• Act in accordance with your position description or contract.
• Make yourself clearly identifiable as a staff member or volunteer.
• Make sure your interactions are focused on learning and engagement with the art.
• Model appropriate physical and emotional boundaries.
• Make sure you are professional and respectful at all times.
• Treat all children equally, regardless of their gender, sexual orientation, age, race, ethnicity, religion or disability. 

But remember: Sometimes you need to treat people differently to avoid discrimination. For example, making reasonable adjustments for a child or young person with disability can help make it easier for them to fully participate in a program. Learn more about reasonable adjustments.

If a child or young person shares a concern with you:

• Listen and respond to what they tell you.
• Know where to get help or support in your organisation.
• Understand your reporting obligations.
• Escalate concerns about child safety to an appropriate senior person in your organisation.
• Make a formal report to police or relevant regulators if you are required by law to do so. Learn more about reporting child safety concerns.

• Don’t develop any special relationships that could be seen as favouritism.
• Don’t give personal gifts or special favours unless they are official awards.
• Don’t confide in, or seek support from, or share overly personal information. For example, don’t share relationship problems or experiences of hardship. While these experiences are often central to art, children and young people should never be in a position where they are expected to provide emotional support to an adult.
• Don’t ask, suggest or infer that a child or young person should keep secrets. For example, don’t ask them to keep things you have told them, or things you have done with them, from a parent or guardian.
• Don’t isolate them from other children, staff, professional support services or parents or guardians.

If you don’t have a pre-existing relationship with the child or young person, or approval from their parent or guardian:

• Don’t provide support to a child or young person or their family outside your professional relationship.
• Don’t engage in social activities with the child or young person outside your role.

For everyone:

• Only communicate information that is directly relevant to the workplace or organisation. For example, updates about rehearsal times or cancellations, or to use an alternative entrance or to bring art materials.
• Include parents or guardians in communications about these things.
• Tell children and young people that they must not connect with you online.
• Follow your workplace social media guidelines or policy (if there is one).

For creative businesses and organisations:

• Clearly communicate to all workers and volunteers, including short-term contract workers and trainees, your expectations about online communication with children and young people.
• Tell parents, guardians, children and young people about these communication expectations when they join the organisation.
• Explain to children and young people that they must not connect with adults in the organisation on social media.
• If online communication is necessary, arrange for group chats to be used with appropriate adult supervision. Ideally, 2 adults should moderate the chat.
• Have a clear process for making reports or complaints about online communication.
• Develop a social media policy. 

Learn more about online safety for children and young people.

• Don’t befriend, follow or engage with a child or young person on social media.
• Don’t communicate privately with a child or young person. This includes by phone, text, WhatsApp, email or social media.
• Don’t ask, suggest or infer that a child or young person keep online communication a secret from their parents/guardians or others.
• Don’t promote, encourage or suggest unauthorised social activities through online channels. Never arrange unauthorised contact.
• Don’t use inappropriate or profane language. Never use language that is sexual in nature.
• Don’t use a phone, tablet or other communication device to record children. This includes voice recording, still cameras and video cameras in dressing rooms, private backstage areas, or similar secluded spaces, as well as in any other environment where consent has not been obtained.

Learn more about online safety for children and young people.

• Use clear, direct, age-appropriate language to give instructions.
• Use words, tone of voice, facial expressions and body posture that communicate calmness and respect.
• Use words or visual cues to communicate or provide comfort to a child or young person instead physical contact wherever possible.
• Focus on affirming and reinforcing a child or young person’s positive behaviour.
• Address a situation when negative language or tone is being used by a child or young person, parent or guardian or other person.
• Be adaptable to different communication styles of children and young people, particularly where these differ based on. culture or disability. For example, eye contact may be uncomfortable for some children and young people.
• Consider the diverse needs of a particular child or young person when communicating.

• Don’t use language that is discriminatory or conveys any form of prejudice when communicating with children and young people.
• Don’t make comments about a child or young person's body or physical appearance where this is not related to the delivery or performance of their particular artform.
• Don’t use language or gestures that are sexual, threatening, frightening, humiliating or intimidating to a child or young person.
• Don’t single them out or humiliate or denigrate them in front of their peers or other people.
• Don’t use language or tone that conveys negative emotion towards them.

• Set clear guidelines for expected behaviour.
• Involve children and young people in setting ground rules for interactions with others who they work or perform with.
• Use strategies for discipline that are fair, respectful and appropriate to the developmental stage of the children and young people involved.
• Address poor behaviour calmly and firmly.
• Create a ‘safe space’ for children and young people to have a say and speak up if they feel unsafe or uncomfortable.
• Encourage children and young people to talk about how they are feeling.

• Don’t use teaching practices that are inappropriate for the stage of emotional or physical development of the child or young person.
• Never, under any circumstances, use physical discipline.
• Don’t raise your voice at a child except in an emergency situation where there is an imminent risk to their safety.
• Never isolate a child or young person from others as a form of punishment.
• Never force a child or young person to say or do something against their will, except when it is necessary for their safety. For example, they may have to get out of the way of a hazard.

