SAFEGUARDING POLICY & CODES OF CONDUCT

Safeguarding and child protection policies and procedures

Introduction

Everyone who participates in activities including any therapies and strength & conditioning at ZONE SIX – Health & Performance is entitled to do so in an enjoyable and safe environment. We have a moral and legal obligation to ensure that, when given responsibility for young people, coaches and practitioners provide them with the highest possible standard of care.

We are committed to devising and implementing policies so that everyone in sport accepts their responsibilities to safeguard children from harm and abuse. This means to follow procedures to protect children and report any concerns about their welfare to appropriate authorities.

The aim of the policy is to promote good practice, providing children and young people with appropriate safety/protection whilst in the care of the club and to allow staff and volunteers to make informed and confident responses to specific child protection issues.

As defined by the Children’s act 1989, a child/young person is defined as a person under the age of 18.

Policy Statement

We are committed at Zone Health and Performance Limited to ensuring that children or young people are kept safe. We believe everyone has a responsibility to promote the welfare of all children and young people, to keep them safe and to practise in a way that protects them and therefore we are committed to the following:

The welfare of the child is paramount
We will give equal priority to keeping all children and young people safe regardless of their age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation or sexual identity All children should be able to participate in a fun and safe environment
Taking all reasonable steps to protect children from harm, discrimination and degrading treatment and to respect their rights, wishes and feelings
All suspicions and allegations of poor practice or abuse will be taken seriously and responded to swiftly and appropriately
All employees and self-employed contractors who work with children will be recruited with regard to their suitability for that responsibility, and will eb provided with guidance and/or training or be asked to provide evidence of training in good practice and child protection procedures
Working in partnership with parents and children is essential for the protection of children
We recognise the potential of additional needs of children from minority ethnic groups and disabled children and the barriers they may face, for example with communication or the impact of discrimination and aim to recognise and remove these barriers and create equality for all young people.

We will meet these commitments by:

Listening to children and respecting them
Appointing a nominated welfare officer who takes lead responsibility for safeguarding
Writing detailed safeguarding and child protection procedures
making sure all staff and volunteers understand and follow the safeguarding and child protection procedures
Ensuring children, young people and their families know about the organisation's safeguarding and child protection policies and what to do if they have a concern
Building a safeguarding culture where staff, volunteers and children know how they are expected to behave and feel comfortable about sharing concerns

Monitor and review the policy and procedures

The implementation of procedures should be regularly monitored and reviewed. The welfare officer should communicate and implement where changes are required. The policy should be reviewed every 3 years, or whenever there is a change in the organisation or in legislation.

Promoting good practice

To provide children and young people with the best possible experience and outcomes, everyone must operate within an accepted ethical framework. It is not always easy to distinguish poor practice from abuse. It is therefore NOT the responsibility of employees or participants to make judgements about whether or not abuse is taking place. It is however the responsibility to identify poor practice and possible abuse and act if they have concerns about the welfare of a child. We will outline further what is meant by good practice and poor practice.

Good practice

Everyone should adhere to the following principles and action:

Always work in an open environment, avoiding private or unobserved situations and encouraging open communication with no secrets
Make the experience, when participating in a group activity, fun and enjoyable, promoting fairness confront and deal with bullying
Treat all young people equally and with respect and dignity
Always put the welfare of the young person first
Maintain and safe and appropriate distance with players
Avoid unnecessary physical contact with young people. Where any form of manual manual/physical support is required, it should be provided openly and with the consent of the young person. Physical contact can be appropriate so long as it is neither intrusive nor disturbing and the young person’s consent has been given
Involve parents/carers wherever possible eg. Changing room supervision is don’t in pairs, parents taking responsibility for their own child
Request rite parental consent if we require our coaches/practitioners to transport young people in their cars
Gain written parental consent for any significant travel arrangement eg. Overnight stays
Ensure that if mixed groups are taken away, they should always be accompanied by a male and female member of staff
Ensure that at away events adults should not enter a youn persons room or invite young people to their rooms
Be an excellent role model
Always give enthusiastic and constructive feedback rather than negative criticism
Recognising developmental needs and capacity of the young person and do not risk sacrificing welfare in a desire for the business or personal achievements. This means avoiding excessive training or competition and not pushing them against their will
Secure written parental consent for the club to act in a loco parentis, to give permission for the administration of emergency first aid or other medical treatment if the need arises
Keep a written record of any injury that occurs, along with details of any treatment given

