Safeguarding policy

1.1 Introduction

Everyone who participates in badminton is entitled to do so in an enjoyable and safe environment. The Club has a moral and legal obligation to ensure that, when given responsibility for young people, coaches and volunteers provide them with a safe and positive experience.

Truro Badminton Club is committed to ensuring that everyone accepts their responsibilities to safeguard children from harm and abuse. This means all members will follow procedures to protect children and report any concerns about their welfare to appropriate authorities.

The aim of the policy is to promote good practice, providing children, young people and vulnerable adults with appropriate safety/protection whilst in the care of Truro badminton club and to allow members and volunteers to make informed and confident responses to specific child protection issues.

A child/young person is defined as a person under the age of 18 (Children’s Act 1989)

Policy Statement

Truro badminton club is committed to the following:

the welfare of the child and vulnerable adult is paramount

all children, whatever their age, culture, ability, gender, language, racial origin, religious belief and/or sexual identity should be able to participate in badminton in a fun and safe environment

taking all reasonable steps to protect children from harm, discrimination and degrading treatment and to respect their rights, wishes and feelings

all suspicions and allegations of poor practice or abuse will be taken seriously and responded to swiftly and appropriately

all club members who work with children will be recruited with regard to their suitability for that responsibility, and will be provided with guidance and/or training in good practice and child protection procedures

working in partnership with parents and children is essential for the protection of children

Monitor and review the policy and procedures

The Club Welfare Officer will ensure they attend all necessary training modules, so they have the necessary skills to undertake their role effectively.

The implementation of procedures will be regularly monitored and reviewed by the Club Welfare Officer.

The welfare officer should report progress, challenges, difficulties, achievements gaps and areas where changes are required to the management committee.

The policy should be reviewed every 3 years or whenever there is a major change in the organisation or in relevant legislation.

2 Promoting Good Practice

Introduction

To provide children with the best possible experience and opportunities in badminton everyone must operate within an accepted ethical framework.

It is not always easy to distinguish poor practice from abuse. It is therefore NOT the responsibility of members or participants in badminton to make judgements about whether or not abuse is taking place. It is however their responsibility to identify poor practice and possible abuse and act if they have concerns about the welfare of the child, as explained in section 4.

This section will help you identify what is meant by good practice and poor practice.

Good Practice

All personnel should adhere to the following principles and action:

always work in an open environment (e.g. avoiding private or unobserved situations and encouraging open communication with no secrets)

make the experience of badminton fun and enjoyable: promote fairness, confront and deal with bullying

treat all young people equally and with respect and dignity

always put the welfare of the young person first, before winning

maintain a safe and appropriate distance with players (e.g. it is not appropriate for members or volunteers to have an intimate relationship with a child or to share a room with them)

avoid unnecessary physical contact with young people. Where any form of manual/physical support is required it should be provided openly and with the consent of the young person. Physical contact can be appropriate so long as it is neither intrusive nor disturbing and the young person’s consent has been given

Involve parents/cares wherever possible, e.g. where young people need to be supervised in changing rooms, encourage parents to take responsibility for their own child. If groups have to be supervised in changing rooms always ensure parents, coaches etc work in pairs

request written parental consent if club officials are required to transport young people in their cars

gain written parental consent for any significant travel arrangements e.g. overnight stays

ensure that if mixed teams are taken away, they should always be accompanied by a male and female member of the club

ensure that at away events adults should not enter a young person’s room or invite young people to their rooms

be an excellent role model, this includes not smoking or drinking alcohol in the company of young people

always give enthusiastic and constructive feedback rather than negative criticism

recognising the developmental needs and capacity of the young person and do not risk sacrificing welfare in a desire for club or personal achievements. This means avoiding excessive training or competition and not pushing them against their will

secure written parental consent for the club to act in loco parentis, to give permission for the administration of emergency first aid or other medical treatment if the need arises

keep a written record of any injury that occurs, along with details of any treatment given

Poor Practice

The following are regarded as poor practice and should be avoided by all members:

unnecessarily spending excessive amounts of time alone with young people away from others

taking young people alone in a car on journeys, however short

taking young people to your home where they will be alone with you

sharing a room with a young person

engaging in rough, physical or sexually provocative games, including horseplay

allow or engage in inappropriate touching of any form

allowing young people to use inappropriate language unchallenged

making sexually suggestive comments to a young person, even in fun

reducing a young person to tears as a form of control

allow allegations made by a young person to go unchallenged, unrecorded or not acted upon

do things of a personal nature that the young person can do for themselves

Use of Changing Rooms, Toilets and Showering facilities.

