Children and Young People Safeguarding Policy

Introduction

Everyone working with children and young people has a responsibility for keeping them safe, irrespective of their role, whether they are paid members of staff or volunteers.

England Golf is committed to ensure that the sport of golf is one within which all participants can thrive in a safe environment and that all children and young people have an enjoyable and positive experience when playing golf.

Key Principles

• The welfare of children is paramount.
• A child is defined by law in England and Wales as a person under the age of 18 years.
• All children, regardless of their Age, Race, Religion or Belief, Disability, Gender identity or Sexual Orientation, have the right to protection from abuse.
• All concerns and allegations of abuse and poor practice will be taken seriously and responded to swiftly and appropriately.
• All children have the right to be safe.
• All children have the right to be treated with dignity and respect.
• Lexden Wood Golf Club will work with children, their parents/carers and external organisations to safeguard the welfare of children participating in golf.
• We recognise the authority of the statutory agencies and are committed to complying with Local Safeguarding Children Board Guidelines (LSCB), Working Together under the Children Act 2004, and any legislation and statutory guidance that supersedes these.
• Lexden Wood Golf Club is committed to working in partnership with other key UK Golf Bodies to continually improve and to promote safeguarding initiatives across the sport.
• Lexden Wood Golf Club owes a legal duty of care to children on their premises or engaged in their activities. That duty is to take reasonable care to ensure their reasonable safety and the duty is higher than it would be for adults.

Objectives

Lexden Wood Golf Club aims to:

• Provide a safe environment for children and young people participating in golfing activities and try to ensure that they enjoy the experience.
• Ensure robust systems are in place to manage any concerns or allegations.
• Support adults (staff, volunteers, PGA Professionals, coaches, members and visitors) to understand their roles and responsibilities with regard to their duty of care and protection of children.
• Provide appropriate level training, support and resources for staff, volunteers and coaches to make informed and confident responses to specific safeguarding issues and fulfil their role effectively.
• Ensure that children and their parents/carers are informed and consulted and, where appropriate, fully involved in decisions that affect them.
• Reassure parents and carers that all children and young people will receive the best care possible whilst participating in club activities and communicate Policy and Procedure to them through website, letters and consents.

Responsibilities and Implementation

Lexden Wood Golf Club will seek to promote the principles of safeguarding children by:

• Reviewing their policy and procedures every three years or whenever there is a major change in legislation. Guidance from England Golf will be sought as part of the review process.
• Conducting a risk assessment of club activities with regard to safeguarding and taking appropriate action to address the identified issues within suitable timescales.
• Using appropriate recruitment procedures to assess the suitability of volunteers and staff working with children and young people in line with guidance from England Golf.
• Following National Governing Body (NGB) procedures to report concerns and allegations about the behaviour of adults and ensuring that all staff, volunteers, parents and children are aware of these procedures.
• Directing staff, volunteers and coaches to appropriate safeguarding training and learning opportunities, where this is appropriate to their role.

1. Recruitment and Training

Lexden Wood Golf Club will endeavour to ensure that all volunteers and staff working with children and young people are appropriate and suitable to do so, and that they have all the information they require to undertake their job effectively and appropriately.

Each role which involves an element of responsibility with regard to children, particularly those involving the regular supervision of children, whether voluntary or paid, should be assessed to establish which qualifications, checks and other requirements are necessary. These will include:

• An application form
• A self-disclosure form
• References from 2 people
• A signed Code of Conduct
• A Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) check on people involved in ‘regulated activity’ with children

Details of the requirements, qualifications and checks of individuals will be recorded by the Club Welfare Officer/Secretary/Manager who will also hold copies of the necessary Safeguarding and Protecting Children (SPC) certificates.

All staff, volunteers and coaches will be offered access to appropriate child protection training. Lexden Wood Golf Club recommends attendance at the UK Coaching Safeguarding and Protecting Children (SPC) workshop and will ensure that all volunteers and staff who have significant contact with children attend. An online UK Coaching refresher course should be completed and repeated every three years for those involved in “Regulated Activity”.

