Safeguarding and Protecting Children Policy

Introduction

Goldstar Active is committed to supporting all young people to enjoy and excel in our sporting activities and fully recognises that children need a safe, protective and nurturing environment if they are to fulfill their potential and remain in their chosen sports.

Goldstar Active aims to achieve a high standard in the safeguarding of its participants and has a key role in ensuring that the welfare of children is a fundamental consideration in everything that we do. Anyone who provides or delivers sporting activities at Goldstar Active has a duty of care towards young people and needs to ensure that they offer a protective and child-friendly environment that gives parents reassurance that their children will be happy and safe.

Goldstar Active has a Club Welfare Officer (CWO) with the designated responsibility for safeguarding. The CWO plays a key role supporting child-centred practice and ensuring robust safeguarding arrangements are in place at the centre. Goldstar Active remains fully committed to developing a CWO network and continually improving our safeguarding practice for a positive impact on all children at Goldstar Active.

Key Policy Information

About the policy:

The Safeguarding and Protecting Children Policy at Goldstar Active is informed by the government guidance ‘Working Together to Safeguard Children – a guide to inter-agency working to safeguard and promote the welfare of children, HM Government 2015’. This guidance, which is applicable in England, sets out the legislative requirements and expectations on individual services to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and provides the framework to which Local Safeguarding Children Boards (LSCBs) monitor the effectiveness of local services.

Our Policy translates for the sporting community the statutory guidance on making arrangements to safeguard and promote the welfare of children under Section 11 of the Children Act 2004. The policy is also informed by other key pieces of legislation, which are highlighted in the relevant parts of the policy. The Goldstar Active policy is developed in consultation with the NSPCC Child Protection in Sport Unit (CPSU) and is informed by the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

This document is presented in four parts, namely: Policy, Recognising and Responding to Abuse and Poor Practice, Safe Recruitment and Safe Environment and links to a number of other supplementary policies and procedures. In complying with the policy, affiliated organisations can be reassured that they meet their statutory responsibilities.

To whom does the policy apply?

Goldstar Active’s Safeguarding and Protecting Children Policy 2017 is applicable to all levels of sport and provides a framework for those involved in all sporting activities to meet their duty of care towards young people. The policy, where applicable, is mandatory for all Goldstar Active staff, participants, visitors and volunteers. Any individual or organisation that is providing a service to Goldstar Active must also demonstrate that they comply with these standards.

All personnel at Goldstar Active must fully support their Welfare Officer to fulfil their role and ensure Goldstar Active is fully compliant with this policy.

How should the policy be used?

The policy is the key source of reference for all safeguarding and protecting children related matters. The main users of these policies and procedures are likely to be CWO’s, as it is their role to guide our organisation to plan, prioritise and implement the various safeguarding responsibilities and activities.

The policy also provides important guidance for anyone involved in activities at Goldstar Active including parents, coaches, officials, visitors and other volunteers. It offers practical guidance for those involved in providing sporting activities for children and relevant sections should be reproduced in an appropriate format and widely shared across the sporting community to increase general awareness and good practice.

How will the policy remain up-to-date?

Although the policy takes into account all relevant current legislation, the document will need to be amended as required in response to changes in the sports, political, legal, ethical, social and technological environment in which we operate. Any amendments will be recorded and communicated to all relevant parties.

Goldstar Active will also review its Safeguarding and Protecting Children policy on an annual basis and as required by the NSPCC CPSU, UK Sport and Home Country Sports Councils. The policy may also be reviewed following introduction of any new internal or external safeguarding process and as a result of any significant child protection case within the sports on offer at Goldstar Active.

Safeguarding Children is described in Working Together to Safeguard Children 2015 as the action we take to promote the welfare of children and protect them from harm, which involves:

protecting children from maltreatment;
preventing impairment of children’s health or development;
ensuring children grow up in circumstances consistent with the provision of safe and effective care; and
Taking action to enable all children to have the best experience

Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility. Therefore, everyone who works with children has a responsibility for keeping them safe, irrespective of their role and whether they are paid or volunteers.

