MZA JUNIORS
Putting the safety, wellbeing and rights of every young performer first.
This page is for parents, guardians, schools, venues, casting professionals, production companies, agents and other organisations working with MZA Juniors.
MZA provides screen acting training to young performers from different countries and backgrounds. Wherever a student joins us from, our starting point is simple:
The welfare and best interests of the child come first.
Our safeguarding, privacy and professional standards apply to our online training, in-person activities, workshops, self-taping, rehearsals, recordings, communications and any activity organised directly by MZA.
Last reviewed: September 2026
Next formal review: September 2027, or earlier if legislation, technology or our services change.
OUR COMMITMENT
Every young performer should be able to learn, experiment, make brave creative choices and develop as an actor in an environment that is:
✓ Safe
✓ Respectful
✓ Inclusive
✓ Age appropriate
✓ Professionally supervised
✓ Free from bullying, harassment and discrimination
✓ Protective of their privacy
✓ Clear about boundaries and consent
Participation in an acting exercise never removes a young person's right to say no, ask a question, request an alternative or speak to a trusted adult.
No performance is more important than a child's welfare.
PARENT & GUARDIAN RESPONSIBILITY
For students under 18, MZA requires a parent or legal guardian to be responsible for the enrolment relationship.
Parents/guardians receive important information concerning:
• safeguarding
• privacy and data processing
• online participation
• class recording
• photography and video
• communication
• emergency information
• conduct and behaviour
• complaints and concerns
Where consent is required, MZA will obtain the appropriate parent or guardian authorisation.
We also believe young people should understand what is happening to their information and images. Information will therefore be explained to students in an age-appropriate way wherever appropriate.
SAFEGUARDING
MZA has a zero-tolerance approach to abuse, exploitation, grooming, bullying, harassment or inappropriate conduct involving children or young people.
Safeguarding concerns are taken seriously, recorded appropriately and escalated where necessary.
Our safeguarding principles include:• Children are treated with dignity and respect.
• Professional boundaries must be maintained between staff and students.
• Staff must not use their position of trust to form inappropriate relationships with students.
• Adults must not request secrecy from a child concerning communications, meetings or behaviour.
• Personal communication between staff and young students should be avoided. MZA-approved communication channels should be used.
• Safeguarding concerns must never be ignored because they relate to a talented student, member of staff, parent, agent, casting professional or other industry professional.
• Information may be shared with appropriate safeguarding or statutory authorities when necessary to protect a child.
Safeguarding contact
Designated Safeguarding Lead: Clare Zina
Email: agency@mzacting.com
If your concern relates directly to the Designated Safeguarding Lead, please use our independent escalation route:
Email: agency@mzacting.com
If a child is in immediate danger, contact the emergency services or appropriate child protection authority in the country where the child is located.
[REPORT A SAFEGUARDING CONCERN]
[READ OUR FULL SAFEGUARDING & CHILD PROTECTION POLICY]
SAFE ONLINE CLASSES
Online screen acting training creates fantastic opportunities for young actors around the world, but it must be delivered safely.
MZA therefore operates controlled online learning environments.
Our standards include:
✓ Access-controlled classes
✓ Students admitted only to authorised sessions
✓ Waiting-room/lobby controls where available
✓ Tutor supervision
✓ Appropriate moderation
✓ Professional staff behaviour
✓ Safeguarding procedures applying online exactly as they do in person
✓ Secure management of recordings and resources
✓ Clear reporting procedures
✓ No unauthorised recording by participants
✓ Parent/guardian involvement where appropriate
Students must never share class links, passwords or access credentials with other people.
Students should participate from an appropriate environment and should never be required to reveal their home address, school, precise location or other unnecessary personal information during a class.
[READ OUR ONLINE SAFETY POLICY]
ACTING MATERIAL, EMOTIONAL WORK & PERSONAL BOUNDARIES
Acting can explore challenging situations and emotions. That does not mean a young actor's personal boundaries disappear.
At MZA:
• Scripts and exercises should be appropriate to the student's age and development.
• Students are never required to disclose personal trauma in order to perform.
• Participation in emotionally demanding exercises is voluntary.
• Students may ask to stop or change an exercise.
