HEALTH AND SAFETY POLICY

*PLEASE NOTE: we reccomend all athletes have their own insurance for personal accident and injury. Cheerleading is a dangerous sport and includes; Stunt, Tosses, tumbling, jumps and dance. Participation without this is at your own risk*

Overview

Blue Dynamite Elite consider health and safety to be of utmost importance. We comply with The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 at all times.

The organisation has appropriate insurance cover, including public liability insurance.

All members of staff and volunteers follow the organisation’s Health and Safety policy and is responsible for:

• Maintaining a safe environment
• Taking reasonable care for the health and safety of themselves and others attending the organisation’s premises
• Reporting all accidents and incidents which have caused injury or damage or may do so in the future
• Undertaking relevant health and safety training when required to do so by the trustees. Any member of staff or volunteer who disregards safety instructions or recognised safe practices will be subject to disciplinary procedures.

Responsibilities of the registered person

The registered person for the setting holds ultimate responsibility and liability for the safe operation of the organisation. The registered person will ensure that:

• They nominate a Health and Safety Officer
  The designated health and safety officer is: Isobel Skirrow

• All staff receive information on health and safety matters, and receive training where necessary
• The Health and Safety policy and procedures are reviewed regularly
• Staff understand and follow health and safety procedures
• Resources are provided to meet the organisation’s health and safety responsibilities
• All accidents, incidents and dangerous occurrences are properly reported and recorded.

o This includes informing child protection agencies and the Health and Safety Executive under RIDDOR (Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1995) where appropriate.

• All reported accidents, incidents and dangerous occurrences are reviewed, so that preventative measures can be taken.

Responsibilities of the manager

The head coaches are responsible for ensuring that at each session:

• Premises are clean, well lit, adequately ventilated and maintained at an appropriate temperature
• The premises are used by and solely available to the members during opening hours
• All equipment is safely and securely stored
• A working telephone is available on the premises at all times
• Chemicals and cleaning materials are stored appropriately, and in accordance with COSHH data sheets.
• External pathways are cleared in severe weather
• Weekly environment checks are carried out in accordance with our Risk Assessment policy.

Security

Children are not allowed to leave the organisation’s premises during the session unless prior permission has been given by the parents.

During training sessions, all external doors are kept locked, with the exception of fire doors which are able to be opened. Staff monitor the entrances and exits to the premises throughout the session.

All visitors to the premises must approach the head coach and give the reason for their visit. Visitors will never be left alone with members.

Security procedures will be regularly reviewed by the trustees, in consultation with staff and parents.

Equipment

All furniture and equipment are kept clean, well maintained and in good repair. We select equipment and resources with care, and we carry out risk assessments before the members are allowed to use them. Broken equipment is disposed of promptly.

We ensure that any flammable equipment is stored safely.

Food and personal hygiene

Staff and volunteers of Blue Dynamite Elite maintain high standards of personal hygiene, and take all practicable steps to prevent and control the spread of infection.

• A generally clean environment is maintained at all times.
• Toilets are cleaned daily and soap and hand drying facilities are always available.
• Waste is disposed of safely and all bins are kept covered.
• Staff ensure that children wash their hands before handling food or drink and after using the toilet.
• Cuts and abrasions (whether on members or staff) are kept covered.

Staffing levels

Staff ratios and levels of supervision are always appropriate to the number, ages and abilities of the children and young people present, and to the risks associated with the activities being undertaken.

 

SAFEGUARDING POLICY

About Us

We are: BLUE DYNAMITE ELITE

We are based at: HOLMFIELD MILL, HALIFAX, HX3 6SN

Our purpose is: The promotion of community participation in healthy recreation for the benefit of the inhabitants of HALIFAX and surrounding areas the provision of facilities for Cheerleading.

Policy Statement

Blue Dynamite Elite (herein referred to as ‘BDE’) have a duty of care to safeguard from harm all the children, young people, and vulnerable adults that make up our membership as well as any children, young people and vulnerable adults with whom we come into contact with as part of our activities.

BDE strongly believes that all children, young people and vulnerable adults have the right to be treated fairly, justly and have the right to freedom from abuse and harm. Every member of the BDE team takes our responsibility to protect and safeguard the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults extremely seriously.

At all times, BDE will:

• Respond swiftly and appropriately to all suspicions or allegations of abuse, poor practice or bullying, and provide parents and children with the opportunity to voice their concerns
• Have a system for dealing with concerns about possible abuse
• Maintain good links with statutory child care authorities.

