Safeguarding policy

Goodwood Marshals Club Safeguarding Policy & Procedure

Written January 2021. Last update December 2023.

1. Introduction

Goodwood Marshals Club (the Club) is fully committed to safeguarding the wellbeing of its Members. In turn, it expects all Members to show respect and understanding for the rights, safety and welfare of others and to conduct themselves in a way that reflects the principles of the Club and the expectations of Motorsport UK (MSUK).

The Club has statutory obligations to safeguard the welfare of children and vulnerable adults who use its facilities and participate in Club-supported activities by taking all reasonable steps to protect them from neglect and harm.

All Club Directors, Officers, Members and volunteers will be provided with a copy of this policy.

This policy will be reviewed annually or when a change in legislation, local systems or national guidance requires.

2. Definitions

Abuse – can arise through neglect or from physical, emotional or sexual harm. It could be manifest in a variety of ways, including: provision of inappropriate clothing, hunger, ill-health, untreated injury, anxiety, loneliness, withdrawal or fear.

Children – a child is anyone under the age of 18 years. Some children may be more susceptible to risk due to their needs or circumstances.

Safeguarding - actions taken by the Club to ensure the wellbeing of children and vulnerable adults whilst under its responsibility.

Vulnerable adults – adults with care or support needs that may be unable to protect themselves from harm as a result of these needs. Care and support needs include physical and mental health conditions and learning disabilities which may be permanent or temporary.

3. Policy Purpose

This policy has been produced to ensure that all information regarding the safety and wellbeing of children and vulnerable adults is acted upon appropriately. It recognises that we all hold a position of trust when engaging with children and vulnerable adults from which we have a duty of care to identify and respond appropriately to any risk of harm. The policy ensures that all Club Directors,

Officers, Members and volunteers clearly understand their own responsibilities, know from where to access support and how to escalate their concerns.

4. Policy Aims and Scope

The Club is committed to providing a safe environment for all Members. In doing so, it acknowledges its particular responsibility to safeguard the welfare of all children and vulnerable adults entrusted to its care.

This policy aims to:

• Clearly demonstrate our commitment to safeguarding children and vulnerable adults.

• Promote consistent good practice that delivers a safe and positive environment for children and vulnerable adults.

• Provide all relevant persons with the necessary information to enable them to meet their safeguarding responsibilities as set out in Government legislation and guidance.

The policy applies to all Club Members (whether volunteering at events or acting in other capacities), to those children and vulnerable adults present in the Club environment or at a Club event, and to their parents or carers.

5. Policy Procedures

The guiding principles of this policy are as follows:

• The welfare of the child or vulnerable adult is, and must always be, paramount to any other consideration.

• All vulnerable persons regardless of age, gender, ability or disability, race, faith, culture, body size and shape, language or sexual identity have the right to be protected from abuse.

• All allegations, suspicions or concerns of abuse or poor practice will be taken seriously and responded to swiftly, fairly and proportionately.

• Concerns will be reported appropriately and professionally.

The Club confirms that it adheres to the relevant MSUK Safeguarding procedures, practices and guidelines. The Club will follow the guidance of the MSUK in the event of any concerns or allegations being raised.

The Club will implement and comply with the MSUK Race with Respect Code of Conduct.

The Club will follow MSUK guidance and ensure that anyone that meets the required criteria for a Disclosure check (Disclosure Barring Service [DBS] in England, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Channel Islands or the Protecting Vulnerable Groups scheme in Scotland) is checked and that check is recorded.

The Club will appoint a Club Safeguarding Officer (CSO) with designated responsibilities (see section 9 below) to deal with any issues concerning Safeguarding and will notify this person to all Members.

The Club requires that all its Members, whether they are volunteers, parents/carers, competitors or officials, will comply with all guidance and best practice as issued by the MSUK.

In summary, the following points are considered as best practice to create a safe, friendly and welcoming environment for children and vulnerable adults:

• Be observant for any evidence of safeguarding concerns.

• Any adults present should display high standards of personal behaviour and refrain from pursuits considered unhealthy in front of children and vulnerable adults, and be good role models.

• Volunteering members should avoid working in isolation with children and vulnerable adults when out of sight of parents, carers or other volunteers.

• Refrain from drinking alcohol whilst responsible for children or vulnerable adults.

• Refrain from smoking and vaping in the presence of children or vulnerable adults if you are in a position of responsibility or trust.

Responsibilities of all Members:

• It is never an option to do nothing if a Member becomes aware of a concern, whether directly or indirectly.

• It is not a Member’s responsibility to decide if a child or vulnerable adult is being abused, however it is important that they respond appropriately and professionally to what they see and hear.