• Tutors monitor student wellbeing.
• Appropriate discussion or debriefing is available following challenging work.
• No student should feel that refusing an exercise will negatively affect the way they are treated.
Bravery in acting means making bold creative choices. It never means being pressured into something that makes a young performer feel unsafe.
PHYSICAL CONTACT & INTIMACY
Physical contact is never assumed simply because it appears in a script.
Any physical interaction used during training must be appropriate, necessary for the exercise, clearly explained and consensual.
Young performers may withdraw their agreement at any time.
Age-inappropriate intimate material will not be used with young performers.
Where a production, casting or external organisation requires work outside normal training, that organisation remains responsible for complying with the safeguarding, child-performance and employment requirements applicable to that production and jurisdiction.
FILMING, CLASS RECORDINGS & PHOTOGRAPHY
Because MZA specialises in screen acting, cameras form an important part of our training.
However, different uses of an image require different permissions.
We separate consent wherever reasonably possible between:
*TRAINING
Recording required for teaching, playback, assessment or student development.
*PRIVATE RESOURCES
Material made available within an authorised student learning environment.
*CASTING OR PROFESSIONAL OPPORTUNITIES
Material shared for a specific professional purpose.
*PUBLICITY & MARKETING
Images or video published publicly by MZA, including websites and social media.
Publicity and marketing consent is separate from participation in training.
Parents/guardians may therefore choose not to permit public promotional use without preventing their child from receiving normal training.
MZA does not permit parents, students or visitors to publish images or recordings of other children without appropriate permission.
[VIEW OUR PHOTO, VIDEO & RECORDING POLICY]
[MANAGE MEDIA CONSENT]
YOUR CHILD'S PRIVACY
Children deserve particularly strong protection when their personal information is being used.
MZA follows a privacy-by-design approach.
We aim to:
✓ Collect only information reasonably required
✓ Explain why information is needed
✓ Use appropriate security measures
✓ Limit access to authorised people
✓ Avoid unnecessary disclosure
✓ Protect children's contact information
✓ Avoid unnecessary location information
✓ Avoid profiling children for advertising
✓ Avoid targeted advertising based on children's personal information
✓ Keep information only for an appropriate period
✓ Delete or anonymise information when it is no longer required, subject to legitimate legal or safeguarding requirements
We do not sell children's personal information.
Parents/guardians may contact MZA regarding access, correction or deletion of personal information, subject to applicable law and any legitimate reason requiring MZA to retain particular records.
[READ OUR PRIVACY NOTICE]
[READ OUR CHILD-FRIENDLY PRIVACY NOTICE]
[VIEW OUR DATA RETENTION POLICY]
SOCIAL MEDIA
A child is never required to have a public social-media account in order to participate in MZA training.
Where professional opportunities involve social media, online portfolios or other public-facing platforms, parents remain responsible for ensuring that their child's use of those services complies with the applicable age requirements and laws in their country.
MZA will not encourage a child to misrepresent their age to gain access to an online platform.
COMMUNICATION WITH YOUNG PERFORMERS
Professional boundaries also apply to digital communication.
Wherever practicable:
• administrative communication concerning under-18 students goes through the parent/guardian;
• staff use MZA-approved communication channels;
• private or secret conversations with young students are not appropriate;
• staff should not request personal photographs, videos or information from a child outside legitimate MZA activity;
• safeguarding concerns arising from messages or online behaviour must be reported.
STAFF, TUTORS & PROFESSIONALS
MZA takes reasonable steps to ensure that people working with young performers are suitable for their role.
This includes, where appropriate and legally available:
• identity checks
• employment/reference checks
• criminal-record or safeguarding checks appropriate to the relevant country
• safeguarding awareness or training
• professional-code requirements
• clear reporting responsibilities
• appropriate supervision
Because criminal-record and child-workforce checking systems differ internationally, the precise form of vetting may vary according to where an individual works.
MZA does not publish copies of staff identity documents or criminal-record certificates on this website for privacy and security reasons.
Verification information can be provided to an authorised stakeholder where appropriate.
[READ OUR SAFER RECRUITMENT & STAFF SUITABILITY POLICY]
[READ OUR STAFF CODE OF CONDUCT]
HEALTH, SAFETY & RISK MANAGEMENT
MZA assesses foreseeable risks associated with its activities and takes reasonable steps to reduce them.
