Child Protection Policy & Procedure

• Children under the age of 14 are not permitted to visit the leisure club without a parent or guardian.
• No Child over the age of 7 is allowed to enter changing areas of the opposite sex.
• No-one under the age of 16 is permitted to enter the gym are, unless accompanied by and instructor during organised activities.
• Children using the kids club club must be signed in and out by a parent or guardian.
• Children between the ages of 4 and 16 are permitted to take part in swimming lessons and must be booked in advance through the leisure club reception.
• Safety doors have been fitted in both changing rooms to prevent children accessing the swimming pool unsupervised.
• Photography within the leisure centre is strictly prohibited.
• All users of the club must sign/swipe in at reception and no unauthorised access to changing rooms is permitted.
• Daily attendance records are kept for three years.
• All leisure club staff have Garda clearance certificates on file in a filing cabinet and potential employees must also acquire this before commencing employment.
• Physical contact between staff and children is kept to a minimum and should only arise when deemed absolutely essential e.g. a child getting into difficulty in the water.
• Parents are responsible for their children once the swimming lesson is over, so pool rules must be observed
• When supervising your child/children, please avoid using electronic devices or reading material as it may distract you from your child’s safety

Signed: Hugh O Neill            Date: 1/1/21

3. RISK ASSESSMENT

We have a full set of risk assessments for all activities carried out in the club with ones particularly for Child safeguarding. All risk assessments are available on request in line with health and safety guideline

4. CHILD SAFEGUARDING POLICIES AND PROCEDURES

As required by the Children First Act, 2015, Children First National Guidance for Protection and Welfare of Children 2017 and the Guidance for Developing for a Child Safeguarding statement for Early Years Services 2018 the following safeguarding policies/procedures/measures are in place

• Procedures to maintain a list of mandated persons under the Children First Act, 2015
• A Relevant Person has been appointed
• A Designated Liaison Person and Deputy have been appointed
• Child Protection and Welfare Reporting Procedures
• Confidentiality Policy
• Policy for Dealing with Allegations of Abuse or Neglect Against Employees
• Procedure for Managing Child Protection Records
• Recruitment Policy
• Garda Vetting Policy
• Code of Behaviour for Working with Children
• Induction Policy (which includes procedures to inform new staff about the Child Safeguarding Statement and accompanying safeguarding policies and procedures)
• All staff have completed the Tusla eLearning module – Introduction to Children First and relevant staff have attended Always Children First Child Protection Training.
• Staff have access to regular Supervision and Support in line with the service policy.
• Complaints Policy
• Policy for Managing Outings
• Policy for Managing Accidents and Incidents
• Social Media Management Policy

Note:  The above is not intended as an exhaustive list. Service Providers should also include in this section such other procedures/measures that are of relevance to their service. 

5. IMPLEMENTATION AND REVIEW

• We recognise that implementation is an ongoing process. Our service is committed to the implementation of this Child Safeguarding Statement and the accompanying child safeguarding policies and procedures that support our intention to keep children safe from harm while availing of our service.
• This Statement will be reviewed every 2 years or as soon as practicable after there has been a material change in any matter to which the statement refers.
• This statement has been published on the service website and is displayed in the service.  It has been provided to all staff, volunteers and any other persons involved with the service. It is readily accessible to parents and guardians on request. A copy of this Statement will be made available to Tusla if requested.

Signed: Hugh O ‘Neill Date: 17/07/21

Service Provider’s name and contact details:  Hugh O’Neill honeill@clubvitae.com

For further information on this Statement, contact Relevant Person: Hugh O’Neill honeill@clubvitae.com