Adults must not change, or shower, at the same time using the same facility as children.
Adults should try to change at separate times to children during matches, for example when children are padding up.
Adults will not use mobile devices when children are present in changing rooms.
Mixed gender teams must have access to separate male and female changing rooms.

The club will seek consent from parents that their child(ren) can share a changing room with adults in the club.

If children are uncomfortable changing or showering at the club, no pressure will be placed on them to do so.

When a case arises where it is impractical/impossible to avoid certain situation e.g. transporting a young person on you car, the tasks should only be carried out with the full understanding and consent of the parent/care and the young person involved.

If during your care you accidentally hurt a young person, the young person seems distressed in any manner, appears to be sexually aroused by your actions and/or if the young person misunderstands or misinterprets something you have done, report any such incidents as soon as possible to another colleague and make a written note of it. Parents should also be informed of the incident.

2.4 Defining Child Abuse

Introduction

Child abuse is any form of physical, emotional or sexual mistreatment or lack of care that leads to injury or harm, it commonly occurs within a relationship of trust or responsibility and is an abuse of power or a breach of trust. Abuse can happen to a young person regardless of their age, gender, race or ability.

There are four main types of abuse: physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse and neglect. The abuser may be a family member, someone the young person encounters in residential care or in the community, including sports and leisure activities. Any individual may abuse or neglect a young person directly, or may be responsible for abuse because they fail to prevent another person harming the young person.

Abuse in all of its forms can affect a young person at any age. The effects can be so damaging that if not treated may follow the individual into adulthood

Young people with disabilities may be at increased risk of abuse through various factors such as stereotyping, prejudice, discrimination, isolation and a powerlessness to protect themselves or adequately communicate that abuse had occurred.

Types of Abuse

Physical Abuse: where adults physically hurt or injure a young person e.g. hitting, shaking, throwing, poisoning, burning, biting, scalding, suffocating, drowning. Giving young people alcohol or inappropriate drugs would also constitute child abuse.

This category of abuse can also include when a parent/carer reports non-existent symptoms or illness deliberately causes ill health in a young person they are looking after. This is called Munchausens syndrome by proxy.

In a sports situation, physical abuse may occur when the nature and intensity of training disregard the capacity of the child’s immature and growing body

Emotional Abuse: the persistent emotional ill treatment of a young person, likely to cause severe and lasting adverse effects on the child’s emotional development. It may involve telling a young person they are useless, worthless, unloved, inadequate or valued in terms of only meeting the needs of another person. It may feature expectations of young people that are not appropriate to their age or development. It may cause a young person to be frightened or in danger by being constantly shouted at, threatened or taunted which may make the young person frightened or withdrawn.

Ill treatment of children, whatever form it takes, will always feature a degree of emotional abuse.

Emotional abuse in sport may occur when the young person is constant criticised, given negative feedback, expected to perform at levels that are above their capability. Other forms of emotional abuse could take the form of name calling and bullying.

Bullying may come from another young person or an adult. Bullying is defined as deliberate hurtful behaviour, usually repeated over a period of time, where it is difficult for those bullied to defend themselves. There are three main types of bullying.

It may be physical (e.g. hitting, kicking, slapping), verbal (e.g. racist or homophobic remarks, name calling, graffiti, threats, abusive text messages), emotional (e.g. tormenting, ridiculing, humiliating, ignoring, isolating form the group), or sexual (e.g. unwanted physical contact or abusive comments).

In sport bullying may arise when a parent or coach pushes the young person too hard to succeed, or a rival athlete or official uses bullying behaviour.

