Whistleblowers Policy
TROON WELBECK GOLF CLUB – WHISTLEBLOWING POLICY
Safeguarding children, young people and adults at risk
requires everyone to be committed to the highest possible standards of
openness, integrity and accountability.
As a club, we are committed to encouraging and maintaining a
culture where people feel able to raise a genuine safeguarding concern and are
confident that it will be taken seriously.
You may be the first to recognise that something is wrong
but feel that you cannot express your concerns as this may be disloyal to your
colleagues or you may feel that you will be the victim of harassment or
victimisation as a result
Children, Young People and Adults at risk need someone like
you to safeguard their welfare.
What is Whistle Blowing ?
In the context of safeguarding “ whistle blowing “ is when
someone raises a concern about the wellbeing of a child young person or an
adult at risk.
A whistle blower may be:
A player
A volunteer
A coach
Other member of staff
An official
A parent
A member of the public
Reasons for whistle blowing
Those involved in sport must acknowledge their individual
responsibilities and bring matters of concern to the attention of the relevant
people and/or agencies. Although this can be difficult it is particularly
important where the welfare of children may be at risk.
Each individual has the responsibility for raising concerns
about unacceptable practice or behaviour
To protect or reduce risk to others
To prevent a problem from becoming worse or more widespread
To prevent becoming implicated yourself
Starting a chain of events that they have no control of
Disrupting work or training
Fear of getting it wrong or making a mistake
Fear of repercussions
Fear of damaging careers
Fear of not being believed
If a child young person or adult at risk is in immediate
danger of risk or harm, the police should be called by dialling 999.
Where a child, young person or adult at risk is not in
immediate danger the first person you should report your suspicion or
allegation to is the club Safeguarding Officer. If for any reason you cannot or
do not wish to report the matter to the club Safeguarding Officer please
contact
The Club Secretary
Or
The Club Captain
Social Media Guidance – TWGC
This guidance gives procedures that will support and
underpin the use of social networking and other online services within TWGC. It
is important that all members, staff, coaches, officials, or anyone working on
behalf of TWGC are aware of this policy and agree to the following terms.
Advice for Individual
Do not accept children as contacts on social networking
sites if you hold a position of trust with children/young people.
Where contact through social networking sites is used for
professional reasons, restrict the communication to professional content and
obtain written consent from parents prior to to establishing contact.
Include a third party in any communications to children,
e.g. copy parents into communications
Use the privacy settings on the various sites to ensure that
your content will only be viewed by appropriate people.
Ensure that any content you place on a social networking
site is age appropriate. Do not use the site to criticise or abuse others.
Know where to direct junior members and their parents for
information.
Know how to report concerns
Know how to keep data safe and secure. This should include
the personal contact data of individuals, such as mobile numbers, e mail
addresses and social networking profiles.
Advice for Children
Consider carefully who you invite to be your friend online
and make sure they are who you actually think they are.
Make sure you use privacy settings so that only friends can
view your profile
Remember that anything you post on websites may be shared
with people you don’t know.
Never post comments, photos, videos, etc, that may upset
someone, that are untrue or that are hurtful. Think about whether you may
regret posting the content at a later date.
If you are worried or upset about something that’s been
posted about you, or by texts you receive from other juniors or adults involved
with the club, raise this with your club Safeguarding Officer.
If you want to talk to someone anonymously call Childline on
0800 1111 or contact the NSPCC on 0808 800 5000
Advice for Parents
Make yourself knowledgeable about social networking
platforms and how they work
Go on the internet with your child and agree what sites are
acceptable to visit. Regularly check that they are staying within the agreed
limits.
Encourage your child to talk to you about what they have
been doing on the internet
Make sure they feel able to speak to you if they ever feel
uncomfortable, upset or threatened by anything they see online.