Safeguarding Policy

Policy Statement

STA Excel recognises that it has a responsibility to safeguard and promote the interests and well-being of children and vulnerable adults with whom it is working. Anyone aged 17 years or under (Scotland under 16 years) should be considered as a child for the purposes of this document, therefore this could include learners on a course or participants within practical sessions.

Purpose

• To safeguard and promote the interests and well-being of children and vulnerable adults with whom it is working
• Take all reasonable practical steps to protect them from harm, discrimination, or degrading treatment
• Identify the responsibilities for centre personnel regarding safeguarding
• Implement a clear and precise reporting procedure for safeguarding issues.

Responsibilities

Centre Co-Ordinator

The centre co-ordinator has the following responsibilities regarding safeguarding:

• Remain up-to-date with relevant awarding organisation safeguarding policies, STA Excel policies and current legislation
• Take all reasonable steps during recruitment to ensure the suitability of centre personnel
• Ensure centre personnel receive safeguarding training to help recognise abuse and promote good practice within the centre
• Ensure centre personal are aware of how to report suspected safeguarding issues
• Ensure learners or any other person encompassed within the centre are aware of how to report suspected safeguarding issues
• Take reasonable actions to prevent safeguarding issues by promoting good practice within the centre
• Ensure the procedures in this policy are effective and updated accordingly
• Investigate any complaints surrounding safeguarding issues confidentially and impartially, seeking the assistance from the STA Lead Child Protection Officer as necessary
• Refer any safeguarding issues to the appropriate agencies and awarding organisations
• Monitor any complaints or safeguarding issues including the reasons and outcomes.

Tutors/Assessors/Quality Assurers

Tutors/assessors/quality assurers have the following responsibilities regarding safeguarding:

• Remain up-to-date with relevant awarding organisation safeguarding policies, STA Excel policies and current legislation
• Participate in any safeguarding training and ensure certification is updated every 3 years
• Safeguard and promote the interests and well-being of children and vulnerable adults through good practice and conduct
• Know how to report suspected safeguarding issues
• Ensure learners are aware of how to report suspected safeguarding issues
• Refer any safeguarding issues to the centre co-ordinator or relevant agencies
• Inform the centre co-ordinator of any actual or suspected safeguarding issues
• Cooperate with any safeguarding investigations with the relevant agencies.

Procedure

Prevention

STA Excel recognises the importance of ensuring reasonable steps are taken to prevent unsuitable people working with children. When undertaking pre-selection checks the following evidence is collated and checked to establish the suitability of the person:

• Tutors/assessors/quality assurers must complete an application form for the role
• Application forms include questions on whether the applicant holds a DBS check, has any criminal convictions and employment history
• Enhanced DBS checks are required for the role and where possible the applicant will be signed up to the DBS update service to ensure certificates are continually up-to-date, alternatively a new DBS check will be completed 3 yearly
• Two reference requests from professionals who are not related to the applicant
• Details of any other ATCs that the applicant conducts work on behalf of
• Applicants must have a current safeguarding certificate (within the last 3 years) or be willing to complete this prior to conducting work on behalf of STA Excel.

Training

STA Excel requires tutors/assessors/quality assurers to hold a recognised safeguarding certificate which will be renewed every 3 years. The centre co-ordinator may conduct top-up training or standardisation meetings if they deem it is required and/or any issues prompt a need to complete further training.

Recognition of Abuse

STA Excel acknowledges that their staff are not experts at recognition of abuse. All centre personnel will undertake safeguarding training to help them identify indications of abuse, the forms of abuse and the effects of abuse. If any person encompassed within the centre has any concerns, suspicions or allegations surrounding child abuse, STA Excel expects them to report the issue immediately via the reporting procedure.

Supervision and Good Practice

To protect both themselves and the learners or participants for whom they have overall responsibility, centre personnel are expected to promote the following good practices when working on behalf of STA Excel:

• Avoid unobserved one-to-one situations, whether that be the tutor/assessor with a learner or the student learner with a fellow peer or participants they are teaching as part of their training
• Where any form of manual support is required, this should be provided openly and with the assent of the child and consent of the parent
• Where possible provide separate sex changing facilities and change at different times to learners, placing the responsibility of changing the child on the parents/guardians.

Centre personnel as good practice should not partake or allow the following to take place:

• Rough, physical or sexually provocative games, including horseplay
• Allow or engage in inappropriate touching of any form
• Allow children to use inappropriate language unchallenged
• Make sexually suggestive comments to a child even in fun
• Let allegations a child makes go unrecorded, or not acted upon
• Do things of a personal nature that children can do for themselves
• Have children stay at your home with you unsupervised
• Spend excessive amounts of time alone with children away from others
• Take still or movie photographs of children without obtaining the guardians consent in writing.

Reporting

STA Excel personnel have a responsibility to report concerns so that the appropriate agencies can then make inquiries and take any necessary action to protect the child. Whilst STA Excel acknowledges the importance of the role of statutory agencies involved in children’s welfare (social services, police, NSPCC) and will work with such agencies for any investigations, STA Excel will firstly refer the suspected abuse to the STA Lead Child Protection Officer (LCPO) at the earliest possible time after the event or allegation. STA Excel will work with the STA LCPO for any investigation which follows; this could include:

• A criminal investigation
• A child protection investigation
• A disciplinary or misconduct investigation.

Recording

If anyone encompassed within the centre needs to report a suspected case of abuse they should make a record of any of the following points if known:

• The nature of the allegation
• A description of any visible bruising or other injuries
• The child’s account, if he or she can give them, of what has happened and how any bruising or other injuries occurred
• Any times, dates, or other relevant information
• A clear distinction between what is fact, opinion, or hearsay

The centre member should liaise with the centre co-ordinator to send the relevant information to the STA LCPO for further guidance and investigation.

Allegations of Abuse Against Centre Personnel

Any allegations surrounding safeguarding issues against centre personnel should be referred to the centre co-ordinator who will note the following information if known:

• The nature of the allegation
• A description of any visible bruising or other injuries
• The child’s account, if he or she can give them, of what has happened and how any bruising or other injuries occurred
• Any times, dates, or other relevant information
• A clear distinction between what is fact, opinion, or hearsay

This information will be passed to the STA Lead Child Protection Officer at the earliest possible time after the event or allegation.

Whilst the centre co-ordinator awaits the outcome from the STA LCPO and any other relevant agencies, the person in question may face temporary sanctions to protect the interests of the learners and the centre. A complaint via the STA Excel Complaints Policy may coincide with any safeguarding investigation.

If the allegation is against the centre co-ordinator the accuser may refer direct to the STA LCPO.

Monitoring and Review

This policy and its implementation will be reviewed annually or at the point of any report of a safeguarding issue within the centre. STA Excel is committed to making continual improvements to ensure that the procedures are fit for purpose and that we are meeting and surpassing the expectations of our learners and centre personnel.

Supporting Information

The Swimming Teachers’ Association Safeguarding Children, Young People and Vulnerable Adults Policy

View Policy

Complaints Policy

View Policy

NSPCC Learning—Safeguarding children and child protection

View Information