• Make sure supervision is constant, active and diligent.
• Wherever possible, make sure you can directly supervise each child or young person.
• If direct supervision is not possible (e.g. when a child is using a dressing room) make sure you know where each child and young person is at all times.
• Be able to respond to individual needs as they arise.
• Be sure that you can immediately intervene in any high-risk situation. This is particularly important where the risk for children or young people being alone with adults is greater (e.g. dressing rooms and backstage).
• Have appropriate supervision ratios. This might be different depending on the art form, age and gender of the children and young people, and the size of the group. There are no set ratios. The aim is to keep children and young people safe – consider this aim when working out what 'appropriate supervision' is for your circumstances.  
• Keep parents and guardians updated on any incidents involving their child or young person, particularly in circumstances where parents and guardians are not invited to observe rehearsals.
• Avoid one-to-one unsupervised contact with a child or young person, unless it's an emergency, or part of making a reasonable adjustment.
• If one-to-one contact or support is needed or unavoidable, get approval from a child's parent or guardian before it occurs. If approved, put appropriate safeguards in place. Consider what is most appropriate on a case-by-case basis.
• Document and escalate any incidents within your organisation if necessary. Make a formal report to police or relevant regulators if the law requires you to. Learn more about when you need to report child safety concerns. 

• Don’t use teaching practices that are inappropriate for the stage of emotional or physical development of the child or young person.
• Never, under any circumstances, use physical discipline.
• Don’t raise your voice at a child except in an emergency situation where there is an imminent risk to their safety.
• Never isolate a child or young person from others as a form of punishment.
• Never force a child or young person to say or do something against their will, except when it is necessary for their safety. For example, they may have to get out of the way of a hazard.

• Get permission from the child or young person and their parent or guardian before taking any photos or videos.
• Make sure the context in which you are taking photos or videos of children or young people is directly related to their participation in the art or performance, and that it will only be used for official purposes.
• Make sure they are appropriately dressed and posed.
• When appointing someone to be a photographer or videographer, make sure they hold a current Working With Children Check or equivalent. Learn more about working with children checks.
• Make sure photographers and videographers are supervised by another adult all times.
• Store images (digital or hard copy) safely. Protect them from unauthorised access by others.
• Destroy or delete images and videos as soon as they are no longer needed.
• Speak up if you see someone acting suspiciously. This includes taking photographs or videos without permission.

• Don’t take photos or videos of children or young people in inappropriate costume, dress or positions.
• Don’t photograph or video children or young people as an art subject without obtaining informed consent.
• Never take photos or videos of children or young people for personal use.
• Never take or store images of children or young people involved in your organisation on personal devices.
• Never distribute images or videos to anyone outside the organisation without consent.
• Never publish images or videos of a child or young person or identify the child or young person pictured without written consent from the child or young person and their parent or guardian. This includes publishing online as well as in print.
• Never create or distribute intimate images of a child or young person. This is a crime.
• Never expose children or young people to explicit or sexual images or content.

• Always get written approval from a parent or guardian before travel. This includes providing details of the proposed journey.
• Sit the child or young person in the back seat. Make sure they are safely buckled in.
• Ensure, to the extent possible, you are not alone in the car with a child or young person.

• Don’t transport children or young people unless it is necessary to ensure their safety or in an emergency.
• Don’t transport a child or young person in your vehicle without prior approval from their parent or guardian unless it is an emergency and there is no alternative.
• Don’t make any unnecessary or unplanned stops during a journey.
• Don’t allow a child or young person to sit in the front seat. This includes older teenagers.
• Never drive a child or young person if you can’t drive safely. This includes if you are overtired.  
• Never drive a child or young person if you are affected by alcohol or any other substance.
• Never take children or young people to your home.

Everyone should:

• Give children and young people privacy when bathing, toileting and dressing.
• Observe appropriate dress standards around children and young people.
• Always allow children and young people to contact their parents or guardians, or another adult, when away from home.
• Make sure parents and carers can contact their child or young person if they need to.
• Avoid being with a child or young person in an isolated or unobserved environment.

Creative businesses and organisations should also:

• Plan for and arrange appropriate supervision.
• Make sure all workers and volunteers comply with your child safety policy and child safety code of conduct, if you have them. If you don’t, make sure they read and understand the information on this page and these safeguarding dos and don’ts.  
• Get informed written consent from parents and guardians before the travel, tour or overnight stay.
• Make sure that there are appropriate and separate sleeping arrangements so that adults are not sharing a room with a child or young person. This includes when your program has participants who are over 18. Learn more about groups that mix under 18s and over 18s and other common safety issue in the arts.
• If sharing a room is unavoidable because there are no other options for accommodation, get approval from a parent or guardian before the arrangement is made.
• Plan appropriate accommodation. If children or young people share a room, they should be the same age and gender and must not share beds.
• Plan for emergencies. Communicate the plan to children and young people.
• Keep parents and guardians and children and young people informed of all key details related to the trip and any changes.

• Never leave children or young people under the supervision of strangers. For example, accommodation staff or venue staff.
• Never share a room or bed with a child or young person.
• Avoid being alone in a room with a child or young person. This may mean bringing additional adults in the room, or additional children and young people, depending on the situation.
• Never remove a child or young person’s clothing, even in an emergency, unless you have their permission and at least one other person is present.
• Never enter a child or young person’s room without their consent.
• Never invite a child or young person into your room, even if there are other people in there.
• Never do things of a personal nature for children or young people that they can do for themselves.

• Allow parents and guardians to watch their child or young person during performances, competitions and events.
• Make parents and guardians aware of the standard of behaviour required in relation their child or young person's creative practice. This may include when watching performances, competitions and events, or visiting lessons, rehearsals or art studios. For example, not interrupting or seeking their child’s attention.
• Involve parents and guardians in any significant decisions. This includes signing any documents relating to their child or young person. For example, work contracts, permissions for overnight stays, or consent to photos and videos. 

There are some circumstances where children and young people can make decisions without a parent or guardian being involved. We have more information about this for young people in the arts. 

• Don’t ask, suggest or infer that a child or young person keep secrets from their parents or guardians.
• Don’t withhold information about a child or young person from their parent or guardian unnecessarily.