Last updated: June 2026
Thrive Speech & Drama is committed to providing a safe, supportive and positive environment for all children and young people participating in our programmes.
The safety and wellbeing of students is our highest priority. We believe every child has the right to feel safe, respected, valued and heard.
Thrive is committed to creating learning environments that support student wellbeing, encourage positive relationships and protect children from harm.
The purpose of this Child Protection Policy is to:
This policy applies to all Thrive employees, contractors, Area Coordinators, relief teachers, volunteers and any other individuals engaged by Thrive who work with children or young people.
This policy applies to all Thrive activities including:
Child
A child is a person under the age of 14 years.
Young Person
A young person is someone aged 14 to 17 years.
Student
A child or young person participating in any Thrive programme, lesson, workshop or event.
Child Abuse
Includes physical abuse, emotional abuse, psychological abuse, sexual abuse, neglect or ill-treatment.
Team Member
Any Thrive employee, contractor, Area Coordinator, relief teacher or volunteer.
Thrive is committed to creating environments where students feel physically and emotionally safe.
Team members will:
Thrive takes reasonable steps to ensure suitable adults work with children.
Where applicable, Thrive will undertake:
• Identity verification • Reference checks • Police vetting
• Interviews that assess suitability for working with children • Safety checking requirements under the Children’s Act 2014
All new team members will receive induction training relating to child protection and professional conduct.
All Thrive team members must maintain professional boundaries with students at all times.
Team members must:
Team members must not:
Many Thrive programmes operate during the school day on school sites.
When operating within schools, Thrive teachers will:
Thrive teachers are expected to maintain safe teaching environments at all times.
Students should remain supervised throughout lessons and transitions.
Physical contact should be avoided wherever possible.
If physical contact is required for educational purposes, teachers must:
Child protection concerns may arise through:
No single indicator confirms abuse. Concerns should always be considered carefully and recorded appropriately.
If a student discloses information or a concern is identified, Thrive team members should:
Listen
Listen calmly and respectfully.
Reassure
Reassure the student that they have done the right thing by speaking up.
Do Not Promise Confidentiality
Explain that information may need to be shared with people who can help keep them safe.
Record
Record the concern as accurately as possible, including the student’s own words where appropriate.
Report
Report concerns immediately to the Thrive Director or delegated Child Protection Lead.
Where there are reasonable grounds to believe a child may be at risk of harm, Thrive will take appropriate action.
This may include:
The safety of the child will always be the primary consideration.
Child protection information must be treated confidentially.
Information will only be shared with people who need it to fulfil their professional responsibilities or where required by law.
All records relating to child protection concerns will be stored securely.
Thrive is committed to ongoing child protection training.
All team members will receive:
Thrive values positive relationships with parents and caregivers.
Parents and caregivers are encouraged to:
While Thrive respects family privacy, the safety and wellbeing of the child will always take priority.
This policy will be reviewed regularly and updated as required to reflect legislative changes, best practice and Thrive operations.
The current version of this policy is available on request and through the Thrive website.
