Westoning Netball Clubs Emergency Policy is
Westoning Netball Club
Complaints and Feedback Policy
1. POLICY STATEMENT
1.1. It is the policy of Westoning Netball Club to take seriously all complaints received from members of the public and service users.
1.2. All complaints will be reviewed and followed up by an investigation when required. Where the complainant does not wish to provide their contact details, the complaint will still be processed and an investigation will take place where enough evidence is available to substantiate the complaint.
1.3. Westoning Netball Club is committed to providing a high standard and continually strives to meet member expectations. From time to time things can go wrong or are perceived by others to have gone wrong. When this happens we will:
● Treat the complaint and the complainant with respect and dignity and deal with them fairly and sympathetically
● Deal with the complaint swiftly, thoroughly, impartially and confidentially
● Adopt a positive approach by using the complaint as an opportunity to take actions to improve the service we provide
● Provide an effective response and ensure, where appropriate, the cause of the complaint is addressed
1.4. Any Club volunteer at Westoning Netball Club may receive a comment or a compliment. Any comments or compliments should be forwarded on to the Club Chairman/Secretary. It is the responsibility of the Club Chairman/Secretary to decide if a comment or compliment requires any further action. This may include a written response and informing the club volunteer who it concerns.
2. DEFINITION
2.1. This policy is intended to contribute to the effective and efficient operation of Westoning Netball Club, by providing a means of receiving comments and complaints from service users.
2.2. Comments and complaints include suggestions and compliments.
2.3. A compliment is a positive remark about a service or an individual.
2.4. A comment or feedback is a suggestion or observation regarding services provided or a gap in service.
2.5. A complaint is an expression of dissatisfaction about the actions, decisions or apparent failings in the service provided.
3. GENERAL PRINCIPLES
3.1. Provide a consistent approach when dealing with comments and complaints.
3.2. Provide a system whereby comments and complaints can be dealt with promptly, fairly, politely and with understanding in all aspects of the service provision.
3.3. Provide a confidential system that service users, volunteers have confidence in.
3.4. Provide a standard, auditable and traceable process for the Club.
3.5. Encourage Club volunteers to have a positive attitude towards comments, compliments and complaints received from service users or the public.
3.6. Provide a means of collecting comments or complaints about Westoning Netball Club so that improvements can be made and where possible information regarding comments and complaints is published for Club members to see.
3.7. Each complaint or comment will be allocated a unique reference number and records maintained in accordance with data protection laws.
3.8. When representing the Club every act of Club volunteers will reflect upon the Club good or bad.
3.9. Every Club volunteer should be prepared to receive comments or complaints regarding the level of service Westoning Netball Club is providing. The initial contact is important and will set the tone for how the service user feels they have been treated by the Club.
3.10. For more information on dealing with feedback, complaints or comments please see section 5 of this policy – dealing with complaints and comments.
4. HOW TO COMPLAIN
4.1. The organisation deals with all users in a fair and equitable manner. A wide variety of methods for making a comment or a complaint are available to people.
4.2. By writing a letter to the Club and presenting it to one of the Club Committee or Volunteers or sending to Westoning Netball Club, Westoning Recreation Club, Greenfield Road, Westoning, Bedford, MK45 5JD
4.3. By sending an email to the Chairman/Secretary at westoningnetball@gmail.com
4.4. By asking a Club volunteer to write your complaint down and forward it to the club Chairman/Secretary
4.5. By using the complaints and feedback form which is attached to this policy or available on the Club website.
4.6. It is important for Westoning Netball Club volunteers to recognise the variety of contact methods available, as each person’s abilities and needs vary.
4.7. The person first contacted by the service user with a comment or complaint is responsible for ensuring the matter is brought to the attention of the club Chairman/Secretary, who will then follow the procedure outlined in this policy.
4.8. Unacceptable actions/aggressive behaviour- whilst fully supporting the right to complain, we expect our Club volunteers to be treated courteously at all times. Violent or abusive language or behaviour towards them is unacceptable. Where there is a threat or use of physical violence or verbal abuse towards our Club volunteers, all direct contact with the complainant will cease and the behaviour may be reported to the police.
