Child Protection & Vulnerable Adults Policy

1.1 Introduction:

This document is intended to be a working policy document, where-by it is a useful reference to instructors, coaches and as a reference to managers within the organisation. It is available online at all times to all expedition leaders and supervisors.

All personnel working or helping within Epic Life must ensure that :

The welfare of the client is paramount;
All clients, whatever their age, culture, disability, gender, language, racial origin religious beliefs and/or sexual identity have the right to protection from abuse;
All suspicions and allegations of abuse will be taken seriously and responded to swiftly and appropriately;
All staff (paid/unpaid) have a responsibility to report concerns to the appropriate officer.

1.2 Policy statement:

EPIC LIFE has a duty of care to safeguard from harm all children and vulnerable adults involved in any of our events and activities. All children and adults have a right to protection, and the needs of disabled adults and others who may be particularly vulnerable must be taken into account. Epic Life will ensure the safety and protection of all children and adults involved in our activities and events through adherence to this policy.

A vulnerable adult is defined as a person over the age of 18 who exhibits physical and/or mental difficulties.

1.3 Policy aims:

The aim of the Epic Life Safeguarding Policy is to promote good practice:

Providing children and vulnerable adults with appropriate safety and protection whilst in the care of Epic Life
Allowing all staff/volunteers training and support in order to make informed decisions and give confident responses to specific mental or physical difficulties issues.

1.4 Promoting good practice:

Abuse, particularly sexual abuse, can arouse strong emotions in those facing such a situation. It is important to understand these feelings and not allow them to interfere with your judgment about the appropriate action to take.

Abuse can occur within many situations including the home, school and the sporting environment. Some individuals will actively seek employment or voluntary work with vulnerable people in order to harm them. A coach, instructor, teacher, official or volunteer will have regular contact with clients and be an important link in identifying cases where they need protection. All suspicious cases of poor practice should be reported following the guidelines in this document.

Outdoor activities and sports can play a crucial role in improving a person's self-esteem. We work with many types of organisations bringing people from many differing environments and backgrounds and in all instances EPIC LIFE must work to ensure the client receives the most appropriate support.

1.5 Good practice guidelines:

All personnel should be encouraged to demonstrate exemplary behavior in order to protect themselves from false allegations. The following are common sense examples of how to create a positive culture and climate.

Good practice can mean:

Always working in an open environment (e.g. avoiding private or unobserved situations and encouraging open communication with no secrets).
Treating all people with respect and dignity.
Always putting the welfare of each client first, before achieving goals or winning.
Maintaining a safe and appropriate distance
Building relationships based on mutual trust, which empowers people to share in the decision-making process.
Making activities fun, enjoyable and promoting fair play, without prejudice.
Ensuring that if any form of manual/physical support is required, it should be provided openly and appropriately.
Involving parents/carers/teachers whenever appropriate. For example, engaging them to take responsibility in the changing rooms. If groups have to be supervised in the changing rooms, try to ensure that parents, teachers, instructors or volunteers work in pairs.
Ensuring that where possible, a male and female member of staff should always accompany mixed groups.
Being an excellent role model - this includes not smoking or drinking alcohol in the company of young people.
Giving enthusiastic and constructive feedback rather than negative criticism.
Securing consent in writing for the client's participation, if the need arises to administer emergency first aid and/or other medical treatment.
Keeping a written record of any incident or accident that occurs, along with the details of any treatment given.

1.6 Practices to be avoided:

The following should be avoided except in emergencies. If cases arise where these situations are unavoidable it should be with the full knowledge and consent of the Event Coordinator, Course Director, Party leader or the client's carers / parents. For example, a child sustains an injury and needs to go to hospital, or a parent fails to arrive to pick a child up at the end of a session:

Avoid spending excessive amounts of time alone with clients away from others.
Avoid transporting clients in a private vehicle.

