Safeguarding Children & Young People - PowerPoint Presentation

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Safeguarding Children & Young People

Introduction

The aim of this induction is to raise awareness & introduce basic guidelines of safeguarding to all volunteers at our events

Some people may find that safeguarding can be disturbing and thought provoking. If something upsets you, please do not hesitate to contact Lou Johnson in confidence: 01392 369111

Principles

The welfare of children & young people in sport is paramount

(Children’s Act 1989)

Following the Children’s Act 2004, the Government's aim is for every child, whatever their background or their circumstances, to have the support they need to:

Be healthy

Stay safe

Enjoy and achieve

Make a positive contribution

Achieve economic well-being

Codes and Guidelines

We develop codes of conduct & good practise guidelines to safeguard & minimise risk.

SLSGB has:

Code of Conduct

Equal Opportunities Policy

Safeguarding Children & Young People

Event Safeguarding Plan

All athletes sign up to the SLSGB Code of Conduct on entering the event.

All Team Managers, event staff and volunteers will receive a copy of the event safeguarding plan.

Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility

Dealing with Incidents

It is not always easy to distinguish poor practise, both accidental and deliberate, from abuse. Therefore, it is

NOT

your responsibility to decide whether or not child abuse has taken place. It

IS

your responsibility to act on any concerns by reporting them to the National Safeguarding Manager or Events Safeguarding Officer.

DO NOT ignore your concerns for welfare of a child or young person

DO NOT ignore an incident or poor practice that you have witnessed

Where a direct disclosure is made to you, always report this on to the National Safeguarding Manager or Event Safeguarding Officer

Dealing with a disclosure or concern

If a child discloses an incident to you, remember they have done so because they trust you.

Stay calm

Listen

Reassure

Believe

Get help

Remember the 4 R’s:

Recognise the concern, problem or receive a direct disclosure

Reassure the individual, tell them what you will need to do

Refer to the SLSGB National Safeguarding Manager or Event Safeguarding Officer

Record who, what, where, when

Getting help

If a child is in immediate danger/risk of life, call the police-999

All incidents & disclosures must be reported, to the National Safeguarding Manager or Event Safeguarding Officer

You will need to complete an incident form and SLSGB/SLSA Wales will inform the statutory authorities where appropriate.

Further action may follow, on advise from the statutory authority and internal case team.

Flow chart of incident reporting process at events

Types of abuse

Neglect

Physical abuse

Sexual abuse

Emotional abuse

Bullying and discrimination

Harassment

Neglect

A child's basic needs are not met

The child is constantly left alone and unsupervised

The child has no love, affection or protection from harm

In a club environment this could include a Coach or Instructor failing to ensure that a child/children were safe, e.g. exposing them to undue cold or to unnecessary risk or injury.

Physical Abuse

The child is physically hurt or injured

The child is given alcohol, inappropriate drugs or poison

The child is given drugs to enhance performance or delay puberty

In a club situation, physical abuse can be deemed to occur if the type/intensity of training does not take into account the child's immature growing body or predisposes the child to injury resulting from fatigue or overuse.

Sexual Abuse

The child is involved in physical contact, including penetrative(e.g. rape, buggery or oral sex) or non-penetrative acts

The child is being shown pornographic books, photography or videos

Sexual abuse could involve perpetrators who act alone or as part of an organised group. These perpetrators could include other children, family members, individuals who target voluntary organisations.

Activities which involve physically supporting children during coaching of new skills may potentially create situations in which sexual abuse might go unnoticed. Coaches should be aware of this and follow the guidelines from SLSGB in order to protect all concerned.

Emotional Abuse

The child may have a persistent lack of love and affection, resulting in feelings such as worthlessness and inadequacy

The child is constantly over-protected which denies them the opportunity to mix and socialise

The child is constantly being shouted at, threatened or taunted, which makes them very nervous and withdrawn or negative, influencing their feelings of competence and self worth

The child is not given the chance to express their views, deliberately silencing them or making fun of what they say or how they communicate

The child may have seen or heard the ill-treatment of another

In extreme circumstances, over enthusiastic parents or Coaches can be guilty of emotionally abusing a child.

Bullying and Discrimination

Usually occurs over time as repeated, deliberate actions or hurtful behaviour rather than being a single aggressive act

It involves an imbalance of power, the powerful attack the weak

It can be psychological, verbal, physical, emotional, racial or sexual in nature e.g. being called names, insulted or verbally abused, being deliberately embarrassed and humiliated by other children, being made to feel different or like an outsider, being lied about, being physically assaulted or threatened with violence, being ignored.

It is often difficult to decide what is ‘teasing’ and what constitutes bullying. It is believed up to 12 children per year commit suicide as a result of bullying, so take all signs of bullying very seriously.

Harassment

Harassment is an act that is unwanted by the recipient. By definition it is the unwanted nature of the action or item which distinguishes the nature of the act to be harassment.

The impact of harassment for the recipient can be profound.

In some circumstances harassment can be deemed to be a criminal offence and can lead to restraining order or criminal prosecution.

Missing person procedure

Missing person declared

Contact Event Safeguarding Officer or any member of the SLSGB

If participant is not found within the venue, Event Safeguarding Officer and Event Safety Officer to co-ordinate search of the local area. Contact venue manager

If participant is not found within 20 minutes, Events Safeguarding Officer to contact the police. Contact SLSGB Event Manager

Incident to logged on an incident report form

Alcohol Policy

There is a zero tolerance policy on alcohol for all under 18 year olds for the duration of the event. Anyone under the age of 18 that is reported to be consuming alcohol, will be subject to disciplinary proceedings. All reports of alcohol abuse need to be reported to any of the SLSGB/SLSA Wales events team.

There is a zero tolerance policy on alcohol for all GB team competitors for the duration of the event, until the presentation evening, where consumption is at the discretion of the Team Manager. There is a zero alcohol policy for all One Team Management for the duration of the whole event, including the presentation evening. All reports of alcohol abuse need to be reported to any of the SLSGB/SLSA Wales events team.

Accommodation for Under 18 year olds

Team Managers are responsible for arranging appropriate accommodation for all their team. Under 18 year olds must not share a room with anyone over the age of 18. Under 18 year olds must only share a room with someone of the same sex.

If you have any concerns about any of the young people at our event, please report concerns to the SLSGB National Safeguarding Manager or the Event Safeguarding Officer.

Contacts

SLSGB National Safeguarding Manager: 01392 369111

safeguarding@slsgb.org.uk

NSPCC: 0800 800 5000

Police (Emergency): 999

Police (Non-Emergency): 101

If you have any questions about this presentation or about safeguarding please contact the National Safeguarding Manager.

Thank You!