5. DEALING WITH COMPLAINTS AND COMMENTS
Comments and Compliments
5.1. Any Club volunteer may receive a comment or a compliment. These should be forwarded on to the club Chairman/Secretary to be filed appropriately.
5.2. It is the responsibility of the club Chairman/Secretary to decide if a comment requires any further action. This may include a written response and informing the volunteer or staff member who it concerns.
Complaints
5.3. Stage 1 - Informal Resolution
Most comments and complaints can be dealt with and resolved quickly at the initial point of contact informally. The main principle is to seek early resolution, resolving complaints at the earliest opportunity and as close to the point of service delivery as possible. Any Club volunteer can deal with a complaint at this stage.
5.4. Stage 2 - Complaint Investigated by Club Committee Member
Where it has not been possible to achieve resolution under stage 1 or the complaint is more complex and requires detailed investigation, the complaint will be handled under stage 2 of the process. A stage 2 investigation aims to establish all the facts relevant to the points made in the complaint and to give the complainant a full, objective proportionate response.
1.1. Where a complaint is made under stage 2, a complaint form should be completed and sent to the club Chairman/Secretary by post or email. A complaint form is attached in appendix A.
5.5. A club Chairman/Secretary will be nominated to deal with the complaint and investigation.
1.2. The following timescales apply under stage 2 of the complaint procedure:
● A formal acknowledgement of the complaint will be sent within 7 days.
● A full reply will be provided after an investigation within 30 days.
● If a full response cannot be provided within the time set out above due to a more complex investigation, an update will be provided with an expected completion date.
1.3. If the complainant is dissatisfied with the response given under stage 2, they can request a review of the complaint and investigation by a senior member of Westoning Netball Club’s Committee.
1.4. Stage 3- Complaint and investigation reviewed by a senior member of the Club Committee.
Where the complainant remains dissatisfied with the response provided under stage 2 of the complaints procedure, they can request a review of the complaint and investigation. Stage 3 of the complaints procedure involves a senior member of the Club Committee conducting a review of the stage 2 investigation and the response provided.
1.5. The following timescales apply under stage 3 of the complaints procedure:
● A formal acknowledgement of the review under stage 3 will be sent within 7 days.
● A response will be provided after the review has been completed within 30 days.
● If a full response cannot be provided within the time set out above due to a more complex review, an update will be provided with an expected completion date of the review under stage 3.
1.6. Where a complainant has exhausted the complaints procedure and continues to dispute the outcome of their complaint, they will be advised that no further discussion will take place on this issue, unless they can provide new information relating to the complaint.
2. AUDIT AND REVIEW
2.1. The policy is designed to allow the use of feedback from Westoning Netball Club users with the aim of improving the service we deliver.
2.2. The club Chairman/Secretary will review the information gathered from feedback received and complaints and will consider whether the Club’s services could be improved.
2.3. This policy note will be reviewed within a specified period as deemed appropriate by the Club Committee, but as a minimum will be reviewed at least every 2 years or when external influences occur such as changes in legislation.
2.4. Specific audits may be undertaken of any part of the process, at the discretion of the Club Committee.
Appendix A
COMPLAINT OR FEEDBACK FORM
If you have a complaint or feedback regarding Westoning Netball Club policies, practice, decisions or service please complete this form and return it to the club Chairman/Secretary at Westoning Netball Club, Westoning Recreation Club, Greenfield Road, Westoning, Bedford, MK45 5JD. It can also be emailed to westoningnetballclub@gmail.com
All personal information will be held fairly, lawfully and securely in accordance with data protection laws and the Westoning Netball Club privacy policy.
Name
Address
Post Code
Email Address
Tel or Mobile
Please give details of your complaint or feedback
What actions, if any, have been taken to resolve your complaint?
How do you prefer to be contacted?