1.7 Practices never to be sanctioned:

The following should never be sanctioned. You should never:

Engage in rough, physical or sexually provocative games.
Allow or engage in any form of inappropriate touching.
Allow clients to use inappropriate language unchallenged.
Make sexually suggestive comments to a client, even in fun.
Reduce a client to tears as a form of control.
Allow allegations made by a client to go unchallenged, unrecorded or not acted upon.
Do things of a personal nature for children or disabled adults, which they can do for themselves.
Invite or allow clients to stay with you at your home unsupervised.
Never leave a young person alone with an unknown adult client for any length of time.

N.B. It may sometimes be necessary for staff or volunteers to do things of a personal nature for clients, particularly if they are young or are disabled. There is a need to be responsive to a person's reactions. If a person is fully dependent on you, talk with him/her about what you are doing and give choices where possible. This is particularly so if you are involved in any dressing or undressing of outer clothing, or where there is physical contact, spotting, lifting or assisting a client to carry out particular activities. Avoid taking on the responsibility for tasks for which you are not appropriately trained.

1.8 Incidents that must be reported/recorded:

If any of the following occur, you should report this immediately to a senior member of staff or to another colleague and record the incident. It may also be appropriate to ensure the parents of the child are informed:

If you accidentally hurt a client.
If he/she seems distressed in any manner.
If a client appears to be sexually aroused by your actions.
If a client misunderstands or misinterprets something you have done.

1.9 Use of photographic/filming and digital imaging equipment:

Epic Life as a matter of course take photos on all activities. These photos are used for advertising purposes on the Epic Life websites and Facebook pages to enable customers to download photos of themselves on their activity.

All photos are taken on Epic Life cameras/mobile phones and are downloaded at the end of the day to Epic Life folders online.
The photos on the server are available for inspection at any time by anyone who makes a genuine and credible request.
No photos of customers will ever be allowed to pass to any other party without written consent of the customer - this consent is granted on our booking form unless declined at the time of booking or at any time thereafter.
No photos published by EPIC LIFE will ever include names of customers or will there be any way of identifying individuals within a named group without appropriate written permission.
We adhere to the guidance laid out by SportsCoachUK at all times.

All young people, parents or any adults requests not to be included in any photography will be respected by Epic Life.

1.10 Recruitment and training of staff and volunteers:

Epic Life recognises the potential for abuse of clients and that reasonable steps should be taken to ensure unsuitable people are prevented from working with children.

Where a member of staff is required to work unsupervised and in a nature that leaves opportunity for abuse, the following checks must be made:

Where we consider it necessary to seek further information, consent should be obtained from an applicant to seek information from the Disclosure and Barring Service.
The Managing Director may choose to seek additional character references if it is felt appropriate.

1.11 Induction:

All staff (and volunteers) will receive a formal induction, during which:

Their qualifications should be substantiated.
Our requirements and their responsibilities should be clarified.
They should agree to work within the organisation's Health & Safety Policy and this Child Protection Policy in which procedures are explained.

1.12 Training:

In addition to pre-selection checks, the safeguarding process includes raising awareness through discussion to help staff and volunteers to:

Analyse their own practice against established good practice, and to ensure their practice is likely to protect them from false allegations.
Recognise their responsibilities and report any concerns about suspected poor practice orpossible abuse.
Respond to concerns expressed by a client or young person.
Work safely and effectively with adults with physical or mental difficulties.

Epic Life requires that:

All staff read the advisory information outlining good practice and informing them about what to do if they have concerns about the behavior of a volunteer / member of staff towards a client or one young person to another;
All staff hold first aid certificates appropriate to the environment they are working in.
Hold an enhanced DBS check and register on the Update Service before independent work with young people.

1.13 Responding to allegations or suspicions:

It is not the responsibility of anyone working within Epic Life, in a paid or unpaid capacity to decide whether or not abuse has taken place. However, there is a responsibility to act on any concerns initially through liaison with the Event Coordinator / Appropriate Adult and then through contact with the appropriate authorities.

Epic Life will ensure all staff/volunteers fully support and protect anyone, who in good faith reports his or her concern that another person is, or may be, abusing a client.

