Safeguarding and Protecting Children in Sport

Participating in sport and physical activity is fun and can bring a great sense of achievement with it. Whatever your age, having fun is no doubt the main reason why most of us get involved. When taking part in sport or physical activity everyone is entitled to do so in a safe environment which encourages progress and enjoyment. With this is mind, sportessex has developed a Child Protection Policy and procedures to ensure that all of those involved in sport with children and young people understand and fulfill their responsibilities.  We are committed to the belief that all children, young people and vulnerable adults are entitled to a duty of care, to be nurtured and protected from abuse and poor practice. 

 

This section of the website has been designed to provide you with the information that you should need relating to:

• The sportessex Child Protection Policy
• Guidance for parents
• Guidance for children and young people
• Guidance for sports clubs
• Information about what to do should you have a concern
• Key national and local contacts

The sportessex Child Protection Policy

The sportessex Child Protection Policy has been written in conjunction with achieving the Child Protection in Sport Unit's Standards for Safeguarding and Protecting Children in Sport. These Standards are a compulsory achievement for all County Sports Partnerships, and sportessex has achieved the Preliminary Standard and is working towards the Intermediate Standard.

While we are a strategic body who does not directly deliver to the public, we still see that our role in safeguarding and protecting children in sport is extremely important. Our vision is to establish a minimum operating standard for safeguarding across the wider partnership, based on this policy document.

In order to successfully implement this Child Protection Policy it will take the commitment of all the staff within and affiliated to sportessex to work together coherently. 

In order to fulfill the aims and visions set out by the Policy sportessex must communicate to the sporting community in Essex our commitment to this area and encourage them to share in our vision and key principles, as set out in the Policy. To further underpin our knowledge, the sportessex team have all undertaken training and have identified Designated and Deputy Child Protection Officers:

Designated Child Protection Officer:

Kathryn Berry
Young Peoples Pathway Coordinator
T: 01245 702449
M: 07702 911297
Click here to email Kathryn Berry

Deputy Child Protection Officer

Angela Littlewood
Director
T: 01245 702490
M: 07976 407794
Click here to email Angela Littlewood

Guidance for Parents 

As a parent you play a very important role in helping to ensure that your child is able to participate in sport in a safe and friendly environment. By ensuring that you are well informed and aware, it will not only ensure a positive experience for your child, but it will also provide you with peace of mind. 

The leaflet, Child Protection for Parents will provide you with some advice on what you should be looking for when deciding what sports club your child should join. However, there are some further useful pointers below:

·     Has the club got a Child Protection Policy? The Policy should be available for you to view on request and should state the clubs stance on carrying out Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) checks and training for staff and volunteers.

·     Is there a written code of behaviour? This may be included within the Policy as a Code of Conduct and should illustrate how the staff, volunteers and participants are expected to behave.

·     Health and Safety - there should be a visible first aid kit at the club and a club member should be trained in first aid. Visible evidence of fire safety regulations is also a positive sign.

·     How does the club recruit staff and volunteers? A proper recruitment process, such as for any employment, is the desired format which should be followed.

·     Are the coaches qualified? There are certain qualifications which coaches should have.

·     Are there clear boundaries regarding club relationships? There should be clear guidelines about physical contact and social activities between volunteers, staff and children.

·     What are the arrangements for away fixtures? The club should inform you about arrangements for away fixtures including the venue, the time and contact numbers should you need to reach someone in an emergency.

·     Is the club accredited? For example Club SX or Clubmark

Getting involved in your child's sports club can be a good way to help to promote and encourage a safe environment. Volunteering in sport can be extremely beneficial to the individual as well as to the club and its participants. By volunteering at a club you could help to encourage:

·     The development of child protection policies and guidelines, if this is not already in place.

·     Ensure that guidelines are being followed.

It is an unfortunate fact that child abuse does occur, there are a number of signs that you can look out for should you be concerned about your child or any other child that you come into contact with:

·     A loss in concentration.