ENGLAND NETBALL
Safeguarding Young People in Netball Policy
Responsible Officer Director of Finance & Corporate Resources Group Owner Executive Team
Date Created / Modified May 2018
Version 1.1
Review Date May 2020 Applicable for
This policy is mandatory. It applies to Clubs, Regional Management Boards, County Netball Associations, and all volunteers acting in any capacity within netball where a separate policy does not exist. Summary This Policy sets out England Netball’s approach to fulfilling its commitment to creating and maintaining a safe and enjoyable environment for the young people who take part in the sport of netball. England Netball requires all members, connected participants and staff to abide by this Policy and all relating procedures and practice.
Version Control: Person Responsible Version and summary of changes Date
CONTENTS
1. Purpose and Scope Page 2 2. Definitions Page 2-3 3. Legislative Framework Page 3 4. What is Abuse? Page 3-4 5. Roles and Responsibilities Page 4 6. Duty of Care Page 5 7. Wellbeing Page 5-6 8. Links to Support 9. Policy Review 10. Contacting England Netball
Page 6 Page 6 Page 6
England Netball Policy Note: Safeguarding Young People in Netball No. 1.1 May 2018 This policy note is uncontrolled when printed please ensure you have the most up to date version
Endorsed by
Registered charity Registered charity numbers 216401 and SC037717
PURPOSE AND SCOPE
England Netball considers the safety and wellbeing of young people as central to its values. As a governing body we accept our responsibility for providing guidance and support to all members to ensure that netball is enjoyable and safe. We require risk assessments on all people looking to take a role in providing netball to young people and take seriously all concerns regarding their wellbeing or protection from abuse.
Everyone has a responsibility for safeguarding the welfare of young people and this is no less the case in netball. Specified people have identified responsibility within the Reporting a Concern process, but they can only act on the information which others provide to them. Understanding how to recognise concerns and how to respond to them, will help make all parts of the Reporting a Concern process more effective.
Some concerns may relate to a young person’s general wellbeing, rather than due to them being subject to abuse. England Netball accepts its role in supporting the netball community with offering assistance to these individuals.
Where necessary, England Netball will take Disciplinary Action against any members and connected participants and staff where breach of this Policy or the Codes of Conduct and Disciplinary Regulations is alleged.
This Policy operates in conjunction with the legislation governing safeguarding and protecting young people and England Netball works with external partners to ensure best practice is implemented and adhered to, click here for further information: Working Together to Safeguard Children 2015. It is also to be read in conjunction with the Codes of Conduct, Safeguarding Disciplinary Regulations and all other relevant England Netball policies and procedures.
DEFINITIONS
▪ Child Protection in Sport Unit – The Child Protection in Sport Unit (CPSU) is a partnership between the NSPCC, Sport England, Sport Northern Ireland and Sport Wales. In Scotland there is a similar partnership between Children 1st and sportscotland. The Unit was founded in 2001 to work with UK Sports Councils, National Governing Bodies (NGBs), County Sports Partnerships (CSPs) and other organisations to help them minimise the risk of child abuse during sporting activities.
▪ Disclosure and Barring Service – the government department responsible for processing the criminal record checks to assist in making safer recruitment decisions. The Disclosure and Barring Service replaced the Criminal Records Bureau and the Independent Safeguarding Authority. When a person is banned from working with young people by England Netball, we are obliged to refer this information to the DBS and they will determine inclusion on the barred list.
▪ Lead Child Protection Officer – the person appointed by England Netball to lead on all safeguarding matters, including developing and maintaining safeguarding policies and procedures and advising the netball community on their implementation and application.
▪ Local Authority Designated Officer – person appointed by a local authority to be the point of contact for all safeguarding and child protection issues relating to individuals in a position of trust. They are usually based in the local social services child care team.
▪ Local Safeguarding Children Board – the key statutory body responsible for co-ordinating the relevant agencies’ co-operation in safeguarding and promoting the welfare of young people in their local authority area. Created under the Children Act 2004, they comprise local authorities, health, police and other agencies. They provide local inter-agency guidelines for child protection.
▪ National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children - The NSPCC is a charity that specialises in child protection and the prevention of cruelty to young people. It is the only UK young people’s charity
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with statutory powers that enables it to take action to safeguard young people at risk of abuse. The society operates throughout the UK and the Channel Islands.