Neglect occurs when an adult fails to meet the young person’s basic physical and/or psychological needs, to an extent that is likely to result in serious impairment of the child’s health or development. For example, failing to provide adequate food, shelter and clothing, failing to protect from physical harm or danger, or failing to ensure access to appropriate medical care or treatment.

Refusal to give love, affection and attention can also be a form of neglect.

Neglect in sport could occur when a coach does not keep the young person safe, or exposing them to undue cold/heat or unnecessary risk of injury.

Sexual Abuse occurs when adults (male and female) use children to meet their own sexual needs. This could include full sexual intercourse, masturbation, oral sex, anal intercourse and fondling. Showing young people pornography or talking to them in a sexually explicit manner are also forms of sexual abuse.

In sport, activities which might involve physical contact with young people could potentially create situations where sexual abuse may go unnoticed. Also the power of the coach over young athletes, if misused, may lead to abusive situations developing.

Indicators of Abuse

Even for those experienced in working with child abuse, it is not always easy to recognise a situation where abuse may occur or has already taken place. Most people are not experts in such recognition, but indications that a child is being abused may include one or more of the following:

unexplained or suspicious injuries such as bruising, cuts or burns, particularly if situated on a part of the body not normally prone to such injuries

an injury for which an explanation seems inconsistent

the young person describes what appears to be an abusive act involving them

another young person or adult expresses concern about the welfare of a young person

unexplained changes in a young person’s behaviour e.g. becoming very upset, quiet, withdrawn or displaying sudden outbursts of temper

inappropriate sexual awareness

engaging in sexually explicit behaviour

distrust of adult’s, particularly those whom a close relationship would normally be expected

difficulty in making friends

being prevented from socialising with others

displaying variations in eating patterns including over eating or loss of appetite

losing weight for no apparent reason

becoming increasingly dirty or unkempt

Signs of bullying include:

behavioural changes such as reduced concentration and/or becoming withdrawn, clingy, depressed, tearful, emotionally up and down, reluctance to go training or competitions

an unexplained drop off in performance

physical signs such as stomach aches, headaches, difficulty in sleeping, bed wetting, scratching and bruising, damaged clothes, bingeing e.g. on food, alcohol or cigarettes

a shortage of money or frequents loss of possessions

It must be recognised that the above list is not exhaustive, but also that the presence of one or more of the indications is not proof that abuse is taking place. It is NOT the responsibility of those working in the club to decide that child abuse is occurring. It IS their responsibility to act on any concerns.

Use of Photographic/Filming Equipment at Sporting Events

There is evidence that some people have used sporting events as an opportunity to take inappropriate photographs or film footage of young people. All clubs should be vigilant and any concerns should be reported to the Club welfare officer. Truro Badminton club adopts the following principles in relation to photography:

Photographs/images are not to be taken at matches or training without the prior permission of the parents/carers of the child. This permission can be given by proxy, by the coach of each team, only after parental consent for this has been granted.
If no consent has been given for a child on the player profile form, then it is to be made known to the relevant person of the other team (e.g. coach/team manager) so the appropriate person/s taking photographs for the other team is/are aware and can avoid taking photographs of that particular child
The children should be informed a person will be taking photographs
The children should be informed that if they have concerns they can report these to the coach or captain
Concerns regarding inappropriate, or intrusive, photography should be reported to the Club Welfare Officer and recorded in the same manner as any other child protection or safeguarding concern

Truro Badminton club will adhere to the following principles with regards to the publishing of photographs of children:

Ask for parental permission to use the child’s image and, wherever possible, show the image to the parents and child in advance. This ensures that they are aware of the way the image will be used to represent badminton and the club
Ask for the child’s permission to use their image. This ensures they are aware of the way the image is to be used to represent badminton and the club
If the player is named, avoid using their photograph, and if a photograph is used, avoid naming the child
Only use images of children in appropriate kit (training or competition), to reduce the risk of inappropriate use, and to provide positive images of the children
Encourage the reporting of inappropriate use of images of children. If you are concerned, report your concerns to the County or Club Welfare Officer

Using video as a coaching aid:

There is no intention on the part of the ECB to prevent club coaches using video equipment as a legitimate coaching aid. However, players and parents/carers should be aware that this is part of the coaching programme, and material taken in connection with coaching, must be stored securely and deleted or destroyed when a parent requests this, or when the material is no longer needed.