Poor practice

The following is regarded as poor practice and should be avoided by all coaches/practiioners:

Unnecessarily spending excessive amounts of time alone with young people away from others
Taking young people along in car journeys, however short
Taking young people to your home where they ill be alone with you
Sharing a room with a young person
Engaging in rough, physical or sexually provocative games, including horseplay
Allow or engaging in any touching of any form
Allowing young people to use inappropriate language unchallenged
Making sexually suggestive comments to a young person
Reducing a young person to tears as a form of control
Allow allegations made by a young person to go unchallenged, unrecorded or not acted upon
Do things of a personal nature that a young person can do for themselves

When a case arises where it is impractical/impossible to avoid a certain situation eg. Transporting a young person in your car, the task should only be carried out with the full understanding and consent of the parent/carer and the young person involved.

If during your care you accidentally hurt a young person, the young person seems distressed in any manner, appears to be sexually aroused by your actions and/or in the young person misunderstands or misinterprets something you have done, report any such incident as soon as possible to another colleague and make a written note of it. Parents should be informed of the incident.

Contact details

NSPCC: 0808 800 5000

Childline: 0800 1111

Welfare Officer: Cristina Sidoli 02087982642, info@zonesix.co.uk

Review date

This policy comes into effect from 20/10/2021 and will be reviewed by 20/10/2024, unless these are changes in legislation which requires it to be reviewed sooner. On behalf of Zone Health And Performance Limited, I will oversee the implementation of the Child Protection Policy and take all necessary steps to ensure it is adhered to

Signed: CS

Printed: Cristina Sidoli - Director

Dated: 20/10/2021

Defining child abuse

Types of Abuse -

Physical Abuse: where adults physically hurt or injure a young person e.g. hitting, shaking, throwing, poisoning, burning, biting, scalding, suffocating, drowning. Giving young people alcohol or inappropriate drugs would also constitute child abuse.

This category of abuse can also include when a parent/carer reports nonexistent symptoms or illness deliberately causes ill health in a young person they are looking after. This is call Munchauser's syndrome by proxy.

In a sports situation, physical abuse may occur when the nature and intensity of training disregard the capacity of the child's immature and growing body

Emotional Abuse: the persistent emotional ill treatment of a young person, likely to cause severe and lasting adverse effects on the child's emotional development. It may involve telling a young person they are useless, worthless, unloved, inadequate or valued in terms of only meeting the needs of another person. It may feature expectations of young people that are not appropriate to their age or development. It may cause a young person to be frightened or in danger by being constantly shouted at, threatened or taunted which may make the young person frightened or withdrawn.

Ill treatment of children, whatever form it takes, will always feature a degree of emotional abuse.

Emotional abuse in sport may occur when the young person is constant criticised, given negative feedback, expected to perform at levels that are above their capability. Other forms of emotional abuse could take the form of name calling and bullying.

Bullying may come from another young person or an adult. Bullying is defined as deliberate hurtful behaviour, usually repeated over a period of time, where it is difficult for those bullied to defend themselves. There are three main types of bullying.

It may be physical (e.g. hitting, kicking, slapping), verbal (e.g. racist or homophobic remarks, name calling, graffiti, threats, abusive text messages), emotional (e.g. tormenting, ridiculing, humiliating, ignoring, isolating form the group), or sexual (e.g. unwanted physical contact or abusive comments).

In sport bullying may arise when a parent or coach pushes the young person too hard to succeed, or a rival athlete or official uses bullying behaviour.

Neglect occurs when an adult fails to meet the young person's basic physical and/or psychological needs, to an extent that is likely to result in serious impairment of the child's health or development. For example, failing to provide adequate food, shelter and clothing, failing to protect from physical harm or danger, or failing to ensure access to appropriate medical care or treatment.

Refusal to give love, affection and attention can also be a form of neglect.

Neglect in sport could occur when a coach does not keep the young person safe, or exposing them to undue cold/heat or unnecessary risk of injury.

Sexual Abuse occurs when adults (male and female) use children to meet their own sexual needs. This could include full sexual intercourse, masturbation, oral sex, anal intercourse and fondling. Showing young people pornography or talking to them in a sexually explicit manner are also forms of sexual abuse.

