Child safe dance practices factsheet #21

by Ausdance National originally published on in Teaching factsheets

In This Article

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 have a clear responsibility to protect their physical, emotional, and cultural wellbeing.

This factsheet provides national, cross-jurisdictional guidance to help dance organisations 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.

Guiding Frameworks

All dance organisations working with children should comply with:

  • National Principles for Child Safe Organisations (Australian Human Rights Commission, 2019)
  • State/Territory child safety laws including reportable conduct and working with children check schemes

Sector-specific resources, including the Safe Dance™ principles by Ausdance, can help ensure legal compliance.
Additionally, all child safe policies should embed the Universal Principle of First Nations Cultural Safety, requiring organisations to uphold the rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children to feel safe, valued and culturally supported.

Ten National Child Safe Principles in Dance Contexts

Principle Best practice in dance
1. Leadership & Culture

Child safety is embedded in governance, leadership, and studio culture. Respect and accountability are modelled at all levels.

2. Child Participation

Children are empowered to express themselves, understand their rights, and contribute to safety practices.

3. Family Engagement

Families and communities are informed and involved in child safety decisions and communications.

4. Diversity & Equity

Policies and practices uphold the safety and inclusion of all children, including those who are First Nations, culturally diverse, LGBTQIA+, neurodiverse, or with disability.

5. Suitable People

Robust recruitment, screening, induction and supervision of teachers, staff and volunteers.

6. Complaints & Feedback

Clear, child-friendly pathways for raising concerns. Cultural safety in complaints-handling processes.

7. Ongoing Training

Teachers and staff receive regular training in child protection, cultural safety, consent and trauma-informed practice.

8. Safe Physical & Online Spaces

Safe studio design, appropriate physical contact, respectful costuming, and online safety protocols are in place.

9. Continuous Improvement

Child safety policies are regularly reviewed in consultation with children, families and staff.

10. Documented Policies

Child safety commitments, codes of conduct, and reporting procedures are publicly available and easily understood.

(Adapted from: Australian Human Rights Commission & CCYP VIC)

Specific Applications to Dance

The Safe Dance® framework, developed by Ausdance National, provides comprehensive guidelines to ensure the physical, psychological and emotional safety of dancers. These principles are applicable across various dance contexts, including educational, recreational and professional settings.

1. Promoting Healthy Lifestyles

  • Nutrition and Hydration: Educate dancers on the importance of balanced nutrition and staying hydrated before, during, and after dance activities.
  • Substance Awareness: Provide information on the effects of substance abuse, emphasizing its impact on performance and injury susceptibility.
  • Body Image and Development: Encourage acceptance of diverse body types and educate about normal physical changes during growth periods.

2. Emotional well-being

  • Supportive Environment: Foster open, trusting relationships between instructors and students to promote self-esteem and confidence.
  • Stress Management: Be attentive to external pressures faced by students, especially adolescents, and provide strategies to manage stress and anxiety.
  • Professional Referrals: Refer students to appropriate health professionals when behavioral or physical signs indicate potential issues.

3. Balanced Training Approaches

  • Avoiding Overtraining: Recognise signs of overtraining and implement strategies to balance training intensity with adequate rest.
  • Time Management: Educate students on effective time management to balance dance with other life commitments.
  • Complementary Activities: Incorporate activities like yoga or swimming to promote overall well-being and prevent burnout.

4. Safe Physical Environments

  • Facility Standards: Ensure dance spaces are free from obstacles, have appropriate flooring (e.g., sprung, non-slip surfaces), adequate lighting, ventilation, and sufficient space per dancer.
  • Regular Assessments: Conduct routine risk assessments to identify and mitigate potential hazards in the dance environment.

5. Anatomical and Physiological Knowledge

  • Anatomy Education: Teach correct anatomical alignment and movement patterns specific to dance styles to prevent injuries.
  • Physiological Considerations: Understand the cardiovascular, respiratory, and neuromuscular demands of dance, tailoring training to individual capabilities.
  • Injury Awareness: Educate about common dance injuries, their prevention, and management strategies.

6. Injury Prevention and Management

  • Progressive Training: Develop training programs that gradually increase in intensity, allowing the body to adapt and reducing injury risk.
  • Rest and Recovery: Emphasise the importance of rest periods and recovery techniques within training schedules.
  • Conditioning Exercises: Integrate exercises that enhance strength, flexibility, and endurance to support dance activities.

7. Understanding Individual Differences

  • Personalised Training: Adapt training and choreography to accommodate individual differences in age, gender, physical development, and skill level.
  • Monitoring Fatigue: Be vigilant for signs of fatigue and adjust activities accordingly to prevent overexertion.
  • Encouraging Self-awareness: Teach dancers to recognize their physical limits and to communicate discomfort or concerns. 

For more detailed information, you can visit the Ausdance National's Safe Dance® Guidelines

First Nations Cultural Safety

Creating culturally safe dance spaces requires:

  • Listening to and partnering with First Nations communities
  • Understanding that only Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and families can define what is culturally safe
  • Avoiding tokenism and committing to ongoing relationship-building and training
  • Embedding First Nations perspectives in curriculum, communication, and leadership

Every Child Safe Organisation must promote and uphold the right to cultural safety for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children. (Child Safe Organisations Act 2024 (QLD), adopted nationally in principle)

Obligations & Reporting

All adults in child-facing roles have legal and moral obligations to report:

  • Disclosures or suspicions of harm
  • Breaches of child safety policy or code of conduct
  • Any known risk to a child’s physical, emotional or cultural wellbeing

In an emergency or if a child is at immediate risk, call 000

For non-emergency concerns, contact your state/territory child protection service or reportable conduct body. A list of reportable bodies for each state and territory can be found at the Creative Workplaces website.

Key resources

Dance-specific:

Need More Support?

Ausdance and its state/territory networks can provide:

  • Child safety policy templates
  • Sample codes of conduct
  • Training opportunities
  • Risk assessment tools
  • Cultural safety resources

Visit: Ausdance National or contact your local Ausdance office.

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