Safeguarding and protecting children at the National Schools Regatta

The Chairman and Committee of the National Schools Regatta recognise their Duty of Care to ensure that all reasonable steps are taken to provide a safe environment for all those attending the Regatta in whatever capacity.

In particular, the Chairman and Committee recognise that, since the purpose of the Regatta is to provide competition for young people under the age of 18, the welfare and well-being of all children attending the Regatta, whether as competitors or as spectators, is paramount. All children, regardless of age, gender, background or ability, have equal rights to attend the Regatta in safety. All concerns regarding the welfare and well-being of young people at the regatta will be taken seriously and responded to swiftly and appropriately.

The Chairman and Committee will each year appoint a Child Protection Officer. He/she will act as the point of contact for any concerns or allegations. His/her contact number will be posted in the boating area throughout the duration of the competition and publicised in the programme.

Responsibility of clubs

It is a condition of entry to the Regatta that each competitor or crew shall have a named manager/coach (hereafter referred to as "coach"). The coach, who must be over the age of 18, must be named on the entry form and a current mobile telephone number for that person must be provided. If a substitute coach comes to the regatta he/she must report to the Rafts Marshal's office and register his/her mobile telephone number.
This information will be kept securely by the Entries Secretary but will be readily available if it becomes necessary to contact the coach urgently.

The coach is responsible for the welfare, safety and appropriate supervision of his/her crew and is expected to know the whereabouts of his/her crew at all times during the Regatta.

The National Schools Regatta expects clubs and schools to have their own up-to-date child protection and welfare policies, and that these policies (incorporating the DCSF guidelines contained in the booklet "Health and Safety of Pupils on Educational Visits") will be followed.

Responsibility of the National Water Sports Centre

Security at the National Schools Regatta is organised by the National Water Sports Centre. The Centre's employees do not have substantial unsupervised access to children. However, it is expected that they will have had some child protection training, including an annual briefing session before the Regatta. At this briefing the procedures for reporting any suspicious behaviour must be highlighted.

Responsibilities of the National Schools' Regatta Committee

The organisation of the National Schools Regatta depends upon the help and goodwill of a large number of volunteers. Each member of the National School Regatta committee who holds responsibility for an area or department of the regatta organisation will each year collate information about each volunteer, collected on a standard form agreed by the committee. These forms will be passed to the secretary for archiving. Where a volunteer provides assistance each year, no new form filling will be required.

The only volunteers who may potentially have substantial, unsupervised access to children are listed below. These volunteers will be asked to provide the date and number of their enhanced disclosure from the Criminal Records Bureau. Where no such disclosure exists, the Committee will obtain one.

• The person for the time being in charge of lost children at the Raft Marshall's Office.
• Members of the Red Cross.
• The Entries Secretary by virtue of his access to names and addresses of some (but not all) competitors.
• The Regatta Doctor
• The Child Protection Officer

Photography and publicity

The Committee recognise that at a sports event such as the National Schools Regatta many parents and other supporters will wish to take photographs. Photography by commercial organisations is approved by the Committee and these professional photographers will be asked to display a badge to the effect that they are permitted to take photographs and their CRB disclosure details will be asked for.

The published Regatta Programme makes it clear that the committee may make appropriate use of photographs of crews and races in publicity on its website and in the programme.

Each year the committee will take the following action:

1. Appoint a Child Protection Officer. He/she shall have undertaken appropriate recognised training and will have an appreciation of inter-agency procedures.
2. Confirm the Criminal Record Bureau enhanced disclosures of at least two volunteers working in the Raft Marshall's Office with the intention that during the regatta there is always at least one person in the Office who is cleared to work with young people and who can take charge of 'lost' or otherwise distressed competitors or spectators while appropriate action is taken to reunite them with their parents or coaches.
3. Confirm the Criminal Record Bureau enhanced disclosure of the Entries Secretary
4. Agree which commercial photographer(s) will be permitted to photograph competitors at the regatta and confirm the Criminal Record Bureau disclosure of those who are given permission to photograph freely.
5. Confirm that the Events Manager of the National Water Sports Centre will be instructed to brief all staff, including temporary workers, on the importance of being alert to children's welfare and identifying the action that must be taken in the event of any suspect activity.
6. Confirm the precise arrangements for Committee members' areas of responsibility and ensure that the form for recording the details of volunteer helpers is readily available and that the due date and method of return of completed forms is understood by all.
7. Confirm wording for the notice about child protection at the Regatta for posting in the Boating Area and for the information to be published in the programme.
8. Confirm that members of the Red Cross team and the Regatta Doctor have Criminal Record Bureau enhanced disclosure.