Safeguarding Policy
Policy statement
Leweston Pentathlon Academy has a duty of care to protect all children and vulnerable young adults from harm. All children have a right to protection, and the needs of disabled children and others who may be particularly vulnerable must be taken into account. Leweston Pentathlon Academy will use its best endeavours to ensure the safety and protection of all children involved with the club through adherence to the Child Protection guidelines adopted by Leweston Pentathlon Academy.
At the Leweston Pentathlon Academy, the welfare of our members comes before anything else we do.
A child is defined as a person under the age of 18 (The Children Act 1989).
In Leweston Pentathlon Academy we believe that the welfare of children is everyone's responsibility, particularly when it comes to protecting children from abuse. Everyone in the sport can help; administrator, club official, coach, parent, friend and children themselves. Abuse can occur wherever there are children at home, at school, in the park, at the club. Sadly, there are some people who will seek to be where children are simply in order to abuse them. We believe that everyone in Dorset Pentathletes has a moral responsibility and therefore a part to play in looking after the children and vulnerable adults with whom we are working. The Children Act 1989, and all subsequent amendments, indicates that anyone who has responsibility for the care of children should "do what is reasonable in all circumstances for the purpose of safeguarding or promoting the child's welfare." While the welfare of young people is Leweston Pentathlon Academy first consideration in establishing a child protection programme it is also seen that the interests of coaches themselves need to be taken account of, particularly where falsely accused. A feature of Leweston Pentathlon Academy policy on Child Protection is to ensure that we provide coaches with access to a confidential advice, guidance and support, provided separately to that provided for those with concerns that abuse may be taking place.
These child protection procedures stem from the following principles:
1. The child's welfare is the first consideration
2. Anyone under the age of 18 is classed as a child
3. All children, regardless of age, any disability they have, gender, racial origin, religious belief and sexual identity have a right to be protected from abuse.
4. Coaches, clubs and centres need to be provided with advice to raise awareness of best practice and guidance and support should they become involved in an abuse situation.
Good Practice Guidelines for coaches and volunteers By following these guidelines you will help to protect both the children in our sport and our coaches/helpers from wrongful allegations. Avoid situations where you are alone with one child. Leweston Pentathlon Academy acknowledges that occasionally there may be no alternative, for example, where a child falls ill and has to be taken home. We would stress, however, that one to one contact must never be allowed to occur on a regular basis. If any form of physical support is required ask the athlete's permission, explain what you are doing and why to both the child and their parents/carers. Where possible ask parents/carers to be responsible for children in changing rooms. Always ensure that whoever supervises young people work in pairs.
The policies and guidelines referenced within this document and its various appendices are those of Leweston Pentathlon Academy. The principles of both the policy and the appendices are based on our moral and ethical duty to ensure children and vulnerable adults can enjoy Modern Pentathlon and associated sports in a safe environment and as such they reflect current best practice.
Where there are mixed teams/groups away from home, they should if possible always be accompanied by a male and female member of staff. If not parental permission must be gained from the coach/official. However, remember that same gender abuse can also occur.
Don't allow physically rough or sexually provocative games, or inappropriate talking or touching. If it's necessary to do things of a personal nature for children who are young or disabled, make sure you have another adult accompanying you. Get the consent of the parent/carer and if possible the child. Let them know what you are doing and why. Ensure that any claims of abuse by a child are taken seriously and that it is dealt with by people who know what to do. Ensure that the nature and intensity of training does not exceed the capacity of a child's immature and growing body.
Follow Leweston Pentathlon Academy guidelines for photography and video use (see reference sheet 'Guidelines for use of Photographic and Filming Equipment') Dorset Pentathletes adheres to the MPAGB best practice guidelines with particular reference to:
The MPAGB Code of Ethics / Sports Coach UK Code of Conduct. This guidance on child protection and the Guidelines provided. The requirements for coaches and helpers to have undergone disclosure.