Areas considered include:
• premises and access
• fire and evacuation
• electrical and filming equipment
• tripods and cables
• physical activity
• emotional acting work
• physical interaction
• online classes
• unauthorised access
• medical emergencies
• first aid
• safeguarding
• collection and supervision of young people
Accidents, injuries and significant incidents should be reported and recorded.
[VIEW CURRENT MZA RISK ASSESSMENT]
BULLYING, DISCRIMINATION & RESPECT
Every student deserves to feel that they belong.
MZA does not accept:
• bullying
• cyberbullying
• intimidation
• harassment
• discrimination
• sexual harassment
• humiliation
• deliberately excluding or targeting another student
• threatening behaviour
• hate speech
Students are encouraged to support one another and behave professionally.
Concerns may be raised privately without fear that doing so will disadvantage a student's training.
[READ OUR EQUALITY, INCLUSION & ANTI-BULLYING POLICY]
INDUSTRY PROFESSIONALS, CASTING & OPPORTUNITIES
MZA may introduce students to legitimate professional development opportunities and industry professionals.
An introduction by MZA does not remove the safeguarding obligations of a casting professional, production company, agent, employer or other third party.
For under-18s:
• parents/guardians should be appropriately informed;
• personal data is shared only when there is a legitimate reason and appropriate authority;
• professional productions remain responsible for permits, licences, chaperoning, working hours, education requirements and employment obligations applicable in the location of the production;
• a child should never attend an unsafe or inappropriate meeting because they believe doing so is necessary for their career.
Parents should contact MZA immediately if they have concerns about an opportunity introduced through the organisation.
INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS
MZA works internationally.
Child safeguarding, privacy, online-safety, employment and child-performance rules differ between countries.
Our global safeguarding standard is intended to provide a strong baseline wherever a student is located.
Where local law provides a higher level of protection, the local requirement takes precedence.
For professional productions or activities falling outside normal training, additional local requirements may apply, including:
• child performance licences or permits
• working-time restrictions
• schooling requirements
• chaperones or guardians
• employment law
• immigration/work permission
• privacy and image rights
• broadcasting requirements
• location-specific safeguarding obligations
MZA and any external production will determine the relevant requirements before the activity takes place.
COMPLAINTS
We want parents and young performers to tell us when something does not feel right.
A complaint may concern:
• safeguarding
• tutor conduct
• another student
• bullying
• discrimination
• online behaviour
• privacy
• recording or photography
• communication
• health and safety
• professional opportunities
• any other aspect of MZA
Complaints will be handled fairly and as confidentially as circumstances permit.
No student should be disadvantaged for raising a genuine concern in good faith.
[MAKE A COMPLAINT]
[READ OUR COMPLAINTS PROCEDURE]
DOCUMENT LIBRARY
For parents and professional stakeholders who require further information:
FOR SCHOOLS, PRODUCTIONS, VENUES & PROFESSIONAL PARTNERS
Need to complete safeguarding due diligence before working with MZA?
We can provide appropriate supporting documentation relating to:
✓ safeguarding procedures
✓ risk assessment
✓ staff suitability
✓ insurance
✓ privacy procedures
✓ online-safety arrangements
✓ organisational information
[SEE COMPLIANCE INFORMATION]
SOMETHING DOESN'T FEEL RIGHT?
Tell us.
You do not need to be certain that something is wrong before raising a safeguarding concern.
Safeguarding: [email protected]
General enquiries: agency@mzacting.com
If someone is in immediate danger, contact the appropriate emergency service or child-protection authority where the child is located.
OUR STANDARD
Talent matters.
Training matters.
Opportunity matters.
But the young person always matters more.
MZA JUNIORS
Professional Screen Acting Training for Young Performers
mzacting.com
Legal & organisational informationMZA Juniors / Matt Zina Acting is operated by the legal entity identified in the student's enrolment agreement and accompanying privacy documentation.
This Compliance Hub describes MZA's organisational safeguarding standard. It does not replace mandatory local law. Where applicable local legislation imposes a higher or additional requirement, that requirement will be followed.
