Safeguarding Procedures | the-invictus-project

- Safeguarding Procedures

These policies should be read in conjunction with the Invictus International Ltd Terms and Conditions and the Safeguarding Policy.

1.0 INTRODUCTION

a.
Invictus International Ltd is committed to ensuring the highest possible standard of safeguarding. The personal safety and wellbeing of each student and coach using Invictus International Ltd is paramount.
b.
Our site was developed with the aim of ensuring that lessons take place in a safe environment. This is reflected in a number of key built-in features and defined a set of policies and procedures for the students, parents/responsible adults and coaches who use this service.
c.
The following sections set out the procedures that should be followed if an incident occurs.
d.
The safety and wellbeing of any student or other person using Invictus International Ltd is paramount. These procedures aim to ensure a prompt response to any incident and to minimise any further harm to a student or other person.
e.
There are differing severities of behaviour which could be witnessed during a lesson session. Some behaviour would warrant only a report to Invictus International Ltd; other behaviour maybe of a more serious nature where a direct report to the police may be necessary.
f.
Each section below sets out the recommended procedure which should be followed. It is always the responsibility of the person alerted to the incident to take some action to protect the student or other person. Invictus International Ltd will not be responsible for any non-compliance with the recommended procedure.
g.
The procedures are not an exhaustive list; therefore if an incident occurs that is not covered in this document you are advised to contact Invictus International Ltd, or the police if you believe that it may be a criminal matter.

2.0 COACHES

If a coach sees/experiences:

2.1 Inappropriate language

The coach will request, in a polite manner, that the student or other persons using inappropriate language refrains from doing so during the lesson session. If the language continues the coach will explain that they will terminate the session due to the language and will report the matter to Invictus International Ltd. who will decide on any further use of the service by the student or other person involved. The coach will have no further contact with the student unless by mutual agreement with Invictus International Ltd.. Any unsolicited contact from the student or other persons following the termination of the session should be reported to Invictus International Ltd.

2.2 Inappropriate behaviour

The coach will request, in a polite manner, that the student or other persons involved in the inappropriate behaviour refrains from the behaviour during the lesson session. If the behaviour continues the coach will explain that they will terminate the session due to the behaviour and will report the matter to Invictus International Ltd. who will decide on any further use of the service by the student or other person involved. The coach should have no further contact with the student unless by mutual agreement with Invictus International Ltd. Any unsolicited contact from the student or other persons following the termination of the session should be reported to Invictus International Ltd.

2.3 Inappropriate or abusive images

a.
Any display of adult pornographic images whilst in the presence of a student may constitute an offence under UK law. Any coach witnessing the display of adult pornographic images by or towards a student should explain that the images should not be displayed during an lesson session, terminate the session and report the matter to Invictus International Ltd.
b.
Any display of child abuse images or indecent images of a child (for these purposes, a ‘child’ is defined as anyone under the age of 18 years) is an offence under UK law. Any coach witnessing a display of indecent images of a child by or in the presence of a student should explain that due to the nature of the images they will terminate the session. The coach should then inform the UK police. The coach should also inform Invictus International Ltd. of the incident to ensure any recordings can be preserved and made available for any police investigation. The coach should have no further contact with the student or any other person involved in the incident. Any unsolicited contact from the student or other persons following the termination of the session should be reported to the police and Invictus International Ltd. immediately.
c.
This action should be taken so that the correct authorities can be alerted and can deal appropriately with the incident.
d.
The display of any other images perceived to be inappropriate, either due to the age of the student or the content of the image shall be reported to Invictus International Ltd. at the discretion of the parent/responsible adult.

2.4 Disclosure of/witness to abuse towards or in the presence of a student

a.
Any physical or sexual abuse of a child is an offence under UK law. If a coach receives information about such abuse from the student or other person present they should reassure the person that they can get assistance for them. It is the responsibility of the coach to contact the UK police and report what has been witnessed.
b.
If the coach witnesses any such abuse at first-hand they should immediately contact the police and report the incident. The coach should also inform Invictus International Ltd. of the incident to ensure any recordings can be preserved and made available for any police investigation. The coach should have no further contact with the student or other person involved in the incident. Any unsolicited contact from the student or other persons following the termination of the session should be reported to the police and Invictus International Ltd. immediately.