Publicise the NSPCC Child protection Helpline 0800 800500.
What is Child Abuse? It's generally acknowledged that there are four main types of abuse, Physical, Sexual, Emotional and Neglect.
Physical Abuse Physical abuse is just what the term implies hurting or injuring a child e.g. by hitting, shaking, squeezing, burning or biting them. In sport this might result if the nature or intensity of training is inappropriate for the capacity of the performer or where drugs are tolerated or advocated. Bullying is likely to come into this category.
Sexual Abuse Where young people are used by adults to meet their own sexual needs. It could range from sexually suggestive comments to full intercourse and includes the use of pornographic material.
Emotional Abuse Emotional abuse occurs when a child is not given love, help and encouragement and is constantly derided or ridiculed e.g. racial or sexual remarks. It can also occur if a child is overprotected. Abuse can occur where a parent or coach has unrealistic expectations over what a child can achieve.
Neglect Failing to meet children's basic needs such as food, warmth, adequate clothing, medical attention or constantly leaving them alone. It could also mean failing to ensure they are safe or exposing them to harm or injury.
Bullying The bully in the sport can also be an adult the parent/carer who pushes too hard, the coach who adopts a win -at-all-costs philosophy or adult athlete who attempt to assert unacceptable behaviour on younger athletes to make them unwelcome or prevent them using association or club equipment. Bullying can also occur between young people. What if you accidentally hurt a child? If you accidentally hurt a child and they seem distressed in any manner, appear sexually aroused by your actions, or misunderstand something you have done, report any such incident immediately to another Coach/official and make a brief written note of it. You should also inform the child's parents/carers, preferably in person. Is touching OK? If a coaching technique would benefit from physical contact or support then first ask the athlete's permission (e.g. would you mind if I held your shoulders to show you what I mean?) It is useful to take time to explain why and how this is used to the athlete and their parent or carer. Touching can be OK and appropriate as long as it is neither intrusive nor disturbing.
Indications of Child Abuse There are physical and behavioural signs that might raise your concern about the welfare or safety of a child. They are only indicators not confirmation. Some examples are:
Bear in mind that physically disabled children and children with learning difficulties are particularly vulnerable to abuse and may have added difficulties in communicating what is happening to them. If you have concerns about the welfare of a child: Please remember the Golden Rule, it is not your responsibility to decide whether a child is being abused but we are asking you to fulfil your legal requirements and act on your concerns. Make a detailed note of what you've seen or heard but don't delay passing on the information. If you are a member, or the parent/carer or friend of a member of a Club you should use the following guidelines:
Should you have any welfare issues you feel you need to discuss with someone in confidence, please contact our welfare officer who will be able to help you. Both athletes and parents are welcome to contact the welfare officer. Even if you think your concern is small, we are here to help. All issues will be treated in confidence. Please remember our welfare officers are volunteers and aim to reply to emails within 48hrs.
Tanya Stead at lpawelfareofficer@gmail.com
Our welfare officer should always be your first point of contact however should you feel your concern relates to Pentathlon GB please contact:
Pentathlon GB Safeguarding & Welfare Lead – Di Murray –Email safeguarding@pentathlongb.org phone 07553 422288 Visit the Pentathlon GB website for more information.
In an emergency:
If you believe a child has been harmed or may be at immediate risk of harm, please make immediate contact with an appropriate agency, such as: The Police Children's Services Multi Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH) Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO)
NSPCC Child Protection Helpline - 0808 800 5000 (24 hours)
NSPCC Child protection in Sport Unit - 0116 366 5626, email: cpsu@nspcc.org.uk
Take the name and contact details of the person you have spoken to, plus the incident/referral reference number (if applicable) so you have a record of the advice they give. Then report this to the club welfare officer and the Pentathlon GB Safeguarding & Welfare Lead the next working day. Other options for help are listed below:
NSPCC Childline - 0800 1111 www.childline.org.uk (Childline offers free, confidential advice and support whatever your worry, whenever you need help)
MIND - Mind.org.uk - 0300 123 3393
Young Minds - Youngminds.org.uk 0808 802 5544
Selfharm UK - selfharm.co.uk
Harmless - harmless.org.uk
Kooth - Online Mental Wellbeing Kooth.com
Samaritans - 116-123, samaritans.org.uk
If you need advice on which of the above helplines to contact, please get in touch and we can guide you.
