Safeguarding children policy

We believe that every child, regardless of age, race or gender has a right to feel safe and protected from any situation or practice that results in him or her being physically or psychologically damaged. 

All complaints, allegations or suspicions are taken very seriously, and the rights of the child are paramount. 

The University of Southampton, Southampton Sport works closely with children, parents and the local community to ensure the rights and safety of children and to give them the very best start in life.

  • All staff working with children within the Sports Centre will have a Disclosure and Barring Service(DBS)  enhanced police check.
  • Any staff waiting the results of a DBS enhanced police check will not be left unsupervised.
  • Any volunteers/students will not be left unsupervised. 
  • All staff will be expected to have some knowledge of safeguarding and will have read the University Safeguarding policy. The identified manager and safeguarding officer will have completed safeguarding training.
  • Regular discussion during staff meetings before and after the Sports Camps take place will keep staff informed and aware of safeguarding procedures. 
  • We have a procedure for ensuring that all the children are monitored when moving around the facilities and that contact with other customers is kept to a minimum and is supervised.

Southampton Sport are committed to responding promptly and appropriately to all incidents or concerns of abuse that may occur and to work with outside agencies in accordance with the procedures that are set down in ‘What to do if you’re worried a child is being abused’.

Responding to suspicions of abuse

We acknowledge that abuse of children can take different forms - physical, emotional, sexual, neglect and domestic violence.

When children are suffering from physical, sexual, emotional abuse or neglect this could be demonstrated through the things they say, through changes in their appearance, their behaviour or their play.

When such evidence is apparent staff working with the child will need to remain calm giving the child reassurance. The staff member will need to make a dated record of the details as soon as possible of the concern and will then discuss these concerns with the Designated Setting Lead (DSL) for the Centre: either Paul Linkins or Phil Malatesta. 

The staff member will be informed that the information given will be shared with others on a ‘need to know’ basis. 

The DSL will then look at the evidence given and decide the next step to take.

  • Contact Number for DSL: 07776 171224
  • Email: P.T.Linkins@soton.ac.uk
  • This information is stored securely on our management SharePoint site
  • The Centre will co-operate fully in any subsequent investigation
  • Any concerns will be referred to Children’s Resource Services (CRS):
  • Telephone Number for Professionals: 023 8083 2300
  • Telephone Number for Public use: 023 8083 3004
  • Out of Hours: Emergency Duty Team: 023 8023 3344 
  • Email: childrensresourceservice@southampton.gov.uk
  • A single referral form will be completed. This form is for ALL referrals, including for children with disabilities.
  • A conversational model for consent will be conducted with those with parental responsibility, unless to do so would place the child at further risk of harm.

For Advice, guidance and the management of Allegations, these will be referred to our Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO):

Other contact telephone numbers

  • NSPCC Help for children and young people: 0808 800 5000
  • Local Authority Children’s social care team: 02380 833 004
  • Childline: 0800 1111
  • Emergency Police: 999
  • Non-emergency police: 101
  • Operations Encompass (Police and school victims of Domestic Abuse) Helpline: 0204 513 9990

We will always take great care not to influence the outcome by monitoring the way we speak to children and/or ensuring we do not ask leading questions of children.

Safeguarding action may be needed to protect children and learners from:

  • Sexual abuse
  • Physical abuse
  • Emotional abuse
  • Neglect
  • Domestic abuse
  • Bullying, including online bullying and prejudice-based bullying
  • Racist, disability and homophobic or transphobic abuse
  • Gender-based violence/violence against women and girls
  • Serious youth violence, particularly affecting children and young adults who have been excluded, have experienced trauma and have been involved in offending
  • So-called honour-based violence
  • Sexual harassment and online sexual abuse between children and learners. Online abuse can include sending abusive, harassing and misogynistic messages; sharing nude images and videos; coercing others to make and share sexual imagery
  • Sexual violence between children and learners
  • Upskirting
  • Radicalisation and/or extremist behaviour
  • Child sexual exploitation and trafficking
  • Child criminal exploitation, including County Lines and cuckooing
  • The impact of new technologies on sexual behaviour, for example ‘sexting’ and accessing pornography
  • Substance misuse
  • Issues that may be specific to a local area or population, for example gang activity and youth violence
  • Domestic violence
  • Female genital mutilation
  • Forced marriage
  • Fabricated or induced illness
  • Poor parenting, particularly in relation to babies and young children
  • Other issues not listed here but that pose a risk to children, young people and vulnerable adults
  • Trigger/Toxic Trio – Domestic violence or abuse, Mental health issues in children and adults and Alcohol and drug misuse
  • Witchcraft
  • Hate crime
  • Gangs and youth violence
  • Child on child bulling
  • Child criminal exploitation (CCE)
  • Online abuse
  • Teenage relationship abuse

Recording suspicions of abuse and disclosures

When a child makes comments to a member of staff that gives cause for concern and when observing signs or signals that gives cause for concern, such as significant changes in behaviour, deterioration in general well-being, unexplained bruising, marks or signs of possible abuse or neglect, that member of staff will:

  • listen to the child, offer reassurance and give assurance that they will take action
  • staff will not promise the child that confidentiality will be given
  • not question the child

Staff will make a written record that forms an objective record of the observation or disclosure that will include:

  • the date and time of the observation or the disclosure
  • the exact words spoken by the child as far as possible
  • the name of the person to whom the concern was reported
  • the name of any other person present at the time

These records are signed, dated and kept securely and confidentially.

Informing parents

Parents are normally the first point of contact.

  • If a suspicion of abuse is recorded parents are informed at the same time as the report is made, except where the guidance of the Children’s Resource Service does not allow this.
  • This will usually be the case where the parent is the likely abuser; in these cases, the investigating officers will inform the parent.

Liaison with other agencies

We will also notify Ofsted of any incidents or accidents and any changes in our arrangements which may affect the wellbeing of a child. 

Allegations against staff

We will take any allegations made against a member of staff very seriously, whether it is from another member of staff or a parent/carer.

Details of the allegation will not be shared with the person of concern until consultation has taken place with LADO. 

Management will investigate the allegation and act on it depending on the severity of the allegation. This will also be investigated in line with the University of Southampton - Safeguarding Policy.  

The complaint or allegation will be reported to LADO (Local Authority Designated Officer) within 24 hours, using one of the following:

During the investigation the member of staff should be removed from the Sports Centre. This will be done on full pay for the duration of the investigation. They will not be informed why at this point.  

  • Talk to all staff that are involved in the incident and get written reports.
  • If the allegation came from a parent, speak to them and have this recorded in writing.  
  • Inform the line manager at the University, who will follow the relevant policy written for the University.
  • OFSTED will be informed of the action taken and these notifications must be made as soon as reasonably practical, but at least within 14 days of the allegation being made. 
  • If the allegation is against the settings Manager or DSL, this must be immediately reported to the Associate Director - Sport & Community (Phillip Malatesta: P.L.Malatesa@soton.ac.uk) and LADO.

Whistleblowing

Whistleblowing is when someone raises a concern about a dangerous or illegal activity or any wrongdoing within the Sport Centre. 

Raising a concern is known as “blowing the whistle” and is a vital process for identifying risk to 
people’s safety. 

Sharing information or talking through a concern can be the first step to helping the 
Sports Centre identify problems and improve their practices

When to contact the advice line

If you have concerns about a child at the Sports Centre, you should raise this with the DSL in the first instance. You should contact the Whistleblowing Advice line if: 

  • the Sports Centre doesn’t have clear safeguarding procedures to follow
  • you think your concern won’t be dealt with properly or may be covered up
  • you have raised a concern, but it hasn’t been acted upon
  • you are worried about being treated unfairly

Whistleblowing advice line

Available 8am to 8pm Monday to Friday and 9am to 6pm at the weekend  

If you believe a child is in immediate danger, please call the police on 999 immediately. 