2.5 Disclosure of inappropriate/sensitive information

a.
During a lesson session sensitive information may be offered by a student or other person present. If the information relates to any kind of abuse the coach should refer to ‘Disclosure of/witness to abuse towards or in the presence of a student’, above. The student or other person present should be discouraged from disclosing sensitive information by the coach. If the information continues to be shared the coach will determine the impact of the information and decide whether to continue or terminate the session and report the incident to Invictus International Ltd.
b.
Any information disclosed regarding the safety of a child should always be reported immediately to the UK police

3.0 STUDENTS

If a student sees/experiences:

3.1 Inappropriate language

a.
The student will inform a parent/responsible adult of the coach or other student using inappropriate language. The parent/responsible adult should ask the coach/ other student to refrain from using inappropriate language during the lesson session. If the language continues the parent/responsible adult should explain that they will terminate the session and will report the matter to Invictus International Ltd., who will decide on any further use of the service by the coach. The student and parent/responsible adult should have no further contact with the coach/ other student unless by mutual agreement with Invictus International Ltd. Any unsolicited contact from the coach/ other student after termination of the session should be reported to the Invictus International Ltd.
b.
If a parent/responsible adult are not present or readily available the student should report the language as soon as possible to a parent/responsible adult who will take the decision to report the incident.

3.2 Inappropriate behaviour

a.
The student will inform a parent/responsible adult of the coach/other student using inappropriate behaviour. The parent/responsible adult should ask the coach/other student to refrain from using inappropriate behaviour during the lesson session. If the behaviour continues the parent/responsible adult will explain that they will terminate the session due to the behaviour and will report the matter to Invictus International Ltd. who will decide on any further use of the service by coach. The student, parent/responsible adult should have no further contact with the coach/other student unless by mutual agreement with Invictus International Ltd. Any unsolicited contact from the coach after termination of the session should be reported to Invictus International Ltd.
b.
If a parent/responsible adult is not present or readily available the student should report the behaviour as soon as possible to a parent/responsible adult who will take a decision to report the incident.
c.
If the behaviour is of a sexual nature towards a student by a coach/other student, the student should immediately inform a parent/responsible adult and terminate the session. The parent/responsible adult should inform the UK police and Invictus International Ltd. immediately.

3.3 Inappropriate or abusive images

a.
Any display of adult pornographic images whilst in the presence of a student may constitute an offence under UK law. Any student witnessing the display of adult pornographic images by a coach/other student should immediately terminate the session and report this to a parent/responsible adult who should inform the UK police.
b.
Any display of child abuse images or indecent images of a child (for these purposes, a ‘child’ is defined as anyone under the age of 18 years) is an offence under UK law. Any student witnessing a display of indecent images of a child should immediately terminate the session and report this to a parent/responsible adult, who should inform the UK police.
c.
The parent/responsible adult should also inform Invictus International Ltd. of the incident to ensure that any recordings can be preserved and made available for any police investigation. The student, parent/responsible adult should have no further contact with the coach involved in the incident. Any unsolicited contact from the coach following the discontinuation of the session should be reported to the police and Invictus International Ltd. immediately.
d.
This action should be taken so that the correct authorities can be alerted and can deal appropriately with the incident.
e.
The display of any other images perceived to be inappropriate either due to age of the student or content of the image shall be reported to Invictus International Ltd. at the discretion of the parent/responsible adult.

3.4 Disclosure of/witness to abuse

a.
Any physical or sexual abuse of a person is an offence under UK law. If a student receives information about such abuse from the coach or other person present they should immediately inform a parent/responsible adult. It is the responsibility of the parent/responsible adult to contact the UK police and report what was witnessed.
b.
If the student witnesses any such abuse at first-hand they should immediately contact a parent/responsible adult who should immediately inform the UK police. The parent/responsible adult should also inform Invictus International Ltd. of the incident to ensure that any recordings can be preserved and made available for any police investigation. The student, parent/responsible adult should have no further contact with the coach involved in the incident. Any unsolicited contact from the coach following the termination of the session should be reported to the parent/responsible adult immediately.
c.
This action should be taken so the correct authorities can be alerted and can deal appropriately with the incident.