The parents/carers and children must provide written consent for the use of photography and video analysis.

3 Responding to Suspicions and Allegations

Introduction

It is not the responsibility of anyone working in Club 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 so that they can then make inquiries and take necessary action to protect the young person. This applies BOTH to allegations/suspicions of abuse occurring within Club and to allegations/suspicions that abuse is taking place elsewhere.

This section explains how to respond to allegations/suspicions.

Receiving Evidence of Possible Abuse

We may become aware of possible abuse in various ways. We may see it happening, we may suspect it happening because of signs such as those listed in section 3 of this document, it may be reported to us by someone else or directly by the young person affected.

In the last of these cases, it is particularly important to respond appropriately. If a young person says or indicates that they are being abused, you should:

stay calm so as not to frighten the young person
reassure the child that they are not to blame and that it was right to tell
listen to the child, showing that you are taking them seriously
keep questions to a minimum so that there is a clear and accurate understanding of what has been said. The law is very strict and child abuse cases have been dismissed where it is felt that the child has been led or words and ideas have been suggested during questioning. Only ask questions to clarify
inform the child that you have to inform other people about what they have told you. Tell the child this is to help stop the abuse continuing.
safety of the child is paramount. If the child needs urgent medical attention call an ambulance, inform the doctors of the concern and ensure they are made aware that this is a child protection issue
record all information
report the incident to the club welfare officer or the Local Authority Designated Officer.

In all cases if you are not sure what to do you can get help from the NSPCC 24 hour help line Tel No: 0800800500

Recording Information

To ensure that information is as helpful as possible, a detailed record should always be made at the time of the disclosure/concern. In recording you should confine yourself to the facts and distinguish what is your personal knowledge and what others have told you. Do not include your own opinions.

Information should include the following:

the child’s name, age and date of birth
the child’s home address and telephone number
whether or not the person making the report is expressing their concern or someone else’s
the nature of the allegation, including dates, times and any other relevant information
a description of any visible bruising or injury, location, size etc. 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/injuries occurred
have the parents been contacted? If so what has been said?
has anyone else been consulted? If so record details
has anyone been alleged to be the abuser? Record detail

Reporting the Concern

All suspicions and allegations MUST be reported appropriately. It is recognised that strong emotions can be aroused particularly in cases where sexual abuse is suspected or where there is misplaced loyalty to a colleague. It is important to understand these feelings but not allow them to interfere with your judgement about any action to take.

The club expects it’s members and members to discuss any concerns they may have about the welfare of a childimmediately with the person in charge and subsequently to check that appropriate action has been taken.

If the nominated club welfare officer is not available you should take responsibility and seek advice from the NSPCC helpline, the duty officer at your local social services department or the police. Telephone numbers can be found in your local directory.

Where there is a complaint against an employee or volunteer, there may be three types of investigation.

Criminal in which case the police are immediately involved
Child protection in which case the social services (and possibly) the police will be involved
Disciplinary or misconduct in which case the Club will be involved

As mentioned previously in this document members of the Club are not child protection experts and it is not their responsibility to determine whether or not abuse has taken place. All suspicions and allegations must be shared with professional agencies that are responsible for child protection.

In all cases if you are not sure what to do you can gain help from the NSPCC 24 hour help line Tel No: 0800800500

Social services have a legal responsibility under The Children Act 1989 to investigate all child protection referrals by talking to the child and family (where appropriate), gathering information from other people who know the child and making inquiries jointly with the police.