Restraint

Physical restraint is defined as the use of force to restrict a child's movement against their will. It should only be used when absolutely necessary to prevent harm to the child or others.  

Using Restraint

  1. Last Resort: Restraint should only be used when all other strategies have failed, and there is an immediate risk of harm. 
  2. Minimum Force: The degree of force used should be the minimum required to ensure safety. 
  3. Calm Communication: Staff should communicate calmly and clearly with the child throughout the incident, explaining that the restraint will stop as soon as it is safe to do so. 
  4. Documentation: Any use of restraint must be documented, including the reasons for its use and the actions taken. 

Restraint should never be used as a form of punishment. Actions that cause pain, injury, or humiliation are strictly forbidden.

Witnessing inappropriate handling

Immediate actions

  1. Intervene Safely: If a staff member witnesses another staff member manhandling a child, they should intervene immediately to ensure the child's safety. 
  2. Report the Incident: The witnessing staff member must report the incident to the Sports Centre 
    Manager or designated safeguarding lead as soon as possible. 

Follow-up actions

  1. Document the Incident: Provide a written account of the incident, including details of what was observed and any actions taken.
  2. Support the Child: Ensure the child receives appropriate support and reassurance following the incident. 
  3. Investigation: The Sports Centre Manager or Safeguarding Lead will conduct a thorough investigation, following the nursery's safeguarding procedures. 
  4. External Reporting: If necessary, the incident will be reported to external authorities, such as local child protection services or the police. 

Awareness

Staff will be made aware of the importance of maintaining a safe and supportive environment for all children. 

Training

The DSL and Deputy Safeguarding Lead will attend ‘Safeguarding’ training at least every 2 years. Staff will have individual responsibility to ensure they fully understand the contents of the ‘Safeguarding Policy’.

This Sports Centre will endeavour to ensure all staff have read the ‘Safeguarding Policy’. This will continually be reviewed for staff working directly with children, for staff to refresh and update their knowledge.

Relevant Staff such as the DSL and Activity Coordinators will discuss how to identify signs of possible abuse and neglect at the earliest opportunity, and to respond in a timely and appropriate manner. These may include:  

  • significant changes in children’s behaviour
  • deterioration in children’s general well-being
  • unexplained bruising, marks and signs of possible abuse or neglect
  • children’s comments which give cause for concern
  • any reason to suspect neglect or abuse outside the setting, for example in the children’s home or that a girl may have been subjected to (or is at risk of) female genital mutilation
  • inappropriate behaviour displayed by other members of staff, or another person working with the children, for example, inappropriate sexual comments, excessive one-to-one attention beyond requirements of their role and responsibilities or inappropriate sharing of images.  

Online safeguarding

While the growth of internet and mobile device use brings many advantages, the use of technology has become a significant component of many safeguarding issues such as child sexual exploitation and radicalisation.  

There are 4 main areas of risk associated with online safety:  

  • Content - being exposed to illegal, inappropriate, or harmful material such as pornography, fake news, racist or radical and extremist views. 
  • Contact - being subjected to harmful online interaction with other users such as commercial advertising or adults posing as children or young adults. 
  • Conduct - personal online behaviour that increases the likelihood of, or causes, harm, such as making, sending, and receiving explicit images and online bullying. 
  • Commerce - risks such as online gambling, inappropriate advertising, phishing and or financial scams.

Training

Staff will have individual responsibility to ensure they fully understand the contents of the ‘Safeguarding Policy’.

Staff should be able to recognise the signs and signals of possible physical abuse, emotional abuse, sexual abuse and neglect.

Confidentiality 

All suspicions and investigations are kept confidential and shared only with those who need to know.

Support to families

This Sports Centre believes in building trust and support from all families, staff and volunteers as we want parents to feel they can trust all staff and volunteers.