CHILD WELFARE
Abuse of social media by adults and children is one area of concern
We’ve set up a working group to look at the issue of unsupervised children in leisure centres, as current guidance on this is very patchy
Have you identified issues specific to leisure centres and health clubs since you’ve started looking at the sector? NS: We’ve already set up a working group to look at the issue of unsupervised children in leisure centres, as current guidance on this is very patchy. If you ask what age is it OK for a child to be in a leisure facility unaccompanied, there’s no definitive answer. In the case of swimming, there are rules around how old a child has to be before they can be in the pool unaccompanied – the question is what happens when they leave? Outside of that swimming session, they could be in the changing room or foyer or cafeteria without anyone being responsible for them, and that’s worrying.
Nick, you’ve been working with Quest to create a Safeguarding Children module for the scheme. Can you tell us more about that? NS: Right Directions, the organisation that manages Quest, contacted us through Sport England because they realised that, although there was some reference to safeguarding children in their existing modules, there was scope to have a specific module dedicated entirely to this issue. Since then, we’ve worked with them to develop an
optional safeguarding module for sports development teams and leisure facilities undergoing Quest assessments. We suspect that will grow legs as people see the benefit of it. The modules cover all the basics,
from having policies in place right down to clear guidance on what to do if an issue crops up. Although Quest is only one arm of the
work we’re doing in relation to leisure facilities, it’s been a good starting point for thinking about minimum operating standards for the sector.
Aren’t facilities required by law to have these kinds of safeguards in place anyway? NS: There is health and safety legislation and child protection legislation that spells out the statutory obligations of local authority leisure services, and indeed all those that provide services to children. Government guidance clearly sets out steps these organisations need to take to safeguard and protect the children they’re responsible for. But unfortunately, in practice,
safeguarding often happens in reverse. In the event of something happening, a club or facility would be hauled over the coals and all these questions would be asked, but there isn’t a safeguarding
68 Read Health Club Management online at
healthclubmanagement.co.uk/digital policing team that goes around asking:
“Have you got X, Y or Z in place?” AT: One of the things we’ve tried to emphasise with our standards is that the aim isn’t to have the standard – the aim is to put the safeguards in place. What the standards do, and what Quest will do, is benchmark the action you’re already taking to illustrate to parents and other users what your stance on safeguarding is and what they can expect from you.
If a leisure centre or health club wants to raise its game in this area, where should it start? NS: The resources on the CPSU website should be suitable for any sport or leisure provider, although we recognise we need to do more work with leisure operators to ensure the language and context used in these materials is appropriate and meaningful for them. In addition, CSPs can often provide
locally informed signposting, support and information for organisations delivering sport in their area – and this should include leisure providers as well as clubs linked to NGBs. Local Safeguarding Children Boards
can be another source of advice and guidance for leisure operators and other organisations seeking to put safeguards in place. ●
August 2014 © Cybertrek 2014
PHOTO:
SHUTTERSTOCK.COM/ANTONIO GUILLEM
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90