An interesting piece about company responsibility to "children and vulnerable adults". I imagine that this will include dancers with eating disorders:

ACE tightens child safety guidelines
by Jeremy Austin for The Stage

Theatre companies working with children must insist on employees undertaking even more stringent and intrusive checks under new contractual obligations set out by Arts Council England.

From this new financial year all ACE funding agreements state that anyone receiving funding is "responsible for being fully aware of issues about protection of children and vulnerable adults. You should consider any possible risk involved in the funded activities and take appropriate action to protect everyone involved". It goes on to insist that organisations "must adopt and carry out a written policy and set of procedures to protect children and vulnerable adults".

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Granting success
Criticisms made in the recent National Audit Office's second report on Lottery projects should not overshadow the remarkable achievements of the past decade, argues AK Bennett-Hunter in The Stage.

Many of the current generation of arts administrators, when they die, will be found to have the words "Lottery Capital Fund" engraved on their hearts. In some cases they will be carved with pride and gilded with success, in others they will resemble the eroded moss-covered legend of a Victorian graveyard headstone.

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<small>[ 06 December 2003, 04:57 AM: Message edited by: Stuart Sweeney ]</small>

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New chair for Arts Council
From the BBCi website


Frayling is rector of the Royal College of Art
Art historian Sir Christopher Frayling is to take over from Gerry Robinson as the new chair of Arts Council England.
Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell made the appointment, describing Sir Christopher as a "mighty advocate for the arts and culture in England".

Mr Robinson has spent five years at the arts body and is credited with securing massive increases to the arts from government funding and modernising the structure of the organisation.

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Press release from Arts council England

Appointment of Sir Christopher Frayling as new Arts Council Chairman
08/12/2003

Commenting on the announcement today that Sir Christopher Frayling has been appointed as the new Chairman of Arts Council England, Gerry Robinson, the outgoing Chairman said:

'Christopher's appointment is marvellous news for the arts and for the Arts Council. He’ll make an outstanding Chairman. His commitment to the arts and culture is second to none. With his wealth of experience at the Royal College of Art and the Design Council - and as a former member of the Arts Council - Christopher is the perfect choice for the Arts Council.

'My time as Chairman of the Arts Council has been one of the most rewarding periods of my life. I feel genuinely that with Christopher Frayling taking over from me, supported by an excellent Chief Executive in Peter Hewitt, the Arts Council is in good hands.'

Notes
Gerry Robinson will step down as Chairman of Arts Council England in January 2004. He was appointed to the post in May 1998. During his Chairmanship, Treasury funding for the arts has increased from £189.6 million (1998/99) to £412 million by the end of the current spending round period (2005/06). In addition, the arts were given a second seven year period as a National Lottery good cause. He led the merger of the old Arts Council of England with the 10 separate regional arts boards to create a single funding and development body for the arts.

Gerry Robinson is currently a Non-Executive Director of Granada and Chairman of Allied Domecq. The second series of Gerry's business advice programme, I'll Show Them Who's Boss, will be broadcast on BBC2 next year.