SPACE: Safeguarding People in Arts, Culture, and Entertainment

The purpose of a safeguarding audit is to help organisations understand and strengthen their commitment to keeping all adults safe.

We begin by getting to know your organisation. We’ll take the time to understand your purpose, your values, and how safeguarding fits into your everyday work.

The way you embed safeguarding across your organisation will make a big difference to how effective your practices are. An external safeguarding audit can provide fresh insights, deepen your understanding, and help make safeguarding adults a clear and lasting priority.

Creating Safer Spaces in Arts, Culture, and Entertainment

Open Door offers a free acting programme, along with training and financial support, for young people from disadvantaged backgrounds.

In 2022, Open Door approached the Ann Craft Trust for support with their safeguarding procedures. They wanted to ensure that they were sending participants to schools that met their high safeguarding adults standards.

As part of this, we launched SPACE: Safeguarding People in Arts, Culture, and Entertainment.

The SPACE Portal

The SPACE Portal is an online tool to help organisations in the performing arts and education sector work towards best practice safeguarding adults standards.

It is an assessment process that allows organisations to determine whether their safeguarding policies adhere to the relevant legislation. It also helps organisations test whether their practices will support a safer culture within the sector.

Preventing Abuse in Arts, Culture, and Entertainment

Open Door was the first organisation to test the SPACE Portal.

CEO and founder David Mumeni said:

Preventing abuse and keeping our participants safe is very important to us. We want to be confident that our partner schools maintain our high standards, so that all participants can learn and work within a safe space. 

For this reason the schools that work with Open Door must complete the SPACE Portal process. This allows the Ann Craft Trust to assess their policies and procedures, which will help them embed safeguarding best practices within their schools.

Open Door is committed to safeguarding and is proud to support the SPACE Portal. The portal provides a framework that will help all organisations develop positive cultures and a safer educational environment for all adults, which can actively prevent harm and abuse. This can also help boost staff confidence across the organisation, as everyone can rest assured that they’ll be fully supported should they ever raise any concerns.

The portal is an opportunity for organisations to benchmark their current practice against this framework. In doing so, they can determine what’s working, along with any areas of improvement. They can also connect with other organisations in the sector, to share their experiences and work towards creating safer cultures together. 

What to Expect From The SPACE Portal

The SPACE Portal is an auditing tool that organisations can use to assess their safeguarding policies in line with the relevant legislation. It also helps organisations determine whether their practices will support a safer culture within the sector.

The system is easy to use, with numerous prompts to help you evidence your organisation’s various safeguarding policies and procedures.

The Portal outlines a set of safeguarding adults criteria for organisations to meet. Through working towards these, organisations can: 

• Demonstrate practical understanding of adult safeguarding 

• Promote best practice in safeguarding adults 

• Support and develop safer and more inclusive environments

Learn More About Safeguarding Adults

If you’d like to receive updates about the SPACE Portal, and other safeguarding adults news, you can sign up to receive free email updates.

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