Equality Policy
1. Leweston Pentathlon Academy is committed to the principles of equality of opportunity. In short, ‘We do not discriminate.’ This means ensuring no participant, volunteer, job applicant or employee favourable treatment on the grounds of gender, age, parental or marital status, social class, colour, race, ethnic origin, sexual preference, creed or disability, or will be disadvantaged by conditions or requirements that cannot be shown to be objectively justified. Leweston Pentathlon Academy will ensure open access for all those who wish to participate in the sport and that they are treated fairly.
2. Leweston Pentathlon Academy recognises its legal obligations under The Equal Pay Act 1970, The Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974, The Sex Discrimination Act 1975, The Race Relations Act 1976 and The Disability Discrimination Act 1995 and successor legislation. It will monitor and review its selection criteria and procedures in relation to participation and employment to ensure that all individuals are selected, promoted and treated solely on the basis of merits and abilities appropriate to the position.
Types of discrimination
3. Direct discrimination may be defined as treating a person less favourably than others are or would be treated in the same or similar circumstances Indirect discrimination occurs when a requirement or condition is applied which, whether intentional or not, adversely affects a considerably larger proportion of people of one race, sex or marital status than another and cannot be justified on grounds other than race, sex or marital status. Harassment may be defined as inappropriate actions, behaviour, comments or physical contact that is objectionable or causes offence to the recipient. It may be of a sexual or racial nature or may arise because of age, sexuality, disability or other characteristic. Victimisation may be defined as someone being treated less favourably than others because he or she has taken action against Dorset Pentathletes under one of the relevant Acts or provided information about such discrimination.
4. Leweston Pentathlon Academy is committed to ensuring that its employees, athletes and volunteers are able to conduct their activities in an environment free from discrimination. Leweston Pentathlon Academy regards discrimination as described above as serious misconduct. Any employee of Leweston Pentathlon Academy, participant or volunteer who discriminates is liable to appropriate disciplinary action.
Implementation
5. A copy of this policy is available to all staff and members of Leweston Pentathlon Academy. All employees and members of the Dorset Pentathletes have responsibilities to respect, act in accordance with and thereby support and promote the spirit and intentions of this policy.
6. Leweston Pentathlon Academy Board is responsible for ensuring that this policy is followed and for dealing with actual or potential breaches. Review
7. Leweston Pentathlon Academy keeps the terms and operation of this policy under regular review.
GENERAL DATA PROTECTION REGULATION (GDPR)
We are fully compliant with GDPR and would like to reassure all our members that we only collect the necessary information that is needed for our enrolment process to facilitate your child’s training requirements. This information is only shared within our club for the period of your enrolment. We do not pass your information to any third party.
We also send out email updates which you are welcome to opt out of. If you choose to opt out of the email, you will not be informed of term times and class changes or cancellations. Medical details are only kept with regards to relevance within your child’s swimming lessons. Information is only shared with the coaches (if necessary) and kept locked and will not sell your information. We will not share your information with any third party except as stated in this Privacy Notice or as required to operate the Sites or provide our services to you.
