Safeguarding – Active Lancashire

We take the welfare of children and young people and vulnerable adults very seriously.

Safeguarding and Protecting Children & Adults

We promote the safety and welfare of children, young people and adults engaged in sporting activities locally. We aim to contribute to safeguarding children, young people and adults by:

Meeting the requirements of the Standards for Safeguarding and Protecting Children in Sport (CPSU second edition) and the Safeguarding of Adults under the Care Act 2014
Implementing and demonstrating best safeguarding practice when staff, volunteers or others are providing services, activities and programmes for children, young people and adults
Formulation of a Safeguarding Children in Sport group to work with partners to establish consistent safeguarding standards for sports activities
Requiring those individuals or organisations that are funded or commissioned to provide any services for children, young people and adults to effectively address safeguarding requirements
Maximising its influence to promote safeguarding practice and principles within its wider partnership roles and relationships
To minimise the possibility of abuse to those people at risk in sporting environments, we are committed to working in partnership with all agencies to ensure that information and training opportunities are available for coaches, staff and volunteers to guide them in best practice when working with all children, young people and adults.

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Policy and Implementation plan

As one of Sport England’s Active Partnerships we are committed to making sport and physical activity accessible to everyone. We work with a number of cross-sectoral organisations to encourage active lifestyles and remove barriers to participation.

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Digital Safeguarding Policy

Active Lancashire is committed to safeguarding our participants, volunteers and staff – and we are committed to applying the same rigorous levels of safeguarding protection online as we do in all other circumstances. it is our policy to apply the same rigorous level of safeguarding protection to online as we do in person.

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What To Do If You Need Help

If you are a child or young person who needs help, please go to the Childline website or the NSPCC Helpline website.

If you are an adult who needs help or advice, please visit the Ann Craft Trust website.

If you are a sports club looking for more detailed information on child protection in sport, please visit the Child Protection in Sport Unit website. This includes links to excellent resources and publications, including the Safesport Away guide for clubs taking children and young people away on trips.

If you have any concerns you can also contact:

Lancashire Police

01772 614444

MASH Team

0300 123 6720
(Out of hours: 0300 123 6722)

Documents

Useful Resources and Advice

Information and Guidance on Safeguarding and Protecting Children in sport can be found by accessing the NSPCC Safeguarding Support Toolkit for Sports Programmes.

Information on Safeguarding Adults in Sport can be found by clicking here to the Ann Craft Trust website.

Child Protection in Sport Unit Advice

The Child Protection in Sport Unit (CPSU) is a partnership between the NSPCC, Sport England, Sport Northern Ireland and Sport Wales. In Scotland there is a similar partnership between Children 1st and sportscotland.

The Unit was founded in 2001 to work with UK Sports Councils, National Governing Bodies (NGBs), County Sports Partnerships (CSPs) and other organisations to help them minimise the risk of child abuse during sporting activities.

They have a wide range of advice and support available including:

Advice for parents

It's your right as a parent or carer to be able to check how well a sports club is run, for the sake of your child's safety and your peace of mind.

Advice for young people

Don't let anyone spoil the fun! Sport is fun - it gives you the opportunity to make new friends, try out new activities and amaze yourself with what you can do!

Safeguarding in a digital world

Online technology has advanced and changed the way people communicate and interact on a daily basis. Sports organisations, coaches and others involved in providing activities for children and young people are increasingly using the internet and social media to promote sport and communicate with them.

Involving children and young people

Involving children and young people in decision making, planning and hearing their voices is an important part of creating a safe culture in a club or activity.

Here are some of the key benefits for young people:

it provides opportunities for young people to share their concerns or worries, feedback or share ideas and views
helps them to feel valued and listened to
it gives a chance to develop new skills, experience and confidence
more likely to feel comfortable to talk about concerns or worries with an adult in the club
it helps them gain confidence by working within a group, becoming more connected with their peers and increasing their sense of belonging, team moral and loyalty
the communication skills learnt will help them navigate challenging situations within the club in a more sensitive and appropriate manner

Local Safeguarding Boards

The Government sets out the duties of every Local Safeguarding Children Board (LSCB) in their document ‘Working Together to Safeguard Children (2013)’.

The purpose of all LSCBs is to ensure that local services provided to children are effective and well coordinated. Working Together 2013 also states that The LSCB should publish a threshold document that includes:

The process for the early help assessment and the type and level of early help services to be provided; and the criteria, including the level of need, for when a case should be referred to local authority children’s social care for assessment and for statutory services.