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CHILD SAFEGUARDING POLICY

 

 

Introduction

 

Wallasey Chess Club (“the Club”) acknowledges the duty of care to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and young people aged up to 18 years and is committed to ensuring its safeguarding practice reflects statutory responsibilities, government guidance and complies with best practice.

 

This policy recognises that the welfare and interests of children and young people are paramount in all circumstances as enshrined in the Children Act 1989. It aims to ensure that regardless of age, gender, religion or beliefs, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation or identity, or socioeconomic background, all children

 

  • have a positive and enjoyable experience of chess in a safe and child centred environment; and

  • are protected from harm and abuse whilst participating in chess or outside of the activity.

 

It also aims to provide staff and volunteers with the overarching principles that guide our approach to child protection.

 

The Club acknowledges that some children, including disabled children and young people or those from ethnic minority communities, can be particularly vulnerable to abuse and we accept the responsibility to take reasonable and appropriate steps to ensure their welfare. As part of our safeguarding policy the Club will:

 

  • promote and prioritise the safety and wellbeing of children and young people;

  • value, listen to and respect children and young people;

  • ensure everyone understands their roles and responsibilities in respect of safeguarding and is provided with appropriate learning opportunities to recognise, identify and respond to signs of abuse, neglect and other safeguarding concerns relating to children and young people;

  • make clear who the designated Safeguarding Officer is and their role;

  • ensure appropriate action is taken in the event of incidents/concerns of abuse and support provided to the individual/s who raise or disclose the concern;

  • ensure that confidential, detailed and accurate records of all safeguarding concerns are maintained and securely stored;

  • prevent the employment/deployment of unsuitable individuals;

  • ensure robust safeguarding arrangements and procedures are in operation; and

  • share concerns with agencies who need to know, involving parents and children appropriately.

 

The policy and procedures will be widely promoted and are mandatory for everyone involved in the provision of chess to juniors at the Club including staff, officers, volunteers and anyone working on behalf of the Club. Failure to comply with the policy and procedures will be addressed without delay and may ultimately result in dismissal/exclusion from the organisation.

Legal framework

 

This policy is based on that published by the English Chess Federation (ECF) which, in turn, was drawn up on the basis of law and guidance that seeks to protect children, namely:

 

  • Children Act 1989

  • United Convention of the Rights of the Child 1991

  • Data Protection Act 1998

  • Sexual Offences Act 2003

  • Children Act 2004

  • Protection of Freedoms Act 2012

  • Relevant government guidance on safeguarding children including: Working Together to Safeguard Children (2018 and 2019)

 

Monitoring

 

The policy will be reviewed annually by the lead safeguarding officer and reported to the Club committee or in the following circumstances:

 

  • changes in legislation and/or government guidance;

  • as required by the Local Safeguarding Children Board or the Club committee; or

  • as a result of any other significant change or event.

 

Policy Procedures

 

1. Safeguarding Children/Child Protection

 

Safeguarding in this document means the process of protecting children and young people up to the age of 18 from harm. Harm can include deliberate abuse, neglect (deliberate or not), bullying, exclusion and prejudiced attitudes. Child protection is part of safeguarding and is the process of protecting individual children who are identified as suffering or likely to suffer significant harm. This policy concentrates on the latter but acknowledges the principles of the former.

 

The Club’s Safeguarding Officer has responsibility for providing advice and support to other staff, volunteers and members, and ensuring that safeguarding children remains a priority in all the work that the Club does. The Safeguarding Officer is responsible for the approval of any activities provided by the Club to children and ensuring that any members involved in the provision of regulated activity have the appropriate certificates.

 

The Safeguarding Officer for the Club is:

 

Name: Craig Jones

Telephone: 07850 251030

E-mail: cj239679@gmail.com

 

2. Recognising the signs and symptoms of abuse

 

Staff and volunteers are required to recognise signs and symptoms of abuse. There are 4 main areas of abuse:

 

  • Physical Abuse;

  • Emotional Abuse;

  • Sexual Abuse; and

  • Neglect (intentional and unintentional)

 

Possible signs of abuse include:

 

  • 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 or the explanation of the cause of the injury is does not seem right;

  • You observe or the child discloses abuse, or describes what appears to be an abusive act;

  • Someone else (child or adult) expresses concern about the welfare of another child;

  • Unexplained change in behaviour such as withdrawal or sudden outbursts of temper;

  • Inappropriate sexual awareness or sexually explicit behaviour;

  • Distrust of adults, particularly those with whom a close relationship would normally be expected;

  • Difficulty in making friends; and

  • Eating disorders, depression, self-harm or suicide attempts.

 

3. Management and supervision of staff and/or volunteers

 

The Club recognises that sometimes there are people who work, or seek to work with children and young people who may pose a risk to children and who may harm them. Ensuring that there is a clear process for employing/deploying/recruiting staff and volunteers should help reduce this risk. The following steps are taken by the Club in this regard:

 

  • The Club makes it clear that it has a commitment to safeguarding and protecting children;

  • A DBS check is carried out for all staff and volunteers working with juniors;

  • All staff and volunteers working with juniors will be provided with a copy of the child protection/safeguarding policy and be expected to be familiar with it;

  • All staff and volunteers must follow the Club’s Child Protection Code of Conduct (see below); and

  • All staff and volunteers will know who the club’s Safeguarding Officer is and how to contact them if they have a concern.