▪ Position of trust – someone who has a position of power or influence over those under 18. Criminal offences of abuse use this definition.
▪ Wellbeing – a person’s state of mental and physical health and resilience
▪ Young person – is defined by England Netball as meaning a person under the age of 18 and over the age of 14. A child is a person under that age of 14. In this Policy young person will mean anyone under the age of 18, unless specified as being a child.
LEGISLATIVE FRAMEWORK
This Policy and the guidance which supports it, complies with legislation and will be updated to reflect any changes in the law. Statutory guidance takes precedence over England Netball Policy and we will always work within the requirements of the National Safeguarding Children Board and the police.
The relevant legislation includes:-
▪ The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child
▪ The Human Rights Act 1998
▪ The Children Acts 1989 and 2004
▪ The Protection of Children Act 1999
▪ The Police Acts
▪ Criminal Justice and Court Services Act 2000
▪ Data Protection Acts 1994 and 1998
▪ Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006
▪ Protection of Freedoms Act 2010
▪ Caring for the Young and Vulnerable – Home Office 1999
▪ What to do if you are worried a child is being abused – Department of Health 2006
▪ Working Together to Safeguard Children 2015
▪ Children and Social Work Act 2017
▪ General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) 2018
WHAT IS ABUSE?
Abuse is a term used to describe the ways in which young people may be harmed by others.
It can happen inside and outside the home, but wherever it happens, everyone has a responsibility to act to protect the child from harm. Abuse results in harm to young people’s physical, mental or emotional health and/or development.
It can be committed by an adult or another child/young person, and be by way of an act or a failure to act.
Familiarising yourself with the forms of abuse, and thinking about whether what you see and hear may be a sign that there are causes for concern which fall into one or more of these categories, or that of wellbeing, will help you to an make assessment of when you need to report your concerns. Click here for information on Recognising Signs of Abuse and on how to Report a Concern
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You don’t have to decide whether there has been any form of abuse, but you need to report the concern so that others can make the necessary decisions.
In the world of sport, there are numerous occasions when abuse may occur, intentionally or unintentionally. Some concerns may fall within the umbrella term “poor practice”, and this is a safeguarding concern, but not a form of abuse, and may be most appropriately dealt with at the local level, with support from the Lead Child Protection Officer.
We provide advice and procedural guidance on Recognising Abuse and Reporting a Concern
ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
England Netball fulfils its safeguarding responsibilities by providing advice and guidance to all those in netball and by working in partnership with members, connected participants, staff and external agencies, including statutory authorities.
England Netball has an appointed Lead Child Protection Officer, who is responsible for formulating the organisation’s approach to safeguarding; developing the work programme to implement this Policy; providing advice, guidance and resources to the sport of netball to ensure a consistent level of awareness of safeguarding and who is the point of contact for all concerns to be raised with and to liaise with the statutory agencies and other partners.
England Netball has a Case Management Group (CMG) tasked with setting the strategic direction of the organisations’ safeguarding work; overseeing the work of the Lead Child Protection Officer; identifying trends in concerns reported and agreeing organisational responses to issues. Investigation of the more complex cases will be overseen by this group and they have a key role in the conduct of Safeguarding Disciplinary Cases.
This Group is Chaired by a Board member and has the input of an external/independent expert member.
Regional Management Boards promote and educate on safeguarding practice in their Region. Through their Regional Implementation Plans they commit to working with England Netball to provide safeguarding training throughout their Region, particularly Time to Listen and Safeguarding and Protecting Children courses.
Clubs are responsible for ensuring the environment in which young people engage in netball is a safe one which provides them with a fun experience. Clubs must appoint a Club Safeguarding Officer and provide them with the support and resources necessary to fulfil their role. They must ensure that all those who carry out regulated activity have had the necessary, current DBS checks and are cleared to work with young people. Click here for DBS Guidance
DUTY OF CARE
England Netball accepts its duty of care for the young people in the sport of netball and welcomes the Duty of Care in Sport Review (2017). This means we will take reasonable measures to ensure that their participation in activities, which they are invited or permitted to participate in, is safe and enjoyable.