All staff, volunteers and coaches involved with children and young people will be asked to read the Code of Conduct relevant to their role, and sign to indicate their understanding and agreement to act in accordance with the code.

2. Complaints, Concerns and Allegations

All concerns will be treated in confidence. Details should only be shared on a “need to know” basis with those who can help with the management of the concern.

Concerns will be recorded on an Incident Report Form and sent to the England Golf Lead Safeguarding Officer and retained confidentially within the club. The England Golf Lead Safeguarding Officer can assist with completion of this form if required: 01526 351824.

Lexden Wood Golf Club will work with England Golf and other external agencies to take appropriate action where concerns relate to potential abuse or serious poor practice.

If a child makes a disclosure of abuse

• Reassure them that they have done the right thing to share the information.
• Listen carefully.
• Do not make promises that cannot be kept, such as promising not to tell anyone else.
• Do not seek to actively question the child or lead them in any way to disclose more information than they are comfortably able to - this may compromise any future action. Only ask questions to clarify your understanding where needed.
• Record what the child has said as soon as possible on an incident report form.
• Explain to children, young people and families at the outset, openly and honestly, what and how information will, or could be shared and why, and seek their agreement.
• Parents or Carers should be informed if the allegation does not involve them.

Safeguarding children and young people requires everyone to be committed to the highest possible standards of openness, integrity and accountability. Anyone who reports a legitimate concern (even if their concerns subsequently appear to be unfounded) will be supported. All concerns will be taken seriously.

3. Flow Charts

Flow Chart 1 - Concern about a child outside the club

What to do if you are worried about what is happening to a child outside of the Club (but the concern is identified through the child’s involvement in golf)

Flow Chart 2 - Concern about the behaviour of an adult

What to do if you are worried about the behaviour of any member, parent/carer, volunteer, staff, coach or official in golf or affiliated organisations

4. Emergencies and Incidents

Parental Consent Forms will be obtained and retained by Lexden Wood Golf Club for all children who are participating in events or activities, or attending coaching organised by the club.

If a child requires medical attention

• The parents will be contacted immediately.
• In the event of failure to contact parents, the alternative emergency contacts will be used.
• The consent form will be consulted to establish whether parents have given their consent for a club representative to act in loco parentis.
• An adult club representative will accompany the child to seek medical attention, if appropriate, ensuring that they take the consent form with them.
• A record of the action taken will be made and retained by a club representative.

If a parent is late collecting their child

• Attempt to contact the parent/carer using the contact details on the Parental Consent Form.
• Attempt to contact the first, then the second emergency contact nominated on the Consent Form.
• Wait with the young person(s) at the venue with, wherever possible, other staff/volunteers or parents.
• If no one is reachable, contact the Club’s Welfare Officer for advice.
• If all attempts to make contact fail, consideration should be given to contacting the police for their advice.

5. Supervision

1. During coaching sessions, coaches should conduct a risk assessment to inform decision making about appropriate supervision levels. Regardless of recommended ratios, it is recommended that a minimum of two adults should be present at all times.
2. Parents may be encouraged to stay for coaching, competitions and other events where their children are of an age where greater levels of parental supervision are required.
3. Wherever possible adults will avoid changing or showering at the same time as children. Parents will be made aware that with limited changing room space there will be occasions when adults and children may need to share the facilities.
4. Parents should be aware that if children are left at a venue unsupervised, other than to attend specific coaching sessions, competitions, or other organised events, the club cannot accept supervisory responsibility.
5. Special arrangements will be made for away trips. Parents will receive full information about arrangements for any such trip and will be required to provide their consent for their child’s participation.

6. Good Practice Guidelines

6.1 Behaviour of Adults and Children

Adults who work with children are placed in a position of trust and must behave appropriately and provide a strong positive role model for children, both to protect children and those working with children from false allegations of poor practice.

Codes of conduct are issued to junior members and adults working with them to promote good practice. All staff and volunteers working with children are required to adhere to the standards set out in the Code of Conduct relevant to their role.

