Safeguarding Policy
This document seeks to explain and clarify issues that surround the well-being of every fencer at our club. Our safeguarding policy has been developed in collaboration with British Fencing and we welcome suggestions that would encourage any further detail and refinement of these guiding principles and approaches to welfare and safeguarding.
At Fencers Club London our Welfare Officer Siân Hughes is the person who you can talk to if you are concerned about anything, and she should be your first point of contact. If you’re unable to talk to her, then contact British Fencing’s Lead Safeguarding Officer or the Safeguarding Helpline.
Fencers Club London Welfare Officer:
Siân Hughes - 07871 187300
British Fencing’s Lead Safeguarding Officer - 07717 740125
safeguarding@britishfencing.com
Safeguarding Helpline - 07526 003030
Reporting a safeguarding concern
About a fencer or a Coach - Please call or email Siân Hughes as soon as possible.
Should the concern be about the Welfare Officer, Siân Hughes - Please call the British Fencing’s Lead Safeguarding Officer as soon as possible.
Safeguarding
Everyone should be encouraged to demonstrate exemplary behaviour in order to promote children’s welfare. We expect everyone to follow the following common-sense guidelines.
Always work in open environments, avoiding private or unobserved situations and encouraging open communication with no secrets.
Treat everyone equally, and with respect and dignity.
Always put their welfare first. This is way more important than winning or achieving goals.
Maintain a safe and appropriate distance.
Build relationships based on mutual trust, empowering the decision-making process.
Make sport fun, enjoyable and promote fair play.
Ensure that if any form of physical support is required, it should be provided openly.
Keep up to date with technical skills, qualifications and insurance in sport.
Be an excellent role model.
Give constructive feedback rather than negative criticism.
Recognise developmental needs and capacity - avoiding excessive training or competition.
Secure parental/carers consent in writing to act in loco parentis, if the need arises to administer emergency first aid and/or other medical treatment.
Keep a written record of any injury, along with the details of any treatment given.
Request written parental consent if officials are required to transport young people.
Avoid spending time alone with children away from others.
Avoid taking or dropping off a child to an event or activity.
No-one should:
engage in rough, physical or sexually provocative games, including horseplay
share a room with a child
allow or engage in any form of inappropriate touching
allow children to use inappropriate language unchallenged
make sexually suggestive comments to a child, even in fun
reduce a child to tears as a form of control
fail to act upon and record any allegations made by a child
do things of a personal nature for children that they can do for themselves
invite or allow children to stay with you at your home unsupervised
Changing
Fencers Club London values its duty of care to children and vulnerable adults while they are participating in fencing. At times, this may extend to issues around changing. FCL uses facilities at Nuffield Health at RMS for Girls in Rickmansworth. There are both female and male changing rooms in the Centre, allowing privacy. There are several individual toilet cubicles should anyone wish to have sole use of a facility for changing purposes.
Sharing Information
Fencers Club London want to ensure children and vulnerable adults are safe. We accept that, on occasion, concerns need to be shared between appropriate organisations to protect them. This information may be about the children or vulnerable adult as well as adults who may be working or volunteering with them. We will follow best practice in managing this data in line with current legislation. In doing so, we will follow the following rules:
Data protection should provide a framework to ensure information is shared appropriately.
Where in doubt, we will seek advice whilst respecting confidentiality.
We will where possible seek consent before we share information and, where possible, respect the wishes of those who do not consent to share confidential information.
We will base our information-sharing decision mindful of the safety and well-being of the person and others whom may be affected by their actions.
We will only share information where necessary, including sharing with statutory services.
We will keep records of our decision and the reasons for them.
Collection Policy
Fencers Club London encourage parents not to spectate at sessions so that their fencer can fence freely and without undue scrutiny. Many parents will accompany their child to training while some parents will drop their child off and collect them at the end of the session. This is done within the boundaries of RMS and its car park and grounds. However, where a fencer under 18 makes their own way to or from a session or event, we ask parents to give their clear consent to this happening.
We know that, on occasion, parents and carers can be either delayed or be unable to collect their fencers from training or an event. If this happens, we expect parents to contact the club to let us know. We also ask them to give us clear guidance as to what arrangements they will put in place for the child to be collected. If this means them going home with someone else, we need clear consent for this to happen.
It is FCL’s policy never to leave someone under the age of 16 on their own. Two adults will always be at a venue until all children have left. Where a child has not been collected after a reasonable length of time, we will do the following:
Attempt to contact the parent/carer using information provided via membership.
Attempt to contact the emergency contact person nominated.
If there is no reply from the emergency contact, we will ask the child if there is another family member who may be contacted.
Wait with the young person(s) at the club with one other adult such as a coach / teacher / volunteer or parent and inform the Club’s Welfare Officer about what has happened.
If no one can be contacted, we will seek the best course of action from the local police.
Remind parents/carers of the policy relating to late collection.
Where possible we will avoid taking the child home or to another location unless there is no alternative and this has been cleared by the Club’s Welfare Officer, asking the child to wait in a vehicle or venue on their own or sending the child home with another person without permission. We know that late collection is very upsetting for a child. Where a child has not been collected on several occasions, we will make contact with Social Service and British Fencing to seek advice.
Bullying
Fencers Club London does not tolerate bullying. If anyone attempts to humiliate, shame, coerce, force or restrict the verbal, emotional or physical behaviours of others, they will face club sanctions.
Should anyone within Fencers Club London feel they are the victim of bullying, they should:
Report bullying incidents to the club welfare officer or a responsible, trustworthy adult.
In serious cases, the incidents will be referred to British Fencing’s Lead Safeguarding Officer.
In serious cases parents will be informed and attend a meeting to discuss the problem.
If necessary and appropriate, the police will be consulted.
An attempt will be made to help the bully (bullies) change their behaviour.
If mediation fails and the bullying continues, further disciplinary action will be taken.
Photography and Videos
Fencers Club London operates an ‘all in’ photography policy. If you do not wish for your/your fencers photo to be taken, then please send an email to club@fencersclublondon.com to notify us.
General Permission: Coaching staff and marketing staff may obtain and use photographs and images (including video recordings) of fencers for use in the club’s promotional activities, in line with the Privacy Policy, GDPR and Safeguarding Policies, and our Code of Conduct.
Exceptions: Coaches are made aware of any fencers who must not feature in photographs or videos under any circumstances (for example, because of safeguarding concerns, or because parents have withdrawn consent through the appropriate channels).
October 2023