Safeguarding Children Policy

Sections 2-6

Purpose, scope and principles

This policy applies to trustees, employees, contractors, consultants, programme managers, swimming instructors, volunteers, ambassadors, photographers, media representatives, partner organisations and anybody else authorised to represent SwimTayka or have contact with children through our activities.

Safeguarding includes protecting children from maltreatment, preventing impairment of health or development, creating environments where children feel safe and reducing opportunities for abuse, exploitation and inappropriate behaviour.

• The welfare of the child comes first.
• Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility.
• Children will be listened to.
• Safeguarding applies equally to every child.
• We act even where information is incomplete.
• We do not conduct child protection or criminal investigations ourselves.
• Information is shared when necessary and proportionate to protect a child.

Section 7

Governance and responsibility

The Board of Trustees has collective responsibility for safeguarding. This includes policy, risk management, resources, monitoring, regulatory reporting, partner due diligence and safer recruitment.

Designated Safeguarding Lead

The DSL receives concerns, provides advice, maintains safeguarding records, coordinates safeguarding activity, supports programme managers and advises trustees.

Sections 8-10

Programmes, international work and partners

Every programme must have an identified programme lead and local safeguarding contact, current emergency details, local safeguarding and police information, an escalation procedure and an appropriate risk assessment.

Our minimum safeguarding standards apply in every country. Where local law gives children greater protection, the higher requirements must be followed. Reporting a concern to a local partner does not remove the requirement to report it to SwimTayka.

Partner organisations are subject to proportionate safeguarding due diligence. SwimTayka may pause or terminate a programme where children cannot be adequately protected.

Sections 11-14

Safer recruitment, checks and training

Safeguarding starts before somebody is allowed to work with children. Depending on the role, checks may include applications, interviews, identity and qualification checks, references, DBS checks, Children’s Barred List information and overseas criminal-record or safeguarding checks.

UK roles are assessed to determine whether they constitute regulated activity and what level of DBS check is legally available and appropriate. Role eligibility is reassessed if duties change.

Safeguarding training is mandatory for people working directly with children. Programme managers, the DSL and deputies receive training proportionate to their responsibilities.

Sections 15-21

Professional boundaries

Adults working with children through SwimTayka occupy a position of trust. They must use appropriate language, maintain physical and emotional boundaries, work openly where possible, challenge harmful behaviour and report concerns.

Sections 17-18 and 47-48

Swimming and aquatic safety

A lower ratio must be used where age, ability, disability, additional needs, water conditions, open water, facility rules, instructor competence, local requirements or the risk assessment require it. A ratio must never be increased merely because resources are limited.

Instructors must maintain active supervision. The presence of a lifeguard does not remove the instructor’s responsibility for the children they teach.

Risk assessments must consider water conditions, depth, currents, tides, weather, entry and exit, rescue, first aid, swimming ability, supervision, equipment and water quality where appropriate. Activities must stop where conditions cannot reasonably be made safe.

Sections 22-23

Online communication, photography and video

Adults representing SwimTayka must not routinely communicate privately with a child through personal social media, personal messaging apps, disappearing-message services or personal email. Communication should normally go through parents or guardians, the partner organisation, approved organisational channels or an appropriate group setting.

Appropriate consent must be obtained for images. A child who does not want to be photographed must not be pressured. Images must not be degrading, unnecessarily expose a child’s body, reveal sensitive safeguarding information or identify a child in a way that places them at risk.

Sections 24-32

Recognising abuse and safeguarding concerns

Abuse can happen at home, within an organisation, in a community, online, between adults and children or between children. Concerns may involve more than one form of harm.

Possible indicators include unexplained or repeated injuries, significant behavioural changes, withdrawal, aggression, fear of a particular person, inappropriate sexual knowledge or behaviour, distress, unexplained gifts or money and concerning online behaviour. No single indicator proves abuse, and the absence of visible signs does not mean abuse has not occurred.

SwimTayka works in communities experiencing poverty and limited resources. Poverty alone must not be treated as evidence of parental neglect.

Sections 34-37

If a child tells you about abuse

Volunteers must not automatically contact a parent or guardian about a safeguarding concern. Advice should first be sought where informing them could increase risk, interfere with an investigation or compromise safeguarding action.

Sections 38-42

Concerns or allegations about adults

Any safeguarding concern about a person working or volunteering with children must be reported immediately. SwimTayka must not conduct its own safeguarding investigation before appropriate external advice has been obtained.

For an allegation arising in England that meets the appropriate threshold, the DSL should contact the relevant Local Authority Designated Officer - LADO - or local designated allegations arrangements without delay and normally within one working day.

SwimTayka may temporarily remove somebody from child-facing duties where necessary to manage risk. Suspension is not automatic proof that an allegation is true.

Low-level concerns, including favouritism, inappropriate language, unnecessary physical contact, private messaging or repeated boundary concerns, must still be recorded and reviewed.

Sections 43-46

DBS referrals, serious incidents and whistleblowing

Where statutory referral conditions are met, SwimTayka will make a referral to the Disclosure and Barring Service. A person resigning or ceasing to volunteer does not end the safeguarding process.

Trustees must consider whether an actual or alleged safeguarding incident requires a serious incident report to the Charity Commission. Reporting to another authority does not remove this responsibility.

Nobody should be prevented from raising a genuine safeguarding concern. Staff, volunteers and partners may bypass normal management arrangements where appropriate and may contact an appropriate statutory authority directly.

Sections 35-36 and 50-55

Records, information sharing and policy review

Safeguarding records must be factual, attributable to their author, dated, stored securely and kept separately from routine volunteer or programme information. Access is restricted to those who require it.

Safeguarding information is confidential, but it is not secret. Data protection law must not be used as a reason to avoid sharing information where sharing is necessary and proportionate to protect a child.

The DSL provides appropriate safeguarding information to trustees so they can understand concerns, themes, training and recruitment compliance, partner issues, serious incidents and required actions.

The policy is reviewed by the Board of Trustees at least annually and earlier following significant incidents, changes in law or guidance, changes to DBS requirements, a new-country programme or a significant change to SwimTayka’s operating model.