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Safeguarding Policy and Procedures (DRAFT)

pExeter Chess Club and Exeter Junior Chess Club/p pSafeguarding policy/p pWe acknowledge the duty of care to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and vulnerable adults and are we will make sure safeguarding practice reflects both our legal responsibilities and Government guidance and also complies with the English Chess Federation Guidelines (Attached)./p pThe policy aims to ensure that, regardless of age, gender, religion or beliefs, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation or socio-economic background, all children and vulnerable adults:br / have a positive and enjoyable experience of chess at the Club in a safe and child-centred environmentbr / are protected from abuse (physical, sexual and emotional harm) whilst participating in chess.br / The Club acknowledges that some people, including those with disabilities and those from ethnic minority communities, can be particularly vulnerable to abuse and we accept the responsibility to take reasonable and appropriate steps to ensure their welfare.br / The Club will:br / promote and prioritise the safety and wellbeing of children and vulnerable adultsbr / ensure everyone understands their roles and responsibilities in respect of safeguarding and is provided with appropriate learning opportunities to recognise, identify and respond to signs of abuse, neglect and other safeguarding concerns relating to children and vulnerable adultsbr / ensure appropriate action is taken in the event of incidents/concerns of abuse and support provided to the individual/s who raise or disclose the concernbr / ensure that confidential, detailed and accurate records of all safeguarding concerns are maintained and securely storedbr / prevent the deployment of unsuitable individualsbr / ensure robust safeguarding procedures are in operation (see Procedures document).br / The policy and procedures will be widely promoted and are mandatory for everyone involved in the Club. Failure to comply with the Policy and Procedures will be addressed without delay and may ultimately result in dismissal/exclusion from the Club.br / Disseminationbr / All senior club members and parents/carers of junior club members must be given a copy of these Policies and Procedures. New members must be given a copy of the Policies and Procedures. Members and parents/carers of children or vulnerable adults should sign to acknowledge receipt of their copy of the Policies and Procedures; records will be kept with the minutes of meetings.br / A copy of the Policy and Procedures will be posted on the Club Website and a link made to the Guidelines of the English Chess Federation.br / Monitoringbr / The policy will be reviewed a year after development and then every three years, or in the following circumstances:br / changes in legislation and/or Government guidancebr / as required by the Local Safeguarding Children Board,br / as required by the English Chess Federationbr / as required to meet insurance stipulationsbr / as a result of any other significant change or event.br / (Last reviewed Nov 2015)br / r Exeter Chess Club and Exeter Junior Chess Club r/p pSafeguarding Procedures/p pGeneralbr / 1. The Club will appoint a Safeguarding Officer and require enhanced DBS clearance for the post holder.br / 2. Any safeguarding concerns or allegations, and any comments or questions regarding the policy or procedures, should be directed to this Officer.br / 3. DBS clearance will also be required of anyone who has regular, unsupervised contact with children (regular = weekly or more often).br / Junior club nights and away matchesbr / 4. Each club night and away match will have a designated adult in charge; it is desirable that another adult be present.br / 5. The designated adult in charge should have DBS clearance; if this is not possible on a given evening then two other adults may deputise provided neither are left in sole charge of any players.br / 6. All parents/carers (or other adult known to and trusted by the child) will be required to escort their children into the Club room and return in good time to collect their children again. The adult in charge of the club night will supervise uncollected children until they are collected.br / 7. Team members requiring transport for away matches will normally be picked up and dropped off by the adult in charge at an agreed central location, for example, outside the Club premises. Any alternative arrangements should be agreed in advance with parents/carers.br / Safeguarding concernsbr / 8. Any allegations or concerns will be investigated, and if necessary pursued, by the Club’s Safeguarding Officer in accordance with the English Chess Federation’s Child Protection Policy Guidelines, which are appended.br / 9. In particular, written statements must be taken at the time of reporting, including full contact details of all people involved (directly or as witnesses) and full details of the concerns.br / Other issuesbr / 10. Any photographs taken of children will be displayed on the Club website or in a newsletter only with the written permission of their parents.br / 11.br / This is a copy of the English Chess Federation Child Protection Policy from September 2015.br / We endorse the principles and procedures in this policybr / and adopt with appropriate adjustment to fit local situations.br / Chhild Protection Policybr / Whilst the primary function of the ECF is to promote chess, it recognises its responsibility for the welfare of children and vulnerable adults attending events it organises. It is the policy of the ECF to safeguard the welfare of all people attending its events by