Child Safe Dance® Practices
Ausdance National Factsheet
Dance is a powerful space for self-expression, creativity, and growth. With more than 150,000 children participating in dance each week in Australia, organisations and businesses who work with children have a clear responsibility to protect their physical, emotional, and cultural wellbeing.
This factsheet provides national, cross-jurisdictional guidance to help dance organisations, schools and studios meet their obligations and embed child safety into every aspect of their practice. It was authored and approved in June 2025 by the Ausdance national network and is now on the Creative Workplaces website who support fair, safe and respectful workplaces for artists, arts workers and arts organisations in Australia.
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Updated Ausdance ACT Child Safety Policy
Executive Director Cathy Adamek has been working in close consultation with the Child & Young People Commissioner's Office of the ACT Human Rights Commission to review and update the Ausdance ACT Child Safety Policy. This policy was ratified by the Ausdance ACT Board at their meeting in August 2025 and we are now able to share it with the ACT dance community.
The purpose of this policy is to provide a best practice framework for Ausdance ACT and all dance organisations in the ACT and regions who work children, young people and vulnerable people.
This policy should be applied in conjunction with the ACT Child Safe Standards Scheme and the National Principles for Child Safe Organisations which are mandatory for all organisations who are involved with children.
The policy can be accessed in the link below.
If you are an Ausdance ACT member you can access a template version of this policy to adapt for your studio or organisation via the Member Portal or please email act@ausdance.org.au. Not a member? Sign up here.​
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ACT Children and Young People Commissioner Child Safety Survey
Children’s and Young People’s Feelings of Safety Survey - 2025 Report: Dance Schools ACT
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In 2025 in partnership with the ACT Children and Young People Commissioner (CYPC), a short survey for dance students was prepared, seeking their views about safety when participating in dance. Ausdance ACT requested inclusion in evidence-gathering activities to support their sector to better embed the ACT Child Safe Standards in practice.
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The analysis of survey data and report are now finalised for publication.
ACT Child Safe Standards Scheme
ACT Public Advocate and Children and Young People Commissioner, Ms Jodie Griffiths-Cook spoke at our annual Networking Morning Tea about amendments to the Human Rights Commission Act 2005 that make it mandatory for all organisations providing services for children and young people to commence taking actions that will improve their child safety processes and practices, under the ACT Child Safe Standards Scheme. If you missed Jodie's presentation you can view it HERE.