NB: If there is any doubt, you must report the incident: it may be just one of a series of other incidences which together cause concern

Any suspicion that a child has been abused by an employee or a volunteer should be reported to the Club who will take appropriate steps to ensure the safety of the child in question and any other child who may be at risk. This will include the following:

The club will refer the matter to social services department
the parent/carer of the child will be contacted as soon as possible following advice from the social services department
the chair person of Truro badminton club should be notified to decide who will deal with any media inquiries and implement any immediate disciplinary proceedings
the club welfare officer should also notify the Badminton Association of England governing body
if the Club welfare officer is the subject of the suspicion/allegation the report must be made to the Chair person who will refer the matter to social services

Allegations of abuse are sometimes made sometime after the event. Where such allegation is made, you should follow the same procedures and have the matter reported to social services. This is because other children in the sport or outside it may be at risk from the alleged abuser. Anyone who has a previous conviction for offences related to abuse against children is automatically excluded from working with children.

Safeguarding Contacts
Local Contacts for Safeguarding
Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO)	County Hall, Truro, TR1 3HY	01872 326 53601872 327 225
Local Children’s Social Care (inc out of office hours contact) Please note: In an emergency, the Samaritans will hold the Social Care Duty Officer’s contact number.		0300 1234 101O.O.H 01208 251300
The Samaritans		08457 909 090
Local Police Child Protection Teams (Multi Agency Referral Unit) In an emergency contact via 999.	County Hall, Truro, TR1 3HY	0300 1231 116

National Contacts for Safeguarding
NSPCC Freephone 24 hour Helpline	National Centre Weston House, 42 Curtain Road London, EC2A 3NH www.nsTruro Badminton Club.org.uk	0808 800 5000 Txt 0800 056 0566
NSPCC Asian Child Protection Helpline		0800 096 7719
Child Protection in Sport Unit (CPSU)	3 Gilmour Close, Beaumont Leys, Leicester, L4 1EZwww.thecpsu.org.uk	0116 2347278
Childline UK	Freepost 1111 London N1 OBRwww.childline.org.uk	0800 1111
Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP)	33 Vauxhall Bridge Road, London, SW1V 2WG www.ceop.gov.uk	0870 000 3344

Concerns outside the immediate Sporting Environment (e.g. a parent or carer)
Report your concerns to the Club safeguarding officer
If the Club safeguarding officer is not available, the person being told or discovering the abuse should contact their local social services department or the police immediately
Social Services and the Club safeguarding officer will decide how to inform the parents/carers
The Club safeguarding officer should also report the incident to the Club Chair person or Secretary. They should ascertain whether or not the person/s involved in the incident play a role in the organisation and act accordingly
Maintain confidentiality on a need to know basis

Managing children on trips

The Club will appoint Team Manager(s) with clear roles and responsibilities including:

Communicating the following information to parent(s):

– Why the trip is planned and what is its reason or purpose

– When the trip will take place: date, time of departure and estimated time of return

– Where the trip is to, including the destination and venue

– Where the meeting points will be, at home and at the away venue

– Staffing arrangements, including the name and contact details of the Team Manager responsible for the trip

– Kit and equipment requirements

– Details of cost implications, including the competition fee, any spending or pocket money needed and the transport costs

– Name and contact number of the person acting as the ‘Club Home Contact’

– Arrangements for food and drink

Being in possession of a written copy of relevant emergency contact details and procedures, and medical information for all children participating.
Determining appropriate staffing and staff training and overseeing appropriate arrangements.
Ensuring there is a ‘Club Home Contact’ – a member of the club who is not travelling away, who will act as a contact point in an emergency and who is provided with the relevant information.
Ensuring the players are prepared for touring.

Missing child guidelines

If a child goes missing from an organised session with Truro Badminton Club, the actions should be taken:

Ensure other children are looked after appropriately while you organise a search for the child concerned
Inform the child’s parents, if they are present at the event, or nominate an appropriate person to telephone them and advise of the concern. Reassure them you are doing all you can to locate their child. Remember the child may contact the parents directly so this action is very important
Organise all available responsible adults by areas to be searched. It is best to take a short time to organise the search properly so that all places are searched fully
Send searchers immediately to any exits to the venue to ensure the child has not left, and to any obvious potential danger spots such as nearby lakes or rivers.
Search the area in which the child has gone missing including changing rooms, toilets, public and private areas and the club’s grounds
Request all those searching to report back to a nominated adult at a specific point
This nominated person should remain at this reference point and make a note of events, including a detailed physical description of the child. This should include approximate height, build, hair and eye colour as well as the clothing the child was wearing and where and when they were last seen. All this will be required by the police. If the search is unsuccessful you should then contact the police
A report should go to the police no later than 20 minutes after the child’s disappearance is noted, even if the search is not complete
If the police recommend further action before they get involved, follow their guidance
If the police act upon the concern, always be guided by them in any further actions to take.
At any stage when the child is located, ensure you inform all adults involved including the parents, searchers and the police if, by then, they are involved

