SOMERBY EQUESTRIAN CENTRE

01664 454 838

Somerby Equestrian Centre Ltd fully accepts its legal and moral obligation under The Children’s Act (1989) and (2004), to provide a duty of care to protect all children and safeguard their welfare, irrespective of age, sex, disability, race, parental or marital status, pregnancy, religion or belief, creed, sexual orientation and gender reassignment.  

A child/young person is defined as a person under the age of 18 (the Children’s Act 1989).  Somerby Equestrian Centre Ltd fully adopts the BEF Safeguarding Policy (Children and Young People), the full policy can be downloaded from the BEF website www.bef.co.uk

Aims

The aims of the Somerby Equestrian Centre Ltd Safeguarding Policy are:  

•    To ensure robust safeguarding arrangements and procedures are in operation to provide children and young people with appropriate safety and protection whilst at Somerby Equestrian Centre Ltd, allowing them to participate in a fun, safe environment and in an atmosphere of fair play.
•    To take all reasonable, practical steps to protect children from harm, discrimination and degrading treatment and respect their rights, wishes and feelings. 
•    To ensure everyone understands 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.  
•    To ensure appropriate action is taken in the event of incidents/concerns of abuse and support provided to the individual/s who raise or disclose the concern. All concerns or allegations of poor practise or abuse are taken seriously and responded to swiftly and appropriately.  It is the responsibility of child protection experts to determine whether or not abuse has taken place but it is everyone’s responsibility to report it.  
•    To ensure that confidential, detailed and accurate records of all safeguarding concerns are maintained and securely stored.
•    To maintain high standards of behaviours and good practise through compliance with BEF codes of conduct produced for instructors, coaches, parents/guardians, junior members and volunteers. The policy and procedures are mandatory for everyone involved with Somerby Equestrian Centre Ltd. Failure to comply with the policy and procedures will be addressed without delay and may ultimately result in dismissal/exclusion from the Somerby Equestrian Centre Ltd.

The policy will be reviewed every three years, or in the following circumstances:  

•    Changes in legislation and/or government guidance.
•    As required by the Local Safeguarding Children Board, BHS and the BEF.
•     As a result of any other significant change or event.

Centre Safeguarding Officer  

Somerby Equestrian Centre Ltd will appoint a Centre Safeguarding Officer (CSO)  

The role of the CSO is:  

•    To ensure that Somerby Equestrian Centre Ltd  staff and volunteers, are aware of the Safeguarding Policy, procedures, guidelines and codes of conduct and adopt them as appropriate.
•    Be the first point of contact at Somerby Equestrian Centre Ltd for staff, volunteers, young people or parents/guardians for any issue concerning safeguarding, child protection or welfare, poor practise or potential/alleged abuse.
•    To have access to contact details for Children’s Services, the Police and the BHS Lead Safeguarding Officer.
•    To follow the information in the BEF Safeguarding Policy for procedures for recording and reporting information as required.
•    To advise the BHS Lead Safeguarding Officer of any allegations or complaints made in relation to child protection and safeguarding and to implement BHS’s Safeguarding procedure as appropriate.
•    To respond to any allegations or complaints made from within Somerby Equestrian Centre Ltd  in accordance with the agreed protocols detailed in the BEF Safeguarding Equestrian Sport.
•    To ensure that Under 18 clients and their parents/guardians are aware of Somerby Equestrian Centre Ltd Safeguarding Policy and Procedures and how to access them.  
•    To facilitate and promote education and training in safeguarding for staff and volunteers.
•    To ensure that procedures on recruitment of staff and volunteers are followed and for those roles which undertake regulated activity or regulated work, please see DBS and PVG guidance documents.
•    To ensure that codes of conduct are in place for staff, volunteers, junior members and their parents/guardians  www.bhs.org.uk/our-charity/working-with-the-law/safeguarding-children  
•    To ensure confidentiality is maintained and information is only shared on a ‘need to know’ basis.  
It is not the role of the CSO to be a Child Protection expert or to determine whether or not a serious incident has taken place, rather to record the details and seek guidance if necessary.

Communication

Somerby Equestrian Centre Ltd will make available its Safeguarding Policy and Procedures to all staff, volunteers, junior members and their parents/guardians and it will appear in full on the Somerby Equestrian Centre Ltd website.  

Somerby Equestrian Centre Ltd will circulate to all new clients and their parents/guardians if they are under the age of 18, the name and number of the Centre Safeguarding Officer.  

All individuals involved with Somerby Equestrian Centre Ltd, no matter what role they participate in, must adhere to the Safeguarding Code of Conduct.  

All individuals involved with Somerby Equestrian Centre Ltd must all sign to agree to uphold the Safeguarding Code of Conduct.  

Training

Instructors/coaches and staff and volunteers working with children must undertake the BEF approved safeguarding training (or recognised equivalent) course within the last 3 years. Refresher training must be completed every three years via either the BEF approved online training portal or a further face to face course. Any new appointments of under 18 instructors/coaches and staff and volunteers working with children will undertake the BEF Safeguarding training course (or recognised equivalent) as part of their initial training/induction unless they can evidence that they have undertaken the course with another member body in the last three years. They will then refresh their training every three years as detailed above.
 
Criminal Record checks

Instructors who teach/coach Under 18s, staff and volunteers working with children at Somerby Equestrian Centre Ltd must hold a current certificate through the Disclosure and Barring Service, Disclosure Scotland or Access NI as appropriate.

Certificates must be renewed every three years.  

Further information and links

Somerby Equestrian Centre Ltd Safeguarding Officer details:

Gail Stimson 01664 454838



BHS Lead Safeguarding Officer 02476 840746 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Confidential email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Childline 0800 1111 NSPCC 0808 800 5000

For more infomation goto www.bhs.org.uk/our-charity/working-with-the-law/safeguarding-children