The Policy

BDE recognises that many children and young people today are the victims of neglect, and physical, sexual and emotional abuse. Accordingly, BDE has adopted the policy contained in this document (hereafter "the policy") to ensure that we always provide the required level of protection, support and encouragement to everyone under our care.

The policy details the legal requirements, organisational procedures and recommended practice that BDE applies to all members, volunteers, coaches and staff. It sets out agreed guidelines relating to our procedures for responding to allegations of abuse, including those made against our own staff and volunteers.

BDE recognises the need to build constructive links with the child care agencies. As such these guidelines have been prepared in accordance with the West Yorkshire Safeguarding Children Board Procedures. They will be kept under regular review and supported by appropriate training. The policy applies to all staff and volunteers who act on behalf of the organisation and who come directly into contact with children. Every individual has a responsibility to inform the Safeguarding Lead or their deputy of concerns relating to safeguarding children. The Safeguarding Lead must decide if the concerns should be communicated to Children and Families Service or the police.

Staff Roles and Responsibilities

The Designated Safeguarding Lead is: ISOBEL SKIRROW

The Designated Safeguarding Deputy is: ELEANOR BROADBENT

The Lead Trustee for Safeguarding is: JESSICA SKIRROW

The Designated Safeguarding Lead is solely responsible for the implementation of the safeguarding policy, including:

• Leading upon contact with Local Authority Social Services in the event that a child or young person is at risk of harm
• Managing complaints about poor practice and allegations against staff and volunteers
• Referring relevant issues of safeguarding to the board of trustees for consideration
• Collecting monitoring data on all safeguarding activities across the organisation
• Ensuring safer recruitment procedures and promoting safeguarding across the organisation The Designated Safeguarding Deputy is responsible for assisting the Designated Safeguarding Lead in the implementation of the safeguarding policy, including: Acting as a “front-line” point of contact for any persons concerned about the welfare of a child, young person or vulnerable adult. Contributing to the review and update of the safeguarding policy and procedures. Keeping up-to-date records of staff DBS status, Updating the Designated Safeguarding Lead upon any issues seen, raised or reported and Keeping accurate records of concerns and actions taken

The Lead Trustee for Safeguarding leads upon policy and procedure oversight, including:

• Reviewing and updating the organisation’s safeguarding policy on an annual basis, or when necessary
• Ensuring that policy and procedures are fully implemented and followed by all staff and volunteers
• Being kept informed of all serious safeguarding incidents and providing guidance as necessary
• Reporting to trustees on any observations and/or findings concerning safeguarding

All members of staff and volunteers over the age of 16 have a responsibility to safeguard children, young people and vulnerable adults from harm, including:

• Being vigilant of the signs that may indicate a child, young person or vulnerable adult is experiencing harm or is at risk of harm
• Reporting any disclosures or concerns, as soon as possible, to the Designated Safeguarding Lead, or to the Designated Safeguarding Deputy
• Remembering not to ask leading questions when taking a disclosure from a child or young person

 

Our junior coaches, while they are under the age of 16, are protected from the full responsibilities of safeguarding as they will always be accompanied by a trained member of staff. They will however be seen as a respected member of the team by their peers and must therefore understand the procedures they must follow should anyone disclose information to them that may indicate a child or young adult is experiencing harm or is at risk of harm, including:

• Reassuring the person concerned that help is available to them
• Never promising to keep a secret on behalf of the person affected or person reporting their concerns
• Reporting the issue to be handled by a trained member of staff

The risks to children

The first part to safeguarding is to understand the risks that may by faced by children, young people and vulnerable adults so that we all understand what our safeguarding policy is meant to protect against.

It is important to remember that nearly every child grows up in a safe and happy environment, so we must be careful not to exaggerate or overestimate the dangers. Nevertheless, there are situations where children need protection from things such as:

• Sexual abuse
• Grooming
• Physical and emotional abuse, including neglect
• Domestic violence
• Inappropriate supervision by staff or volunteers
• Bullying, cyber bullying, acts of violence and aggression
• Victimisation
• Self-harm
• Unsafe environments and activities
• Crime
• Exploitation

Universality of Protection

BDE provide the same level of safeguarding universally. We recognise that:

• the welfare of the child is paramount.
• all children regardless of race, gender, religious belief, disability, age, sexual orientation or identity have a right to equal protection from harm.
• some children are more vulnerable to harm as a result of their circumstances, prior experiences, communication needs or level of dependency.
• working with children, young people, their parents and/or guardians, carers or other agencies is essential to protecting their wellbeing.