Children may be harmed in any environment, including the home, at school or in a sports club. Although young people are more likely to be abused in their own home, cases of abuse have occurred, and continue to occur, in gymnastics and in other sports. Goldstar Active acknowledges that sporting activities provide significant access to young people and can provide opportunities for an individual who wants to harm children. However, it is also recognised that those having regular contact with young people have a key role in promoting their welfare and are ideally placed to notice signs that a child may be being abused. It is therefore essential that anyone in contact with young people through their involvement in sports is fully aware of the early signs of abuse and/or neglect and understands the appropriate steps to report these concerns.

In addition, it is important to be aware that some children may be more vulnerable than others. These may include disabled children with specific additional needs, children with special educational needs and children training at a high performance level within a sport.

Goldstar Active is fully committed to providing support, information and training opportunities to make certain that individuals understand their role and responsibilities and fully understand the risk factors linked to abuse within sport.

Goldstar Active strives to create an environment where all children can thrive and realise their potential and, in accepting a duty of care towards children, will set the standards and define best practice for working with children within sport. We also strive to ensure that child-centered safeguarding principles are fully embraced by the sporting communities as an integral part of all Goldstar Active activities.

Key Principles

This Policy is based upon the following fundamental principles:

The welfare of children (anyone under the age of 18 years) is paramount;
All children, regardless of ability, age, disability, sexual orientation, parental status, race, religion or belief or socio/economic background have a right to be protected from abuse;
Safeguarding children is everyone’s responsibility: every individual and organisation must play their part in ensuring sport is safe;
A child-centered approach: sport provision will better meet the needs of children if it is informed by a clear understanding of the needs and views of young people.

Background

Working Together to Safeguard Children 2015 provides the overall framework on which the Goldstar Active policy is based. The guidance highlights the need for organisations working together, to take a coordinated approach to ensure effective safeguarding arrangements, the important role played by voluntary organisations and private sector providers in the delivery of services to children and expects such organisations to put in place arrangements that reflect the importance of safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. Working Together 2015 also highlights that both the paid and voluntary workforce need to be aware of their individual responsibilities for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and how they should respond to child protection concerns and make a referral to local authority children’s social care or the Police if necessary.

The Goldstar Active policy puts into a sporting context these requirements; outlining the minimum standards to which all Goldstar Active staff, participants, parents, visitors and volunteers must adhere. In addition to the main policy, there are various additional policies that must also be applied.

Aims and Objectives

The overall aim of the Goldstar Active policy is to ensure that everyone participating in the activities on offer does so in a safe, holistic and child-centred environment that supports children to meet their potential. This can only be achieved if everyone involved in the sport is fully compliant with the policy. The key objectives of the policy are as follows:

To ensure everyone understands their roles and responsibilities in respect of safeguarding;
To ensure everyone who comes into contact with children is able to recognise, identify and respond to signs of abuse, neglect and other safeguarding concerns relating to children and young people;
To promote positive practice and challenge poor practice;
To ensure robust systems are in place to manage any concerns or allegations;
To develop a skilled and competent safeguarding workforce;
To ensure everyone who is involved in a role with children completes training at a level appropriate to their role in their sport, which covers the above areas;
To ensure everyone who are involved in a role with children have been through appropriate pre- recruitment checks, including the appropriate level criminal record checks;
To ensure young people and their parents/carers are consulted and, where appropriate, fully involved in decisions that affect

Responsibilities of Goldstar Active

The overall responsibility for safeguarding children in the sporting activities rests with the Management Board and CWO.

All Directors are fully committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children participating in each sport. Goldstar Active has prepared a clear policy that provides a framework for any affiliated organisation, working with children.

Goldstar Active Management Board in partnership with the CWO are responsible for:

development of policy, rules and regulations;
monitoring the implementation of the Safeguarding Policy and agreeing training needs;
monitoring the effectiveness of the Safeguarding Policy and Procedures and reviewing the policy as required;
communicating reports to other personnel and its members on all matters relating to

Goldstar Active will ensure that it fulfills its responsibilities to work jointly with others to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and young people. Goldstar Active will work in partnership with the Local Safeguarding Authority and other organisations in order to support the development of robust arrangements for safeguarding and protecting children.

Goldstar Active recognises that it has a duty to help ensure affiliated organisations and individual members understand and fulfill their responsibilities through the provision of clear guidance and support. Guidance at Goldstar Active has been formulated with the underlying aim of minimising risk to children and, wherever possible, avoiding situations where it is known that abuse or neglect can occur. Goldstar Active will support this duty through the development and provision of learning opportunities for members.

