Professional Ethics in the Workplace.

Professional Ethics tie in greatly with Laws and Regulations.  I feel that we base our professional ethics around what we are told we have to do legally, especially when working with children as there are many do's and don'ts in this field that we must stick to strongly.

I feel that the following are some of the main ethics we apply in my work setting when teaching children to dance.

Health And Safety

We must make sure that the space we are working in is free of any hazards and that it has been checked for any sharp objects or things that could potentially harm any of the children and myself.  It is ideal to have sprung floor to prevent any injuries.  There must be a source of ventilation and access to drinking water within very close proximity of the studio, ideally inside.  The children must all be wearing appropriate shoes for the class to prevent any injuries.  The doors in the studio must also be closed during sessions, so only the adults can open them, to prevent any children getting out.

PAR - Q (Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire)

Before allowing a child to join in a class, the Parent/Guardian must fill out a PAR-Q so that the teacher can know of anything that could prevent a child from doing certain activities.  It should also contain the Parent/Guardians contact details in case of emergencies and state any special requirements that need to be met for the child.  I feel this is very important as we can always look back at this and check, for example if a child has asthma we should let them have more rest periods and make sure they always bring their pump to class.

Music

When choosing music to play in a children's dance class, it must be age appropriate and we must have PPL Licensing to play any music in a public place.  It is not appropriate to play any music with swearing or sexual innuendos within the lyrics and the music must be groomed properly before it is played in a class.  This can sometimes be difficult as a lot of children these days love commercial music and you want to play songs they know and can identify as this makes their classes more enjoyable.  But it is very hard to find popular commercial songs without some bad lyrics.