Old
Bordenian H.C Child Protection Policy
Old
Bordenian H.C Child Protection Policy
INTRODUCTION
This policy has been developed in accordance with the principles established by the Children Act 1989, guidance provided by DfEE Circular 10/95, The Framework for the Assessment of Children in Need and their Families, Working Together to Safeguard Children and guidance on child welfare from England Hockey (2003).
The members of the Old Bordenian Hockey Club take seriously our responsibility to promote the welfare and safeguard all the children and young people entrusted to our care.
The Club has a Designated Welfare Officer (DWO) who will be supported by an assistant or assistants as nominated by the club committee.
As part of the ethos of the clubs we are committed to:
q Maintaining the welfare of children and young persons as a paramount concern.
q Providing an environment in which children and young people of all ethnic and national groups feel safe, secure, valued and respected; confident to talk openly and sure of being listened to.
q Recognising that we live in a multi-cultural and multi-faith community and thereby seek to provide suitable support and guidance for children and young people that acknowledges this. These and all other practices within the club will actively promote the value of all cultures and promote racial harmony
q Working with parents to build an understanding of the club’s responsibility to ensure the welfare of children and young people including the need for referral to other agencies in some situations
q Ensuring all club members are able to recognise the signs and symptoms of abuse and are aware of the club’s procedures and lines of communication
q Keeping any child protection records confidential and stored securely.
q Promoting race equality within all Child Protection practices and procedures
ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
Old Bordenian Hockey Club
The club is responsible for ensuring that all action taken is in line with the Kent Child Protection Committee’s Child in Need/Child Protection procedures.
The role of the club within this procedure is to contribute to the identification, referral and assessment of children in need including children or young people who may have suffered, be suffering or who are at risk of suffering significant harm.
All adults in club have a role to play in promoting the welfare and protecting children and young people from harm.
The role of the club in situations where there are child protection concerns is NOT to investigate but to recognise and refer.
Designated Welfare Officer (DWO)
The Designated Welfare Officer is responsible for:
These members will be designated by the club committee to assist the Designated Welfare Officer will act as a point of reference for club members and any other adult to discuss concerns. They will contact the DWO and inform him/her of any concerns at the earliest possible opportunity. Those club members designated to assist the DWO members will have undertaken basic child protection training before taking up the role and seek wherever possible to enhance their development in this area in the future.
Any member who has undertaken child protection training and is designated by the club committee to assist may deputise for the DWO. Any action taken by any such member must be related to the DWO at the earliest possible opportunity.
Contact numbers for the DWO and other designated members designated to assist the DWO will be published within the club handbook/card so they are readily available to all members.
Images taken by any member of the Old Bordenian Hockey Club for use in association with any club activity using digital photographic processes and any adaptation using appropriate software may be used within the confines of the club for prescribed display purposes. Digital images which identify individual children and young people under the age of 18 taken as part of any club related activity will not be used for publicity purposes outside the clubhouse environment or posted on any Internet website without the prior written consent of the parent/carer of each child concerned.
Video images may be collected and used by designated members of the club’s coaching staff for the sole purpose of retrospective coaching within the coaching structure of the club and following agreement by the club committee. Material collected in this manner may not be used for external purposes without the explicit approval of the committee and without the prior written consent of the parent/carer of each child concerned.
The club does not seek to prohibit parents from taking stills or video footage of their son/daughter undertaking a club activity on the understanding that any such material is only for their own personal use.
The use
of camera telephones within a changing room environment for any purpose is
strictly forbidden at any time.
PROCEDURES
Recognition and categories of abuse
All members should be aware of the definitions and signs and symptoms of abuse. There are four categories of abuse. These are:
§ Physical abuse
§ Sexual abuse
§ Emotional abuse
§ Neglect
The signs and symptoms of abuse are clearly displayed in the clubhouse at Borden Grammar School and additional information will be distributed to club members as appropriate.
Responding to concerns
Concerns for a child or young person may come to the attention of member in a variety of ways for example through observation of behaviour or injuries or disclosure. Any club member who has a concern for a child or young person however insignificant this might appear to be should discuss this with the DWO or member designated by the club committee to assist the DWO as soon as is practically possible.
If a child makes a disclosure of abuse to a member of the club they should:
§ Allow the child or young person to make the disclosure at their own pace and in their own way.
§ Avoid interrupting except to clarify what the child is saying.
§ Not ask leading questions or probe for information that the child or young person does not volunteer.
§ Reassure the child or young person that they have been heard and explain what you will do next and to whom you will talk.
§ Record the conversation as soon as possible.
§ Inform the DWO or member designated by the club committee to assist the DWO
Record keeping
Members can play a vital role in helping children in need or at risk by effective monitoring and record keeping. Any incident relating to a child or young person that gives cause for concern should be recorded and kept by the DWO. It is important that records are factual and reflect the words used by the child or young person. Opinion should not be given unless there is some form of evidence base that can also be quoted. All details (including all additional notes) must be signed and dated. It is important to remember that issues are strictly confidential. Information will only be shared with other members of the club on a need to know basis, and only then after consideration by the DWO with the Chairperson of the Old Bordenian Hockey Club.
Storage of records
Referrals to Social Services
It is the responsibility of the DWO to decide when to make a referral to the Social Services Directorate. Advice may also be sought from Social Services who offer opportunities for consultation as part of the Child in need / child protection process. Some concerns may need to be monitored over a period of time before a decision to refer to Social Services is made. In all but the most exceptional cases parents / carers will be made aware of the concerns felt for a child or young person at the earliest possible stage and in the event of this becoming necessary, their consent to a referral to Social Services will be sought.
The DWO, or Chairperson of the club when the DWO is unavailable, will make referrals to Social Services. This will ordinarily be undertaken by telephone.
If a child or young person is referred, the DWO will ensure that the Chairperson of the Old Bordenian Hockey Club is aware that a referral has been made. Club members designated to assist the DWO may be informed as appropriate.
Concerns involving club members
Any concerns that involve allegations against any member of the Old Bordenian Hockey Club should be referred immediately to the Chairperson of the club who will notify the DWO. A ‘Member Disciplinary Sub-Committee’, nominated by the full club committee, will convene to decide any action in line with club disciplinary policy. This sub-committee may not include the Chairperson of the Old Bordenian Club who will be responsible for considering any appeal related to decisions made by the ‘Member Disciplinary Sub-Committee’.
Any action taken by any club committee will not influence decisions to involve Social Services or any other agency
CODE OF PRACTICE
All club members should take care not to place themselves in a vulnerable position with relation to child protection. It is always advisable for work with individual children or parents to be conducted in view of other adults. Physical intervention should only be used when the child or young person is likely to endanger him/herself or others and such events should be recorded and signed by a witness.
All club members should work towards providing an environment and atmosphere for children and young people to enable them to feel safe to talk. However, club members should never promise a child or young person to keep certain information confidential. It must be explained that club members have certain duties to help keep that child or young person safe, which may involve informing others.
The club committee, in conjunction with the DWO will ensure that:
§ Information related to child protection is clearly displayed in the clubhouse and available to all club members
§ Those members responsible for the welfare of children or young persons undertaking a club activity have received awareness training related to child protection.
The DWO will ensure all members are made aware of issues relating Child Protection and to whom they should speak to should any concern be brought to their attention at the beginning of each season.
MONITORING AND REVIEW
All members of the club will have had access to a copy of this policy through the club website. The contents of the policy will be discussed and ratified by the committee of the Old Bordenian Hockey Club.
The policy will be reviewed at the first committee meeting after the conclusion of the 2007 – 2008 season.