WEBSITE VISITORS:
Data Collection: We collect the following Personal Data about you if you visit one of our Sites: site referrals, browsing pattern, browser type, location, general interests, gender, age. The data transmitted from your browser includes your IP address, the date and time of the visit the pages accessed, the access status/ HTTP status code, your browser, your operating system and interface, as well as the language and version of the browser software. The legal basis for collecting and processing this personal data is our legitimate interest in operating the Sites, providing you with access to the pages you wish to access, understanding the interests of our potential customers and providing you with relevant information about our services. Leweston Pentathlon Academy will not sell your information. We will not share your information with any third party except as stated in this Privacy Notice or as required to operate the Sites, provide our services to you or otherwise as required or permitted by law. We regularly review our security systems to ensure that your Personal Data remains secure.
LEWESTON PENTATHLON ACADEMY'S PRIVACY POLICY:
This Privacy Notice sets out the basis on which we will process the personally identifying information (‘Personal Data’) that we collect and receive from and about users of our website (www.leweston-pentathlon-academy.co.uk) and customers who attend our sessions or subscribe to our newsletters
Our privacy commitments: We will only collect, keep, use and share Personal Data for legitimate club purposes that we explain here below, or if we’re legally required to do so. We will be as clear and open as we can with you on what Personal Data we collect and how it will be processed. For as long as we maintain records of your Personal Data, we will keep it up to date and protect it with appropriate safety measures.
CUSTOMERS COLLECTION:
We collect the following Personal data from or about you as a Leweston pentathlon Academy website user/customer:
Personal Data Collected Directly from you through the booking process: your name, your children’s name(s), phone number, postal address, email address, gender and ages. Our legal basis for the collection and processing of this data is the provision to you of the services purchased by you.
Personal Data Collected Automatically from the use by you of the Sites. The data transmitted from your browser includes your IP address, the date and time of the visit the pages accessed, the access status/HTTP status code, your browser, your operating system and interface, as well as the language and version of the browser software. The legal basis for collecting and processing this personal data is to be able to operate the Sites and provide you with access to the pages you wish to access.
DATA USES:
We use your Personal Data:
To personalise your experience with us (your information helps us to better respond to your individual needs)
To improve our website (we continually strive to improve our website based on the information we receive from you)
To send periodic e-mails re term start dates and informing parents about pool closures, changes to sessions etc . The e-mail address you provide us with, will only be used to send you information and updates pertaining to your child’s training (Please note; If at any time you would like to opt out from receiving e-mails, please let Leweston pentathlon Academy know. However, you will then not be updated with any news or term dates.)
To contact you with surveys and feedback requests (for example relating to any sessions you or your child have attended)
COOKIES:
We use cookies (small text files which are transferred to your browser by the Sites to identify data traffic patterns, personalise contents and support security). They do not provide any information which might disclose the identity of a specific person but they may potentially identify your computer, our browser and your internet settings. You may change the storing of cookies in your browser settings at any time by selecting the function “accept no cookies”. However, disabling essential cookies may result in you no longer be able to use the entire functionality of the Site.
DATA SHARING:
Leweston Pentathlon Academy will not sell your information. We will not share your information with any third party except as stated in this Privacy Notice or as required to operate the Sites or provide our services to you.
Your Rights in Relation to Personal Data:
You have the right to update and correct the personal information on your account. You also have the right to request from us all personal information that we hold that relates to you, to request restriction of the processing of that data and to request that we delete that data. Where allowed by applicable law there may be an administrative charge for supply of copies of data and we may also require you to provide us with appropriate identification before we comply with this request. You also have the right to object to our continued processing of your personal data. You may also have the right to data portability.
You can contact us with questions about the personal information we hold about you using the contact information provided in the Contact Us of this privacy notice.
We will update this Privacy Notice from time to time to reflect changes in our business. All such changes will be posted to the Sites and if we consider it to be appropriate we will notify subscribers of any material changes by e-mail.
Leweston Pentathlon Academy is the Data Controller in respect of any Personal Data that you submit to us or that we collect from or about you. If you would like to know what information we hold about you or if you have any other queries or complaints in relation to this Privacy Notice, or our Sites, our contact details are as follows:
Mick Flaherty
Head Coach
Leweston Pentathlon Academy
flaherty121aol.com