 

 

Awareness of Abuse and Neglect

BDE will provide all staff with adequate safeguarding training in order to carry out their role and responsibilities under this policy. Individuals within the organisation need to be alert to the potential abuse of children both within their families and also from other sources, including abuse by members of our own staff and volunteers.

All members of BDE should respond to any suspected or actual abuse of a child in accordance with the procedures defined in Appendix B: Procedures and guidance for staff and volunteers.

As good practice, BDE will endeavour to be as open and honest as possible with parents and carers about any concerns; however, concerns may not be discussed with parents or carers in the following circumstances:

1. a)  waiting to talk to them before sharing relevant information with an appropriate person or authority would increase the risk of harm to the child or young person
2. b)  asking for consent may increase the risk of harm to the child, young person, you or anyone else

Safe recruitment

Safe recruitment procedures will enable us to reduce the risk of abuse to children. When recruiting new members of staff or volunteers, all reasonable steps should be taken to ensure only suitable people are selected.

Our team must be made up exclusively of people who are suited to the role and who are less likely to harm children, intentionally or accidentally. Good recruitment, induction and supervision processes show the value with BDE puts on children’s safety and wellbeing.

To ensure that we have the best understanding of who we are recruiting, all staff and volunteers must first serve at least one season as a member on one of our teams. Prospective coaches must then volunteer for a further season to demonstrate their dedication and allow us to evaluate their suitability to work unaccompanied with children. Once a coach has been recruited into a position, they will be shadowed for a further month before being allowed to work unsupervised.

Junior coaches (those under the age of 16) must always be accompanied by a qualified coach.

BDE head coaches will select new coaches from those that apply based on their assertiveness, the responsibility they show, their patience, experience and willingness to learn.

In addition, BDE requires any individual intending to work unaccompanied with children to undertake an enhanced DBS check to verify their eligibility to do so. DBS checks will be stored centrally for reference and the Safeguarding Lead will be responsible for ensuring these are up to date.

Correct Training Equipment & Practices

Safety is paramount to those involved at every level of cheerleading. To ensure we keep our athletes and our coaches safe we must always make sure that we have a safe training environment.

The training space must be a large clear space with a minimum height of 4.5 metres for stunt safety. The training area has a 5 panel (plus 2 smaller outer panels), matted cheerleading floor. Mats are designed to reduce the stress on the athlete’s joints from tumbling and jumping and also absorb the impact of any falls so that injuries are kept to a minimum.

Other specialist training equipment is used to aid in tumbling, which takes the strain away from coaches physically spotting athletes and reduces the risk of injury to both athletes and coaches. This includes tumble aids, crash mats and stunting equipment that may be required to improve safety.

Before any training session starts a full warm up and stretch takes place, led by a coach. This reduces the risk of injury to muscles and ensures the athletes are ready to take part in all aspects of cheerleading.

Staff and Volunteer Training

All of our coaches are trained and qualified through BGU (Building from the Ground Up) or BCQ (British Cheerleading Qualifications). BGU are the UK and Europe’s leader in safety and technical training for Cheerleading Coaches. Our Lead Coaches are all fully qualified in stunts, tosses and tumbling at a minimum of Levels 1. Our Junior Coaches are all qualified in stunts and tumbling at Level 1. These qualifications last for 3 years and on expiry the coaches must attend the full course again as cheerleading skills and safety is continually evolving.

When ready, all coaches are encouraged to move up through the levels and can qualify up to level 6 where appropriate. They are also encouraged to take any additional training options on top of their qualifications to improve their skills and best practices when it comes to stunting, tumbling and teaching young people.

All of our Lead Coaches hold Sports First Aid qualifications as a standard. Our Junior coaches are not required to hold a first aid qualification although this is welcomed, as it is not part of their role to deal with any first aid issues. They are never left unsupervised during training at any time.

Our Coaches have all undertaken the appropriate Safeguarding training.

The head coach Isobel Skirrow has undertaken further fire safety training and defibrillator training.

Appropriate Insurances

The following insurances will be maintained to the specified levels to ensure the safety and protection of all our members:

• Public Liability Insurance
• Employers Liability Insurance 
• Buildings Contents Insurance
• Show insurance
• Travel Insurance ( for any abroad trips).

