Our Commitment to Child Safety

At Damo Bailey Music, the safety and well-being of your child is our top priority. We are dedicated to providing a safe, supportive, and positive environment where children can learn and grow, being helpful to their community, through music. This policy outlines the steps we take to ensure the highest standards of child safety are maintained during all lessons, rehearsals, and performances.

Supervision and Volunteer Roles

• Supervision: All lessons and rehearsals are directly supervised by Damo, who is always present. Children are never left unattended, and volunteers assisting with lessons or gigs are never alone with students.

• Volunteers: Occasionally volunteers or strategic business partners are brought in to help with music mentoring (e.g., singing or instrument instruction). Each volunteer is carefully selected, and they always work under supervision.

• Transparency: At the home studio, where some lessons take place, there is parent line of sight to the teaching room, and parents are welcome to stay within earshot during lessons. Sightlines to exits and facilities are clear of obstruction.

Volunteer Vetting

To ensure child safety, all volunteers involved with your child must meet the following requirements:

• Working With Children Check (WWCC): All volunteers are required to have a valid WWCC, a screening process mandated by the Australian government.

• Police Clearance: In addition to the WWCC, some of our volunteers have police clearances, verifying their suitability to work with children.

(If you would like to see the WWCC Check cards, please feel free to ask any time.)

Child Protection Measures

We follow a clear set of guidelines to safeguard children in our care:

• No Unsupervised Access: All interactions take place in full sightlines of other adults or groups of student peers.

• Safe Physical Spaces: Lessons take place in rooms with full visibility (e.g., glass rooms at schools, open teaching areas at home studio, regularly maintained equipment), and emergency exits that are clearly marked.

• Ongoing Monitoring: We yearly review and monitor our child safety practices to ensure they meet the agreed best practice.

First Aid and Emergency Preparedness

• First Aid: Damo is fully trained and certified in First Aid through St. John (Australia). First aid kits are readily available at all teaching locations, and children with specific medical needs (e.g., epi-pens) have their own kits with them at all times.

• Emergency Plans: In the event of an emergency, evacuation plans are in place at all venues, including schools, the church we hire, and our home studio. We regularly practice these drills to ensure students and volunteers are well-prepared.

Media and Privacy

From time to time, we may record lessons or take photos during performances to capture your child’s progress and celebrate their achievements. We understand the importance of privacy, so we ask for your consent before the commencement of term for social media and talent release so we might share any images or recordings publicly (e.g., social media or newsletters). We acknowledge that we can’t control who is filming in public spheres, but where parents ask for a restricted amount of images/film we honor that desire.

Communication and Reporting

• Open Communication: We believe in clear, open communication with parents. If you have any concerns or questions about your child’s progress or safety, please don’t hesitate to contact us directly.

• Reporting Concerns: If at any time you or your child feel uncomfortable, or if there’s a safety concern, please report it to Damo immediately. We take all concerns seriously and will address them promptly according to our complaints policy.

Ongoing Commitment

We are committed to continually improving our child safety practices. Thank you for trusting us with your child's music education. We take our responsibility seriously and are always here to support their safety and well-being.