Putting the safety, wellbeing and rights of every young performer first.
This page is for parents, guardians, schools, venues, casting professionals, production companies, agents and other organisations working with MZA Juniors.
MZA provides screen acting training to young performers from different countries and backgrounds. Wherever a student joins us from, our starting point is simple:
The welfare and best interests of the child come first.
Our safeguarding, privacy and professional standards apply to our online training, in-person activities, workshops, self-taping, rehearsals, recordings, communications and any activity organised directly by MZA.
Last reviewed: September 2026
Next formal review: September 2027, or earlier if legislation, technology or our services change.
OUR COMMITMENT
Every young performer should be able to learn, experiment, make brave creative choices and develop as an actor in an environment that is:
✓ Safe
✓ Respectful
✓ Inclusive
✓ Age appropriate
✓ Professionally supervised
✓ Free from bullying, harassment and discrimination
✓ Protective of their privacy
✓ Clear about boundaries and consent
Participation in an acting exercise never removes a young person's right to say no, ask a question, request an alternative or speak to a trusted adult.
No performance is more important than a child's welfare.
PARENT & GUARDIAN RESPONSIBILITY
For students under 18, MZA requires a parent or legal guardian to be responsible for the enrolment relationship.
Parents/guardians receive important information concerning:
• safeguarding
• privacy and data processing
• online participation
• class recording
• photography and video
• communication
• emergency information
• conduct and behaviour
• complaints and concerns
Where consent is required, MZA will obtain the appropriate parent or guardian authorisation.
We also believe young people should understand what is happening to their information and images. Information will therefore be explained to students in an age-appropriate way wherever appropriate.
SAFEGUARDING
MZA has a zero-tolerance approach to abuse, exploitation, grooming, bullying, harassment or inappropriate conduct involving children or young people.
Safeguarding concerns are taken seriously, recorded appropriately and escalated where necessary.
Our safeguarding principles include:• Children are treated with dignity and respect.
• Professional boundaries must be maintained between staff and students.
• Staff must not use their position of trust to form inappropriate relationships with students.
• Adults must not request secrecy from a child concerning communications, meetings or behaviour.
• Personal communication between staff and young students should be avoided. MZA-approved communication channels should be used.
• Safeguarding concerns must never be ignored because they relate to a talented student, member of staff, parent, agent, casting professional or other industry professional.
• Information may be shared with appropriate safeguarding or statutory authorities when necessary to protect a child.
Safeguarding contact
Designated Safeguarding Lead: Clare Zina
Email: agency@mzacting.com
If your concern relates directly to the Designated Safeguarding Lead, please use our independent escalation route:
Email: agency@mzacting.com
If a child is in immediate danger, contact the emergency services or appropriate child protection authority in the country where the child is located.
[REPORT A SAFEGUARDING CONCERN]
[READ OUR FULL SAFEGUARDING & CHILD PROTECTION POLICY]
SAFE ONLINE CLASSES
Online screen acting training creates fantastic opportunities for young actors around the world, but it must be delivered safely.
MZA therefore operates controlled online learning environments.
Our standards include:
✓ Access-controlled classes
✓ Students admitted only to authorised sessions
✓ Waiting-room/lobby controls where available
✓ Tutor supervision
✓ Appropriate moderation
✓ Professional staff behaviour
✓ Safeguarding procedures applying online exactly as they do in person
✓ Secure management of recordings and resources
✓ Clear reporting procedures
✓ No unauthorised recording by participants
✓ Parent/guardian involvement where appropriate
Students must never share class links, passwords or access credentials with other people.
Students should participate from an appropriate environment and should never be required to reveal their home address, school, precise location or other unnecessary personal information during a class.
[READ OUR ONLINE SAFETY POLICY]
ACTING MATERIAL, EMOTIONAL WORK & PERSONAL BOUNDARIES
Acting can explore challenging situations and emotions. That does not mean a young actor's personal boundaries disappear.
At MZA:
• Scripts and exercises should be appropriate to the student's age and development.
• Students are never required to disclose personal trauma in order to perform.
• Participation in emotionally demanding exercises is voluntary.
• Students may ask to stop or change an exercise.
• Tutors monitor student wellbeing.
• Appropriate discussion or debriefing is available following challenging work.
• No student should feel that refusing an exercise will negatively affect the way they are treated.
Bravery in acting means making bold creative choices. It never means being pressured into something that makes a young performer feel unsafe.
PHYSICAL CONTACT & INTIMACY
Physical contact is never assumed simply because it appears in a script.
Any physical interaction used during training must be appropriate, necessary for the exercise, clearly explained and consensual.
Young performers may withdraw their agreement at any time.
Age-inappropriate intimate material will not be used with young performers.
Where a production, casting or external organisation requires work outside normal training, that organisation remains responsible for complying with the safeguarding, child-performance and employment requirements applicable to that production and jurisdiction.
FILMING, CLASS RECORDINGS & PHOTOGRAPHY
Because MZA specialises in screen acting, cameras form an important part of our training.
However, different uses of an image require different permissions.
We separate consent wherever reasonably possible between:
*TRAINING
Recording required for teaching, playback, assessment or student development.
*PRIVATE RESOURCES
Material made available within an authorised student learning environment.
*CASTING OR PROFESSIONAL OPPORTUNITIES
Material shared for a specific professional purpose.
*PUBLICITY & MARKETING
Images or video published publicly by MZA, including websites and social media.
Publicity and marketing consent is separate from participation in training.
Parents/guardians may therefore choose not to permit public promotional use without preventing their child from receiving normal training.
MZA does not permit parents, students or visitors to publish images or recordings of other children without appropriate permission.
[VIEW OUR PHOTO, VIDEO & RECORDING POLICY]
[MANAGE MEDIA CONSENT]
YOUR CHILD'S PRIVACY
Children deserve particularly strong protection when their personal information is being used.
MZA follows a privacy-by-design approach.
We aim to:
✓ Collect only information reasonably required
✓ Explain why information is needed
✓ Use appropriate security measures
✓ Limit access to authorised people
✓ Avoid unnecessary disclosure
✓ Protect children's contact information
✓ Avoid unnecessary location information
✓ Avoid profiling children for advertising
✓ Avoid targeted advertising based on children's personal information
✓ Keep information only for an appropriate period
✓ Delete or anonymise information when it is no longer required, subject to legitimate legal or safeguarding requirements
We do not sell children's personal information.
Parents/guardians may contact MZA regarding access, correction or deletion of personal information, subject to applicable law and any legitimate reason requiring MZA to retain particular records.
[READ OUR PRIVACY NOTICE]
[READ OUR CHILD-FRIENDLY PRIVACY NOTICE]
[VIEW OUR DATA RETENTION POLICY]
SOCIAL MEDIA
A child is never required to have a public social-media account in order to participate in MZA training.
Where professional opportunities involve social media, online portfolios or other public-facing platforms, parents remain responsible for ensuring that their child's use of those services complies with the applicable age requirements and laws in their country.
MZA will not encourage a child to misrepresent their age to gain access to an online platform.
COMMUNICATION WITH YOUNG PERFORMERS
Professional boundaries also apply to digital communication.
Wherever practicable:
• administrative communication concerning under-18 students goes through the parent/guardian;
• staff use MZA-approved communication channels;
• private or secret conversations with young students are not appropriate;
• staff should not request personal photographs, videos or information from a child outside legitimate MZA activity;
• safeguarding concerns arising from messages or online behaviour must be reported.
STAFF, TUTORS & PROFESSIONALS
MZA takes reasonable steps to ensure that people working with young performers are suitable for their role.
This includes, where appropriate and legally available:
• identity checks
• employment/reference checks
• criminal-record or safeguarding checks appropriate to the relevant country
• safeguarding awareness or training
• professional-code requirements
• clear reporting responsibilities
• appropriate supervision
Because criminal-record and child-workforce checking systems differ internationally, the precise form of vetting may vary according to where an individual works.
MZA does not publish copies of staff identity documents or criminal-record certificates on this website for privacy and security reasons.
Verification information can be provided to an authorised stakeholder where appropriate.
[READ OUR SAFER RECRUITMENT & STAFF SUITABILITY POLICY]
[READ OUR STAFF CODE OF CONDUCT]
HEALTH, SAFETY & RISK MANAGEMENT
MZA assesses foreseeable risks associated with its activities and takes reasonable steps to reduce them.