In sport, activities which might involve physical contact with young people could potentially create situations where sexual abuse may go unnoticed. Also the power of the coach over young athletes, if misused, may lead to abusive situations developing.

Indicators of Abuse

Even for those experienced in working with child abuse, it is not always easy to recognise a situation where abuse may occur or has already taken place. Most people are not experts in such recognition, but indications that a child is being abused may include one or more of the following:

unexplained or suspicious injuries such as bruising, cuts or burns, particularly if situated on a part of the body not normally prone to such injuries
an injury for which an explanation seems inconsistent
the young person describes what appears to be an abusive act involving them
another young person or adult expresses concern about the welfare of a young person
unexplained changes in a young person's behaviour e.g. becoming very upset, quiet, withdrawn or displaying sudden outbursts of temper
inappropriate sexual awareness
engaging in sexually explicit behaviour
distrust of adult's, particularly those whom a close relationship would normally be expected difficulty in making friends
being prevented from socialising with others
displaying variations in eating patterns including overeating or loss of appetite
losing weight for no apparent reason
becoming increasingly dirty or unkempt

Signs of bullying include:

behavioural changes such as reduced concentration and/or becoming withdrawn, clingy, depressed, tearful, emotionally up and down, reluctance to go training or competitions
an unexplained drop off in performance
physical signs such as stomach aches, headaches, difficulty in sleeping, bed wetting, scratching and bruising, damaged clothes, bingeing e.g. on food, alcohol or cigarettes
a shortage of money or frequents loss of possessions

It must be recognised that the above list is not exhaustive, but also that the presence of one or more of the indications is not proof that abuse is taking place. It is NOT the responsibility of those working at Zone Health and Performance Limited to decide that child abuse is occurring. It IS their responsibility to act on any concerns.

Use of Photographic/ Filming Equipment

There is evidence that some people have used sporting events as an opportunity to take inappropriate photographs or film footage of young people. All clubs should be vigilant and any concerns should be reported to the Club welfare officer.

All parents and performers should be made aware when coaches use video equipment as a coaching aid. We will obtain parental consent prior to taking photographs and will ensure the photographs taken are appropriate, are stored safely and shared appropriately if used for social media purposes.

Responding to Suspicions and Allegations

It is not the responsibility of anyone working at Zone Health and Performance Limited to decide whether or not child abuse has taken place. However, there is a responsibility to act on any concerns through contact with the appropriate authorities so that they can then make inquiries and take necessary action to protect the young person. This applies BOTH to allegations/suspicions of abuse occurring within Zone Health and Performance Limited and to allegations/suspicions that abuse is taking place elsewhere.

Receiving Evidence of Possible Abuse

We may become aware of possible abuse in various ways. We may see it happening, we may suspect it happening because of signs such as those listed of this document, it may be reported to us by someone else or directly by the young person affected.

In the last of these cases, it is particularly important to respond appropriately. If a young person says or indicates that they are being abused, you should:

Stay calm so as not to frighten the young person
reassure the child that they are not to blame and that it was right to tell

listen to the child, showing that you are taking them seriously
keep questions to a minimum so that there is a clear and accurate understanding of what has been said. The law is very strict and child abuse cases have been dismissed where it is felt that the child has been led or words and ideas have been suggested during questioning. Only ask questions to clarify
inform the child that you have to inform other people about what they have told you. Tell the child this is to help stop the abuse continuing.
safety of the child is paramount. If the child needs urgent medical attention call an ambulance, inform the doctors of the concern and ensure they are made aware that this is a child protection issue
record all information
report the incident to the club/welfare officer

In all cases if you are not sure what to do you can gain help from NSPCC 24 hour help line Tel No: 0800800500

Recording Information

To ensure that information is as helpful as possible, a detailed record should always be made at the time of the disclosure/concern. In recording you should confine yourself to the facts and distinguish what is your personal knowledge and what others have told you. Do not include your own opinions.

