British Equestrian

Top Tips for Officials & Volunteers

As an official or volunteer you have responsibility to keep children safe, and protect yourself from safeguarding concerns. These tips are to help you.

ONLINE SAFEGUARDING TRAINING

British Equestrian has worked with the Child Protection Company, to create a series of online safeguarding training courses.

EQUESTRIAN BASIC SAFEGUARDING AWARENESS 

Aimed at officials who are working or volunteering at clubs or centres with under-18s. The course explores the key safeguarding building blocks in clubs such as...

Effective committees
Safer recruitment
Building safe environments
Recognising and reporting concerns
Whistle-blowing

We would recommend that secretaries, chairpersons, treasurers and committee members complete this course to enable clubs with under-18 teams to have a better awareness of their responsibilities around safeguarding children, young people and adults at risk.

For more information contact your venue or Member Body’s Safeguarding Officer, or the BEF on safeguarding@bef.co.uk

Spotting signs of abuse

There may be warning signs that a child is being abused, and as an official or volunteer coming into contact with a child regularly you may pick up on these signs. Common signs include: 

Unexplained changes in the behaviour or personality. 
Becoming secretive. 
A child becoming withdrawn and / or seeming anxious.

Becoming uncharacteristically aggressive. 
A child displaying poor social skills and having few friends. 
A child displaying a poor relationship with their parent / carer. 
Knowledge of adult issues inappropriate for their age. 
Running away or going missing. 
Unexplained injuries 
A child who self-harms. 
A child wearing clothes which cover their whole body at times when it is too warm to do this. 
Talk of a new, older friend and unexplained money or gifts. 
Children in sport are at increased risk of the emotional abuse if they are put under too much pressure or receive excessive chastisement for poor performance. As a official or volunteer we ask you to also be mindful of this type of abuse.

If you spot any of these signs in a child, we recommend you get advice from your venue or Member Body’s Safeguarding Officer and local social services team. 

What to do if a child makes a disclosure to you

As an official or volunteer you may be in a position where a child makes a disclosure to you about a problem they are having. If this happens we recommend the following: 

Listen to the child and allow them to speak fully. 
Display calm body language. A reaction of shock could cause the child to stop talking. 
Don’t ask them leading questions. 
Reassure them that they have done the right thing to speak to you. 
Don’t promise to keep their disclosure a secret.

If age appropriate, explain to the child that you will need to report the abuse to someone who can help. 
Report the abuse immediately to your venue or Member Body Safeguarding Officer. If it is an emergency contact the police and / or the local social services team. 
After the disclosure, make a note of what the child has told you in as much detail as you can remember. Try not to make these notes in front of the child. 
Please do not talk to the abuser about the child’s disclosure. Confronting the abuser could make the situation worse for the child.

For more information please see Reporting a problem - British Equestrian

How to use social media

We recommend official or volunteers follow these best practice points when using social media: 

Don’t use your personal accounts for professional purposes. 
Don’t be “friends” with anyone under 18 years old who you come into contact with in your role as an official or volunteer.
Set appropriate privacy levels – remember that others may be able to view children who have ‘liked’ your page or follow you. 
Ensure all posts are professional and avoid posting when angry, emotional or under the influence of alcohol or drugs. 
Update your settings so any posts can be moderated before they are visible on your wall or feed. 
Avoid communication using apps where your messages disappear (e.g. Snapchat) as this could bring into question the content of your messages. 
Always ask for permission before posting photos of under 18s on social media. 
Should you need to contact under 18 year olds in your role always ensure an adult is copied into the conversations, for example using WhatsApp group chats.

Using photography and videography safely

Before taking any photographs or videos, make sure you have both the children and their parent or carers written consent. Ensure they are made aware of how, where, and for how long the image or video will be used. 

