DERBYSHIRE CRICKET FOUNDATION
SAFEGUARDING ADULTS AT RISK POLICY
Derbyshire Cricket Foundation (the Foundation) is committed to safeguarding all adults who are experiencing, or are at risk of, abuse and neglect. The Foundation has a responsibility to ensure all adults at risk participating in cricket and any recognised Derbyshire Cricket Foundation event have a safe and positive experience.
This Foundation is committed to creating and maintaining a safe and positive environment for all people involved in the sport/activity. It accepts its responsibility to assist in the welfare of all people and to safeguard them from poor practice, abuse, and bullying.
All individuals within the Foundation – players/members/volunteers/coaches/support staff – have a role and responsibility to help ensure the safety and welfare of adults.
This policy outlines what adult safeguarding is and what to do if you have a concern. The Safeguarding Children and Young People Policy, for those under the age of 18, is covered in a separate document.
Derbyshire Cricket Foundation believes:
- Everyone has the right to live their life free from violence, fear, and abuse
- All adults have the right to be protected from harm and exploitation
- All adults have the right to independence which involves a degree of risk.
WHAT IS ADULT SAFEGUARDING?
The official definition of “Adult safeguarding” is working with adults with care and support needs to keep them safe from abuse or neglect. It is an important part of what many public services do, and a key responsibility of local authorities (Care Act 2014).
The safeguarding duties apply to an adult who:
- has needs for care and support (whether the local authority is meeting any of those needs)
- is experiencing, or is at risk of, abuse or neglect.
- is unable to protect themselves from either the risk of, or the experience of, abuse or neglect, because of those care and support needs.
Adults who fulfil these criteria are ‘adults at risk’.
People can have a need for care and support for a variety of reasons – for example they may have a learning disability, a physical disability, a chronic health condition or have a mental health issue. Such conditions may bring with them additional vulnerabilities, however having care and support needs does not mean that people are automatically adults at risk and need safeguarding.
Safeguarding adults is underpinned by:
- The Care Act 2014
- Mental Capacity Act (MCA) 2005
Types of abuse suffered by adults identified in the Care Act 2014 are:
- Physical
- Sexual
- Psychological/Emotional/Mental
- Financial and material
- Neglect and act of omission
- Discriminatory
- Organisational
- Modern Day Slavery
- Domestic Violence
- Self-Neglect – including hoarding.
Other types of harm that adults may experience include:
- Cyber Bullying
- Forced Marriage
- Female Genital Mutilation
- Mate Crime
- Radicalisation
PUTTING THINGS IN PLACE
Derbyshire Cricket Foundation officials and volunteers are not expected to be an expert in the recognition of a safeguarding concern; however, all adults working, volunteering, and participating have a duty of care to be vigilant and respond appropriately to suspicions of poor practice, abuse, or bullying. They should also respond to any indication of abuse that may be occurring outside of the cricket setting.
This does not mean that it is your responsibility to decide if a situation is poor practice, abuse, or bullying, but it is your responsibility to report your concerns to the County Safeguarding Officer or Deputy County Safeguarding Officer.
It is important therefore to have in place a policy that will ensure unsuitable people are prevented from working with adults at risk.
We will do this by:
- Recognising all adults at risk participating in cricket (regardless of age, gender, race, religion, sexual orientation, ability, or disability) have the right to have a positive and enjoyable cricketing experience and be protected from harm in a safe environment.
- Ensuring individuals working within cricket at, or for, the Foundation provide a welcoming, safe, and fun experience for adults at risk
- Adopting and implementing the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) Safeguarding Adults Policy.
- Appoint a County Safeguarding Officer and ensuring that they attend all current and future training modules required by the ECB, so they have the necessary skills to undertake their role effectively.
- We accept that abuse can happen within cricket, and outside of it, but we have a duty of care to act appropriately and, if applicable, make a referral.