Information should include the following:

the child's name, age and date of birth
the child's home address and telephone number
whether or not the person making the report is expressing their concern or someone else's
the nature of the allegation, including dates, times and any other relevant information
a description of any visible bruising or injury, location, size etc. Also any indirect signs, such as behavioural changes
details of witnesses to the incidents
the child's account, if it can be given, of what has happened and how any bruising/injuries occurred
have the parents been contacted? If so what has been said?
has anyone else been consulted? If so record details
has anyone been alleged to be the abuser? Record detail

Reporting the Concern

All suspicions and allegations MUST be reported appropriately. It is recognised that strong emotions can be aroused particularly in cases where sexual abuse is suspected or where there is misplaced loyalty to a colleague. It is important to understand these feelings but not allow them to interfere with your judgement about any action to take.

The clinic/gym expects it's members and staff to discuss any concerns they may have about the welfare of a child immediately with the person in charge and subsequently to check that appropriate action has been taken.

If the nominated club welfare officer is not available you should take responsibility and seek advice from the NSPCC helpline, the duty officer at your local social services department or the police. Telephone numbers can be found in your local directory.

Where there is a complaint against an employee or volunteer, there may be three types of investigation.

Criminal in which case the police are immediately involved
Child protection in which case the social services (and possibly) the police will be involved
Disciplinary or misconduct in which case Zone Health and Performance Limited will be involved

As mentioned previously in this document the Zone Health And Performance Limited are not child protection experts and it is not their responsibility to determine whether or not abuse has taken place. All suspicions and allegations must be shared with professional agencies that are responsible for child protection. This can be The NSPCC, Social Services, Essex County Council and the Child Welfare officer, the necessary action will be taken.

Social services have a legal responsibility under The Children Act 1989 to investigate all child protection referrals by talking to the child and family (where appropriate), gathering information from other people who know the child and making inquiries jointly with the police.

NB: If there is any doubt, you must report the incident: it may be just one of a series of other incidences which together cause concern

Any suspicion that a child has been abused by anyone affiliated with Zone Health And Performance Limited should be reported to the Zone Health And Performance Limited who will take appropriate steps to ensure the safety of the child in question and any other child who may be at risk. This will include the following:

Zone Health and Performance Limited will refer the matter to social services department
the parent/carer of the child will be contacted as soon as possible following advice from the social services department
the directors should be notified to decide who will deal with any media inquiries and implement any immediate disciplinary proceedings
the club welfare officer should also notify the relevant sport governing body
if the Club welfare officer is the subject of the suspicion/allegation the report must be made to the appropriate manager who will refer the matter to social services

Allegations of abuse are sometimes made sometime after the event. Where such allegation is made, you should follow the same procedures and have the matter reported to social services. This is because other children in the sport or outside it may be at risk from the alleged abuser. Anyone who has a previous conviction for offences related to abuse against children is automatically excluded from working with children.

Concerns outside the immediate Sporting Environment (e.g. a parent or carer)

Report your concerns to the Club welfare officer
If the Club welfare officer is not available, the person being told or discovering the abuse should contact their local social services department or the police immediately
Social Services and the Club welfare officer will decide how to inform the parents/carers
The Club welfare officer should also report the incident to the (Your Organisation/club) Governing Body. The Governing Body should ascertain whether or not the person/s involved in the incident play a role in the organisation and act accordingly
Maintain confidentiality on a need to know basis

Confidentiality

Every effort should be made to ensure that confidentiality is maintained for all concerned. Information should be handled and disseminated on a need to know basis only. This includes the following people:

The Club Welfare Officer
The parents of the child
The person making the allegation
Social Services/police
Essex County Council
The alleged abuser (and parents if the alleged abuser is a child)

Seek social services advice on who should approach the alleged abuser.

All information should be stored in a secure place with limited access to designated people, in line with data protection laws.

Internal Inquiries and Suspension

The welfare officer will make an immediate decision about whether any individual accused of abuse should be temporarily suspended pending further police and social services inquiries

Irrespective of the findings of the social services or police inquiries Zone Health and Performance Limited’s disciplinary procedure will assess all individual cases to decide whether a member of staff or volunteer can be reinstated and how this can be sensitively handled. This may be a difficult decision; especially where there is insufficient evidence to uphold any action by the police. In such cases Zone Health and Performance’s disciplinary procedure must reach a decision based upon the available information which could suggest that on the balance of probability, it is more likely than not that the allegation is true. The welfare of the child should remain of paramount importance throughout.

