Safeguarding

1. Our Commitment

Cogenhoe United Football Club and Blues Bar are committed to providing a safe, welcoming and respectful environment for children, young people and adults at risk.

Safeguarding is everyone's responsibility.

Anyone who has a concern about the welfare or safety of a child, young person or adult at risk should report it promptly rather than attempting to investigate the matter themselves.

2. Club Welfare Officer

The Club Welfare Officer is:

David Ley

Safeguarding concerns relating to Cogenhoe United Football Club, Blues Bar or activities at Compton Park should be reported to the Club Welfare Officer.

For a non-emergency safeguarding concern, or to request further safeguarding information, contact:

Email: admin@bluesbarcogenhoe.co.uk

Please mark the communication:

For the attention of David Ley – Club Welfare Officer

3. Immediate Danger or Emergency

If someone is in immediate danger, requires urgent medical attention or a crime is taking place, contact the appropriate emergency service.

Do not delay urgent action while waiting for a response from the Club.

The Club Welfare Officer should also be informed as soon as reasonably practicable where the incident relates to Club premises, activities or participants.

4. Reporting a Concern

A safeguarding concern may arise from something:

• you have seen;
• somebody has told you;
• a child or adult has disclosed;
• you have noticed about someone's behaviour;
• that has happened online;
• involving inappropriate photography or communication;
• involving bullying, harassment or discrimination; or
• that otherwise causes concern about somebody's welfare.

You do not need to prove that abuse or harm has occurred before raising a safeguarding concern.

The appropriate safeguarding personnel will determine what action is required.

5. Do Not Investigate It Yourself

Where somebody makes a safeguarding disclosure or raises a concern:

• listen carefully;
• remain calm;
• take the concern seriously;
• do not promise absolute confidentiality;
• do not confront an alleged perpetrator;
• do not conduct your own investigation; and
• report the matter promptly through the appropriate safeguarding route.

Where appropriate, make an accurate factual record of what was said or observed.

6. Children at Blues Bar

Children and young people may be present at Blues Bar in connection with football, Club activities, family visits, events and other appropriate occasions.

Unless a specific supervised Club activity provides otherwise, children remain the responsibility of their parent, guardian or responsible supervising adult while using Blues Bar and the surrounding premises.

Adults responsible for children must provide appropriate supervision.

Membership, event admission or attendance as a guest does not transfer ordinary parental/supervisory responsibility to Blues Bar.

7. Family Membership

The Club may offer Family Membership covering eligible adults and dependent children.

Recording a child as part of a Family Membership does not alter the Club's safeguarding requirements.

Family Membership does not give a child permission to attend Blues Bar unsupervised where supervision would otherwise be required.

8. Alcohol and Children

A person under 18 is not permitted to purchase alcohol.

Blues Bar operates Challenge 25.

Anyone who appears under 25 may be asked to provide acceptable photographic identification when purchasing alcohol.

Adults must not purchase alcohol on behalf of somebody who is not legally entitled to receive it.

9. Member and Guest Responsibilities

Members introducing guests remain expected to behave responsibly and to support compliance with Club Rules.

Where children are attending as part of a family or guest group, the relevant responsible adult must ensure appropriate supervision.

Safeguarding concerns take precedence over membership or guest privileges.

10. Events

Safeguarding considerations form part of the planning and management of Blues Bar events.

Depending on the nature of an event, the Club may consider matters including:

• age restrictions;
• supervision;
• attendance;
• admission arrangements;
• security/stewarding;
• photography;
• alcohol;
• venue layout; and
• appropriate staffing.

An event advertised as all ages does not mean children can automatically attend without appropriate supervision.

11. Private Functions

If Private Hire is introduced by the Club, safeguarding requirements will continue to apply during private functions.

The person organising a function will be expected to ensure that appropriate supervision arrangements are in place for children attending their event.

The Club retains the right to intervene where a safeguarding concern arises.

This provision may remain in the policy even while the public Private Hire service/page is hidden. It does not advertise that Private Hire is currently available.

12. Football Activities

Football activities operated by Cogenhoe United Football Club remain subject to the Club's safeguarding arrangements and applicable football-governing-body requirements.

The Blues Bar website safeguarding page does not replace safeguarding requirements applicable specifically to football activities, teams, coaches or volunteers.