 

4. Child Protection Code of Conduct

 

Staff and volunteers are expected to:

 

  • Ensure the safety of all children by providing effective supervision and proper planning of organised chess activities.

  • Consider the wellbeing and safety of participants before engaging in activities such as coaching or organising playing of chess.

  • Encourage and guide participants to accept responsibility for their own performance and behaviour.

  • Treat all young people fairly and ensure they feel valued and respected. Have no favourites.

  • Encourage all children not to discriminate on the grounds of religious beliefs, race, gender, social classes or lack of ability.

  • Not allow any bullying, or the use of bad language or inappropriate behaviour.

  • Appreciate the efforts of all young people and encourage sensible participation in chess activities.

  • Never exert undue influence over performers to obtain personal benefit or reward.

  • Be positive, approachable and offer praise to promote the objectives of the club/organisation at all times.

  • Not let any allegations of abuse of any kind or poor practice to go unchallenged or unrecorded. Incidents and accidents to be recorded in the line with the procedures of the Club.

  • Never use sanctions that humiliate or harm young people.

  • Report accidents or incidents of alleged abuse or poor practice to the designated Safeguarding Officer.

  • Administer minor first aid (if appropriate) in the presence of others and where required refer more serious incidents to the designated “First Aider” or send for/to medical assistance. Avoid administering First Aid involving the removing of children’s clothing unless in the presence of others.

  • Have access to telephone for immediate contact to emergency services if required.

  • Ensure the rights and responsibilities of children or young people are enforced.

  • Establish and address the additional needs of disabled participants or other vulnerable groups.

  • Not abuse children or young people physically, emotionally or sexually.

  • Not engage in a sexual relationship with a child or young person for whom they are responsible.

  • Maintain confidentiality about sensitive information.

  • Respect and listen to the opinions of young people.

  • Develop an appropriate working relationship with participants, based on mutual trust and respect.

  • Be a role model, displaying consistently high standard of behaviour and appearance (disciplined/committed/time keeping).

  • Refrain from smoking and consumption of alcohol during direct coaching.

  • Avoid taking photographs without permission, especially of individuals (see additional photography policy below).

  • Not accept or give individual gifts to children and young people without permission from parents/guardians.

  • Not add minors to their social media accounts or have telephone numbers unless parents have given permission.

  • Not spend excessive amounts of time alone with children unless there are exceptional circumstances.

  • Never take children to their home, hotel bedroom or similar (e.g. for coaching) without the additional presence of their parent/guardian or a person who is authorised by their parent/guardian, or without explicit parental/guardian consent.

  • Plan activities which involve more than one other person being present or at least are within sight or hearing of others where possible. This applies to such activities as one-to-one training and travelling to or from chess events.

  • Not have any inappropriate verbal or physical contact (including suggestive gestures) with/in front of children or young people.

 

5. Photography policy

 

Recording an event with photos or videos can be very important to celebrate children’s achievements. Unfortunately, the Club recognises that photographs and videos, including the use of camera phones, can be misused by child abusers, especially via the Internet.

 

Staff and volunteers are expected to:

 

  • obtain written consent from parents/guardians before taking photographs or video.

  • inform parents/guardians how the material will be used.

  • their consent for any publication or media use.

  • take any club/group photos only during Club activity.

  • ensure that anyone wishing to photograph or video a Club activity which includes children registers their name and address with the Club beforehand.

  • Be vigilant of adults who attempt to take photographs but who do not appear to be with any children as parents or carers.

 

6. Allegations against staff and volunteers

 

If an allegation of abuse is made against staff or volunteers, it must be reported immediately to the Safeguarding Officer.

 

In all cases the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) should be involved in the immediate discussion with the Safeguarding Officer to confirm next steps. The LADO should be made aware of the incident within one working day.

 

Any police and/or Children Social Work Service investigation takes precedence and no internal investigation may take place until the organisation has been advised they may do so by the LADO or police. When an internal investigation is undertaken, consideration should be given to the operation of disciplinary procedures. In most circumstances the options available for the organisation are:

 

  • no further action;

  • immediate suspension; or

  • dismissal.

 

The severity of the allegation, information and evidence available can often determine the next stages taken.

 

The Club committee should agree who will hear an appeal if required.

 

7. Recording and managing confidential information

 

A form for recording concerns/allegations of abuse, harm and neglect must be completed by the person raising the concern.

 

Children and young people have a right to confidentiality unless the organisation holding the records considers they could be at risk of abuse and/or harm. The legal principle is that the “welfare of the child is paramount”. Privacy and confidentiality is respected where possible but if doing this leaves a child at risk of harm then the child’s safety has to come first. Legally, it is perfectly acceptable to share information if someone is worried about the safety of a child but only people who need to know should be told.

 

8. Distributing and reviewing the policy

 

This policy is freely available to all members via the Club’s website, and a hard copy is available from the Club on request.

 

The policy will be reviewed annually by the Safeguarding Officer and signed by a member of the Club committee, to ensure that safeguards are being implemented and are effective in the organisation and that risk is being managed.

 

Approval

 

This policy is approved by the committee of Wallasey Chess Club.

 

 

Signed: Craig Warren Jones Date: 15th August 2023

 

 

Print Name: CRAIG WARREN JONES Position at Club: Assistant Secretary