SOUTHERN COUNTIES CHESS UNION

OUR SAFEGUARDING RESPONSIBILITIES

to children, young people and adults in need

Who is responsible during the Union's activities for the safeguarding of children, young people and adults in need ?

• everyone; participants, event and team organisers, Safeguarding Officer, Safeguarding Lead, Executive Committee members, Council members, parents, guardians, carers, visitors and guests alike.

What is Safeguarding about ?

How is it achieved ?

• by providing a safe environment for children, young people and adults in need (i.e. vulnerable adults)
• by creating a culture which recognises and understands the importance of safeguarding including listening to and discussing with children, young people and adults in need
• by identifying children or adults in need who are suffering or likely to suffer significant harm, both outside and at home and referring immediately any concerns to local authority social care services
• by preventing unsuitable people from working with children or adults in need
• by having systems and processes that ensure children and adults in need are kept safe and allow for poor and unsafe practice to be challenged
• by identifying instances in which there are grounds for concern about the welfare of a child or vulnerable adult and initiating or taking appropriate action to keep them safe
• by contributing to effective partnership working between all those involved with providing safeguarding services for children and adults in need.

 What is the Union's Child Protection Policy ?

The Union adopts the current Safeguarding Policy of the English Chess Federation Policy.

Supervision is the responsibility of parents, guardians and where a child plays for a team, its organisers. The Union or host organisations only assume responsibility for supervision where parents and guardians are excluded from the playing area.

Photography and other recording of images is not permitted unless authorised. Photographers must be registered and permission for photography and publication sought.

 Do other organisations have Safeguarding Policies which apply to the Union's activities ?

• County Unions whose teams play in the SCCU County Championships

• Junior Organisations whose teams play in the SCCU U14/U120 league

• Host Organisation of the U14 and U18 Jamborees

What are the safeguarding responsibilities of the Safeguarding Officer, the Safeguarding Lead, the Executive Committee and Council ?

Specific Responsibilities of Council

• ensuring that the Executive Committee is in a position to exercise its safeguarding functions and is fulfilling those functions

Specific Responsibilities of the Executive Committee

• approving Union policy and its implementation within the Union
• adding new procedures as required and informing its organisers, officials, members, participants and volunteers of changes, which includes advertising them as appropriate
• to monitor which organisers, officials and volunteers have been statutory checked (currently enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service checks) and have had safeguarding training and advise those who may need either due to their role in the Union's activities involving children, young people and adults in need
• supervising those with safeguarding roles (e.g. Safeguarding Officer and Lead)
• acting on whistle-blowing
• providing corporate responses to any safeguarding issue supporting the Safeguarding Officer and Safeguarding Lead as appropriate
• to ensure an audit is undertaken (by way of periodic monitoring and review by the Safeguarding Officer or Lead) to ensure that safeguards are being implemented and are effective and that risk is being managed.

Specific Responsibilities of the Safeguarding Lead

The legislation requires this role at senior board level in organisations which work with children. The Executive Committee is the Union's equivalent. The Union does not at the present time work with children.

As the Union runs events which are exclusively for junior players there is a practical operational reason for having a designated Officer on the Executive Committee.

The English Chess Federation provides for this role under its policy and compliance with the ECF policy is a condition of the Union's public liability insurance.

The Safeguarding Lead is responsible for:

• taking leadership responsibility on the Executive Committee for the Union’s safeguarding arrangements
• ensuring a clear line of accountability for the provision of services designed to safeguard and promote the welfare of children, young people and adults in need
• ensuring that all issues concerning safety and welfare of children, young people and adults in need who attend the Union's events or participate in teams run by the Union are properly dealt with through policies, procedures and administrative systems.
• ensuring arrangements are in place for child protection/safeguarding training
• ensuring arrangements are in place for child protection supervision including Disclosure and Barring Service applications and checks
• being the point of contact for other safeguarding agencies in respect of raised concerns
• having familiarity with reporting procedures of the relevant local authorities’ social care services and making decisions to refer concerns to those agencies
• being a source of advice for the Safeguarding Officer and others

 Specific Responsibilities of the Safeguarding Officer

 The Safeguarding Officer is responsible for:

• providing safeguarding advice and support to organisers, officials, volunteers, and participants
• ensuring that safeguarding children, young people and adults in need remains a priority in all of the Union’s activities
• English Chess Federation safeguarding policy states that a legal background or safeguarding experience is recommended for this role and sets out a specific job description for this role.