Child and Vulnerable Adult Safeguarding policy

 Child and Vulnerable Adult Safeguarding policy

 Definitions

West Country RC Truckers Club (WCRCTC) (the Club)

A child is defined as being under 16 years of age.

A young person is defined as being between 16 and 18 years of age.

A vulnerable adult is defined as a person of 18 years of age or over but through mental or physical attributes requires a higher level of supervision than would be normally necessary for an adult member.

the vulnerable person, is defined as a child, young person, or vulnerable adult

A responsible adult is defined as a Club Officer, or senior Club member, or parent/guardian who has the clearance, experience, knowledge and training commensurate with the type and degree of supervision required. 

Welfare Officer is the Club Officer responsible for the implementation and compliance with this policy within the Club.

Introduction

West Country RC Truckers Club is a non-profit organisation run for the following purpose:

• To promote the building and running of scale Radio Controlled model trucks, plant, other vehicles and associated buildings, and roadway to all ages and genders without discrimination

This policy shall apply to all Directors, Club Officers and members of the Club

Everyone who participates in the West Country RC Truckers Club is entitled to do so in an enjoyable and safe environment.

WCRCTC have a legal and moral obligation to ensure that the Club Officers, Club members and Guests are provided with the highest possible standard of care.

WCRCTC is committed to implementing policies so that everyone in the Club accepts their responsibilities to safeguard vulnerable persons from harm and abuse. This means to follow procedures to protect vulnerable persons and report any concerns about their welfare to appropriate authorities.

The aim of this Safeguarding Policy is to promote best practice in providing vulnerable persons with appropriate safety/protection whilst attending Club meets and events and to allow all members to make informed and confident responses to specific safeguarding issues.

Policy Statement

WCRCTC is committed to the following:

• The welfare of a vulnerable person being paramount
• All vulnerable persons whatever their age, culture, ability, gender, language, racial origin, religious belief and/or sexual identity should be able to participate in the Club in a fun and safe environment
• Taking all reasonable and practicable steps to protect vulnerable persons from harm, discrimination and degrading treatment and to respect their rights, wishes and feelings

• All suspicions and allegations of poor practice or abuse towards a vulnerable person will be taken seriously and responded to swiftly and appropriately, as whilst it is the responsibility of child protection or vulnerable adult authorities /experts to determine whether abuse has taken place, it is everyone’s responsibility to report concerns.

• Monitor and review the policy and procedures
• The implementation of procedures should be regularly monitored and reviewed. The Welfare Officer should regularly review progress, challenges, difficulties, achievements, and areas where changes are required with the committee.

• The Club will strive to ensure that all members understand and accept their responsibilities towards vulnerable persons and work together, including Club officers, members, parents, Guardians, and Carers.

Best Practice

All members should adhere to the following Best Practice principles:

• Always interact in an open environment (e.g., avoiding private or unobserved situations and encouraging open communication with no secrets)
• Make the experience of running RC Trucks fun and enjoyable: promote fairness, confront and deal with bullying
• Treat all vulnerable persons equally and with respect and dignity
• Always put the welfare of vulnerable persons first
• Maintain a safe and appropriate distance with vulnerable persons (e.g., it is not appropriate to have an intimate relationship with a child)
• Avoid unnecessary physical contact vulnerable persons. Where any form of manual/physical support is required, it should be provided openly and with the consent of the vulnerable person, or their parent/guardian or Carer.
• Involve parents/ guardians or Carers wherever possible, encourage them to take responsibility for their own child, young person or vulnerable adult

• Children under the age of 16 must be accompanied throughout the meet or event by an adult over the age of 18 who not only brings the child but also takes the child home again afterwards. Young persons aged 16 or 17 may attend unaccompanied if they bring the written consent and mobile telephone number of one of their parents/guardians.