We will also work closely with the NSPCC CPSU to review and continually develop our safeguarding practice and ensure it is evidence based.

Central to the policy is the need for Goldstar Active to support its designated CWO and develop a network of Welfare Officers’ with the lead responsibility for safeguarding and protecting children. Goldstar Active will be responsible for appointing the network of Welfare Officers (RWOs) and will provide training and development opportunities.

Goldstar Active recognises the responsibilities of Statutory Authorities and is committed to working with Local Safeguarding Children Boards and Local Authority Designated Officer(s) in line with Working Together to Safeguard Children (2015).

Goldstar Active will ensure that any allegations or suspicions of abuse or significant harm to any child are reported without delay to the relevant Statutory Authorities in line with established information sharing protocols.

Goldstar Active will comply with the principles set out in the Data Protection Act 1998 and Information Sharing for Practitioners (HM Government, 2006) in relation to confidentiality and information sharing. Information that is confidential in nature may be shared, without consent, where there is a legitimate and lawful reason for disclosure.

In the event of an abuse allegation against a Goldstar Active participant, employee or other person with an involvement in the sporting activities offered, Goldstar Active will take action to ensure young people are protected and, where appropriate, will support the prosecution of individuals accused of a criminal offence against a child/children.

All other misconduct or poor practice issues/non-compliance with policy and procedure will normally be managed in partnership with the affiliated organisation that is closest to the point of complaint or disclosure.

Goldstar Active provides an independent Case Referral Management Group with the responsibility for agreeing:

the referral route for all cases that deal with the welfare of children;
whether suspension of Goldstar Active membership is required;
the appropriate course of remedial

Goldstar Active will refer to the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) anyone we believe is or has been, or might in the future be, engaged in regulated activity whose Goldstar Active membership has been revoked (or would, or might, have been withdrawn if the individual had not otherwise ceased involvement in their sport) on the grounds that they harmed a child or pose a risk of harm, or received a caution or conviction for a relevant offence.

Goldstar Active will ensure that robust systems are in place to help prevent people who present a risk to children from becoming involved with our organisation and to support the removal of anyone who is considered unsuitable.

Responsibilities of the CWO

The CWO will be transparent and easily identifiable at Goldstar Active. To ensure the safeguarding and protecting of children at Goldstar Active, the designated CWO will:

Promote the welfare of children and the importance of safeguarding;
Ensure that young people are listened to and are involved in decision making;
Ensure that everyone understands their roles and responsibilities in respect of safeguarding;
Respond to child protection and poor practice concerns;
Liaise with national governing bodies and local Statutory Agencies;
Work with other organisations as required;
Act as the designated person for criminal records
The CWO has attended an approved Safeguarding and Protecting children awareness training and a British Gymnastics Time to Listen course (or approved equivalent).
The CWO has undertaken a criminal record check in line with BG Criminal Records Checks Policy and Guidelines;
All staff and volunteers, who are working with children receive appropriate training, updated every three years, and have access to advice on child protection, safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children through the CWO;
All children and young people, and their parents, are aware of behaviour that is not acceptable and how they can help to keep themselves safe;
The CWO will support Whistle Blowing and take steps to ensure members, their parents/carers, and others, feel able to raise concerns without fear of negative repercussions;
Confidentiality is maintained in relation to concerns and referrals and information is only shared on a genuine ‘need to know’ basis in line with the British Gymnastics Confidentiality and Information Sharing Guidance;
The CWO (and all Goldstar Active personnel) will comply with safe recruitment guidance to prevent unsuitable people from obtaining, or remaining in, positions of trust or responsibility;
They will comply with the all applicable supplementary policy and guidance and accept responsibility for identifying and responding to any deficiencies or weaknesses in its arrangements for safeguarding and promoting welfare of children;
They will work in partnership with the Local Safeguarding Authority (LSA) and other relevant organisations to ensure poor practice is addressed and any required remedial action is

It is not the role of Goldstar Active Personnel to investigate possible abuse or neglect. However, they have a key role to play by referring concerns about those issues to Children’s Social Care Services and/or statutory Agencies to provide information for investigations.