It is generally accepted that it is the responsibility of every adult to protect children from abuse.

Abuse can occur within many situations including the home, school and the sporting environment. As coaches, instructors and volunteers having regular contact with children can be an important link in identifying cases where a child needs protection.

This procedure identifies the responsibilities of those working with children with regard to child protection on behalf of B&FYC by:

·      Safeguarding and promoting the interests and well being of children with whom they are working.

·      Taking all reasonable practical steps to protect children from harm, discrimination or degrading treatment.

·      Respecting children’s rights wishes and feelings.

Outlining a policy which:

·      Offer safeguards to children, coaches, instructors and volunteers.

·      Help to maintain high standards of professionalism and practice.

The procedure adopted herein is based on the following principles:

1.     The child’s welfare is paramount.

2.     All children, whatever their age, culture, disability, gender, language, racial origin, religious belief and/or sexual identity have the right to protection from abuse.

3.     All suspicions and allegations of abuse will be taken seriously and responded to swiftly and appropriately.

Recognition of abuse

It is accepted that even for those experienced with working with child abuse it is not always easy to recognise a situation where abuse may occur or has already taken place.

It is essential that if you have any concerns about the welfare of a child that discussion take place with either the Principal or Chief Instructor immediately.

If either of the above is not available see the contact list at Att 1,

Indications that a child may be being abused include 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 the explanation seems inconsistent.

·      The child describes what appears to be an abusive act involving him/her.

·      Someone else (a child or adult) expresses concern about the welfare of another child.

·      Unexplained changes in behaviour (e.g. becoming very quiet, withdrawn or displaying sudden outbursts of temper).

·      Inappropriate sexual awareness.

·      Engaging in sexually explicit behaviour.

·      Distrustful of adults, particularly those with whom a close relationship would normally be expected.

·      Has difficulty making friends.

·      Is prevented from socialising with other children.

It is not the responsibility of those working in the sport to decide that child abuse is occurring but it is your responsibility to act on any concerns.

Main forms of abuse

There are 4 main forms of abuse:

Neglect:

Where adults fail to meet a child’s basic needs. Neglect in a sport situation could include an instructor or coach not ensuring that children were safe, exposing them to undue cold or to unnecessary risk of injury.

Physical abuse:

Where adults physically hurt or injure children by hitting, shaking, squeezing, burning and biting or by giving children alcohol, inappropriate drugs or poison. In sports situations, physical abuse might occur when the nature and intensity of training exceeds the capacity of the child’s immature and growing body.

Sexual Abuse:

Girls and boys are abused by adults – both male and female. Sports such as sailing, which involve physical contact with children, could potentially create situations where sexual abuse may go unnoticed.

Emotional abuse:

Persistent lack of love and affection, where a child may be constantly shouted at, threatened or taunted which may make a child very nervous and withdrawn.

Emotional abuse may also occur when there is constant overprotection (which prevents children from socialising), or there is neglect, physical or sexual abuse. Emotional abuse in sport might occur if children are subjected to constant criticism, bullying or unrealistic pressure to perform to high expectations consistently. 

Responding to the child

If a child says or indicates that he or she is being abused, or information is obtained which gives concern that a child is being abused, the person receiving this information should:

·      React calmly so as not to frighten the child

·      Tell the child that he/she is not to blame and that it was right to tell

·      Take what the child says seriously

·      Keep questions to the absolute minimum to ensure a clear and accurate understanding of what has been said

·      Reassure the child but do not make any promises of confidentiality which might not be feasible in the light of subsequent developments

·      Make a full record of what has been said, heard and/or seen as soon as possible.

What to do if there are concerns

In most situations it would be important to talk to parents or carers to help clarify any initial concerns.

However, there are circumstances in which a child might be placed at even greater risk if such concerns were shared (e.g. the parent or carer may be responsible for the abuse). In these situations or where concerns still exist, any suspicion, allegation or incident of abuse must be reported to the Principal or Chief Instructor as soon as possible and recorded.

It is the responsibility of the person in charge to inform RYA Lead Child Protection Officer immediately.

If you are not sure what to do you can obtain advice from NSPCC 24-hour freephone Helpline; 

See Att 1.

Records and information

Information passed to the social services department or the police must be as helpful as possible and should contain the following:

·      The nature of the allegation.

·      A description of any visible bruising or other injuries.

·      The child’s account, if it can be given, of what has happened and how any injuries occurred.

·      Any times, dates or other relevant information.

·      A clear distinction between what is fact, opinion or hearsay.

Allegations against staff/volunteers

There may be circumstances where allegations are about poor practice rather than abuse, consult with Principal or Chief Instructor as to way forward.

All allegations will be taken seriously and appropriate action taken.

Reporting concerns

·      Any suspicion that a child has been abused by a coach, instructor or volunteer should be reported to the Principal or Chief Instructor, who will take such steps as deemed necessary to ensure the safety of the child in question and any other child who may be at risk.

·      The Principal or Chief Instructor will refer the allegation to the social services department who may involve the police.

·      The Principal or Chief Instructor should also notify a senior officer of the RYA and they should decide who will deal with any media enquiries.

·      Every effort should be made to ensure that confidentiality is maintained for all concerned.

·      The RYA will make an immediate decision about whether any individual accused of abuse should be temporarily suspended pending further police and social services enquiries.

·      Consideration should be given about what support may be appropriate to children, parents and other instructional staff.

Recruiting/selecting instructional staff

All children have a right to be safe and to be treated with dignity and respect. To that end the following will apply when recruiting/selecting suitable instructional staff.

·      It is a requirement that all staff will read and sign an undertaking that they will abide by the contents of the operating and child protection procedure and complete a Self Declaration Form. See Att 2

·      Instructional staff may be asked to complete an application form that gives consent for permission to make police and social services checks as necessary.

·      If members of the yacht club do not know the applicant then 2 references shall be required to support the application.

·      Confidentiality will be maintained of information received in relation to applicants.

The following is good practice in the care of children

·      Always be publicly open when working with children. Avoid situations where a coach, instructor or volunteer and an individual child is completely unobserved e.g. changing rooms.

·      If you need to support or hold a child for any reason, ensure that this is done openly. 

·      Where possible parents should take on the responsibility for their children in the changing rooms. If this is not possible try to ensure that you are not left alone with a group or individual child.

·      If possible, when administering first aid have two people present and of the appropriate gender.

You should never:

·      Engage in rough, physical or sexually provocative game, including horseplay. 

·      Allow or engage in any form of inappropriate touching.

·      Allow children to use inappropriate language unchallenged.

·      Make sexually suggestive comments to a child, even in fun.

·      Allow allegations made by a child to go unchallenged, unrecorded or not acted upon.

·      Do things of a personal nature for children that they can do for themselves.

·      Invite or allow children to stay with you at your home unsupervised.

·      Offer children a lift in your car unless accompanied by  another adult.

Think very carefully before contacting a young person via mobile phone, e-mail, or social media. In general stick to group communications. If it is essential to send an individual message, where possible copy the communication to a parent and only communicate about organisational matters.

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

 If you believe the child is at immediate risk of harm, you must call the Police immediately. 

Download the PDF for a Quick Reference Guide, contact numbers and attachments

2023