AQUATOTS - SAFEGUARDING CHILDREN POLICY

Aquatots – Safeguarding Children Policy

Aquatots believes the safety and welfare of all children, whatever their age, culture, disability, gender, language, racial origin and religion, is paramount and Aquatots takes all reasonable precautions to ensure this when children participate in any swimming activities with Aquatots.

It is generally recognised that all forms of swimming can contribute positively to the development of individuals physically, personally, socially and emotionally. This can only happen if the teaching and supervision of swimming is in the right hands - those of the informed, thinking and enlightened.

The Purpose of this Policy Statement is:

• to protect children and young people who receive Aquatots LLP services. This includes the children of adults who use our services.
• to provide parents and staff with the overarching principles that guide our approach to child protection.

This policy statement applies to anyone working on behalf of Aquatots LLP, including Directors, paid staff and all members of the LLP.

1. Legal Framework

This policy has been drawn up on the basis of legislation, policy and guidance that seeks to protect children in England.

This policy has been developed in accordance with the principles established by the Children Acts 1989 and 2004; the Education Act 2002, and in line with government publications: 'Working Together to Safeguard Children' 2018.

We believe that:

• children and young people should never experience abuse of any kind
• we have 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.

We recognise that:

• the welfare of the child is paramount
• all children, regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation have a right to equal 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.

We will seek to keep children and young people safe by:

• valuing, listening to and respecting them
• appointing a nominated child protection/Designated Safeguarding Lead, and a Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead.
• developing child protection and safeguarding policies and procedures which reflect best practice
• using our safeguarding procedures to share concerns and relevant information with agencies who need to know and involving children, young people, parents, families and carers appropriately
• developing and implementing an effective online safety policy and related procedures
• recruiting staff safely, ensuring all necessary checks are made
• providing effective management for staff through supervision, support, training and quality assurance measures
• implementing a code of conduct for all staff
• using our procedures to manage any allegations against staff appropriately
• ensuring that we have effective complaints measures in place
• ensuring that we provide a safe physical environment for our children and staff by applying health and safety measures in accordance with the law and regulatory guidance
• recording and storing information professionally and securely.

2. Related policies and procedures

Our related policy and procedures as outlined below are accessible for all staff to view on the Aquatots LLP website/teacher area.

Procedures for responding to concerns about a child or young person's wellbeing and dealing with allegations of abuse against a child or young person

• Any concerns or incidents need to be reported to your DSL or DDSL (If the Designated Safeguarding Lead is not available) within 24 hours
• An incident report form should be completed in full and sent out to the DSL
• A follow up call will take place between the DSL and said staff member, and a decision will be taken on next steps/actions agreed

Role of the designated safeguarding Lead

The Designated Safeguarding Lead (and Deputy in their absence) is responsible for:

• referring a child if there are concerns about possible abuse to the Local Authority Single Point Access (SPA) and/or the police
• keeping written records of concerns about a child even if there is no need to make an immediate referral.
• ensuring that all such records are kept confidentially and securely
• liaising with other agencies and professionals.
• organising and delivering the child protection induction and annual update training for all Aquatots LLP staff.

Managing allegations against staff

• All Aquatots Staff should take care not to place themselves in a vulnerable position with a child. It is always advisable that a teacher never stays alone with a child.
• Guidance about conduct and safe practice, including safe use of mobile phones by staff will be given at induction. Staff should refer to the guidance document for protecting themselves which is supplied during training and available on the Teacher Area and the Safeguarding training slides and knowledge reviews.
• We understand that a parent or child may make an allegation against a member of staff upon witnessing or being told about poor practice or a failure to safeguard children.
• If such an allegation is made or information is received which suggests that a person may be unsuitable to work with children, the member of staff receiving the allegation or aware of the information will immediately inform the Designated Safeguarding Officer.
• The Designated Safeguarding Officer or Deputy will follow up the report in accordance with safeguarding guidelines
• We respond to any disclosure by children or staff that abuse by a member of staff may have taken, or is taking place, by first recording the details of any such alleged incident.
• We refer any such complaint immediately to the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) and/or the police.
• We co-operate entirely with any investigation carried out by social services in conjunction with the police.
• In line with policy, we may need to suspend the member of staff for the duration of the investigation; this is not an indication of admission that the alleged incident has taken place, but is to protect the staff as well as children and families throughout the process.
• Should a member of staff or a volunteer be asked to leave the LLP, dismissed from the setting or internally disciplined because of misconduct relating to a child, we would notify the Department of Health administrators so that the name may be included on the List for the Protection of Children and Vulnerable Adults. A referral will also be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service in line with the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006.
• Any allegation or concern relating to the Designated Safeguarding Officer should be referred to the Senior Partners Lance and Evy Bentzon-Jones.

Safer Recruitment Policy and Procedures

• References will be checked prior to any form of employment/contract of works being allocated
• DBS checks will take place prior to any form of employment/contract of works being carried out
• Safeguarding induction and training will be carried out prior to any training/employment/contract of works being carried out and updated annually

Code of Conduct for Staff

• Annual training and refreshers for all staff including updates to the Aquatots LLP Code of Conduct
• Failure to comply with the Code of conduct may result in services/employment being withdrawn

Photography and Image Sharing Guidance

• Photographs can only be taken with the parent/carer consent
• No personal information can be left in view or left unattended at any location
• Photographs may be used for promotional purposes with consent

Child Protection Records Retention and Storage Policy

• All safeguarding incident reports are stored in a secure location on our main server

Whistle-blowing Procedure

Aquatots believes it is necessary to develop a culture where individuals can raise concerns in a safe and supportive environment. Aquatots is committed to:

• Developing a culture that is safe.
• Encouraging a culture of openness.
• Protecting all members.
• Upholding the reputation of the organisation.
• Maintaining our sport's and the public's confidence

All members of staff know the procedures for recording and reporting. Aquatots is committed to ensuring that concerns are dealt with effectively and efficiently and will do all that they can to preserve the confidentiality of individuals who raise such concerns.

3. Safeguarding Team Contact details

Nominated child protection lead and Designated Safeguarding Lead:
Dani Gittins - dani.gittins@aquatots.com

Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead:
Natalie Watt - natalie.watt@aquatots.com 

Safeguarding Officers:
Sarah Pierce - sarah.pierce@aquatots.com
Rita Roselt - rita.roselt@aquatots.com

We are committed to reviewing our policy and good practice annually. This policy was last reviewed on: 11^th October 2023