Safeguarding policy.

• Limelight Creatives takes a Duty-of-Care approach.
• All parties affiliated with Limelight Creatives must display safe, respectful, and non-discriminatory behaviour on all event platforms.
• This policy is overseen and enforced by our elected Safeguarding Officers, who act as a point of contact in the case of policy breaches.

For the purpose of clarification within Limelight's Safeguarding Policy, the following definitions apply:

• Participant: Any person between the ages of 13–18 inclusive who either attends an event or consumes event resources.
• Limelight: The organisation Limelight Creatives, to which this policy belongs.
• Associated Parties: Any party who is involved with Limelight Creatives, including but not limited to the founding team, staff, sponsors, mentors, volunteers, participants, and parents (see Scope of policy).
• Confidentiality: The responsibility of Limelight Creatives to handle personal and safeguarding information carefully and not share it unnecessarily.
• Duty of Care: The overarching responsibility of Limelight Creatives to take reasonable steps to identify foreseeable risks and to prioritise the protection, safety, and wellbeing of people participating.
• Mentor / Volunteer: An individual invited by Limelight Creatives to provide assistance, education, or support to participants. This party does not need to be under 18 to be invited.
• Safeguarding Officer: The individual responsible for handling concerns and overseeing this policy in its entirety (see Responsibilities).
• WWCC: "Working With Children Check", a legal screening that approves suitability to engage in child-related work (see Responsibilities).

This policy applies to anyone involved with Limelight events internally in Sydney, nationally, and globally, including:

• Participants aged 13–18
• Parents and guardians of participants
• Organisers, event staff, and volunteers
• Mentors, guest speakers, external vendors, sponsors, and venue staff
• Any other individual present at the event or consuming event resources

It covers all event locations, including:

• Film-a-thon venues
• Online activity connected to Limelight, including Discord, Slack, group chats, shared drives, and video calls
• Event-related activities, including pre-event activity, the 24-hour or 12-hour event, and post-event activity

3.1 Abstract

Limelight is a youth-led creative organisation founded by teenagers, for teenagers. Our mission is to empower young teen filmmakers by spreading the art of storytelling.

3.2 Overview

This Safeguarding Policy aims to ensure that all participants, founders, volunteers, and mentors at Limelight are safe, respected, and supported. It reflects the expectations set in the Limelight Code of Conduct.

3.3 Why safety matters at Limelight

We take a duty-of-care approach: we actively design our events, our screening process, and our culture to reduce the chance of harm happening in the first place.

We aim to mitigate and identify risks before harm occurs by:

• Setting clear reporting mechanisms
• Providing appropriate supervision
• Responding seriously to concerns
• Setting clear behavioural expectations

Safeguarding, although ultimately Limelight Creatives' responsibility, holds a universal weight on every associated party. Every person involved with Limelight has a vital role in maintaining a safe environment.

• Everyone must adhere to the Limelight Code of Conduct.
• Everyone must be treated with respect and equality regardless of background, gender, or personal characteristics.
• All disputes should be reported through an evaluation of their severity and frequency.
• Everyone must follow instructions from founders, officers, staff, volunteers, and mentors regarding equipment handling, venue rules, and safety protocols.
• Everyone must avoid behaviour that may put others at risk through unsafe equipment handling or misuse of equipment.

5.1 Duty of Care

In practice, our Duty of Care approach means we:

• Design our events proactively to reduce the likelihood of harm
• Put in reasonable effort to identify risks or hazards and remove them
• Control venue access, ensuring no one leaves or enters without the appropriate consent or process
• Are available, responsible, and approachable when needed
• Contact emergency services and designated emergency contacts when required
• Implement necessary measures to protect the safety of all event participants

5.2 Supervision

The event venue will be staffed at all hours of the event, both inside and outside the venue.

Any time spent outside the venue must be explicitly consented to by a parent or guardian beforehand and will be supervised by a team of staff at a designated time.

If parental consent has been given for a participant to film scenes off-site, Limelight still maintains its overarching Duty of Care. To mitigate foreseeable risks, off-site participation is strictly managed through the collection of parental consent, roll call systems, geographic boundaries, organiser supervision, and set procedures in case of emergencies.

Teams may leave the supervised premises with explicit consent (as an alternative to waiver consent), but may not have a staff member directly supervising them. A parent will be made aware of all associated risks through a phone call before this consent is given.

6.1 Founders

Founders must model the behaviour expected of participants and uphold the values of Limelight at all times.

Founders are expected to both adhere to and enforce this policy as implemented by Safeguarding Officers.

6.2 Safeguarding Officers

Designated staff members or Safeguarding Officers are responsible for supporting the implementation of this policy during events.

Their responsibilities may include:

• Acting as a point of contact for safeguarding concerns
• Contacting parents or guardians where appropriate
• Contacting emergency services where required
• Escalating serious concerns to relevant authorities or services where legally required

Safeguarding Officers will be clearly identified to participants where reasonably possible.

6.3 Volunteers / Mentors

• Appointed individuals must model the behaviour expected of participants and uphold the values of Limelight at all times.
• Any non-teen volunteer or mentor requires WWCC legal approval for their role.
• They must report any concern, disclosure, or breach of this policy to the Safeguarding Officer immediately, and must never investigate it themselves.

