Staines Starfishes Swim School recognises and accepts its responsibility to safeguard the health and welfare of children under its care by protecting them from physical, sexual or emotional harm; and from neglect or bullying. It is essential that children and young people participating in our swimming lessons and other pool activities are able to do so in a safe and secure environment. Staines Starfishes Swim School is totally committed to raising awareness of child protection in swimming; and takes every possible measure to ensure that swimming is a safe and secure experience for children. We follow the Swim England (formerly the Amateur Swimming Association) Child safeguarding policy and procedures. All Staines Starfishes staff are required to undertake enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks through its disclosure service. This service enables organisations in the public, private and voluntary sectors to make safer recruitment decisions by identifying candidates who may be unsuitable for certain work, especially that involving children or vulnerable adults.
Staines Starfishes Swim School recognises that all those directly involved in the swim school and its activities have a responsibility to:
Provide a safe environment for children and young people to enjoy swimming lessons and water-based activities whilst in the care of instructors of Staines Starfishes Swim School.
Take the interests of its members into account in all its activities.
Promote the health and welfare of its members through a relationship of mutual trust.
Take all practical steps to protect its members from physical, sexual or emotional harm
We do this by:
Recognising abuse.
Treating all suspicions and allegations of abuse seriously.
Responding in an appropriate way to children who disclose they are being abused.
Providing a structure to deal sympathetically with abuse. Staines Starfishes encourages all instructors and officials to attend suitable training so that they are able to:
Understand what child abuse means.
Recognise the signs and symptoms of each category of child abuse.
Identify the foundations of good practice in child protection.
Review their own practices to ensure that it complies with recognised codes of conduct.
Ensure that their own behaviour and conduct is always beyond reproach to prevent exposure to false allegation.
Take appropriate action if concerns are raised which suggest a child is abused. Deal sensitively and effectively with the issue should it arise.
Identify appropriate action if abuse is suspected.
Take any swimmers’ or parents’ concerns seriously and deal with them confidentially.
Recognise the roles and responsibilities of other agencies/organisations.
Staines Starfishes Swim School recognises that all those directly involved in the swim school and its activities have a responsibility to: Staines Starfishes encourages all instructors and officials to attend suitable training so that they are able to.
At Staines Starfishes Swim School we like to encourage as many family members & friends to get involved with your little ones swimming journey! However we know life does get in the way & photos & videos are the next best in line to the real thing! We do allow photography, however this must be of your own child only with no other parents & swimmers in the background! Please kindly make sure you take these photos to one side at the end of the lesson, Please share this policy with your loved ones on poolside so we can keep this policy consistent with all family members.