PEGASUS THEATRE TRUST – POLICY FOR SAFEGUARDING CHILDREN FROM HARM
POLICY STATEMENT
As a theatre creating work for, by, and with children and young people, the safety of all
children and young people within Pegasus is paramount. In order to protect children and
ensure that they can thrive and enjoy all aspects of Pegasus’ work in a safe environment, our
Board of Trustees and all staff employed by Pegasus have a duty of care to children and young
people who visit our theatre or attend our activities. Pegasus recognises its commitment to
safeguard and promote children’s welfare and will follow a policy of best practice that
protects them. This policy applies to all staff, including the Board of Trustees and senior
managers, paid staff, freelancers, volunteers and anyone else working on behalf of Pegasus.
The key guidance for child protection and this policy is Working Together to Safeguard
Children (Department for Education 2026).
Please find our full Policy below.
Pegasus Policy for Safeguarding Children from Harm 2026 (1)
The purpose of this policy is:
• To provide protection for children and young people that visit Pegasus or take part in
its activities.
• To give all staff that work for Pegasus a clear set of principles, procedures and
guidance to support the protection of children and young people.
Pegasus recognises that:
• the welfare of the child is paramount
• all children, regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief,
sex, or sexual orientation have a right to equal protection from all types of harm or
abuse
• some children are additionally vulnerable because of the impact of previous
experiences, their level of dependency, communication needs or other issues
• working in partnership with children, young people, their parents, carers and other
agencies is essential in promoting young people’s welfare.
We will seek to keep children and young people safe by:
• valuing, listening to and respecting them
• appointing a Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) for children and young people, a
deputy and a lead trustee/board member for safeguarding
• adopting child protection and safeguarding best practice through our policies,
procedures and code of conduct for staff and volunteers
• developing and implementing an effective online safety policy and related
procedures
• providing effective management for staff and volunteers through supervision,
support, training and quality assurance measures
• recruiting staff and volunteers safely, ensuring all necessary checks are made
· recording and storing information professionally and securely
• sharing information about safeguarding and good practice with children, their
families, staff and volunteers via leaflets, posters, group work and one-to-one
discussions
• using our safeguarding procedures to share concerns and relevant information with
agencies who need to know, and involving children, young people, parents, families
and carers appropriately
Pegasus Theatre Trust Policy for Safeguarding Children and Young People from Harm
• using our procedures to manage any allegations against staff and volunteers
appropriately
• ensuring that we have effective complaints and whistleblowing measures in place
• ensuring that we provide a safe physical environment for our children, young people,
staff and volunteers, by applying health and safety measures in accordance with the
law and regulatory guidance
This policy is based on the laws that seek to protect children:
• Working Together to Safeguard Children 2026: A guide to multi-agency working
to help, protect and promote the welfare of children
• Children Act 1989 and 2004
• Keeping children safe in education 2026: Statutory guidance for schools and colleges
• United Conventions of the Right of the Child 1991
• Child performance and activities licensing legislation in England 2015
The Creative Learning Director and Joint CEO at Pegasus is The Designated Safeguarding Lead
John McCraw
Creativelearning@pegasustheatre.org.uk
01865 812166
The Participation Manager at Pegasus is the Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead (pending Level 3 DSL training):
Georgia Stewart
Participation@pegasustheatre.org.uk
01865 812177