6.4 Participants

All event participants are expected to follow this safeguarding policy, along with the Code of Conduct.

Participants must be fully aware of the consequences that may follow a violation of this safeguarding policy. Possible consequences include:

• A warning
• Removal from the event
• Contacting parents or guardians
• Suspension from future Limelight events
• Referral to relevant authorities or services

Consequences will aim to be fair and proportional to the circumstances.

6.5 Parents & Guardians

Parents and guardians must provide either online or written consent for participation, emergency contact details, media consent, and must communicate any relevant medical or support needs on behalf of participants who are legal minors.

Parents and guardians, as the consenting party, take full liability if a minor breaches the Code of Conduct, this policy, or damages equipment. This liability will be decided at the discretion of Limelight Creatives or an Associated Party.

7.1 Venue

• Emergency exits and first-aid kits are identified and communicated to all staff and volunteers at the start of the day.
• Access to the venue is controlled. Entry and exit points are clearly marked, and minors need to sign a waiver to exit the venue at any time.
• Adult-to-minor ratios are set in advance based on group size and age, and are maintained throughout the event.
• Any restricted equipment, material, or area is off-limits and clearly signed.
• Any venue-specific risks are shared with all staff and volunteers before the event.

7.2 Check-in and Check-out

• A named staff member or volunteer runs check-in and check-out at a single, clearly marked point.
• Before entering or leaving the venue, all participants must go through a check-in and check-out procedure.
• If participants are to leave the venue during an event, they must have explicit parental consent.

7.3 Participants / Mentors / Staff

For minors, the information we collect includes:

• Full name
• Date of birth
• School and year
• Address
• Contact details, including phone number and email
• Guardian contact details, including phone number, relationship to participant, and email
• Emergency contact details, including phone number, relationship to participant, and email
• Any relevant medical or access needs, including allergies or medications
• Attendance restrictions, if any

For mentors, volunteers, or any other staff, the information we collect includes:

• Full name
• Date of birth
• Address
• WWCC number and expiry date
• Event invitations
• Contact details, including phone number and email
• Emergency contact details, including phone number, relationship to participant, and email
• Any relevant medical or access needs, including allergies or medications
• Any relevant certifications

This information is stored in a restricted-access system and never in a publicly accessible system. Only authorised Limelight Creatives staff can access this information, and they may only use it for purposes necessary for the event and/or the participant's attendance.

Data will be deleted when necessary. More information about data collection, storage, and deletion can be found in our Privacy Policy.

7.4 Unaccepted behaviour

• Treat everybody at the event with respect. Bullying, harassment, exclusion, discriminatory language, and offensive jokes are not acceptable.
• Follow the reasonable instructions of staff and mentors, including venue rules, equipment usage rules, and off-limits areas.
• No physical aggression, threats, or intimidation, either in person or online, including in event chat channels.
• No possession or use of alcohol, drugs, or weapons on-site. No minor is to be under the influence of alcohol or drugs at an event.
• Respect others' privacy. Do not film, photograph, or share images of anybody at the event without their consent.
• Personal devices and phones must be used respectfully and not to capture inappropriate content.
• Anyone who breaches these standards will be spoken to by the Safeguarding Officer, with consequences depending on the severity of the breach.

7.5 Reporting mechanism

If a minor is in immediate physical danger, standard procedure is to call emergency services first, then inform parents once it is safe to do so.

Concerns can be reported through Limelight's Incident Severity Guide.

• Limelight will identify appropriate first-aid resources and personnel before each event.
• The location of first-aid equipment will be communicated to relevant volunteers and founders.
• Participants should notify a staff member, volunteer, or Safeguarding Officer if they become unwell or are injured.
• Limelight aims, wherever reasonably possible, to have a person with appropriate first-aid qualifications on the campus of the event.

9.1 Reporting concerns

At the end of every Limelight event, there will be a form created solely for feedback and reporting concerns about our future events.

Concerns should always be reported to Safeguarding Officers at any time during the event.

This form will include rating and scoring our event.

9.2 Confidentiality

Limelight will handle safeguarding information sensitively and confidentially.

Information will only be shared with individuals who have a legitimate need to know, or where disclosure is necessary to protect someone's safety, obtain appropriate assistance, or comply with a legal obligation.

9.3 Debriefing

A debrief will be conducted at the conclusion of each event.

The debrief will provide organisers and relevant staff with an opportunity to review the event in order to:

• Identify any incidents or concerns
• Discuss participant welfare
• Identify improvements for future events
• Identify where improvements can be made for the next day, if it is a two-day event

9.4 Consent from parents / guardians

For participants, Limelight will obtain appropriate parent or guardian consent before participation where required, including for:

• Permission to participate in the event
• Emergency contact information
• Relevant medical, accessibility, or support information
• Appropriate media or photography consent, where applicable

Parents or guardians should provide Limelight with updated information as soon as possible.

The parent's guide can be found [here](/policies/Limelight Genesis Parents Guide.pdf).