·     Develops an inability to form close friendships.

·     Unexplained injuries appear, e.g. bites, burns or bruising, particularly if these are on a part of the body where you would not expect them.

·     A deterioration in their appearance, e.g. rapid weight loss or gain.

·     Begins to show inappropriate sexual awareness or behaviour for their age.

·     Demonstrates distrust in a particular adult, parent or coach with whom they may have previously had a good relationship with.

·     You may notice that the child is receiving particular close attention from an adult which could suggest that they are being 'groomed' for future abuse.

·     Pains, itching, bruising or bleeding in or near the genital area.

If you are at all worried about any of the above there are people that you can contact. See the list at the bottom of this page.

For this website sportessex collects data from registered website users about the levels of sport they participate in, and, if appropriate, any work that they do in sport. Data is not held under the users name and their telephone number, full address and any other personal information will not be shared with any third party organisations. Data held, which does not allow the user to be personally identified, will only be used to plot trends in sports participation and workforce levels to provide guidance as to how sportessex can increase sports participation levels.

 

Guidance for Children and Young People

Sport is great for so many reasons, but one of the main ones is because it is fun and a great way to make new friends. However, for a few children and young people, the experience can be spoilt because of the actions of others which may frighten or even hurt them. Often when a child or young person feels like this, it may be abuse, and they may be too frightened or worried to tell anyone about what is happening.  Below is some guidance about what you can do if you are worried about yourself, or about someone else.

What is child abuse?

This is when an adult harms a child or young person and there are four main types:

Neglect - this is when a child is not looked after properly, they may not have a place to stay, enough to eat, clothes to keep them warm or is not given medical care/medicine when they need it.

Physical Abuse - including being kicked, shaken, punched or given harmful drugs or alcohol.

Sexual Abuse - including being touched in a way that you do not like or do not want to be by an adult or by a young person. This can also involve being forced into having sex or being made to look at sexual videos or pictures. For a disabled child or young person, this can also include if a person helping them to use the toilet touches them more than necessary.

Bullying and racism - bullying can range from name calling, threats, stealing things or insulting or embarrassing someone.

If you are experiencing any of the above, it is important that you remember that being at the receiving end of abuse is never your fault. It is important that if you are currently being abused or have suffered in the past, you must tell an adult or someone else that you trust. You may be worried that no one will believe you or that things will get worse if you tell someone what is happening. However, if you do tell someone, you will be able to stop the abuse and will also be able to prevent it from happening to anyone else.

Who can I tell?

There are many people who you can turn to for help, the most important thing is to tell someone who you trust, this could be:

·     A parent, a family member, an adult at your club, a doctor or a teacher.

·     The child protection officer at your club.

·     Child protection helplines or other local organisations. Click here for details.

Guidance for Sports Clubs

It is extremely important for sports clubs to adopt and apply good practice when dealing with children and young people and ensuring that their safety is paramount. The benefit of this is not purely for the children and young people, but it will also help to ensure that those working with the children and young people are receiving the necessary training and skills to ensure the good practice is followed.

There are a number of things that a club should have in place in order to ensure good practice:

• A  Child Protection Policy
• A code of conduct
• A full and thorough recruitment and screening process - including Criminal Records Bureau checks and training and ensuring that coaches have the necessary and up to date qualifications
• Adhering to the recommended player/coach ratios
• Changing rooms - children should be supervised by two members of staff. Adult staff should not change or shower at the same time using the same facilities. For mixed gender activities, separate facilities should be available for boys and girls.
• Report forms for injuries - there should be guidelines and report forms for any injuries that children or young people sustain during activity. Up-to-date medical notes and contact details should be kept.
• Transportation - there should be clear guidelines regarding the transportation of children and young people to away fixtures.
• Club SX or Clubmark accreditation

There is further guidance available on the leaflets, located above, which have been developed throughout the Eastern Region and information located on the Child Protection in Sport Units' website: www.thecpsu.org.uk