 

 

Managing behaviour, discipline and acceptable restraint

Adults supervising children at BDE events must never use any form of corporal punishment. If physical restraint is absolutely necessary to prevent injury to any person or to prevent serious damage to property, then the minimum necessary restraint may be used — but for that purpose only.

Unacceptable behaviour at BDE events for unaccompanied children will generally be stopped by separating the children from each other and from the group. The miscreants will be suitably supervised and will be returned as soon as possible to the care of their parents.

BDE may apply a further disciplinary sanction; namely the banning of the child from one or more future events for the remainder of the season

A parent who is aggrieved by this ban may appeal to BDE who will hear the views of all relevant persons. The decision of BDE is then final. Any such appeals should be made to, and will be determined by the board of trustees

Other Applicable Policies

The following policies are also adopted by BDE and should be consulted alongside this policy.

• Health & Safety Policy
• Anti-Bullying Policy
• Photo and Video Policy

Legal Framework

This policy has been drawn up in accordance with the following:

• Children Act 1989
• United Convention of the Rights of the Child 1991
• General Data Protection Regulation
• Human Rights Act 1998
• Sexual Offences Act 2003
• Children Act 2004
• Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006
• Protection of Freedoms Act 2012
• Children and Families Act 2014
• Special educational needs and disability (SEND) code of practice - Guidance on the special educational needs and disability (SEND) system for children and young people aged 0 to 25
• Information sharing: advice for practitioners providing safeguarding services
• Working together to safeguard children (2017) In addition, guidance from the following organisations has been followed in the implementation of this policy:

• North Yorkshire County Council Safeguarding (https://www.northyorks.gov.uk/safeguarding)
• NSPCC (https://learning.nspcc.org.uk/safeguarding-child-protection/)
• NSPCC Child Protection in Sport (https://thecpsu.org.uk/)
• UK Cheerleading Association (https://ukca.org.uk/2017/01/safeguarding/)
• Community First Yorkshire (https://communityfirstyorkshire.org.uk/)

Monitoring

Our safeguarding policy will be reviewed a year after development and then every three years, or in the following circumstances:

• changes in legislation and/or government guidance
• as required by the Local Safeguarding Children Board, UK Sport and/or Home Country Sports Councils and the UK Cheerleading Association
• as a result of any other significant change or event.

Declaration

This policy was approved by the BDE board of trustees on 30/06/2024.

 

SAFEGUARDING POLICY STATEMENT

Declaration

Blue Dynamite Elite acknowledges the duty of care to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and is committed to ensuring safeguarding practice reflects statutory responsibilities, government guidance and complies with the best practice according to the UK Cheerleading Association. The policy recognises that the welfare and interests of children are paramount in all circumstances. It aims to ensure that regardless of age, ability or disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation, socio-economic background, all children:

• have a positive and enjoyable experience of sport with Blue Dynamite Elite in a safe and child centred environment
• are protected from abuse whilst participating in Cheerleading or outside of the activity.

Blue Dynamite Elite acknowledges that some children, including disabled children and young people or those from ethnic minority communities, can be particularly vulnerable to abuse and we accept the responsibility to take reasonable and appropriate steps to ensure their welfare.

As part of our safeguarding policy Blue Dynamite Elite will:

• promote and prioritise the safety and wellbeing of children and young people
• ensure everyone understands their roles and responsibilities in respect of safeguarding and is provided with appropriate learning opportunities to recognise, identify and respond to signs of abuse, neglect and other safeguarding concerns relating to children and young people
• ensure appropriate action is taken in the event of incidents/concerns of abuse and support provided to the individual/s who raise or disclose the concern
• ensure that confidential, detailed and accurate records of all safeguarding concerns are maintained and securely stored
• prevent the employment/deployment of unsuitable individuals
• ensure robust safeguarding arrangements and procedures are in operation.

The policy and procedures will be widely promoted and are mandatory for everyone involved in Blue Dynamite Elite. Failure to comply with the policy and procedures will be addressed without delay and may ultimately result in dismissal/exclusion from the organisation.

 

Monitoring

Our safeguarding policy will be reviewed a year after development and then every three years, or in the following circumstances:

• changes in legislation and/or government guidance
• as required by the Local Safeguarding Children Board, UK Sport and/or Home Country Sports Councils and [insert name of regulatory body if appropriate]
• as a result of any other significant change or event.