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Safeguarding & Athlete Welfare

Safeguarding & Protecting Children & Adults at risk

Safeguarding and Protecting Children in Sport and Safeguarding Adults at Risk.

Sport Resolutions has policies and procedures in place to ensure that best practice is followed in all business activities.

If you need immediate help with any issues raised around safeguarding then please contact the NSPCC's national helpline on 0808 800 5000 or by text to 88858. The NSPCC also have a free textphone for people who are deaf or are hearing impaired on 18001 0808 800 5000, or you can go online at help@nspcc.org.uk. If the concern is serious and a child is in direct danger then you should contact the Police or your Local Authority’s child services team.

Safeguarding and Protecting Children in Sport

Sport Resolutions is committed to helping to safeguard children and young people in the course of all its activities and services with expedition, sensitivity, and fairness. The welfare of children is a paramount consideration and the organisation practices the principles of the United Nations' Convention on the Rights of the Child which read at Article 3.1: 

''In all actions concerning children, whether undertaken by public or private social welfare institutions, courts of law, administrative authorities or legislative bodies, the best interests of the child shall be the primary consideration''.

The organisation has policies and procedures in place to ensure that best practice is followed in all business activities. Our safeguarding policy can be found in the link on the right of this page. Our policies apply to all employees, Panel Members, volunteers and Directors of Sport Resolutions and anyone involved in a case or event administered by Sport Resolutions.  Furthermore, Sport Resolutions utilises its expertise and understanding in the area of safeguarding to influence, encourage, and promote the adoption and implementation of measures to safeguard children and adults to a wider audience, through discussion and debate at its annual conference and seminar programme.

For policies and procedures specifically related to our administration of the National Safeguarding Panel (NSP) please click here.

Safeguarding Adults at Risk

Sport Resolutions is committed to helping to safeguard Adults at Risk in the course of all its activities and services with expedition, sensitivity, and fairness. Please refer to the Adults at Risk Policy in the links on the right of this page for further information.

Certification

Sport Resolutions achieved the advanced level of the 'Standards for Safeguarding and Protecting Children in Sport' in the Autumn of 2018 and will continue to work with CPSU and UK Sport to maintain and improve its practices and procedures.

Equity

Sport Resolutions recognises that the welfare and interests of children are paramount and aims to ensure that regardless of age, gender, religion or beliefs, race or ethnic identify, disability, sexual orientation of socio-economic background, all children have a positive experience when accessing Sport Resolutions’ services. Sport Resolutions is committed to ensuring that equity is incorporated across all aspects of its development.

Recruitment

Sport Resolutions will aim to recruit the best person for each vacancy whilst ensuring that equal opportunities and child safeguarding checks are integral to the recruitment process. Before any recruitment can take place a current job description/person specification is required and a risk assessment to determine if DBS checking is applicable. The recruitment procedures apply to all staff, whether paid or unpaid, full or part-time. Sport Resolutions will take up references and it is normal practice to seek the successful candidate's prior consent before taking up written or verbal references. Details of the strict selection criteria for appointment to our panel of arbitrators, mediators and investigators can be found here.

Code of Conduct

Sport Resolutions has a Code of Conduct for employees, directors and panel members and all have to agree to adhere to the relevant code as a condition of employment or appointment. These policies can be found in the link on the right of this page. Any breaches of the code of conduct will be dealt with under the disciplinary procedures.

Safeguarding Training

All Sport Resolutions employees have undertaken training on safeguarding. Panel Members are ordinarily experts in the their fields however training is also provided through annual panel training sessions and regular seminars. The organisation regularly reviews the training needs of staff and directors.

Sport Resolutions recognises that it is vital that anyone who may meet or talk with young or vulnerable persons in the course of their work is alert to:

  • Possible indicators of abuse and neglect;
  • Risks that individual abusers or potential abusers, may pose to children; and
  • Understanding what actions they should take should concerns arise.

Children and young people who experience symptoms of abuse are likely to choose someone they trust to raise concerns. 

Safeguarding Officer

Sport Resolutions has a lead Safeguarding Officer (currently the Chief Executive) and a Deputy Safeguarding Officer (currently the Head of Business Operations) who have responsibility for Safeguarding within the executive. The Safeguarding Champion is a director of the company and sits on both its Audit and Risk Committee as well as its main Board. Together, these three individuals provide advice and guidance to the case management team and the Board of the company on all safeguarding and child protection issues. 

Reporting Concerns

Sport Resolutions has a process for reporting any child welfare concerns whether these are within or outside of the company. Please contact one of the named contacts below if:

  • you have any concerns about the safety of your child or a vulnerable adult involved in a case with Sport Resolutions;
  • you would like to obtain copies of any of the documents mentioned;
  • you have any concerns regarding the environment, staff, panel members or practices of Sport Resolutions;
  • you have any safeguarding or child protection queries in relation to Sport Resolutions.

If the concern is serious and a child is in direct danger then you should contact the Police or your Local Authority’s child services team.

Sport Resolutions will convene a Case Management Group for all Child Safeguarding matters. The Case Management Group shall be made up of at least two people, from the Designated Officer, the Chief Executive and a Board Member. Where specialist advice is required, the Case Management Group can call upon a member of the National Safeguarding Panel.

The Case Management Group will decide upon the eventual course of action to;

  • ensure that the matter concerning any child is passed to the correct authority.
  • ensure that any persons included under this policy is subject to the policies and procedures of Sport Resolutions.
Sport Resolutions contacts

Richard Harry
Chief Executive and Lead Safeguarding Officer
Tel: 020 7036 1967
Email: rharry@sportresolutions.com

or

Ross Macdonald
Head of Business Operations and Deputy Safeguarding Officer
Tel: 020 7036 1968
Email: rmacdonald@sportresolutions.com

Contact your sport's National Governing Body

The CPSU maintains a register of safeguarding and welfare officers across NGB's in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Please click here to access this register.

In addition to the CPSU, there are a number of organisations and resources to which you can turn for help and advice.

NSPCC
Worried about a child? Advice and support whenever you need it.
Call 0808 800 5000

ChildLine
A free and confidential helpline for children who have concerns.
Call 0800 1111

Child protection, safeguarding and government

Anti-bullying Alliance
Tel: 0207 843 1901 Email: aba@ncb.org.uk

Beat Bullying
Tel: 0208 771 3377 Email: info@betabullying.org

Bullying UK
Tel: 0808 800 2222 Email: help@bullying.co.uk

Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP)
Tel: 0870 000 3344

Disclosure and Barring Service (formally Criminal Records Bureau)
Tel: 0870 909 0811

Family Lives
Tel: 0808 800 2222

Internet Watch Foundation
Tel: 0122 323 7700 Email: information@iwf.org.uk

Kidscape
Tel: 0845 120 5204 Email: webinfo@kidscape.org.uk

National Children’s Bureau (NCB)
Tel: 0207 843 6000 Email: enquiries@ncb.org.uk

Women’s Aid
Tel: 0808 200 0247 Email: helpline@womensaid.org.uk

Samaritans UK
Tel: 08457 90 90 90

MIND
Tel: 0300 123 3393 Email: info@mind.org.uk