The Little Foxes Club abides by the duty of care to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and young people and is committed to safeguarding practice that reflects statutory responsibilities, Government guidance and best practice requirements.
We recognise that:
- The welfare of children is paramount in all the work we do and in all the decisions we take.
- Child protection is everyone’s responsibility.
- Children have the right to express views on all matters which affect them, should they wish to do so.
- All children, regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex, or sexual orientation have an equal right to protection from all types of harm or abuse.
- Some children are additionally vulnerable because of the impact of previous experiences, their level of dependency, communication needs or other issues.
- Working in partnership with children, young people, their parents, carers and other agencies is essential in promoting young people’s welfare.
- Our staff must be vigilant to all potential risks to the welfare and safety of children, including harm, abuse and exploitation.
- The way we run sessions must be safe at all times, with staff trained to deal with incidents that do occur.
Purpose of this policy:
This document outlines the mandates and processes that The Little Foxes Club will use to:
- Protect children and young people who receive our services.
- Provide staff and volunteers – as well as children, young people and their families – with the protections inherent in our approach to safeguarding.
This policy applies to anyone working on behalf of The Little Foxes Club, including senior managers, paid staff, volunteers, sessional workers, agency staff and students. Failure to comply with the policy and related procedures will be addressed without delay and may ultimately result in dismissal/exclusion from the organisation.
Definitions:
The Children Act 1989 definition of a child is: anyone who has not yet reached their 18th birthday, even if they are living independently, are a member of the armed forces or in hospital.
Child and Adult Abuse:
The Little Foxes Club is also aware of its responsibility to act when we are made aware of abuse that occurs outside of our services and activities.
Children and adults may be vulnerable to neglect and abuse or exploitation from within their families and from individuals they come across in their daily lives.
There are 4 main categories of abuse, which are: sexual, physical, emotional abuse, and neglect. It is important to be aware of more specific types of abuse that fall within these categories, they are:
- Bullying and cyberbullying
- Child sexual exploitation
- Child Criminal exploitation
- Child trafficking
- Domestic abuse
- Female genital mutilation
- Grooming
- Historical abuse
- Online abuse
Safeguarding children: Safeguarding children is defined in Working Together to Safeguard Children 2018 as:
- protecting children from maltreatment.
- preventing impairment of children’s health or development.
- ensuring that children are growing up in circumstances consistent with the provision of safe and effective care.
- taking action to enable all children to have the best outcomes.
Safeguarding under the FA and with other partners:
In safeguarding children, The Little Foxes Club is committed to the principles outlined by The Football Association’s (The FA) Safeguarding Children – Policy and Procedures. A copy of our commitment to that is available on request. We also willingly commit to any safeguarding requirements of local authorities we contract with.
Legal Framework:
This policy has been drawn up on the basis of legislation, policy and guidance that seeks to protect children in England. A summary of the key legislation is available from nspcc.org.uk/learning.
Policy on responding to child protection issues
The Little Foxes Club has in place arrangements that reflect the importance of safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people, including prompt action and notification systems.
Training and Awareness:
The Little Foxes Club will ensure an appropriate level of safeguarding training is available to its Trustees, Employees, Volunteers and any relevant persons linked to the organisation who requires it.
For all employees who are working or volunteering with children, this requires them as a minimum to have awareness training that enables them to:
- Understand what safeguarding is and their role in safeguarding children.
- Recognise a child potentially in need of safeguarding and take action.
- Understand how to report a safeguarding Alert.
- Understand dignity and respect when working with children.
- Have knowledge of the Safeguarding Children Policy.
Confidentiality and Information Sharing:
The Little Foxes Club expects all employees to maintain confidentiality. Information will only be shared in line with the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) and Data Protection protocols established by our head office.
However, information should be shared with the Local Authority if a child is deemed to be at risk of harm, or staff will contact the police if they are in immediate danger, or if a crime has been committed.
Recording and Record Keeping:
A written record is kept about any concern regarding a child with safeguarding needs. This includes details of the person involved, the nature of the concern and the actions taken, decisions made and why they were made.
All records are signed and dated. All records are securely and confidentially stored in line with General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR).
All relevant incidents will be reported in confidence to the LADO (Local Authority Designated Officer) and shared with other statutory bodies.