Recruiting and Selecting Personnel with Children

It is important that all reasonable steps are taken to prevent unsuitable people from working with children. This applies equally to paid staff and volunteers, both full and part time. To ensure unsuitable people are prevented from working with children the following steps should be taken when recruiting.

Controlling Access to Children

Consent should be obtained from the applicant to seek information from the Criminal Records Bureau. Two confidential references should be obtained. These references MUST be taken up and confirmed. Evidence of identity obtained (passport or driving licence with photo).

Interview and Induction

All employees and self-employed will be required to undertake an interview carried out to acceptable protocol and recommendations. All employees and self-employed should receive formal or informal induction during which:

A check should be made that the application form has been completed in full, including sections on criminal records and self-disclosures

Their qualifications should be substantiated
The job requirements and responsibilities should be clarified
They should sign up to the organization's Code of Conduct
Child Protection Procedures are explained, and training needs identified e.g. basic child protection awareness, where necessary

Training

In addition to pre-selection checks, the safeguarding process includes training after recruitment to help staff and volunteers to:

Analyse their own practice against what is deemed good practice, and to ensure their practice is likely to protect them from false allegations
Recognise their responsibilities and report any concerns about suspected poor practice and/or abuse
Respond to concerns expressed by a child
Work safely and effectively with children

Zone Health and Performance Limited requires:

All employees and self-employed contractors who have access to children to undergo a DBS check
All employees and self-employed contractors to undertake relevant child protection training or undertake a form of home study, to ensure their practice is exemplary and to facilitate the development of positive culture towards good practice and child protection
All staff and volunteers to receive advisory information outlined good/bad practice and informing them what to do if they have concerns about the behaviour of an adult towards a young person
All employees and self-employed contractors should have an up to date first aid qualification

Code of Conducts

Zone Health and Performance Limited is fully committed to safeguarding and promoting the

wellbeing of all its members. We believe that it is important that members, coaches,

employees, self-employed contractors and parents/carers associated with the club should, at all times, show respect and understanding for the safety and welfare of others. Therefore, members are encouraged to be open at all times and to share any concerns or complaints that they may have about any aspect of the club with our welfare officer.

Sports clubs should offer a positive experience for children and young people and where they can learn new things in a safe and positive environment. Therefore we have codes of conduct for young people, parents/carers and our staff, these are agreed to as part of signing up for participation.

Code of conduct for young people and children

As a participant at ZONE SIX – Health & Performance, you are expected to abide by the

following code of practice:

As a young person taking part in activity at our club, we’d like you to:

The Essentials

keep yourself safe by listening to your coach or trainer, behaving responsibly and speak out when something isn't right
when you're with us, stay in the places where you're supposed to, don't wander off or leave without telling a member of staff
take care of our equipment and premises as if they were your own
make it to sessions on time and if you're running late, let a member of staff know
bring the right kit to your session and wear appropriate kit for the weather
not smoke or consume alcohol on our premises or during practices, competitions or when representing us

Behaviour

Respect and celebrate difference in our club or activity and not discriminate against anyone else on the grounds of gender, race, sexual orientation or ability
report any incidents of bullying, including homophobia and transphobia to a member of staff, even if you're just a witness
treat other young people with respect and appreciate that everyone has different levels of skill and talent
make our club a welcoming and friendly place to be
support and encourage your teammates. Tell them when they've done well and be there for them when they're struggling
respect our coaches
be a good sport
play by the rules and have fun
follow our online safety and internet use policies
get involved in club or activity decisions, it's your sport too

As a young person taking part, we understand you have the right to:

enjoy the time you spend with us and know that you're safe
be told who you can talk to if something's not right be listened to be involved and contribute towards decisions within the activity
be respected by us and other team members and be treated fairly
feel welcomed, valued and not judged based on your race, gender, sexuality or ability
be encouraged and develop skills with our help
be looked after if there's an accident or injury and have your parents informed if needed

We expect all young people to follow the behaviours and requests set out in this code. If any young person behaves in a way which contradicts any of the points set out above, we'll address the problem straight away with parent's involvement and aim to resolve the issue.

Continued issues and repeated breaches of this code may result in us regrettably asking you to leave the activity/club permanently, for the welfare of other young people and our staff. This is something we never want to do.

