Safeguarding refers to the process of protecting children and adults, to provide safe and effective care. This includes all procedures designed to prevent harm to a child or adult. British Dodgeball recognise that it is always unacceptable for any individual to experience abuse of any kind and recognises its responsibility to safeguard the welfare of all individuals, by a commitment to practice which protects them. This page provides guidance to clubs and other organisations regarding safeguarding policies and processes.
Affiliated clubs have a responsibility to keep all members safe throughout and beyond their membership period with the club. Clubs should do this by:
- Having a safeguarding policy in place which outlines how concerns of poor practice, abuse or neglect should be reported.
- Having a safeguarding lead in place who has received Level 1 safeguarding training as a minimum.
- Following safe recruitment practice when recruiting new volunteers and staff members, and briefing all new individuals in the content of the safeguarding policy and their responsibilities to report concerns.
- Only running sessions led by appropriately trained individuals, keeping to the recommended coach:participant ratios.
- Handle and store personal member data safely in line with a Privacy Policy.
If you have concerns that a club is not fulfilling its safeguarding responsibilities, please contact hello@britishdodgeball.com with details for our Lead Safeguarding Officer to review.
Clubs should make sure they recruit fairly for any voluntary and paid roles. This includes only recruiting those who are appropriately qualified.
For volunteers, committee members and staff members who will be involved in working with young people and vulnerable adults, please not that disclosures and criminal record checks should be sought for those involved in regulated activity (working with children or vulnerable groups 4 times per month or more). Please refer to the British Dodgeball Recruitment & Disclosure Policy for further guidance.
We offer Enhanced Voluntary Criminal Records Checks for member clubs in all areas of the UK. A relevant criminal records check should be conducted upon all junior coaches, safeguarding leads and first aiders working in regulated activity (4 times per month or more), or on an unsupervised basis, when coming into a role (and every three years thereafter in the case of England, Wales and Northern Ireland).
Upon coming into a role, individuals should be inducted and briefed by the safeguarding lead in relevant safeguarding policies and how any concerns should be reported.
The level of training required may differ depending upon your organisation make-up and the UK home nation you are based in.
Safeguarding Lead (child-focused):
Essential:
- Either UK Coaching Safeguarding & Protecting Children
- Or NSPCC Child Protection in Sport & Physical Activity
- Or High Speed Training Safeguarding in Sport
- Or similar Level 1 safeguarding training (Level 2/3 safeguarding training preferred)
Safeguarding Lead (adult-focused):
Essential:
-
Either Ann Craft Trust’s Intro to Safeguarding Adults AND Safeguarding Adults in Sport – Setting Club Standards
- Or similar Level 1 safeguarding training (Level 2/3 safeguarding training preferred)
Coach:
Essential:
- British Dodgeball Level 2 Certificate in Coaching Dodgeball
- Criminal Records Check (if working with children or vulnerable adults once a week or more regularly)
- Emergency First Aid Training (if the coach is also the designated first aider)
Recommended:
- Safeguarding training as outlined above
- British Dodgeball Level 3 Certificate in Coaching Dodgeball (relevant for head coaches/international coaches/advanced practitioners)
We recommend the following courses as a minimum for club safeguarding leads:
Child-focused:
- UK Coaching Safeguarding & Protecting Children
- NSPCC Child Protection in Sport & Physical Activity
- High Speed Training Safeguarding in Sport
Adult-focused:
Any individuals coming into a voluntary or paid role within a club should be inducted or briefed by the safeguarding lead in the safeguarding policy and how to report any concerns. A template induction policy is available for clubs to use on the Club Support page.
All affiliated organisations must have a safeguarding policy which contains clear processes for members to follow in case a safeguarding concern arises. It should contain the following information:
- How to record concerns.
- Who to record to.
- What action will follow.
All new volunteers and staff members should be made aware of the contents of your policy and their responsibilities to report any concerns by the safeguarding lead. Records should be kept which include as much details as possible in addition to keeping records on poor practice as well as signs of abuse or neglect.
In the event the you need to report something, you should contact one of the relevant bodies below:
- Contact the police if someone is suspected of being in urgent danger.
- Children: Report concerns of possible abuse or neglect to the NSPCC.
- Adults: Seek advice from Ann Craft Trust or local Safeguarding Adults Board or Adult Protection Committee.
A template policy, reporting forms and induction policy are all available in the Club Support page.
It is important to have an adequate level of supervision to ensure the safety of participants as well as good safeguarding practice. Using the recommended minimum coach to participant ratios means coaches reduce the risk of injury to players and ensure adequate cover remains in case of an emergency.
It is essential that all people working or volunteering with young people are appropriately qualified, and anyone new to working with young people are appropriately mentored/supervised until they have gained relevant experience – a British Dodgeball Level 1 Award in Coaching Dodgeball is recommended for individuals who support sessions. As part of good practice, at least one other adult in addition to the lead coach should be present at every session to supervise. Parents should not be included in supervision calculations unless they are members of the club and acting in a volunteering role or other capacity during the activity.
British Dodgeball recommends the following coach to participant ratios when delivering dodgeball-based activity:
• Under 8 years of age: 1:8.
• Over 8 years of age: 1:12.
All organisations, even unincorporated clubs, are subject to GDPR. Clubs therefore must have a privacy policy outlining how their member’s data is processed, stored and used, and who is responsible for handling their data.
We have a template privacy policy which clubs can adopt on the Club Support page.
First Aid
Clubs are primarily responsible for keeping their members safe. As such, British Dodgeball recommends that all clubs have at least one person who has received emergency first aid training present at all sessions and competitions. This includes clubs who train at a venue which provides first aid.
Emergency first aid training is often provided by Active Partnerships or by employers such as schools for free or affordable rates to support safety in sport.