Safe Recruitment & Selection:
The Little Foxes Club is committed to safe employment and safe recruitment practices, that reduce the risk of harm to children from people unsuitable to work with them or have contact with them.
Social Media:
All employees and volunteers should be aware of The Little Foxes Club’s social media policy and procedures and the code of conduct for behaviour towards the children we support in terms of not posting information online unless they are the designated individual and have permission from parents/guardians.
Use of Mobile Phones and other Digital Technology:
All employees are aware of The Little Foxes Club’s policy and procedures regarding the use of mobile phones and any digital technology and understand that it is unlawful to photograph children and young people without the explicit consent of the person with parental responsibilities.
Whistleblowing:
It is important that people within The Little Foxes Club have the confidence to come forward to speak or act if they are unhappy with anything. Whistle-blowing occurs when a person raises a concern about dangerous or illegal activity or any wrongdoing within this organisation. This includes concerns about another employee or volunteer. There is also a requirement by The Little Foxes Club to protect the anonymity and rights of whistleblowers.
Heading – Procedures The Little Foxes Club adheres to, in order to meet the aims of this policy
The Little Foxes Club will:
- Provide services that promote the health and welfare of children, by taking part in sports in safe and inclusive environments.
- Make clear the steps we take to respect and promote the rights, wishes and feelings of children.
- Implement measures to safeguard the well-being of children and protect them from abuse, including open communications and confidential conversations.
- Recruit, train, support and supervise its staff, members and volunteers to adopt best practices to safeguard and protect children from abuse and to reduce risk to themselves.
- Require staff, members and volunteers to adopt and abide by this Child Protection Policy and these procedures, with swift action when any aspect is breached.
- Respond to any allegations of misconduct or abuse of children in line with this Policy and these procedures as well as implementing, where appropriate, the relevant disciplinary and appeals procedures.
- Observe guidelines issued by local Child Protection Committees for the protection of children.
- Regularly monitor and evaluate the implementation of this Policy and these procedures.
The process when a child reports an issue:
If a child or young person raises a protection issue with staff, that staff member will:
- Reassure the individual that they have done the right thing.
- Create a situation in which they can be heard, in a respectful way.
- Give equal priority to all claims, from any child.
- Explain to the individual, that only people who must be told, will be informed of what is said.
- NOT try to solve the situation themselves, or confront anyone.
- Record the narrative with as much detail as possible, including date, times, and any names or locations of relevance.
- NOT share that information with anyone other that the pre-designated contacts.
- Contact their LADO (Local Authority Designated Officer)immediately and inform them of the situation. The LADO will directly contact any child protection agency, or the police or simply provide further advice.
- If the LADO is unavailable and the situation warrants further action, the staff member will contact a child protection agency or the police direct.
Staff are also issued with the following sources of help and advice in an emergency situation:
NSPCC (for adults to use): 0808 800 5000
Childline (for children to use ): 0800 1111
Additional measures to maintain child safety at all times:
There will be a member of staff at each location fully trained in first aid to Ofsted standards.
All venues used will be risk assessed by our trained staff, as mandated by the HSE in a manner that is “responsibly, sensibly and proportionately.” Or, in the case of schools and community facilities, we will ask for proof of a recent risk assessment for the type of activity being provided.
Significant injuries or incidents will be reported immediately to parents. Or, any first aid delivered will be outlined clearly to parents when they collect their child. All injuries and incidents will be recorded in real-time and kept as a confidential data file.
Parents are clearly encouraged to highlight pre-existing medical conditions to us as soon as they register their child in a session, and to update us on any new illness or injury that can impact on their engagement in sessions. Any information is transmitted to staff tasked with direct responsibility for that child, in line with parent permission and briefing.
Important Contacts:
Senior Lead for Safeguarding And Welfare
Name: Joel Ormerod
Email address: joel@thelittlefoxesclub.com
Telephone number: 020 7376 0006
Deputy Senior Lead for Safeguarding And Welfare
Name: James Long
Email address: james.long@thelittlefoxesclub.com
Telephone number: 020 7376 0006
Royal Borough of Kensington And Chelsea Safeguarding Team
Email address: socialservices@rbkc.gov.uk
Telephone number: 020 7361 3013
Middlesex County Designated Safeguarding Officer
Name: Rebecca Chapman
Email address: Rebecca.chapman@middlesexfa.com
Telephone number: 020 8515 6909