Safeguarding Policy

The terms ‘child’, ‘children’ and ‘young person(s)’ describe any person under the age of 18.
References to ‘parents’ should be read as parents and carers inclusively.
References to ‘FA’ is to Foucan Academy.

OUR STATEMENT

Our organisation 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 and legal requirements.
This policy recognises that the welfare and interests of children are paramount in all circumstances. It aims to ensure that regardless of age, ability or disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation, socio-economic background, all children:

• have a positive and enjoyable experience of sport at FA in a safe and child-centred environment.
• are protected from abuse whilst participating in a Parkour session or outside of the activity.

FA acknowledge that some children, including disabled children or those from ethnic minority communities, can be particularly vulnerable to abuse and we accept the responsibility to take reasonable and appropriate steps to ensure their welfare.

OUR POLICY

What we’ll do

As part of our safeguarding policy, we will:

• promote and prioritise the safety and wellbeing of children and young people.
• value, listen to and respect children.
• adopt safeguarding best practice through our policies, procedures and code of conduct for staff and volunteers, for instance our Behaviour on site policy.
• ensure all our staff and volunteers understand their roles and responsibilities in respect of safeguarding and are provided with appropriate learning opportunities to recognise, identify and respond to signs of abuse, neglect and other safeguarding concerns relating to children and young people. Everyone involved in providing Parkour sessions on behalf of FA will be given access to appropriate safeguarding training.
• provide effective management for staff and volunteers through supervision, support, training and quality assurance measures so that all staff and volunteers know about our policies, procedures and behaviour codes and follow them confidently and competently.
• ensure appropriate action is taken in the event of incidents or concerns of abuse and support provided to the individual(s) who raise or disclose the concern.
• ensure that confidential, detailed and accurate records of all safeguarding concerns are maintained and securely stored, in line with data protection legislation and guidance.
• prevent the employment or deployment of unsuitable individuals by recruiting and selecting staff and volunteers safely, ensuring all necessary checks are made in accordance with the Safer Recruitment legislation.
• appoint a nominated safeguarding lead for children and young people and a safeguarding deputy.
• share information about safeguarding and good practice with children and their parents via leaflets, posters, group work and one-to-one discussions.
• make sure that children, young people and their parents know where to go for help if they have a concern.
• using our safeguarding and child protection procedures to share concerns and relevant information with agencies who need to know, and involving children, young people and parents appropriately.
• use our procedures to manage any allegations against staff and volunteers appropriately.
• create and maintain an anti-bullying environment and ensuring that we have a policy and procedure to help us deal effectively with any bullying that does arise.
• ensure that we have effective complaints and whistleblowing measures in place.
• build a safeguarding culture where staff and volunteers, children, young people and their families, treat each other with respect and are comfortable about sharing concerns.

This policy and associated procedures will be widely promoted and are mandatory for everyone involved in FA. Failure to comply with the policy and procedures will be addressed without delay and may ultimately result in dismissal or exclusion from our organisation.

Examples of safeguarding issues

Inside-sport concerns include those relating to a coach, official, participant, spectator, or another volunteer. They may include individuals working or volunteering within other sports organisations. This list is not exhaustive:

• persistent or serious emotional abuse by coaches or other adults information accessed through criminal records check (eg DBS) indicates a relevant offence that requires risk assessment
• any allegation of assault on a child or young person by a coach, volunteer, parent or spectator
• coach is alleged to be in an intimate relationship with a child or young person who is aged between 16 and 17
• information comes to light that a coach, volunteer or participant involved in sport is subject to an allegation, investigation or prosecution for criminal activity involving potential offences of a sexual, violent, or drug-related nature, whether these arise within or outside the sport
• report from another sports organisation indicating that an individual is subject to a safeguarding investigation or sanction
• young person displays violent or sexualised behaviour towards other children
• sexual abuse, physical abuse, emotional abuse, neglect

Outside-sport concerns include those relating to issues arising at home, in school, in the wider community or online, for instance:

• child indicates abuse at home
• concerns about radicalisation, child sexual exploitation, child criminal exploitation, female genital mutilation, forced marriage
• mention (by the child or others) of being left home alone or with strangers
• signs of neglect or any other forms of abuse that raise concerns about welfare and wellbeing indicators of possible abuse enough to be concerned about the welfare of a child
• repeated minor concerns for the well-being of a child that are not being addressed by a parent or carer

Possible actions:

There are several actions that can be considered.

• consult with statutory agency or (Local Authority) Designated Officer (LADO – England only – for concerns about those in positions of trust)
• ascertain which agency and sport will take the primary lead and agree initial actions
• make a written record of concern and decisions made
• apply medical attention or call ambulance if required and inform medical practitioner that it is a child-protection concern

Contact details

Our Safeguarding/Welfare Officer

• Name: Sebastien Foucan
• Tel: 07507664106
• Email: academy@foucan.com

Our Deputy Safeguarding/Welfare Officer

• Name: Nathalie Nebout
• Tel:
• Email: academy@foucan.com

In a safeguarding emergency, where a young person is at immediate risk of harm, call 999.
If you have safeguarding concerns about a child or young person, please contact the NSPCC on 0808 800 5000 or by emailing help@nspcc.org.uk
Childline (for children): 0800 1111

Monitoring

This policy will be reviewed a year after their first issue date and then every three years, or in the following circumstances:

• changes in legislation and/or government guidance
• as required/recommended by UK Sport, the Child Protection in Sport Unit (CPSU) or other local safeguarding authority or agency
• as a result of any other significant change or event.

This policy was last reviewed on 27th of march 2023