Where there is a complaint against a member of staff there may be three types of investigation:

A criminal investigation.
A vulnerable adult investigation.
An internal disciplinary or misconduct investigation.

1.14 Action if there are concerns

1. Concerns about poor practice:

If, following consideration, the allegation is clearly about poor practice, the Epic Life Safeguarding Leader or Senior Management will deal with it as a misconduct issue.
If the allegation is about poor practice by the Child Protection Officer, or if the matter has been handled inadequately and concerns remain, it should be reported to the relevant officer who will decide how to deal with the allegation and whether or not to initiate disciplinary proceedings.

2. Concerns about suspected abuse

Any suspicion that a client has been abused by either a member of staff or a volunteer should be reported to Senior Management, who will take such steps as considered necessary to ensure the safety of the person in question and any other person who may be at risk.
The Epic Life Safeguarding Leader or Senior Management will refer the allegation to the social services department who may involve the police, or go directly to the police if out-of-hours.
The parents or carers of the client will be contacted as soon as possible following advice from the social services department.
If Epic Life Safeguarding Leader or Senior Management is the subject of the suspicion/allegation, the associate making the allegation must decide whether direct feedback is sufficient (e.g. possibly in the case of inappropriate handling during an activity without breach of trust or confidence) or whether the report should be made to Social Services or the Police.

1.15 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:

Epic Life Safeguarding Leader
The parents of the person who is alleged to have been abused.
The person making the allegation.
Social services/police.
The alleged abuser (and parents if the alleged abuser is a child. Recorded information will be stored in a secure place with limited access to designated people, in line with data protection laws (e.g. that information is accurate, regularly updated, relevant and secure).

1.16 Internal Enquiries and Suspension

Epic Life Safeguarding Leader or Senior Management will make an immediate decision about whether any individual accused of abuse should be temporarily suspended from operation pending further inquiries.
Irrespective of the findings of the social services or police inquiries Epic Life will assess all individual cases to decide whether a member of staff or volunteer can be reinstated and how this can be sensitively handled. The welfare of the client will remain of paramount importance throughout.

Support to deal with the aftermath of abuse:

Consideration should be given to the kind of support that children, parents and members of staff may need. Use of helplines, support groups and open meetings can help to maintain an open culture and help the healing process. Social Services within the local area will be able to provide advice.
Consideration should also be given to what kind of support may be appropriate for the alleged perpetrator.

Allegations of previous abuse

Allegations of abuse may be made some time after the event (e.g. by an adult who was abused as a child or by a member of staff who is still currently working with children).

Where such an allegation is made, we should follow the procedures as detailed above and report the matter to the social services or the police. This is because other children, either within or outside outdoor activity instruction, schools, education and sports coaching, may be at risk from this person. Anyone who has a previous criminal conviction for offences related to abuse is automatically excluded from working with children and vulnerable adults. This is reinforced by the details of the Protection of Children Act 1999.

1.17 Action if bullying is suspected

If bullying is suspected, the same procedure should be followed as set out in Responding to suspicions or allegations above.

Advice and action to help the victim and prevent bullying:

Epic Life will take all allegations of bullying very seriously.
Encourage all children to speak and share their concerns (it is known that children commit suicide as a result of bullying, so if anyone talks about or threatens suicide, seek professional help immediately). Help the victim to speak out and tell the instructor or an appropriate adult. Create and maintain an open communication environment.
EPIC LIFE Safeguarding Leader or Senior Management will investigate all allegations appropriately and take action to ensure the victim is safe. This may involve speaking with the victim and the perpetrator(s) separately, offering reassurance that you can be trusted and will help them.
Record the incident or suspected incident and keep records of what is said (what happened, by whom, when).
Report any concerns to EPIC LIFE Safeguarding Leader or Senior Management or the school (wherever the bullying is occurring).