3.5 Disclosure of inappropriate/sensitive information

a.
During a lesson/session, sensitive information may be offered by a coach (If the information relates to any kind of abuse the student should refer to ‘Disclosure of/Witness to abuse’). The coach should be discouraged from disclosing sensitive information by the student, parent/responsible adult. The parent/responsible adult will determine the impact of the information and decide whether to continue or terminate the session and report the incident to Invictus International Ltd.
b.
Any information disclosed regarding the safety of a child should always be immediately reported to the UK police.
c.
Any coach reported by a parent/responsible adult will be suspended from the site until the incident has been investigated by the appropriate authority. The parent/responsible adult may be informed of the resolution if appropriate.

4.0 PARENTS/RESPONSIBLE ADULTS

a.
As per the policy document, the parent/responsible adult has primary responsibility for the welfare and safety of the student during a lesson session and should be present or available to deal with any concerns or incidents reported by the student.
b.
It is also the duty of the parent/responsible adult to ensure the wellbeing of the child if they have been affected by anything said or done by the coach.
c.
If a parent/responsible adult is alerted by the student to any inappropriate behaviour/language or information by the student or they witness any inappropriate behaviour/language or information by the coach, they should immediately speak to the coach, state their concern and inform them they are terminating the session. The incident should then be reported to Invictus International Ltd. to take appropriate action. As there is a recording of the session available, the parent/responsible adult may review the session before taking further action.
d.
The parent/responsible adult should have no further contact with the coach involved in the incident. Any unsolicited communication from the coach should be reported to the police and Invictus International Ltd. as soon as possible.
e.
If a parent/responsible adult is alerted by the student to any inappropriate or abusive images or they witness any inappropriate or abusive images displayed by the coach, they should immediately speak to the coach, state their concern and inform them they are terminating the session. The parent/responsible adult should inform the UK police (if appropriate) and (in all cases) Invictus International Ltd. of the incident to ensure that any recordings can be preserved and made available to any police investigation.
f.
The parent/responsible adult should have no further contact with the coach involved in the incident. Any unsolicited communication from the coach should be reported to the police and Invictus International Ltd. as soon as possible.
g.
As there is a recording of the session available, the parent/responsible adult may review the session before taking further action.
h.
Any coach reported by a parent/responsible adult will be suspended from the site until the incident has been investigated by the appropriate authority. The parent/responsible adult will be informed of the resolution if appropriate.

5.0 SCHOOLS, TEACHERS AND SCHOOLS REPRESENTATIVE

a.
The teacher or school representative shall follow the procedures outlined for ‘Parent/Responsible adult’ in Section 4.
b.
Additionally the teacher or school representative should inform the parent of the student about the incident and, as appropriate, the school’s Child Protection officer.
c.
For the purpose of this policy document a ‘responsible adult’ includes teachers and school representatives.

6.0 DIRECTOR/MANAGEMENT INVICTUS INTERNATIONAL LTD. SERVICES

a.
The Safeguarding Policy and Safeguarding Procedures of the Invictus International Ltd. website and services are the responsibility of the Director and management.
b.
Any report of a contravention of the Safeguarding Policy will be reviewed by Invictus International Ltd., who may engage independent Child Protection consultants to ensure that an appropriate course of action is taken.
c.
Any incident reported to Invictus International Ltd. shall be reviewed as soon as possible to ensure a timely resolution.
d.
If a report concerns minor breach of the Safeguarding Policy, Invictus International Ltd. can make a decision as to appropriate action which may include barring the reported person from using the Invictus International Ltd. services (also see Safeguarding Policy Section 12.0 Compliance).
e.
If a report is received by Invictus International Ltd. which concerns the immediate safety of a student or any illegal activity during an lesson session, they will be required to contact UK police and report the incident

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