The Safeguarding & Prevent Lead is the Head of Learning and Participation, a number of staff support this role as Safeguarding Officers all of which attend termly Safeguarding & Prevent Committee meetings. This committee oversees the monitoring and compliance of the duty and reports to the Academic Board and directly to the Board of Governors through the nominated Governor role.
We understand the importance of safeguarding the health and wellbeing of all our stakeholders and hold an annual budget dedicated to training our Safeguarding Lead & Officers. Alongside this we invest internally in both online (TES –Educate) and in-person training (Leeds City Council Prevent Team) for staff and full-time students.
Other key areas of Safeguarding and Prevent include:
• Ensuring Leadership team and Governance have oversight of implementation the Prevent duty and understanding of our Safeguarding portal ‘My Concern’
• Effective engagement with partners including local and regional bodies for example, adult and children safeguarding boards, Leeds City Council Prevent team, policing units.
• Clear policies and procedures linking directly to our external speakers, online safety and acceptable use of IT guidance
• Appropriate staff training and briefing on protocols and duties
• Sharing information where legal and appropriate
• Appropriate welfare, pastoral support within our student health and wellbeing provision
• The use of the IT facilities
• commitment to the safety and wellbeing of all our stakeholders and all who interact with NSCD
The Safeguarding and Prevent Committee under the guidance of the Governing Body and Leadership Team have considered the following when specifically implementing the Prevent duty:
• the duty should not be detrimental in any way to either the legislative requirements or spirit of academic, artistic freedom and freedom of speech which are fundamental parts of NSCD life;
• that equality, diversity and inclusion values should not be endangered;
• that the requirements of the Prevent duty are implemented in a proportionate and risk-based manner, relevant to the local context in which NSCD is based.
If an individual is identified as needing support due to being at risk of being drawn into terrorism, NSCD will make a referral through to the Channel and Prevent Multi-Agency Panel (PMAP)
Reporting a concern
If you are worried about yourself or someone you know at NSCD please contact a member of our dedicated Safeguarding Team, by phone on 0113 2193006 or email safeguarding@nscd.ac.uk.
Safeguarding Lead – Tracy Witney (Head of Learning & Participation)
Safeguarding Officers –
Download our full Safeguarding Policy or our Prevent Statement & Policy and / or Safeguarding Policy Statement
NSCD work in partnership with the Prevent Regional Coordinator (North East) as part of the Due Diligence & Counter Extremism Division of the Department of Education
Helpful Links
Radicalisation and preventing extremism
Leeds Safeguarding Children’s Board
Togetherall – a safe, online community and counselling service
Report online material promoting terrorism or extremism
Leeds Safeguarding Adults – Easy Read Guide
Use these resources to support parents and carers to keep their children safe online:
