Safeguarding

SportStart UK acknowledges its responsibility to safeguard the welfare of every child who has been entrusted to its care. We acknowledge that every child that particpates in sport should be able to take part in an enjoyable and safe environment and be protected from poor practice and abuse. Please take a moment to read our safeguarding policy.

• Introduction
• Policy aims
• Good practice guidelines
  • Practices to be avoided
  • Practices never to be sanctioned
  • Incidents that must be reported/recorded
• Recruitment and training of staff and volunteers
  • Interview and induction
  • Training
• Responding to allegations or suspicions
  • Information for social services or the police about suspected abuse

Introduction.

SportStart UK is committed to ensuring that:

• The welfare of the child* is paramount.
• All children, irrespective of age, culture, disability, gender, language, racial origin, religious beliefs and/or sexual identity, have the right to protection from abuse.
• All suspicions and allegations of abuse will be taken seriously and responded to swiftly and appropriately.
• All staff/volunteers recognise that they have a responsibility to report concerns to the appropriate authorities.

*A child is defined as a person under the age of 18 (The Children Act 1989).

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Policy aims.

The aim of the SportStart UK Safeguarding Policy is to promote good practice through:

• Providing children with appropriate safety and protection whilst in the care of SportStart UK.
• Allowing all staff/volunteers to make informed and confident responses to specific child protection issues.

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Good practice guidelines.

All staff/volunteers are encouraged to demonstrate exemplary behaviour in order to promote childrens welfare and reduce the likelihood of allegations being made. The following are common sense examples of how to create a positive culture and climate. Good practice means:

• Always working in an open environment, avoiding private or unobserved situations and encouraging open communication.
• Treating all children equally with respect and dignity.
• Always putting the welfare of each child first.
• Maintaining a safe and appropriate distance with children.
• Building balanced relationships based on mutual trust and empowering children to share in the decision-making process.
• Making sport fun, enjoyable and promoting fair play.
• Ensuring that if any form of manual/physical support is required, it should be provided openly and with due care and attention. Children and their legal guardians should always be consulted and their agreement gained.
• Keeping up-to-date with technical skills, qualifications and insurance.
• Involving parents/carers wherever possible. For example, encouraging them to take responsibility for their children in the changing rooms. If groups have to be supervised in the changing rooms, always ensure parents, teachers, coaches or volunteers work in pairs.
• Being an excellent role model - this includes not smoking or drinking alcohol in the company of children.
• Giving enthusiastic and constructive feedback rather than negative criticism.
• Recognising the developmental needs and capacity of children - avoiding excessive training or competition and not pushing them against their will.
• Securing parental consent in writing to act in loco parentis, if the need arises to administer emergency first aid and/or other medical treatment.
• Keeping a written record of any injury that occurs, along with the details of any treatment given.

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Practices to be avoided.

The following should be avoided except in emergencies.

• Spending excessive amounts of time alone with children away from others.
• Taking or dropping off a child to a session or taking them home.

If cases arise where these situations are unavoidable (e.g. the child sustains an injury and needs to go to hospital, or a parent fails to arrive to pick a child up at the end of a session), it should be with the full knowledge and consent of someone in charge of SportStart UK or the child's parents.

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Practices never to be sanctioned.

The following should never be sanctioned. You should never:

• Engage in rough, physical or sexually provocative games, including horseplay.
• Share a room with a child.
• Allow or engage in any form of inappropriate touching.
• Allow children to use inappropriate language unchallenged.
• Make sexually suggestive comments to a child, even in fun.
• Reduce a child to tears as a form of control.
• Fail to act upon and record any allegations made by a child.
• Do things of a personal nature for children that they can do for themselves.
• Invite or allow children to stay with you at your home unsupervised.

Note: It may sometimes be necessary for staff or volunteers to do things of a personal nature for children, particularly if they are young or are disabled. These tasks should only be carried out with the full understanding and consent of parents and the child involved. There is a need to be responsive to a person's reactions. If a person is fully dependent on you, talk with him/her about what you are doing and give choices where possible. This is particularly so if you are involved in any dressing or undressing of outer clothing, or where there is physical contact, lifting or assisting a child to carry out particular activities. Avoid taking on the responsibility for tasks for which you are not appropriately trained.

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Incidents that must be reported/recorded.

If any of the following occur you should report this immediately to a colleague and record the incident:

• If you accidentally hurt a child.
• If he/she seems distressed in any manner.
• If a child appears to be sexually aroused by your actions.
• If a child misunderstands or misinterprets something you have done.

Note: You should also ensure the parents of the child are informed.

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Recruitment and training of staff and volunteers.

SportStart UK recognises that anyone may have the potential to abuse children in some way and that all reasonable steps are taken to ensure unsuitable people are prevented from working with children.

Pre-selection checks will include the following:

• Consent will be obtained from an applicant to seek information from the Criminal Records Bureau*.
• An up-to-date Curriculum Vitae will be provided by an applicant stating their full employment history and qualifications, with details of at least two confidential references, including one regarding previous work with children. These references will be taken up and confirmed through telephone contact.
• Evidence of identity must be provided (e.g. a passport or driving licence with photo).

*Enhanced disclosures will be available for posts involving significant contact with children. All enhanced disclosures will involve an extra level of checking with local police records in addition to checks with the Police National Computer and Government-held lists, where appropriate (The Police Act 1997).

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Interview and induction.

All employees and volunteers will be required to undergo an interview carried out to acceptable protocol and recommendations. All employees and volunteers should receive an induction, during which:

• A check should be made that their application form has been completed in full.
• Their qualifications should be substantiated.
• The job requirements and responsibilities should be clarified.
• They should sign up to SportStart UK's Code of Ethics and Conduct.
• Child protection procedures are explained and training needs are identified.

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Training.

In addition to pre-selection checks, the safeguarding process includes training after recruitment to help staff and volunteers to:

• Analyse their own practice against established good practice, and to ensure their practice is not likely to result in allegations being made.
• Recognise their responsibilities and report any concerns about suspected poor practice or possible abuse.
• Respond to concerns expressed by a child.
• Work safely and effectively with children.

SportStart UK requires:

• Coaching staff to attend a recognised 3-hour good practice and child protection awareness training workshop, to ensure their practice is exemplary and to facilitate the development of a positive culture towards good practice and child protection.
• Non-coaching staff and volunteers to complete a recognised awareness training on child protection.
• Relevant personnel to receive advisory information outlining good practice and informing them about what to do if they have concerns about the behaviour of an adult towards a child.
• Relevant personnel to undergo national first aid training (where necessary).
• Attendance of update training when necessary.

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Responding to allegations or suspicions.

It is not the responsibility of anyone working for SportStart UK, in a paid or unpaid capacity, to decide whether or not child abuse has taken place. However, there is a responsibility to act on any concerns through contact with the appropriate authorities. SportStart UK will assure all staff/volunteers that it will fully support and protect anyone who in good faith reports his/her concern that a colleague is, or may be, abusing a child.

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Information for social services or the police about suspected abuse.

To ensure that this information is as helpful as possible, a detailed record should always be made at the time of the disclosure/concern, which should include the following:

• The child's name, age and date of birth of the child.
• The child's home address and telephone number.
• Whether or not the person making the report is expressing their own concerns or those of someone else.
• The nature of the allegation. Include dates, times, any special factors and other relevant information.
• Make a clear distinction between what is fact, opinion or hearsay.
• A description of any visible bruising or other injuries. Also any indirect signs, such as behavioural changes.
• Details of witnesses to the incidents.
• The child's account, if it can be given, of what has happened and how any bruising or other injuries occurred.
• Have the parents been contacted?
• If so what has been said?
• Has anyone else been consulted? If so record details.
• If the child was not the person who reported the incident, has the child been spoken to? If so what was said?
• Has anyone been alleged to be the abuser? Record details.
• Where possible referral to the police or social services should be confirmed in writing within 24 hours and the name of the contact who took the referral should be recorded.
• If you are worried about sharing concerns about abuse with a senior colleague, you can contact social services or the police direct, or the NSPCC Child Protection Helpline on 0808 800 5000, or Childline on 0800 1111.

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