Safeguarding
Child Wellbeing and Protection
We continue to work with Children 1st and sportscotland to ensure our Child Wellbeing and Protection Policy meets the required standard.
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This part of our website will be updated with any new guidance and policies as they become available. Please keep checking for new information.
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According to section 2.1 of the National guidance for child wellbeing and protection, all agencies have a responsibility to recognise and actively consider potential risks to a child, irrespective of whether the child is the main focus of their involvement (Scottish Government, 2021b).
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If you are going to be working with children you must have a Child Wellbeing and Protection Qualification.
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Child Wellbeing and Protection Contacts
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The horsescotland Child Wellbeing and Protection Officer is Sara Smith and she can be contacted via e-mail safeguarding@horsescotland.org
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The horsescotland CEO can be contacted via email Lucy@horsescotland.org
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If you are concerned about a child or would like advice and support about parenting, contact Children 1st Parentline on 08000 28 22 33 or at:
Child Wellbeing and Protection in Sport Tool
This free CWPS self-assessment and action planning tool will help sports organisations create safer environments for children and young people in sport. Based on the Standards for Child Wellbeing and Protection in Sport, the tool allows sports clubs and organisations to self-assess against the Standards, then create an action plan to put in place measures to better safeguard children and young people. By answering the self-assessment questions and accessing the associated information and resources, the tool also helps educate people about what more they can do to keep children safer in sport.
Coronavirus (COVID-19):
Supplementary National Child Protection Guidance for Chief Officers, Chief Social Work Officers and Child Protection Committees
Safe Guarding in Sport
The PVG Scheme
The PVG Scheme is established by the Protection of Vulnerable Groups (Scotland) Act 2007. The scheme is managed and delivered by Disclosure Scotland as an executive agency of the Scottish Government. PVG Scheme membership for volunteers will continue to be processed by Volunteer Scotland Disclosure Services (formerly CRBS).
The scheme is the Scottish Government’s response to recommendation 19 of the Bichard Inquiry Report published in June 2004, following the murder of two schoolgirls in Soham in 2002. Recommendation 19 stated that “new arrangements should be introduced requiring those who wish to work with children, or vulnerable adults, to be registered”. The PVG Scheme provides those new arrangements.
The PVG Scheme does three things:
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It ensures that those who either have regular contact with vulnerable groups through the workplace, or who are otherwise in regulated work, do not have a history of inappropriate behaviour (through PVG Scheme membership).
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It excludes people who are known to be unsuitable, on the basis of past behaviour, from working with children and/or protected adults and detects those who become unsuitable while in regulated work (through the creation of lists of people barred from working with children and protected adults).
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It ends the use of Enhanced Disclosures for work with children and/or protected adults and replaces them with new types of PVG disclosure records.
Who should become a PVG Scheme member?
Membership of the PVG Scheme is not mandatory. The Scheme provides an organisation with a means of satisfying itself that an individual whom they intend to offer regulated work (which includes both paid and unpaid work) is not barred from doing so. This is important as it is an offence under the Act for an organisation to offer work to a barred individual.
Membership of the PVG Scheme is open to people doing, seeking to do, or planning to do regulated work with children and/or protected adults.
There are two types of regulated work: regulated work with children and regulated work with adults. In the context of equestrianism only RDA volunteers (session assistants and instructors) will do regulated work with both groups, all others will only do regulated work with children.
Regulated Work
The PVG Act defines a child as an individual under 18 years of age. A protected adult is defined as an individual aged 16 or over who is provided with (and thus receives) a type of care, support or welfare service. Protected adult is therefore a service based definition and avoids the labelling of adults on the basis of their having a specific condition or disability. RDA groups meet the criteria of providing a “Welfare Service”.
Regulated Work with Children
This includes the following activities that may apply to the equestrian environment:
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Teaching, instructing, training or supervising children.
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Being in sole charge of children.
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Unsupervised contact with children under arrangements made by a responsible person.
Regulated Work with Adults
This includes the following activities that may apply to the equestrian environment:
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Caring for protected adults.
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Teaching, instructing, training or supervising protected adults.
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Being in sole charge of protected adults.
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Providing assistance, advice or guidance to a protected adult or particular protected adults which relates to physical or emotional well-being, education or training
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SHANARRI
SHANARRI
SHANARRI
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Every child or young person should be safe, healthy, achieving, nurtured, active, respected, responsible and included. These eight indicators overlap and connect to each other offering a picture of a young person’s wellbeing. They can identify challenges which are being faced by an individual and this can enable a conversation to begin which seeks to resolve these challenges.
In the equestrian industry we have a responsibility to all young people within our sport and the eight wellbeing indicators should be at the forefront when delivering any activity. All individuals whether a coach, parent, organiser or volunteer should have awareness of these indicators so there is a common understanding of wellbeing within our sport.
The indicators, from the SHANARRI Wheel, detailed here with bullet points explaining how they fit within the equestrian industry. These are only examples and each Member Body will be able to develop their own ways to ensure the SHANARRI indicators are delivered.
Safe
Every Child or Young Person is protected from abuse, neglect or harm at home, at school, in the community, at our sporting events and in our sports clubs.
Examples:
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Deliver events and training with clear outlined goals so individuals are safe
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Ensure participants are know who the safeguarding officer is if an issue arises
Healthy
Every Child or Young Person should have the highest attainable standards of physical and mental health. They need access to suitable healthcare and support in learning to make healthy, safe choices about their lifestyle.
Examples:
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At residential camps ensure that participants are eating and drink, this is particularly important in hot weather
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Have awareness of any changes in behaviour as this could indicate a health issue
Achieving
Our Children and Young People will be supported and guided in learning and in the development of skills, confidence and self-esteem through our sport.
Examples:
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Clear goal setting to give realistic goals that enable a young person to see their progress at all levels
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Having a log book with records progress through qualifications or competitions enabling self-reflection on performance
Nurture
Our coaches and parents with volunteers will endeavour to provide a nurturing environment that will support confidence and develop self-esteem through performance and participation for our Children and Young People.
Examples:
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Member Bodies should seek to develop a supportive environment where each individual feels valued
Active
Children and Young People will have opportunities to take part in our activities and sport, which contribute to healthy growth and development in physical and mental wellbeing.
Examples:
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Equestrianism is by its own nature an active sport which delivers exercise. This can also be supplemented with other forms of training for example swimming and running for tetrathlon competitors.
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Care must also be taken to set activity levels correctly for example coaches should not expect the same ability from a six year old as a 12 year old.
Respected
Our Children and Young People will have the opportunity to be heard and involved in decisions that affect them within our sport and clubs.
Examples:
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Seek ways in which young people can feedback on their programme. This could be a members representative, anonymous comment cards or an annual review
Responsible
We encourage our Children and Young People to seek opportunities take active and responsible roles at in our sport, and where necessary, having appropriate guidance and supervision, to be involved in decisions that affect them.
Examples:
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Equestrian sport offers the opportunity to encourage responsibility in the for of caring for a horse. At residential camps young people can look after their own horse and have sole responsibility for the care given
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Older members could supervise feeding at camp or deliver a short stable management session. This opens the doorway to developing new coaches
Included
Our sport wants to create an environment that supports those affected by social, educational, physical and economic inequalities, to be accepted as part of the community in which they participate.
Examples:
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Deliver a range of sessions which enable all individuals to achieve according to their strengths. Have different competitions, not just the Olympic disciplines, for example:
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Who can draw a field with hazards
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Tack cleaning
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Plaiting a horse’s mane
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