When taking photographs or videos children should be fully and appropriately dressed. 
When publishing a photograph or video, where possible do not include the name of a child whose image or video is being used.
If naming a child or group of children, only use their first names. 
Avoid including other detailed information about children (such as their school, friends and other hobbies and interests) as this information can be used by adults to befriend and groom children.

For more information please see: Running safe events - British Equestrian

Physical contact guidance

There may be a number of circumstances in a sports context when it is appropriate for an adult to touch or have direct physical contact with a child, for example to:

Treat an injury. 
Prevent an injury or accident from occurring.

Always explain the nature and reason for any physical contact, and ask the child’s permission unless it is an emergency. Ensure physical contact takes place in a public setting, and be mindful that well-intentioned gestures (such as putting a hand on a child’s shoulder) can raise questions.

Parents need to feel confident that any contact between their children and those officiating or volunteering at the event are safe and appropriate. Officials and volunteers need confidence that their actions cannot be misconstrued, and children have a right to say what level of contact they are comfortable with. 

For more information please see: Running safe events - British Equestrian

Maintain professional boundaries with participants

It is a breach of the official or volunteer code of conduct to engage in any form of a relationship with a participant beyond a professional official or volunteer/participant one.

This includes participants aged 16 or 17 who are still children as defined by the Children’s Act. Official or volunteers should be mindful of this imbalance in the official or volunteering relationship and ensure they are informed on how to protect young people and themselves.

It is illegal for those in a position of trust to have a sexual relationship with a 16 or 17 year old child. A relationship of this kind is also a clear breach of the official or volunteer code of conduct and would always be referred to the local authority for investigation.

For more information please see: Running safe events - British Equestrian

Supervision at venues

Children under the age of 18 should be supervised by their parent or carer at all times while at a venue. Venues can, at their discretion, reduce this age bracket but should first conduct a clear risk assessment and communicate clearly the point at which supervision responsibilities will be handed back to the parent or carer.

For more information please see: Running safe events - British Equestrian

Transporting Children

Where parents or carers transport their own children or make private arrangements with other parents/carers to deliver or collect their children, they are responsible for their children’s safety and for the suitability of any travel arrangements.

Officials or volunteers/organising staff are not encouraged to transport children alone in their vehicles, including horse lorries. Where is it unavoidable that an adult transports a child, below are some of the processes to mitigate risk:

The driver should have agreed to a vetting check (where appropriate) and suitability should be established.
A person other than the planned driver should talk to the child about transport arrangements to check they are comfortable about the plans.
Ensure drivers have valid vehicle insurance, MOT and driving licence prior to carrying any passengers.
The individual should check with their own insurance company if they want to use their vehicle as part of their paid/volunteer role.
When transporting children after an event or training session staff/volunteers should alternate which child is dropped off last. Ideally two children would be dropped off at an agreed point such as one of their family homes.
Drivers must register their vehicle with the organisation.
Parents/carers should be informed of transport arrangements including the person who will be transporting their child, the reasons why and how long the journey will take.
Drivers must only use vehicles with seat belts and ensure that their passengers are wearing these when in transit.
Parents/carers must give written permission if their child is being transported in another adult’s car.

For more information please see: Running safe events - British Equestrian

Camps or overnight stays

Where overnight stays are required:

Children must not go into the bedrooms or sleeping areas occupied by the opposite gender. This would include spaces like a tent or lorry if camping.
Use communal spaces for group activities and downtime.
Children must not engage in inappropriate behaviour or relationships. 
Children must not go into the bedrooms or sleeping areas of anyone over the age of 18. 
Officials or volunteer supervisors, or any other adults present on the camp or overnight stay, must not sleep in the same space as any child (the exception to this is if a parent / carer has accompanied their child and opted to share a family room). 
Officials or volunteer supervisors, or any other adults present on the camp, must not go into the bedroom or sleeping area of any child unless in an emergency or to conduct a room check. 
Always communicate with parents to ensure they are absolutely clear on the arrangements and ensure consent to those arrangements is obtained.