New publication: Safeguarding in dance is a public health issue

We are delighted to share a new publication from the SPRINT Project:

Cumming, J. & Quinton, M.L. (2026). Safeguarding in Dance as a Public Health Issue: A Systems-Level Policy Framework [Policy Brief]. Frontiers in Public Health, 14, 1919552. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2026.1919552

The paper builds on a growing body of safeguarding research conducted by the SPRINT Project in partnership with One Dance UK and the National Institute of Dance Medicine and Science. Drawing on findings from national surveys, interviews, policy analysis, and wider safeguarding literature, the paper argues that safeguarding in dance should be recognised as a public health issue, rather than being viewed solely as an organisational responsibility or compliance exercise.

Why does this matter?

Dance can make an important contribution to physical, psychological, and social wellbeing. However, research continues to show that dancers may be exposed to a range of harms, including psychological abuse, body shaming, disordered eating, coercive teaching practices, and other forms of maltreatment. These experiences can have consequences that extend well beyond the studio and affect health, wellbeing, participation, and quality of life.

Public health approaches are commonly used to address complex social problems such as violence, abuse, and health inequalities. Yet safeguarding in dance has received relatively little attention from a public health perspective. In our paper, we argue that this lens can help move the conversation beyond individual incidents and towards a broader understanding of how cultural norms, organisational practices, and wider systems may contribute to harm.

Taking a systems perspective

A central theme of the paper is that safeguarding failures rarely arise from a single individual or policy. Instead, they emerge through the interaction of multiple factors operating across the dance system.

This systems perspective builds on earlier work by the SPRINT Project, including our safeguarding and abuse prevention research and our recent scoping review of risk and protective factors in dance. These studies consistently highlight that safeguarding is influenced by factors at multiple levels, from dancers' individual experiences through to teacher-student relationships, organisational practices, and the broader regulatory environment.

As we discussed in our recent blog, Why Safeguarding in Dance Still Fails: A Systems Perspective, safeguarding challenges are often linked to fragmented governance, unclear accountability, power imbalances, and gaps between policy and practice. The new paper develops this argument further by applying established public health frameworks to the dance context and identifying opportunities for system-level change.

From evidence to policy

The paper also extends the recommendations presented in our recent policy brief, Making UK Dance Safer. Rather than focusing only on organisational policies, it outlines a coordinated framework that includes:

• National surveillance of safeguarding harms

• Safeguarding audits and accountability mechanisms

• A safeguarding quality mark

• Clearer reporting pathways

• Funding-linked implementation

• Trauma- and violence-informed approaches

Together, these recommendations aim to strengthen prevention, improve detection of safeguarding concerns, and support more effective responses when harm occurs.

Download our policy brief, Making UK Dance Safer, here.

Looking ahead

This publication represents another step in the SPRINT Project's wider programme of research on safeguarding and abuse prevention in dance. Our hope is that it encourages policymakers, funders, dance organisations, educators, clinicians, and researchers to think about safeguarding not simply as a compliance requirement, but as a shared public health responsibility.

Creating safer dance environments requires more than having policies in place. It requires coordinated action across the whole system. By reframing safeguarding as a public health issue, we hope to contribute to the development of more effective, equitable, and sustainable approaches to protecting the health, wellbeing, and rights of everyone involved in dance.

Read the paper: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2026.1919552

Explore our safeguarding research: https://www.sprintproject.org/safeguarding-abuse

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Written by Prof Jennifer Cumming