Safeguarding Children & Vulnerable Adults Policy
Swim England Qualifications (SEQ) and Royal Life Saving Society (IQL) is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. By establishing procedures for SEQ/IQL Approved Centres/Providers, SEQ/IQL aims to provide all learners with the opportunity to maximise their learning and development within a safe and secure environment. As such, Becky Adlington Training (BAT) has adopted the SEQ/IQL Safeguarding Children policies to ensure the welfare of children, young people and adults across BAT satellite centres. This Policy document is in addition to Swim England’s Wavepower 2016/2019 and Code of Ethics.
1. Policy aim and purpose
SEQ, IQL and BAT working in partnership, aim to maintain the highest possible standards which meet social, moral and legal obligations to protect and safeguard the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. Through promotion of this policy, BAT as an SEQ/IQL Approved Centre/Provider will provide guidance on identifying potential or suspected abuse and raise awareness of preventative measures to protect the interests of the BAT workforce, BAT quality assurance workforce, consultants and BAT representatives.
2. Definition of safeguarding
Safeguarding can be defined as the protection of children, young people or vulnerable adults from neglect, physical, emotional or sexual abuse. In particular, those children and young people up to the age of 18 who are unable to protect themselves from abuse, or vulnerable adults aged 18 or over who are unable take care of themselves, protect themselves from harm or prevent themselves from being exploited.
3. Types of abuse
3.1 Physical abuse
Physical abuse is deliberate, physical harm to an individual, or the wilful and neglectful failure to prevent physical harm or suffering. Types of physical abuse are inclusive of, but not limited to, hitting, throwing, shaking, burning or scalding, poisoning, drowning, suffocating. This includes physical harm caused by a parent or carer wishing to fabricate or induce the symptoms of illness.
3.2 Emotional abuse
Emotional abuse is the persistent emotional maltreatment of an individual leading to severe and adverse effects on the individual’s emotional development. Such examples of emotional abuse include making the individual feel worthless or unloved, inadequate or unvalued. Symptoms may include limitation of learning or prevention of the individual’s participation to normal social interaction. Emotional abuse could also lead to extreme bullying making the individual feel frightened, in danger or lead to exploitation or corruption of the individual. Domestic violence, adult mental problems and parental substance misuse may expose the individual to emotional abuse.
3.3 Sexual abuse
Sexual abuse involves forcing or enticing a child, young person or vulnerable adult to take part in sexual activities, whether or not they are aware of what is happening. These activities may involve physical contact (including penetrative or non-penetrative acts) or non-contact activities (including looking at or involving the individual in the production of pornographic materials, forcing the individual to watch sexual activities or encouraging them to behave in sexually inappropriate ways).
3.4 Neglect
Neglect is the persistent failure to meet an individual’s basic physical, emotional and/or psychological needs, which is likely to result in significant harm. Types of neglect may include failure to provide adequate food, clothing, shelter (i.e. exclusion from the home or abandonment), failure to protect the individual from physical harm or danger, failure to provide access to medical care or treatment, or failure to provide adequate supervision (i.e. childminder).
4. Indicators of abuse
The below table provides examples of indicators of abuse; however, this list is not exhaustive.
Physical indicators
Emotional indicators
Unexplained bruising
Unexplained changes in behaviour
Repeated injuries
Difficulty in making friends
Injuries to the mouth
Distrustful to adults
Torn or bloodstained clothing
Excessive attachment to adults
Burns or scalds
Sudden drop in performance
Bites
Changes to attendance patterns
Fractures
Inappropriate behaviour or language
Inconsistent stories or excuses
Inappropriate sexual awareness
5. SEQ and IQL licensing requirements
All BAT Tutors/Assessors utilised for the delivery and assessment of Swim England Qualifications must hold a current SEQ license. As part of the licensing scheme, the holder will:
- Maintain current technical knowledge and skills of the intended Swim England Qualification(s) for delivery
- Complete a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check (previously referred to as a CRB) and update every three years
- Complete a Swim England approved safeguarding and protecting children in sport course and update every three years
- Read, understand and advocate the values of Swim England’s Code of Ethics.
- All BAT Tutor/Assessors utilised for delivery and assessment of IQL courses through RLSS must produce a valid ‘card of authority’ upon recruitment with BAT and have available for every course delivered.
6. Centre requirements
BAT will:
- Only utilise Tutors/Assessors who hold a current SEQ license or IQL Card of Authority
- Ensure all Tutor/Assessors and Learners have access to and have acknowledged receipt of this policy and Swim England Wavepower 2016/19
- Adopt safeguarding procedures through codes of conduct for workforce members, learners and staff (also including parents and participants)
- Provide a safe environment for learners to maximise learning and development
- Complete a disclosure and barring service (DBS) check and update every 3 years for tutors
- Ensure tutors complete an approved safeguarding and protecting children in sport course and update every 3 years
- Ensure all tutors abide by the Swim England code of ethics
7. Protection against false allegations
It is equally important for those individuals involved with the delivery and assessment of SEQ/IQL regulated qualifications and course delivery take steps to ensure that they are not put in a position where an allegation of abuse can be made against them. These steps include:
- Maintaining a register at all times for learners, including lateness or absences
- Maintaining a register for participants where required for practical elements of a qualification
- Following appropriate procedures in the event of lateness or absence of a learner and/or participant
- Working in an open environment where easily visible to others
- Remaining in the pool area until all participants have been collected or are continuing to be supervised by an appropriate member of staff
- Avoiding unnecessary physical contact with learners and/or participants unless to prevent a danger to themselves or others
- Avoiding first aid treatment unless delay could prove life threatening; this must always be carried out by the responsible First Aid Officer and with another adult present
- Avoiding unaccompanied time with learners and/or participants
- Avoiding suggestive remarks or acting inappropriately familiar with learners and/or participants
- Reporting potential concerns, allegations or abuse made by learners and/or participants to the responsible Welfare Officer
- Refraining from inviting or allowing learners and/or participants to socialise with them outside of the learning environment
- Refraining from providing personal information to learners and/or participants (i.e. home address, telephone number).
8. Making referrals
Should a member of staff, BAT workforce or learner at the delivery site suspect or have concerns about possible abuse, the concern must be reported to the BAT Safeguarding Officer as follows:
BECKY ADLINGTON TRAINING SAFEGUARDING OFFICER:
Officer: Angela Audsley
Email: angela@beckyadlingtonsswimstars.com
Contact Number: 01619790499 | 07983346922
If the safeguarding officer is not available, the secondary contact would be:
Officer: Kelly Gaffney
Title: Operations Lead
Email: kelly.gaffney@beckyadlingtontraining.com
Tel: 07974 668128
The above safeguarding officer will in turn follow internal procedures for reporting the case to Children’s Social Care Services.
Should suspicion or concern be raised about a member of the BAT workforce or BAT or SEQ/IQL quality assurance workforce, the allegation must be reported immediately to both BAT Key Contact and SEQ/IQL through completion of the Allegations Form addressed for attention of the SEQ/IQL Responsible Officer.
9. Monitoring and review
This policy and its procedures will be reviewed annually to ensure it remains fit for purpose and reflects the legal obligations for the safeguarding of children, young people and vulnerable adults.
© Becky Adlington Training Ltd 2023