• Be an excellent role model, this includes not smoking or drinking alcohol in the company of with vulnerable persons
• Always give enthusiastic and constructive feedback rather than negative criticism
• Keep a written record of any injury to a vulnerable person that occurs

Poor Practice

The following are regarded as poor practice and should be avoided by all members:

• Unnecessarily spending excessive amounts of time alone with vulnerable persons away from others
• Taking vulnerable persons alone in a car on journeys, however short
• Taking vulnerable persons to your home where they will be alone with you
• Engaging in rough, physical or sexually provocative games, including horseplay with vulnerable persons
• Allow or engage in inappropriate touching of any form
• Allowing vulnerable persons to use inappropriate language unchallenged
• Making sexually suggestive comments to vulnerable persons, even in fun
• Reducing a vulnerable person to tears as a form of control
• Allow allegations made by a vulnerable person to go unchallenged, unrecorded or not acted upon
• Do things of a personal nature that the vulnerable person can do for themselves

When a case arises where it is impractical/ impossible to avoid certain situation e.g., transporting a vulnerable person in your car, the tasks should only be carried out with the full understanding and consent of the parent/guardian/carer and the vulnerable person involved.

If during your care you accidentally hurt a vulnerable person, or the vulnerable person seems distressed, or appears to be sexually aroused by your actions or if the vulnerable person misunderstands or misinterprets something you have done, report any such incidents as soon as possible to the Club Welfare Officer, or Chairman, or Vice Chairman and make a written note of it. Parents/guardians or Carer should also be informed of the incident.

Defining Vulnerable Person Abuse

There are five main types of abuse:

• Physical Abuse: where adults physically hurt or injure the vulnerable person e.g., hitting, shaking, throwing, poisoning, burning, biting, scalding. Giving a vulnerable person alcohol or inappropriate drugs would also constitute abuse.
• Sexual Abuse: occurs when adults (male or female) use children, young persons or vulnerable adult to meet their own sexual needs. This could include sex acts and fondling. Showing vulnerable persons pornography or talking to them in a sexually explicit manner are also forms of sexual abuse.
• Emotional Abuse: the persistent emotional ill treatment of a vulnerable person, likely to cause severe and lasting adverse effects. E.g., telling a vulnerable person, they are useless, worthless, unloved, or inadequate. It may cause a vulnerable person to be frightened or in danger by being constantly shouted at, threatened or taunted which may make the vulnerable person frightened or withdrawn.
• Neglect: occurs when an adult fails to meet the vulnerable person’s basic physical and/or psychological needs, to an extent that is likely to result in serious impairment of their health or development. E.g., failing to provide adequate food, shelter and clothing, failing to protect from physical harm or danger, or failing to ensure access to appropriate medical care or treatment.
• Bullying: may come from another child, young person or an adult. Bullying is defined as deliberate hurtful behaviour, usually repeated over a period of time, where it is difficult for those bullied to defend themselves. There are three main types of bullying.
• physical (e.g., hitting, kicking, slapping),
• verbal (e.g., racist or homophobic remarks, name calling, graffiti, threats, abusive text messages),
• emotional (e.g., tormenting, ridiculing, humiliating, ignoring, isolating form the group), or sexual (e.g., unwanted physical contact or abusive comments).

Use of Photographic/ Filming Equipment at Club Meets and Events

All members should refrain from taking photographs or videos that include any vulnerable person, without the explicit permission of a parent/guardian/carer.

If any person has any concerns regarding any person taking photos at an event or activity, that person should contact a Club Officer immediately.

Responding to Suspicions and Allegations

It is not the responsibility of any WCRCTC Club Officer to decide whether any abuse of a vulnerable person has taken place. However, there is a responsibility and duty of care to act on any concerns through contact with the appropriate authorities so that they can then make inquiries and take necessary action to protect the vulnerable person.

Reporting the Concern

All suspicions and allegations MUST be reported appropriately.

