Safeguarding must be a priority for everyone. If you need to report a concern please speak to your club’s Welfare Officer, they are responsible for the management of all concerns in your club. Even if you have told someone else also tell the Welfare Officer as well. To speak to the safeguarding team at Swim Wales you can email: [email protected] or ring 01792 513636 or 07834946470 – If you think someone is in immediate danger dial 999.
Swim Wales is committed to ensuring that Aquatics in Wales provides a safe place for all our affiliated organisations and their members. By following our safe recruitment procedures, you can minimise the risk to your members, safe recruitment begins as soon as a volunteer offers to help out or you have a vacancy.
All our affiliated organisations must
- Embed and adhere to the processes in both Swim Wales Child Safeguarding Policy & Swim Wales Adults at Risk Policy
- Have a designated Welfare Officer/s who will:
- Respond to all safeguarding concerns and instigate appropriate child protection procedures.
- Attend a Safeguarding Course and a Time to Listen Course every three years.
- Assist the club to put in place implementation plans for child safeguarding.
- Have a proactive approach to embed good practise across the club.
- Have a child centred approach maintain the best interests of the child at all times
- Respond to poor practice concerns ensuring appropriate action is taken.
- Assist the club involve children, young people and adults at risk in decision-making and other activities
- Support the club in Identifying everyone in the club who needs a criminal record check – this is known as a DBS. Checks must be renewed every three years in line with Swim Wales rules.
- Introduce yourself to members to ensure they know who to talk to, how to contact you if they have a concern.
- Advise the management committee on all safeguarding concerns being managed however be sensitive about sharing personal information and record the details on MyConcern and maintain an updated chronology and the concern progresses.
- Report incidences of abuse to Swim Wales who are committed to providing support to all affiliated organisations.
- To ensure the protection of the most vulnerable people who participate in Aquatics.
- Ensure accurate records are maintained for everyone who attends a safeguarding course which is required every three years and ensure attendance so individuals can maintain up to date training.
- Seek guidance when you are unsure of what to do.
- Have a proactive approach to provide an inclusive environment in your club.
- Attend continuous professional development (CPD) opportunities.
This list is by no means exhaustive.
It is not your responsibility to decide whether a child is being abused or not, it is your responsibility to act and report your concerns. No action is not an option
Parents and all club members are encouraged to read our safeguarding policies. As a parent, you are responsible in ensuring your children are safe when they are placed in the care of a swimming club. Familiarising yourself with Swim Wales Child Safeguarding Policy will help you understand the duty of care a club has. Parents are encouraged to read SWCSP. As a parent, you are responsible in ensuring your children are safe when they are placed in the care of a swimming club. Familiarising yourself with the policy will help you understand the duty of care a club has. It will also help you be aware of the policies and procedures your club will adhere to when a concern is raised. Please ensure you find out who in your club you talk to if you have a concern about or your child or if you have a concern you wish to report.
Naturally we hope you never need to use these services and that your child enjoys his or her membership in their chosen Aquatic club or organisation.
Safeguarding Children
The key principles that underpin working with children and families are found in the Children Act 1989 and 2004 and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, which the Welsh Assembly Government adopted as the basis for its work with all children and families in Wales. In Children and Young People: Rights to Action 2004 the Welsh Assembly Government established seven core aims through which it would work to ensure all children:
- A positive start in life
- Have a comprehensive range of education and learning opportunities
- Enjoy the best possible health and are free from abuse, victimisation and exploitation
- Have access to play, leisure, sporting and cultural activities
- Are listened to, treated with respect, and have their race and cultural identity recognised
- Have a safe home and a community which supports physical and emotional well-being
- Are not disadvantaged by poverty
Swim Wales acknowledge that it can make a significant contribution to the achievement of these outcomes for children involved in the sport.
Organisations that provide services for children (defined in the Children Act 1989 as anyone under the age of 18 years) have a duty to safeguard and promote their welfare. The concept of safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children is defined within Safeguarding Children: Working Together under the Children Act 2004, (Welsh Assembly Government, 2006) as:
- Protecting children from abuse and neglect;
- Preventing impairment of their health or development; and
- Ensuring that they receive safe and effective care so as to enable them to have optimum life.
Working Together under the Children Act 2004 sets out how all agencies and professionals should work in partnership to safeguard and promote children’s welfare and protect them from harm.
Swim Wales Child Safeguarding Policy
Safeguarding Adults
Safeguarding adults is everybody’s responsibility. Groups and clubs play a crucial role in keeping adults safe. Clubs are required to look after the welfare of all adults and be informed enough to ensure that any safeguarding concerns about adults are properly acted upon.
Safeguarding adults means protecting a person’s right to live in safety, free from abuse and neglect. Again, this is everyone’s responsibility, concerns should be reported to your club Welfare Officer.
An adult is a person who is over 18, and may require to be safeguarded when;
- Is experiencing or is at risk of abuse or neglect, and
- Has needs for care and support, and
- As a result of those needs is unable to protect himself or herself against the abuse or neglect or the risk of it.
A disabled person is not necessarily an adult at risk, and an adult at risk may not have an impairment.
The Social Services and Well-being Act 2014 provides the legal framework for improving the well-being of people who need care and support, and carers who need support, and for transforming social services in Wales.
The main principles of the Act are as follows:
- People are at the heart of the new system by giving them an equal say in the support they receive
- Partnership and co-operation drives service delivery
- Services will promote the prevention of escalating need and the right help is available at the right time.