6.2 Adults and Children Playing Golf Together

One of the reasons for the popularity of golf is that the game is not restricted by ability, age or gender. Responsible interaction between adults and children helps bring mutual respect and understanding. Adults should always be aware that age-related differences do exist and conduct themselves in a manner that prioritises the welfare of any children involved.

6.3 Physical Contact

Physical contact with children by coaches or volunteers should always be intended to meet the needs of the child and the sport, not the adult - to develop golf technique, to protect the child from injury, to provide first aid or treat an injury. It should always take place in an open environment and should not be made gratuitously or unnecessarily.

6.4 Transport

The club believes it is primarily the responsibility of parents/carers to transport their child/children to and from events. It is not the responsibility of club volunteers or coaches to transport children and young people to and from events, activities, tournaments or matches.

The club may make arrangements for transport in exceptional circumstances, such as team events. Where this is the case, the written permission of the parents will be sought. Drivers will be checked for suitability and their insurance verified.

6.5 Photography and Videoing

Permission will be sought from parents prior to the publication or use of any video or photographic images of their child, for instance in newspapers, websites or for coaching purposes. The personal details of the child will not be used in any promotional material.

Any press or official photographers attending events will be required to seek permission from the club before taking photographs and also permission of parents to use the images.

6.6 Social Media

It is important that all staff, volunteers, coaches, officials, board members, or anyone working on behalf of the club are aware of the club Social Media policy. Key points include:

• Do not accept children as contacts on social networking sites if you hold a position of trust with children or young people.
• Where contact through social networking sites is used for professional reasons, restrict the communication to professional content and obtain written consent from parents.
• Include a third party in any communications to children, e.g. copy parents into communications.
• Ensure that any content you place on a social networking site is age-appropriate. Do not use the site to criticise or abuse others.

6.7 Anti-Bullying

Lexden Wood Golf Club believes that every effort must be made to eradicate bullying in all its forms. Bullying can take many forms including:

• Physical - hitting, kicking, theft
• Verbal - homophobic or racist remarks, threats, name calling
• Emotional - isolating an individual from activities or a group
• Online - abusive comments, videos or images on social network sites

The Club and its Staff, Volunteers and Coaches will not tolerate bullying in any of its forms during club matches, competitions, coaching or at any other time while at the club. Anyone being bullied can report their concerns in confidence to the Club Welfare Officer.

6.8 Confidentiality

Details of all juniors will be kept on file in the office and will not be shared with a third party without parent/carer consent. All concerns and allegations will be dealt with confidentially by the club and information will only be shared on a need-to-know basis.

6.9 Changing Rooms

The changing rooms are used by all members and visitors. Juniors will only be supervised if needed at club organised events. Parents will be made aware that adults use the changing rooms throughout the day. Where a parent/carer does not consent to their child accessing the changing rooms, it is their responsibility to either supervise the child or ensure that they do not use them.

7. Useful Contacts

Organisation	Contact
England Golf Lead Safeguarding Officer National Golf Centre, Woodhall Spa, LN10 6PU	01526 351824 safeguarding@englandgolf.org
Local Children’s Social Care	0345 603 7627
Children’s Social Care Emergency Duty Team (after 5pm / weekends)	0345 606 1212
Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) Essex County Council, 19 Market Rd, Chelmsford CM1 1GG	03330 139 797 childrens.safeguarding@essex.gov.uk
Police (non-emergency) Colchester North Station, North Station Road, CO1 1XD	101 Emergency: 999
NSPCC Freephone 24-hour Helpline	0808 800 5000 help@nspcc.org.uk
NSPCC Whistleblowing Helpline for Professionals	0808 028 0285
ChildLine	0800 1111
NSPCC Child Protection in Sport Unit 3 Gilmour Close, Beaumont Leys, Leicester, LE4 1EZ	0116 234 7278 cpsu@nspcc.org.uk
Samaritans	08457 90 90 90