Any suspicion that a vulnerable person has been abused by a Club member or Club guest should be reported to the Club Welfare Officer, Chairman or Vice Chairman immediately, who will take appropriate steps to ensure the safety of the vulnerable person in question and any other vulnerable person who may be at risk. Another Committee Member will act as a witness, to the actions of the above Officers of the Club.This will include the following:

• WCRCTC committee will refer the matter to Social Services department or the Police
• The parent/guardian/carer of the vulnerable person will be contacted as soon as possible following advice from the social services department or Police
• The WCRCTC chairman should be notified to decide who will deal with any media inquiries and implement any immediate disciplinary proceedings
• If the Club Chairman or other WCRCTC Committee member is the subject of the suspicion/allegation the report must be made to another Committee member who will refer the matter to Social Services
• The Club member will be temporarily suspended from the Club (or in the case of as Guest, barred from attending further meetings or events) pending further police and social services inquiries

If the Club Welfare Officer, Chairman or Vice Chairman is not available you should take responsibility and seek advice from the NSPCC helpline, the duty officer at your local social services department or the police. Telephone numbers can be found in your local directory.

Social services have a legal responsibility under The Children Act 1989 and Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006 to investigate all vulnerable person protection referrals and making inquiries jointly with the police.

Allegations of abuse are sometimes made sometime after the event. Where such allegation is made, you should follow the same procedures and have the matter reported to Social Services. This is because other vulnerable person in the Club or outside it may be at risk from the alleged abuser.

Where there is a complaint against a Club member, there may be three types of investigation.

• Criminal in which case the police are immediately involved
• Child protection in which case the social services (and possibly) the police will be involved
• Disciplinary or misconduct in which case WCRCTC committee members will be involved

Recording Information

To ensure that information is as helpful as possible, a detailed record should always be made at the time of the disclosure/ concern. In recording, you should confine to the facts and distinguish what is your personal knowledge and what others have told you. Do not include your own opinions.

Information should include the following:

• The vulnerable person’s name, age and date of birth
• The vulnerable person’s home address and telephone number
• Whether or not the person making the report is expressing their concern or someone else’s
• The nature of the allegation, including dates, times and any other relevant information
• A description of any visible injury, location, size etc. Also, any indirect signs,
• such as behavioural changes
• Details of witnesses to the incidents
• The vulnerable person’s account, if it can be given, of what has happened and how any bruising/injuries occurred
• Have the parents/guardians or Carer been contacted? If so, what has been said?
• Has anyone else been consulted? If so, record details
• Has anyone been alleged to be the abuser? Record details

Confidentiality

Every effort should be made 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 Club Welfare Officer
• The Club Chairman or Vice Chairman
• The parents/guardian or the Carer of the vulnerable person
• The person making the allegation
• Social Services/ police
• The alleged abuser (and parents if the alleged abuser is a child)

Seek social services advice on who should approach the alleged abuser. All information should be stored in a secure place with limited access to designated people, in line with data protection laws.

Internal Inquiries and Sanctions

• Irrespective of the findings of the social services or police inquiries the WCRCTC Committee will assess each individual case to decide whether the Club member should be reinstated and how this can be sensitively handled. This may be a difficult decision; especially where there is insufficient evidence to uphold any action by the police. In such cases WCRCTC Committee must reach a decision based upon the available information which could suggest that on the balance of probability, it is more likely than not that the allegation is true. The welfare of the vulnerable person should remain of paramount importance throughout.
• The Committee’s decision is final

Legal Framework

This policy has been drawn up in accordance with the following UK legislation, applicable to England and guidance:

- Children Act 1989
- Children Act 2004
- UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), a provision of the Data Protection Act 2018
- Human Rights Act 1998
- Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006
- Protection of Freedoms Act 2012
- Children and Families Act 2014
- Children and Social Work 2017

What to do if you're worried a child is being abused: advice for practitioners (Department of Education, 2015)
- Working together to safeguard children (Department for Education, 2018)

Policy Review

• The policy should be reviewed every two years or whenever there is a major change in the organisation or in relevant legislation.

Approval

On behalf of West Country RC Truckers Club, we, the undersigned, will oversee the implementation of our Child and Vulnerable Adult Safeguarding Policy, and take all practicable steps to ensure it is adhered to.

Signed: _______________________________ (Club Welfare Officer)

Date: 29th July 2021

Signed: _______________________________ (Chairman)

Date: 29th July 2021

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