- Ensuring that all people that work in cricket at, or for, the Foundation (such as staff, officials, volunteers, team managers, coaches etc.) have a responsibility for safeguarding adults at risk and understand how the Safe Hands Policy applies to them and that they understand their duty of care. This will be done with appropriate guidance and training.
- Ensuring all individuals working within cricket at, or for, the Foundation are recruited and appointed in accordance with ECB guidelines and relevant legislation.
- Ensuring all individuals working within cricket at, or for, the Foundation are provided with support, through education and training, so they are aware of, and can adhere to, good practice and Code of Conduct guidelines defined by the ECB and the Foundation.
- Ensuring all those working and/or volunteering at Foundations, leagues, the County and professional game, know about responding, recording, and reporting procedures.
- Ensuring all suspicions, concerns and allegations are taken seriously and dealt with swiftly and appropriately, including referrals to the appropriate authorities.
- Ensuring the name and contact details of the County Safeguarding Officer are available:
– as the first point of contact for all who work within the Foundation
– as the first point of contact for adult members of the County Foundation
– as the first point of contact for adults, parents, and children
– as the first point of contact for all Foundation Safeguarding Officers and League Safeguarding Officers
– as a local source of procedural advice for the Foundation, its committee and members and affiliated Foundations and leagues
– as the main point of contact within the Foundation for the ECB Safeguarding Team, and
– as the main point of contact within the Foundation for relevant external agencies in connection with adults at risk and their safeguarding.
- Ensuring correct and comprehensive reporting procedures exist for raising and managing adults at risk safeguarding concerns. These procedures recognise the responsibility of the statutory agencies and are in accordance with predefined adult safeguarding procedures as set down by the ECB, Statutory Agencies and Local Safeguarding Adult Board (LSAB) guidelines and policies.
- Providing an environment where the views of adults at risk, staff, volunteers, members, parents, and Foundations are sought and welcomed on a range of issues. This will help us create an environment where people can voice any concerns (about possible suspected adults at risk abuse / neglect, and / or about poor practice) to the County Safeguarding Officer.
- Ensuring access to confidential information relating to adult safeguarding matters is restricted to those who need to know – including the County Safeguarding Officer and the appropriate external authorities such as the Police or Adult Social Care, Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO), as specified within ECB adult at risk safeguarding procedures, when produced, and in line with GDPR.
HOW TO RESPOND TO A CONCERN
- Make a note of your concerns.
- Make a note of what the person has said using his or her own words as soon as practicable. Contact the County Safeguarding Officer with your concerns.
- Remember to make safeguarding personal. Discuss your safeguarding concerns with the adult, obtain their view of what they would like to happen, but inform them it is your duty to pass on your concerns to the County Safeguarding Officer.
- Describe the circumstances in which the disclosure came about.
- Take care to distinguish between fact, observation, allegation, and opinion. It is important that the information you have is accurate.
- Be mindful of the need to be always confidential, this information must only be shared with your County Safeguarding Officer, who will share it with others on a need-to-know basis.
- If you cannot contact someone within Derbyshire Cricket Foundation or feel that your concerns are not being dealt with properly you can contact the local authority safeguarding adults’ team.
- If the matter is urgent and relates to the immediate safety of an adult at risk, then contact the emergency services immediately.
CONFIDENTIALITY
It is important that information is treated as confidential as far as is reasonably possible to build trust and respect. If you think that sharing information with another person such as the County Safeguarding Officer could help the person, encourage the person to disclose information themselves with the people who need to know. If they do not wish to do this, explain to the individual that you will need to inform others such as the County Safeguarding Officer and the reasons why, and seek their clear and specific consent to this.
CONTACT INFORMATION
County Safeguarding Officer – Angela Gregson:
- Email: safeguarding@dcfcricket.com
- Mobile: 0796 044 9759
Deputy County Safeguarding Officer – Mick Glenn:
Last updated October 2022
Email us: info@dcfcricket.com or Call us: 01332 386 602