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Clubs have a responsibility to take all reasonable care for the safety of the young people involved with their event. The person in charge of the young people acts “in loco parentis” and is expected to act as a reasonably prudent parent would. They need to consider the reasonable steps which should be taken to show you have acted to a reasonable standard of care. This should include:
▪ Adopting the policies and procedures of England Netball in to the club constitution;
▪ Ensuring that every member of the club and their parent/carer is informed who the Club Safeguarding Officer is;
▪ Familiarisation with the Safeguarding Young People in Netball Policy;
▪ Ensuring relevant training is provided and kept up to date for Club Safeguarding Officers, coaches and the members of your club; and
▪ Ensuring everyone knows how to use the Reporting a Concern process
There should also be:-
▪ A current register of attendees;
▪ A current register of contact details, including emergency contacts;
▪ Confidentiality retained details on any medical conditions, allergies, special needs etc
▪ First aid provision available at all times, at the club and when off site, and a trained First Aider in attendance;
▪ Appropriate personnel in place, appointed in accordance with the Recruitment and Selection of Volunteers policy
▪ Current risk assessments for the premises and activities carried out. Clubs should ensure that the young people in their care only take part in authorised and insured activities with suitably qualified instructors.
Coaches have a duty of care to ensure that the activities they organise are appropriate to the capabilities of each young person in their care. They should adhere to the standards set for them by the qualifications they have achieved and not seek to operate at a level which is beyond their current qualification. For example, a Level 1 coach taking a session unsupervised by a Level 2 coach.
WELLBEING
Wellb
Many concerns about the welfare of young people are about their general health and happiness, their wellbeing, rather than about issues of potential abuse. The evidence our safeguarding case management process shows is that these issues are significantly more frequent than concerns about abuse. England Netball believes that sport offers many positives in the lives of its young participants and that caring about the welfare of young people is part of the safeguarding duty which we all have. People in positions of trust can be a great influence in the lives of young people and so have the potential to notice changes, be available to talk to and to offer advice.
Young people may manifest signs of behaviour which cause you concern. We recognise that not all issues will be picked up by Children’s Services as they do not meet their threshold of ‘significant risk of harm' and that local support may be the most effective way of helping the young person. We can assist with identifying and supporting the young person by raising levels of awareness and acting as a sign posting service to resources and organisations which provide support for parent’s/carers or for the young people directly. Click here for information on Wellbeing.
Recognising and Responding to Concerns
Whistleblowing and Complaints Policy
Safeguarding Disciplinary Regulations
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LINKS TO SUPPORT
For victims, reporters, friend and family:-
> ChildLine – for young people to access help > The NSPCC– for adults to access help or report a concern > Young Minds - young people’s wellbeing and mental health > Club Safeguarding Officers (CSOs) > MOSAC: providing a safe place for parents and carers > Lucy Faithful Foundation: the only UK-wide child protection charity dedicated solely to reducing the risk of young people being sexually abused: Tel: 0808 1000 900, Email: help@stopitnow.org.uk > Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) are NHS funded services for young people in the mental health arena in the UK > Bullying UK - bullying in Sport – support/what to do
Concerns which are not of potential abuse but are about the young person’s wellbeing, should also be addressed and the Wellbeing pages of our website provide further guidance and contacts which may be helpful to you and the young person.
POLICY REVIEW
The Human Resources Department in conjunction with the lead child protection officer will be responsible for reviewing and updating the policy in line with any new legislation or statutory changes.
This safeguarding young people in netball policy will remain in force until it is amended, replaced or withdrawn. All personal information will be held fairly, lawfully and securely in accordance with data protection laws and the England Netball Privacy Policy.
CONTACT ENGLAND NETBALL
Report a concern via besafe@englandnetball.co.uk or 01509 277850. Urgent cases should be referred to the Police and emergency services by calling 999.
NSPCC are available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year on 0808 800 5000
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