13. Club Personnel and Volunteers

Club personnel and volunteers are expected to understand and follow safeguarding requirements relevant to their role.

Where a role requires safeguarding training, checks or other eligibility requirements, those requirements must be completed in accordance with the applicable Club and governing-body procedures.

14. Adults at Risk

Safeguarding is not limited to children.

Concerns about an adult who may be at risk of abuse, neglect, exploitation or other harm should also be reported appropriately.

Where there is immediate danger, the emergency provisions above apply.

15. Bullying, Harassment and Discrimination

Cogenhoe United Football Club and Blues Bar expect people to be treated with dignity and respect.

Bullying, threatening behaviour, harassment, discriminatory abuse and other harmful behaviour are not acceptable.

Where such behaviour creates a safeguarding concern, it should be reported through the appropriate safeguarding arrangements.

16. Online and Electronic Communication

Safeguarding responsibilities can apply to online activity connected with the Club as well as conduct at Compton Park.

Concerns involving inappropriate:

• messages;
• social-media contact;
• photographs;
• videos;
• group chats; or
• other digital communication

connected with Club activities should be reported where they raise a safeguarding concern.

17. Photography and Video

Photography and video may take place during football, Club activities or events.

Photography involving children and young people must be handled appropriately and in accordance with applicable safeguarding procedures.

People taking photographs must respect reasonable instructions from Club personnel.

Photography or recording may be restricted or stopped where necessary because of:

• safeguarding;
• privacy;
• safety;
• event conditions; or
• another legitimate concern.

18. Website and Gallery Photographs

Photographs published through the Blues Bar website or gallery should be reviewed appropriately before publication.

Particular care must be taken with photographs showing children or young people.

The Club should avoid publishing information alongside an image where doing so would create an unnecessary safeguarding or privacy risk.

19. Personal Information

Information relating to safeguarding concerns must be handled carefully.

Access should be limited to people who reasonably need the information to perform their safeguarding, legal or governance responsibilities.

Safeguarding information must not be casually shared through ordinary Club or social-media channels.

The Club's Privacy Notice applies to personal information, but safeguarding information may require additional care because of its sensitive nature.

20. Confidentiality

Safeguarding information should be treated confidentially, but confidentiality cannot always be absolute.

Information may need to be shared with appropriate safeguarding personnel, governing bodies, statutory agencies, police or other organisations where necessary to protect somebody or comply with applicable responsibilities.

Information should only be shared appropriately and for a legitimate safeguarding purpose.

21. Safeguarding Records

Where a safeguarding concern is reported, an appropriate record should be made and retained in accordance with applicable safeguarding and data-protection requirements.

Safeguarding records should not simply be treated as ordinary website correspondence.

Access should be appropriately restricted.

22. Club Administration System

The general Blues Bar website administration system should not automatically make detailed safeguarding case records visible to ordinary website administrators.

Where safeguarding information must be recorded electronically, access should be restricted appropriately.

An Events Administrator, Gallery Editor or other routine website user should not gain access to confidential safeguarding information merely because they have a website account.

23. Safeguarding Takes Priority

Nothing in:

• Club membership;
• Family Membership;
• guest status;
• event tickets;
• Private Hire;
• administrator permissions; or
• another Club arrangement

prevents the Club from taking appropriate action to protect a child, young person or adult at risk.

24. Other Club Policies

This page is intended to provide clear public safeguarding information for people using Blues Bar and Compton Park.

It does not replace the Club's full safeguarding policy, football safeguarding procedures or requirements imposed by relevant governing bodies.

Where another applicable safeguarding policy imposes a higher or more specific requirement, that requirement should be followed.

25. Changes to Safeguarding Information

This page may be updated where:

• Club safeguarding arrangements change;
• the Club Welfare Officer changes;
• governing-body guidance changes;
• legislation or regulatory requirements change; or
• operational experience identifies an improvement.

The Club Welfare Officer details should be kept current.

26. Contact

For non-emergency safeguarding concerns:

Club Welfare Officer: David Ley

Email: admin@bluesbarcogenhoe.co.uk

Please mark your communication:

CONFIDENTIAL – FOR THE ATTENTION OF THE CLUB WELFARE OFFICER

For an immediate danger or emergency, contact the appropriate emergency service.