Areas considered include:
• premises and access
• fire and evacuation
• electrical and filming equipment
• tripods and cables
• physical activity
• emotional acting work
• physical interaction
• online classes
• unauthorised access
• medical emergencies
• first aid
• safeguarding
• collection and supervision of young people
Accidents, injuries and significant incidents should be reported and recorded.
[VIEW CURRENT MZA RISK ASSESSMENT]
BULLYING, DISCRIMINATION & RESPECT
Every student deserves to feel that they belong.
MZA does not accept:
• bullying
• cyberbullying
• intimidation
• harassment
• discrimination
• sexual harassment
• humiliation
• deliberately excluding or targeting another student
• threatening behaviour
• hate speech
Students are encouraged to support one another and behave professionally.
Concerns may be raised privately without fear that doing so will disadvantage a student's training.
[READ OUR EQUALITY, INCLUSION & ANTI-BULLYING POLICY]
INDUSTRY PROFESSIONALS, CASTING & OPPORTUNITIES
MZA may introduce students to legitimate professional development opportunities and industry professionals.
An introduction by MZA does not remove the safeguarding obligations of a casting professional, production company, agent, employer or other third party.
For under-18s:
• parents/guardians should be appropriately informed;
• personal data is shared only when there is a legitimate reason and appropriate authority;
• professional productions remain responsible for permits, licences, chaperoning, working hours, education requirements and employment obligations applicable in the location of the production;
• a child should never attend an unsafe or inappropriate meeting because they believe doing so is necessary for their career.
Parents should contact MZA immediately if they have concerns about an opportunity introduced through the organisation.
INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS
MZA works internationally.
Child safeguarding, privacy, online-safety, employment and child-performance rules differ between countries.
Our global safeguarding standard is intended to provide a strong baseline wherever a student is located.
Where local law provides a higher level of protection, the local requirement takes precedence.
For professional productions or activities falling outside normal training, additional local requirements may apply, including:
• child performance licences or permits
• working-time restrictions
• schooling requirements
• chaperones or guardians
• employment law
• immigration/work permission
• privacy and image rights
• broadcasting requirements
• location-specific safeguarding obligations
MZA and any external production will determine the relevant requirements before the activity takes place.
COMPLAINTS
We want parents and young performers to tell us when something does not feel right.
A complaint may concern:
• safeguarding
• tutor conduct
• another student
• bullying
• discrimination
• online behaviour
• privacy
• recording or photography
• communication
• health and safety
• professional opportunities
• any other aspect of MZA
Complaints will be handled fairly and as confidentially as circumstances permit.
No student should be disadvantaged for raising a genuine concern in good faith.
[MAKE A COMPLAINT]
[READ OUR COMPLAINTS PROCEDURE]
DOCUMENT LIBRARY
For parents and professional stakeholders who require further information:
FOR SCHOOLS, PRODUCTIONS, VENUES & PROFESSIONAL PARTNERS
Need to complete safeguarding due diligence before working with MZA?
We can provide appropriate supporting documentation relating to:
✓ safeguarding procedures
✓ risk assessment
✓ staff suitability
✓ insurance
✓ privacy procedures
✓ online-safety arrangements
✓ organisational information
[SEE COMPLIANCE INFORMATION]
SOMETHING DOESN'T FEEL RIGHT?
Tell us.
You do not need to be certain that something is wrong before raising a safeguarding concern.
Safeguarding: [email protected]
General enquiries: agency@mzacting.com
If someone is in immediate danger, contact the appropriate emergency service or child-protection authority where the child is located.
OUR STANDARD
Talent matters.
Training matters.
Opportunity matters.
But the young person always matters more.
MZA JUNIORS
Professional Screen Acting Training for Young Performers
mzacting.com
Legal & organisational informationMZA Juniors / Matt Zina Acting is operated by the legal entity identified in the student's enrolment agreement and accompanying privacy documentation.
This Compliance Hub describes MZA's organisational safeguarding standard. It does not replace mandatory local law. Where applicable local legislation imposes a higher or additional requirement, that requirement will be followed.