protecting them from physical, sexual and emotional harmbr / OFFICIALSbr / There are a number of posts such as Director of Junior Chess and Education, Accredited Coaches which may involve a considerable degree of contact with children or vulnerable adults. In general the type of work will involve regularly caring for, supervising, training or being in sole charge of such people. It is the policy of the ECF that it will only recommend as accredited coaches those people for whom both a satisfactory CRB Enhanced Disclosure clearance and also an independent suitable reference have been obtained. Persons elected to the following posts will also be required to undergo a DBS clearance and provide a suitable reference –br / Director of Junior Chess and Educationbr / Director of Home Chessbr / International Directorbr / ECF Coachesbr / Arbiters who perform their duties at junior congressesbr / Persons travelling with ECF teams abroadbr / AFFILIATED ORGANISATIONSbr / The ECF strongly recommends that Affiliated Organisations have a suitable Child Protection Policybr / GUIDELINESbr / These guidelines apply to any person acting in an official capacity on behalf of the ECF at a ECF organised event.br / In particular this includes officers, controllers and arbiters.br / What happens if……?br / a) If you suspect a child is being abused:-br / 1) immediately inform the ECF official in charge of the eventbr / 2) record the facts as you know them and give a copy to the ECF officialbr / 3) ensure that the child has access to an independent adultbr / 4) ensure that no situation arises which could cause further concernbr / 5) ensure access to confidential information is restricted to appropriate officials on a ‘need to know’ basis.br / b) If a child tells you about abuse by someone elsebr / 1) allow the child to speak without interruption, accepting what is said.br / 2) alleviate feelings of guilt and isolation, while passing no judgementbr / 3) advise that you will try to offer support, but that you must pass the information onbr / 4) same steps as 1 – 5 abovebr / c) If you receive any allegation of abuse about any adult or about yourselfbr / 1) Immediately inform the ECF official in charge of the eventbr / 2) record the facts as you know them and give a copy to the ECF officialbr / 3) try to ensure that no-one is placed in a position which could cause further compromisebr / The ECF official will take action which may include contacting the social services or the police. The ECF official will also submit a report to the ECF President and Chief Executive Officer.br / Code of Conductbr / Do put the guidelines into practicebr / Do treat everyone with respectbr / Do provide an example you wish others to followbr / Do plan activities which involve more than one other person being present or at least are within sight or hearing of others. This applies to such activities as one-to-one training and travelling to or from chess events.br / Do respect a young person’s right to privacybr / Do have separate sleeping accommodation for adults and young people.br / Do provide access for young people to talk to identifiable responsible adults about any concerns they may have. Deal with any concerns in a sympathetic and appropriate manner.br / Do encourage young people and adults to feel comfortable and caring enough to point out attitudes or behaviour they do not likebr / Do avoid situations that compromise your relationship with young people and are unacceptable within a relationship of trust.br / Do remember that someone else might misinterpret your actions, no matter how well-intentionedbr / Do recognise that caution is required even in sensitive moments of counsellingbr / Do recognise that children with differing abilities have differing requirements.br / Do recognise that children from different backgrounds may have differing values.br / Do NOT permit abusive peer activities (e.g. bullying, ridiculing)br / Do NOT play physical contact games with young peoplebr / Do NOT have any inappropriate physical or verbal contact with othersbr / Do NOT allow yourself to be drawn into inappropriate attention seeking behaviour such as tantrumsbr / Do NOT show favouritism to any individualbr / Do NOT make suggestive remarks or gestures even in funbr / Do NOT let suspicion, disclosure or allegation of abuse go unrecorded or unreportedbr / Do NOT rely on just your good name to protect youbr / Do NOT believe ‘it could never happen to me’br / Notes on Unacceptable Behaviour by Childrenbr / Participants should be encouraged to develop a sense of right and wrong behaviour.br / Where unacceptable behaviour does take place, appropriate sanctions, decided by a consensus of responsible people present, should be applied to modify the behaviourbr / Sanctions applied to each case should take account of the age and stage of development of the young person, be given at the right time, be relevant to the action and be fairbr / The participant must always be told why the behaviour is unacceptable and the reasons for applying a particular sanctionbr / Corporal punishment (smacking, slapping or shaking) is illegal and therefore should never be used. It is permissible to take necessary physical action in an emergency to prevent personal injury, either to the young person, other participants or adults, or serious damage to propertybr / Participants should not be shouted at directly, though raising of the voice is permissible in instances where it is necessary to be heardbr / a href="http://www.englishchess.org.uk/child-protection-policy/" title="http://www.englishchess.org.uk/child-protection-policy/"http://www.englishchess.org.uk/child-protection-policy//a/p
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