Safeguarding and Protecting Children Policy

2. Scope

This Safeguarding policy applies to all staff and volunteers employed directly by StreetGames as well as those representing StreetGames as contractors, on a full or part-time basis.  It  will be applied consistently regardless of  race, colour, nationality, ethnic or national origin, sex, marital status, gender reassignment, sexual orientation, religious belief, disability or age or any other condition or requirement which cannot be shown to be justifiable.

StreetGames’ Protecting and Safeguarding Children policy represents best practice for partner and/or funded organisations that have not already developed such a policy.  The policy identifies minimum safeguarding operating standards for agencies or individuals funded or commissioned by StreetGames to provide services that bring employees or others into contact with children and young people.

Appendix 1 of this policy demonstrates the varying levels of the StreetGames delivery chain, and at each stage, where this policy comes into effect.

Attached to this policy are flow diagrams that clearly define the responsibilities of StreetGames staff in relation to safeguarding in the following 2 areas of StreetGames work:

• Direct Delivery – e.g StreetGames festivals and events
• Funded/Branded activity – Local delivery by the Network Organisation.

These flow diagrams are to be provided to all staff members through training during their induction to StreetGames.

Where StreetGames is directly responsible for delivery, these flow diagrams will be included in the relevant paperwork and be present in staff paperwork/briefings for the event, clarifying their Safeguarding responsibilities.

3. Principles

StreetGames’s Safeguarding and Protecting Children policy is guided by the following principles:

• The welfare and safety of children and young people (under 18 years of age) is the primary concern.
• StreetGames aims to ensure that regardless of age, gender, religion or beliefs, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation or socio-economic background, all children:

• • Have a positive and enjoyable experience of sport and education in a safe and child centred learning environment.
  • Are safe and protected from any harm whilst participating in a sporting or other StreetGames activity

• StreetGames acknowledges that some children, including disabled children and young people or those from ethnic minority communities, can be particularly vulnerable and we accept the responsibility to take reasonable and appropriate steps to ensure their welfare. It is the responsibility of the child protection experts to determine whether the safety and welfare of a child or young person is at risk, but it is everyone’s responsibility to report any concerns.
• StreetGames recognises its role in passing on information relating to any form of welfare or safety concern to the appropriate bodies.  These could be within sport, the statutory or voluntary sector.
• All reports of poor practice and suspicions or allegations of harm to the welfare and safety of children or young people should be taken seriously and responded to swiftly and appropriately.  StreetGames staff and volunteers should discuss any such concerns with the Designated Safeguarding Officer.
• Confidentiality should be upheld in line with the Data Protection Act 1984 and the Human Rights Act 2000.

In the event of a safeguarding incident:

StreetGames will take every effort to ensure that confidentiality is maintained for all concerned. Information should be handled and disseminated on a “need to know basis” only. This includes the following people:

• The Designated Safeguarding Officer (DSO)
• Social/Children’s Services/Police
• The person reporting the concerns (or their carers where the reporter is a young person)
• Designated officers within other relevant organisations e.g. National Governing Body or Local Authority (Local Children’s Safeguarding Partnerships)
• The alleged abuser (and parents if the abuser is a child)*

* Where there is any possibility that a criminal act may have been committed care should be taken not to take any action that may jeopardise any subsequent criminal investigation. This includes contacting the alleged perpetrator. Advice should FIRST be sought from the police and/or Social Services.

All documentation (including reporting forms in Appendix 7) relating to disclosures must be passed to the DSO to be stored

4. Responsibilities

StreetGames acknowledges the duty of care to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and is committed to ensuring safeguarding practice reflects statutory responsibilities, government guidance and complies with best practice.

StreetGames recognises its responsibility to safeguard and promote the interests of children and young people by:

• Adopting a child and young person centred approach to all of its activities and programmes, ensuring that their safety and welfare is considered at all times;
• Ensuring that effective safeguarding procedures and practices are reflected and applied to activities undertaken by StreetGames staff and volunteers;
• Through its use of StreetMark, promote a minimum set of standards in safeguarding and child protection applying to all organisations carrying Streetmark and operating as a local partner of StreetGames.
• Supporting all StreetGames partners to deliver local activities and StreetGames programmes to these minimum standards of safeguarding;
• Advocating that all local partners should deliver its activity in a child and young person centred approach;
• Promoting safeguarding issues to the wider sport and activities sector.   Due to its role and status, StreetGames and its staff may also be used by individuals within and outside the Sport Sector to report concerns about the behaviour of clubs, organisations and individuals.  These reports may include concerns over the welfare and safety of children and young people;
• StreetGames will ensure this policy will be reviewed a year after development and then every three years, or in the following circumstances:
  • changes in legislation and/or government guidance
  • as required by the CPSU, NSPCC or Sport England
  • as a result of any other significant change or event.