Code of conduct for parents and carers

As a parent of a child taking part in our club or activity, we'd like you to:

The Essentials

make sure your child has the right kit for the session as well as enough food and drink
try to make sure your child arrives to sessions on time and is picked up promptly; or let us know if you're running late or if your child is going home with someone else
complete all consent, contact and medical forms and update us straight away if anything changes
make sure your child wears any protective kit we provide for them
maintain a good relationship with your child's coach and catch up with them as much as you can about your child's development
talk to us if you have any concerns about any part of your child's involvement — we want to hear from you

Behaviour

try and learn about your child's sport and what it means to them take the time to talk to your child about what you both want to achieve through sport
remember that children get a wide range of benefits from participating in sport, like making friends, getting exercise and developing skills. It's not all about wins and losses
listen when your child says they don't want to do something
behave positively on the side — shout encouragement, let your children know you're proud of what they're doing
think about how the way you react and behave effects not just your child but other children too lead by example when it comes to positive behaviour on the side; or let other parents take their cues from you, as well as from us
accept a professional coaches judgment and do not enter the coaching area
use social media responsibly when talking about what goes on at our premises,
by behaving in the same way online as you would in person talk to your child about embracing good etiquette and sportsmanship encourage your child to play by the rules
ensure that your child understands their code of conduct

As a parent, we understand you have the right to:

be assured that your child is safeguarded during their time with us
see any of our policies and procedures at any time
know who the welfare officer responsible for your child is and have their contact details be involved and contribute towards decisions within the club or activity
know what training and qualifications our staff have
be informed of problems or concerns relating to your child
know what happens if there's an accident or injury, be informed if your child is injured and see records of any accidents
have your consent sought for anything outside of our initial consent form
have any concerns about any aspect of your child's welfare listened to and responded to

We expect all parents to follow the behaviours and requests set out in this code. If any parent behaves in a way which contradicts any of the points set out above, we'll address the problem straight away with the parent and aim to resolve the issue.

Persistent concerns or breaches may result in parents being asked not to attend games if their attendance is considered a risk to the welfare and enjoyment of young participants.

Continued issues and repeated breaches of this code may result in us regrettably asking your child to leave the activity, event or club permanently, something we never want to do.

Code of conduct for staff and volunteers

As a member of staff at our club, we'd like you to:

implement our safeguarding policy and procedures
report any concerns about or allegations of abuse or poor practice to our welfare officer listen to any concerns that parents or young people might have
consider your behaviour — do not engage in any behaviour that constitutes any form of abuse
respect your position of trust and maintain appropriate boundaries and relationships with young people. Engaging in sexual behaviour with any child under the age of 16 is illegal
keep any coaching and safeguarding training up to date
keep children in your sessions safe by supervising appropriately, using safe methods and techniques and by putting children's safety first
make sure you've got appropriate staffing ratios of adult to participant before the session begins
ensure equipment is fit for purpose, safe to use and accessible
respect children's trust and rights whilst being honest and open with them
champion everyone's right to take part and celebrate difference in our club or by not discriminating against anyone, regardless of gender, race, sexual orientation or ability
stop play if an injury happens, administer minor first aid and call for help when necessary
use constructive and positive methods of developing children's skills, without humiliating or harming them
behave appropriately online in accordance with our online safety and acceptable use policy
challenge and address instances of poor, negative, aggressive or bullying behaviour amongst young people lead by example when it comes to good sportsmanship, positive behaviour and commitment to the sport develop positive relationships with parents and catch up with them regularly about their child's development
make our club a friendly and welcoming place to be

As a member of our staff, we understand you have the right to:

enjoy the time you spend with us and be supported in your role
be informed of our safeguarding and reporting procedures and what you need to do if something isn't right
have access to ongoing training in all aspects of your role be listened to be involved and contribute towards decisions within the club or activity
be respected and treated fairly by us and our governing body
feel welcomed, valued and not judged based on your race, gender, sexuality or ability
be protected from physical or emotional abuse from children or parents and be supported to resolve conflicts

We expect all of our staff and practitioners to follow the behaviours and requests set out in this code. If any staff member or practitioner behaves in a way which contradicts any of the points set out above, we'll address the problem straight away and aim to resolve the issue.

Continued issues and repeated breaches of this code may result in us taking disciplinary action against you with the involvement of governing bodies and ultimately your dismissal from the organisation.

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