All missing child incidents MUST BE notified at the very earliest opportunity to the Club Welfare Officer, who must immediately notify the County Welfare Officer, and they must then notify the ECB Safeguarding Team

Confidentiality

Every effort should be made to ensure that confidentiality is maintained for all concerned. Information should be handled and disseminated on a need to know basis only. This includes the following people:

The Club Welfare Officer
The parents of the child
The person making the allegation
Social Services/police
The Regional Development Officer for Badminton England
The Chair person or secretary of the club
The alleged abuser (and parents if the alleged abuser is a child)

Seek social services advice on who should approach the alleged abuser.

All information should be stored in a secure place with limited access to designated people, in line with data protection laws.

Internal Inquiries and Suspension

The welfare officer will make an immediate decision about whether any individual accused of abuse should be temporarily suspended pending further police and social services inquiries

Irrespective of the findings of the social services or police inquiries the Club Committee will assess all individual cases to decide whether a member of members or volunteer can be reinstated and how this can be sensitively handled. This may be a difficult decision; especially where there is insufficient evidence to uphold any action by the police. In such cases the Club Committee must reach a decision based upon the available information which could suggest that on the balance of probability, it is more likely than not that the allegation is true. The welfare of the child should remain of paramount importance throughout.

Recruiting and Selecting Personnel with Children

Introduction

It is important that all reasonable steps are taken to prevent unsuitable people from working with children. This applies equally to paid members and volunteers, both full and part time. To ensure unsuitable people are prevented from working with children the following steps should be taken when recruiting.

Controlling Access to Children

All volunteers should complete an application form. The application form will elicit information about the applicants past and a self disclosure about any criminal record.
Consent should be obtained from the applicant to seek information from the Criminal Records Bureau.
Two confidential references, including one regarding previous work with children should be obtained. These references MUST be taken up and confirmed through telephone contact.
Evidence of identity (passport or driving licence with photo)

Interview and Induction

All volunteers will be required to read the Safeguarding children and Child protection policy. All volunteers should receive formal or informal induction during which:

A check should be made that the application form has been completed in full, including sections on criminal records and self disclosures
The job requirements and responsibilities should be clarified
They should sign to confirm they have read the Safeguarding children and Child protection policy
They should sign up to the organization’s Code of Ethics and Conduct
Child Protection Procedures as outlined in the policy are explained and additional training needs identified e.g. basic child protection awareness

Training and recruitment

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

Analyse their own practice against what is deemed good practice, and to ensure their practice is likely to protect them from false allegations
Recognise their responsibilities and report any concerns about suspected poor practice and/or abuse
Respond to concerns expressed by a child
Work safely and effectively with children

Truro badminton club requires:

All volunteers who have access to children to undergo a DBS check
All employees, volunteers, coaches, welfare officers and team managers to undertake relevant child protection training or undertake a form of home study, to ensure their practice is exemplary and to facilitate the development of positive culture towards good practice and child protection
All members and volunteers to receive advisory information outlining good/bad practice and informing them what to do if they have concerns about the behaviour of an adult towards a young person
All coaches, trainee coaches and leaders should have an up to date first aid qualification

Declaration

On behalf of TRURO BADMINTON CLUB we, the undersigned, will oversee the implementation of the Child Protection Policy and take all necessary steps to ensure it is adhered to.

Signed:

(n.b. One of the signatories should be the Welfare Officer)

Name:		Name:

TRURO BADMINTON CLUB Chair person		TRURO BADMINTON CLUB Safeguarding Officer

Date:		Date:

Renewal date April 2021