5. Promoting Good Practice in Safeguarding

Abuse can occur within many situations including the home, school and the sporting environment. There are individuals who actively seek employment or voluntary work with young people in order to harm or exploit them. More positively, a coach, instructor, official or volunteer having contact with young people can play an important role in identifying cases where protection is needed. All cases of poor practice should be reported to the appropriate person (see Appendix 2 & 6). All reports received will be reviewed by the relevant Designated Person within StreetGames, who will determine the appropriate course of action.

All StreetGames staff and volunteers are required to demonstrate exemplary behaviour in order to promote the welfare of children and reduce the likelihood of misinterpretation of their actions or allegations being made.  All StreetGames staff and volunteers are required to comply with the StreetGames Code of Conduct whilst working on behalf of the organisation.

StreetGames has a role to play in ensuring high standards and good practice in Safeguarding is carried out across the youth and sport sectors.  StreetGames will work with partners in these sectors to share practice and learning in relation to safeguarding, in particular working closely with the Child Protection in Sport Unit.  StreetGames will also ensure this good practice is shared throughout its network by regularly observing the practice of organisations and challenging their approach to Safeguarding to ensure all children and young people can enjoy activity in a safe and protected environment         

6. StreetGames Prevent Duty Strategy 

Preventing extremism, extremist views and radicalisation

As outlined in the introduction section of this policy we see our work in relation to extremism, extremist views and radicalisation as closely related to StreetGames safeguarding policy and work to support the StreetGames network.

Appendix 7 of this policy outlines StreetGames strategy to deliver its duty on the prevent strategy and its approach to preventing extremism, extremist views and radicalisation.

In line with our Safeguarding work, anything as outlined in the policy and appendix will come under the responsibility of the Designated Safeguarding Officer.  With any development work and issues being reported to the following:

• StreetGames Internal Audit Working Group
• StreetGames Audit Committee

In line with the rest of this policy the work in this area will include:

• StreetGames direct delivery
• StreetMark and our support to the network
• Staff Training
• Promotion of good practice and a shared ethos for StreetGames

Central to all of our work will be to ensure StreetGames is guided by the following principles:

• The welfare of children and young people (under 18 years of age) is the primary concern.
• StreetGames aims to ensure that regardless of age, gender, religion or beliefs, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation or socio-economic background, all children:

• • Have a positive and enjoyable experience of sport in a safe and child centred environment
  • Are protected from abuse whilst participating in a sporting activity

7. Lone Working

There are circumstances where StreetGames staff members will be in situation where they are working alone.  StreetGames has a lone working policy (Appendix 8 to this Safeguarding Policy).

Lone working in relation to safeguarding is when

• Staff members are in a working alone with a young person or group of young people under the age of 18.
• The staff member may be put in a situation where they are isolated from others and hence alone with a young person

The details of the policy in the appendices outline the precautions and actions that staff members who find themselves in this situation should take.

8. Data Protection and Confidentiality

This policy is to be used in conjunction with StreetGames data protection and record management when recording, report and managing safeguarding issues.  It is to follow the same commitment to conducting its business in accordance with all applicable data protection laws and regulations and in line with the highest standards of ethical conduct.

An organisation that handles personal data and makes decisions about its use is known as a Data Controller. StreetGames, as a data controller, is responsible for ensuring compliance with the data protection requirements outlined in this policy. Non-compliance may expose StreetGames to complaints, regulatory action, fines and/or reputational damage.

StreetGames is fully committed to ensuring continued and effective implementation of this policy, and expects all employees and third parties to share in this commitment. Any breach of this policy will be taken seriously and may result in disciplinary action or business sanction.

Appendices

This policy is supported by the following appendices which provide more detail on how this safeguarding policy will be implemented and support the work of StreetGames

1. StreetGames and its delivery chain: Who is responsible for safeguarding with the wider sphere of StreetGames.
2. Designated Safeguarding Roles
3. Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS)  – StreetGames positions in regulated activity
4. Staff and Volunteer Recruitment
5. Code of Conduct
6. Responding to and Reporting a concern – Recognition of poor practice and the reporting procedure within the organisation
7. Prevent Duty Strategy
8. StreetGames Lone Working
9. Safeguarding Report Form
10. Safeguarding and social media.
11. Child Sexual Exploitation Policy
12. StreetGames Photography and Filming Policy Statement
13. StreetGames safeguarding structure and issue management chart

Review carried out February 2024