• If approached by a child or vulnerable adult about the behaviour of others towards them, a Member should remain calm, listen, allow the vulnerable person to speak freely, provide reassurance, acknowledge that person’s courage in speaking up, check their own understanding of the situation and ask about the person’s immediate safety. Do not over-react or confront the alleged perpetrator. Make a record of the conversation when it is appropriate.

• If a Member witnesses or becomes aware of an incident where they are concerned that the welfare of a child or vulnerable adult may be at risk they must, in the first instance, inform the CSO. If at any time the Member is not able to contact the CSO and the matter is clearly serious then they should use the emergency contacts listed in section 11 below.

• All concerns must be reported.

The following are examples of unacceptable behaviours towards a child or vulnerable adult and will be treated seriously by the Club and may result in disciplinary action being taken by the Club, MSUK or Statutory Agencies, if relevant:

• Providing alcohol or allowing its supply

• Humiliating, bullying or threatening behaviour

• Cyber abuse

• Making sexually explicit comments or sharing sexually explicit material

• Using obscene or foul language

• Having an intimate or sexual relationship

• Inappropriate or unnecessary physical contact

• Sharing the same immediate accommodation, e.g. overnight room, when away at events (excluding parents).

6. e-Safety

The use of information technology is an essential part of all our lives; it is employed when the Club gathers and stores information, and when we communicate with each other and with our Members. It is also an intrinsic part of the experience of young people, and can be beneficial to all. However, it can present challenges in terms of how we use it responsibly and, if misused either by an adult or young person, can be actually or potentially harmful to them.

We will seek to promote e-safety by:

• Avoiding direct one-to-one communication with children or vulnerable adults through social networking sites.

• Adult Members should not befriend children or vulnerable adults on social networks.

• Using only Club social network pages or group texts to communicate with children or vulnerable adults.

• Adopting a practice of copying parents/carers or a designated Club member (CSO, for example) into communications with children or vulnerable adults.

• Using our procedures to deal firmly, fairly and decisively with any examples of inappropriate information and communication technology (ICT) use by members.

• Informing parents and carers of incidents of concern, as appropriate.

• Ensuring that personal information of Members, Officers, volunteers, children and vulnerable adults is not published on our website.

• Ensuring that images of children, vulnerable adults and their families/carers are used only after their written permission has been obtained and only for the purpose for which consent was given.

7. Photography/Video

There is evidence that some people have used sporting events or similar as an opportunity to take inappropriate photographs or film footage of young and disabled people in vulnerable positions. The Club will be vigilant and any concerns will be reported to the CSO.

8. Confidentiality

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) 2018 requires that personal information is:

• obtained and processed fairly and lawfully

• only disclosed in appropriate circumstances

• accurate, relevant and not held longer than necessary 

• kept securely.

Privacy and confidentiality should be respected but the child’s or vulnerable adult’s safety has to come first. It is permissible, therefore, to share information if someone is worried about the safety of a child or vulnerable adult. When a concern is raised, however, only people who need to know about it should be told; in this way an individual’s rights to privacy are respected. In the face of enquiries, it is sufficient to say that a concern has been raised and it is being dealt with following Club procedures; enquiries should be referred to the CSO.

9. Designated Responsibilities

Whilst every Member of the Club has their own individual responsibility to safeguard children and vulnerable adults, the Club has designated the following individuals with specific responsibilities:

Club Safeguarding Officer – Katie Pybus

In her absence the following have been trained to deputise:

Kevin Lawrence

Anita Wood

10. Relevant MSUK guidance

• Adults at Risk Policy

• Club Safeguarding Officer Role Description

• Guidance in Relation to Social Networking

• Race with Respect Code of Conduct (with specific guidance for Officials and Marshals)

• Recording and Retention of Safeguarding Records Policy

• Safeguarding Case Investigation Procedure

• Safeguarding Children Policy 2022

• Safeguarding Children Procedure

• Safe Recruitment Policy

11. Emergency Contacts

• Contact the MSUK Safeguarding Team on 01753 765 071 or e-mail safeguarding@motorsportuk.org; the team is available Mondays to Fridays only.

• Contact West Sussex Children’s Social Care. Where there is an urgent safeguarding concern which requires a same-day response, phone 01403 229900 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm); for out-of-hours assistance (including weekends and Bank Holidays), call the Emergency Team on 033 022 26664.

• If there is an immediate risk of harm, contact the Police by calling 999.

• Call the NSPCC 24-hour Helpline for advice on 0808 800 5000 or text 88858 or email help@nspcc.org.uk

• Where an emergency contact has been made, this should be followed up by contacting/informing the CSO and the MSUK Safeguarding Team, as appropriate.