Action towards the bully(ies):

Talk with the bully(ies), explain the situation, and try to get them to understand the consequences of their behavior. Consider whether seeking an apology to the victim(s) is appropriate.
Inform the party leader, teacher or parents.
Insist on the return of any 'borrowed' items immediately.
Provide support for the victim's carer, teacher, party leader or parent.
Impose sanctions as you think appropriate or necessary.
Encourage and support the bully(ies) to change behaviour and offer opportunities for re-engagement within the group and activity.
Share progress with accompanying carers, teachers, party leaders and parents and report as required to the Event Coordinator.
Inform all Key associates of action taken if they are to work with either the perpetrator or the victim.
Record action taken on an incident report form.

Concerns outside the immediate environment (e.g. a parent, teacher or carer):

Report your concerns to EPIC LIFE Safeguarding Leader or Senior Management who will decide whether to contact social services or the police as soon as possible.
Social Services and EPIC LIFE Safeguarding Leader or Senior Management will decide how to involve the parents, carer or teacher.
Maintain confidentiality on a need to know basis only.

Information for social services or the police about suspected abuse:

To ensure that this information is as helpful as possible, a detailed record should always be made, ideally at the time of the disclosure/concern, which should include the following:

The client's name, age and date of birth.
The client's home address and telephone number.
Whether or not the person making the report is expressing their own concerns or those of someone else.
The nature of the allegation. Include dates, times, any special factors and other relevant information.
Make a clear distinction between what is fact, opinion or hearsay.
A description of any visible bruising or other injuries. Also any indirect signs, such as behavioural changes.
Details of witnesses to the incidents.
The client's account, if it can be given, of what has happened and how any bruising or other injuries occurred.
Have the parents / carers been contacted?
If so what has been said?
Has anyone else been consulted? If so record details.
If the client was not the person who reported the incident, has the client been spoken to? If so what was said?
Has anyone been alleged to be the abuser? Record details.
Where possible referral to the police or social services should be confirmed in writing within 24 hours and the name of the contact who took the referral should be recorded.

1.18 Practical guidance for when a child confides in you:

Things you should do:

give the child undivided attention
show concern, support and warmth but don't show emotions, distress or negative reaction; be re-assuring (you can say 'that must have been sad/hard for you'; 'it's right to tell someone because you need help'. Ask if the child has told his parents if the alleged abuse is outside the home or the other parent if one parent is implicated).
rather than directly questioning the child, just listen and be supportive
it may be appropriate to check that the child is indicating abuse or neglect
check if the child is hurt or might be in need of medical attention
deal with the allegation in such a way that the child does not have to repeat the information to different people within the school; It is important to know if an incident has happened recently and whom the child is saying has hurt him.
On a CP form, make careful records of what was said, put the time when the child spoke to you, the time you wrote your transcript and the date, place and people who were present, as well as what was said, using child's own language and colloquialisms. Then sign it, and hand your record to the Safeguarding Leader or EPIC LIFE senior member if Safeguarding Leader is not available straight away.
Keep any notes that you made at the time, along with your record, as they may be useful later.

Things you should not do:

You must not promise a child complete confidentiality - you should explain that you may need to pass information to other professionals to help keep them or other children safe
malign the character of the alleged perpetrator
jump to conclusions
try to get the child to 'disclose'
ask for lots of details about the alleged event(s)
speculate or accuse anybody yourself
make promises you can't keep
pre-empt or prejudice an investigation by leading the child with closed questions.

Questioning skills

To avoid leading questions when clarifying what a child has said, you should use open questions with a child rather than closed questions.

The following table gives some examples of both.

Closed Questions	Open Questions
Do	Tell me ..where
Did	Who
Can	Describe
Would	How
Could	What When
Are	Show me
etc.	Talk

Avoid using 'Why'? This can confuse a child and leads to feelings of guilt.

Initial Responses to child

When a child has made a disclosure, it can be a relief for them, however they are likely to feel vulnerable and confused. Here are some examples of what can be said to a child;

Do say:

'Thank you for telling me'

'I am sorry it has happened to you'

'I am going to help you, and I will tell you what I am going to do'

'It should not have happened'

'You are not to blame'

Do not say:

'It will be all right soon'

Anything which you will not be able to fulfil

It is anybody's fault