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Berriew Tennis Club

Safeguarding Policy

Reporting a Safeguarding Concern within the Tennis Environment

Note: You should inform the parent/carer of the concern, unless you believe it would put the person, yourself or others at risk

Useful Contacts

Concerns arise about the behaviour of a member of staff, coach or volunteer towards a child / children. Make a note of anything that you or the witness has seen or said, with dates and times.

If you are unable to contact the Welfare Officer or the LTA Safeguarding Team, please contact your Local Authority Children’s Services Team and follow their advice

Appeal process

Is the Club Welfare Officer available?

Is there an immediate risk to a young person or vulnerable adult?

Medical:

Crime/Immediate risk:

Crime/Immediate risk:

* SPC – Safeguarding and Protection Committee

* LRC – Licensing and Registration Committee

Safeguarding Policy

Policy statement

Berriew Tennis Club is committed to prioritising the well-being of all children and adults at risk, promoting safeguarding in our club at all times, including all programmes and events we run. This Policy strives to minimise risk, deliver a positive tennis experience for everyone and respond appropriately to all safeguarding concerns/disclosures.

Use of terminology

Child: a person under the age of eighteen years.

Note that some legislation in Scotland defines a child as a person under sixteen years old. However, where there is any safeguarding concern, anyone under the age of 18 is regarded as a child unless advised otherwise by the LTA Safeguarding Team.

Adult at risk of abuse or neglect: a person aged eighteen years or over who is, or may be, in need of community care services by reason of disability, age or illness; and is, or may be, unable to take care of, or unable to protect him or herself against abuse or neglect.

Safeguarding children: protecting children from abuse and neglect, preventing the impairment of children’s health or development, ensuring that they grow up in circumstances consistent with the provision of safe and effective care, and taking action to enable all children to have the best life chances.

Safeguarding adults at risk: protecting adults from abuse and/or neglect. Enabling adults to maintain control over their lives and make informed choices without coercion. Empowering adults at risk, consulting them before taking action, unless someone lacks the capacity to make a decision, or their mental health poses a risk to their own or someone else’s safety, in which case, always acting in his or her best interests.  

(See appendix A for full glossary of terms).

Scope

This Policy is applicable to all staff, volunteers, committee members, coaches and club members. It is in line with national legislation and applicable across the UK.

Advice, guidance and support is available from the LTA Safeguarding Team.

SAFEGUARDING IS EVERYONE’S RESPONSIBILITY: NOT RESPONDING TO A SAFEGUARDING CONCERN IS NOT AN OPTION.

Where there is a safeguarding concern/disclosure:

Breaches of this Policy and/or failure to comply with the outlined responsibilities may result in the following:

Actions taken by players, parents or carers, staff, consultants, volunteers, officials, coaches inside or outside of the club that are seen to contradict this Policy may be considered a violation of this Policy.

Where an appeal is lodged in response to a safeguarding decision made by the club, the individual should adhere to the club’s appeal procedure for guidance on developing an appeal procedure.

Whistleblowing

Safeguarding children and adults at risk requires everyone to be committed to the highest possible standards of openness, integrity and accountability. As a club, we are committed to encouraging and maintaining a culture where people feel able to raise a genuine safeguarding concern and are confident that it will be taken seriously.

 

What is whistleblowing?

In the context of safeguarding, “whistle blowing” is when someone raises a concern about the well-being of a child or an adult at risk.

A whistleblower may be:

How to raise a concern about a child or an adult at risk at the club

If a child or an adult at risk is in immediate danger or risk of harm, the police should be contacted by calling 999.

Where a child or an adult at risk is not in immediate danger, any concerns about their well-being should be made without delay to the Club Welfare Officer. The Club Welfare Officer will pass the details of the concern on to the LTA Safeguarding Team at the earliest opportunity and the relevant local authority and the police will be contacted, where appropriate.

If, however, the whistle blower does not feel comfortable raising a concern with the Club Welfare Officer, the whistle blower should contact the LTA Safeguarding Team directly on 020 8487 7000, the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) or the NSPCC on 0808 800 5000.

The Club Welfare Officer can be contacted on: Carolyn Evans 01686 640 890.

Information to include when raising a concern

The whistle blower should provide as much information as possible regarding the incident or circumstance which has given rise to the concern, including:

What happens next?

All concerns raised by a whistle blower about the well-being of a child or an adult at risk will be taken seriously and every effort will be made to deal with each concern fairly, quickly and proportionately.

If the whistle blower does not believe that the concern has been dealt with appropriately and wishes to speak to someone outside the club or the LTA Safeguarding Team, the NSPCC Whistleblowing advice line should be contacted on 0800 028 0285 or by emailing help@nspcc.org.uk.

Support

The club will not tolerate any harassment, victimisation or unfair treatment of, and will take appropriate action to protect, whistle blowers when they raise a concern in good faith.

Codes of Conduct

All members of staff and volunteers agree to:

All children agree to:

All adults agree to:

This Policy is reviewed every two years (or earlier if there is a change in national legislation).

This Policy is recommended for approval by the Welfare sub-committee:

Club Committee Chair, Carolyn Evans:        Date: May 2024

Club Welfare Officer, Tim Davies:                Date: May 2024