Safeguarding Policy
THUNDERCATS STUDIO run for the following purpose: Extra-Curricular activities in Cheerleading, Dance and Tumbling, Including Competitive teams that compete Nationally, under the supervision of coaches and parents at Competitive events. The Company is based at: Charles Burrell Centre, Thetford, Norfolk IP24 3LH.
Thundercats Studio has adopted this safeguarding child policy and expects every adult working or helping at the studio to support it and comply with it. Consequently this policy shall apply to all staff, managers, trustees, directors, volunteers, students or anyone working or volunteering on behalf Thundercats Studio.
Purpose of the Policy
This policy is intended to protect children who receive any service from us, including those who are the children of adults who may receive services from us. Under this policy, the term children shall mean any person who is under eighteen years of age. TCS believes that no child or young person should experience abuse or harm and is committed to the protection of children and young people. This policy is intended to provide guidance and overarching principles to those who represent us as volunteers or staff, to guide our approach to child protection and safeguarding.
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The Risks to Children Children can be vulnerable to different forms of abuse and harm. It is important to recognise that abuse and harm of children can cover a wide range of circumstances and behaviours.
For example, children can be at risk of:
- physical or emotional abuse
- neglect 1/10 -
sexual abuse
- female genital mutilation (FGM)
- grooming and exploitation
- trafficking and modern slavery
- exposure to or infliction of domestic abuse
- bullying or cyber bullying
- exposure to other inappropriate content or behaviour, such as violence or criminal behaviour - self-harm - physical harm when engaging with activities without adequate supervision.
The causal factors of any such harm and/or abuse can also be wide-ranging. For example, children can be placed at risk by family members or by members of the community.
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Safeguarding Principles Safeguarding children from harm and abuse is an essential responsibility for our Company.
We are committed to ensuring that any child who comes into contact with our services is properly safeguarded. Every person under this policy must ensure that they play an active role in ensuring that children are properly safeguarded.
Every person under this policy holds responsibility for:
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- remaining alert and aware of possible safeguarding risks to children
- guarding children against harmful environments with appropriate actions (for example, adequate supervision or ensuring safe environments)
- taking positive steps to maintain the safety and wellbeing of children engaging with us as a Company
- reporting concerns expeditiously and appropriately, in line with child protection procedures
- understanding the duty to report specific concerns (and understanding how this interplays with confidentiality)
- challenging any inappropriate or harmful behaviour of any other adult and reporting this accordingly
- acting appropriately in the presence of children
- not taking any inappropriate risks
- not smoking, drinking or taking any form of illicit substances in the presence of children
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Safeguarding Officer:
Any question, report or concern in relation to the safeguarding of children should be shared with our Safeguarding Officer:
Name: LILY WILSON or Jenette Crowe
Email: thundercatsstudio@gmail.com,
Telephone: 07717076937
Confidentiality and Data Protection:
All personal information we may process relating to children, shall be processed and stored in accordance with our data protection privacy policy.
Responding to a Safeguarding Concern:
Where a child is at immediate risk of serious harm, any adult present should call 999.
Thereafter, the Safeguarding Officer should be contacted as soon as is reasonably practicable.
Where there is a safeguarding concern but no immediate risk of serious harm, the individual who has heard or witnessed this concern should consult with the Safeguarding Officer as soon as practicable and by no later than the end of that same day.
Where any child makes a disclosure relating to harm or abuse to a coach or parent, it is important for that coach or parent to:
- listen calmly and carefully, showing that their their views are taken seriously
- provide an appropriate and honest level of reassurance
- avoid interrogating children and asking probing, intrusive and/or leading questions
- avoid making false promises regarding secrets and confidentiality with the child (because any concern of abuse/harm must be shared with the Safeguarding Officer and any subsequent safeguarding referral)
- make a confidential written record of the discussion either during the discussion or immediately afterwards.
The record should include the key details of the disclosure together with any relevant times, dates, places and people concerned. Audio and video recordings of children making disclosures should be avoided
- refer all relevant information to the Safeguarding Officer as soon as practicable afterwards, and by no later than the end of the day upon receipt of any safeguarding concern, the Safeguarding Officer shall consult with any other relevant persons and will make any appropriate referrals to the relevant authorities, such as the applicable Local Authority Children's Services department.
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Reporting Concerns About Adults and Children:
Where any person has a concern regarding the conduct of an adult connected to the studio, which poses or may pose a safeguarding risk to children such as:
- harming a child either physically or emotionally
- exposing a child to behaviour which may cause physical or emotional harm
- engaging in criminal activity concerning a child this must be raised in the first instance with the Safeguarding Officer (or where this is not appropriate, a different senior member of the organisation) so that the next appropriate steps may be agreed and actioned.
We recognise that there could be circumstances where a person may need to report a matter that has taken place in a setting outside of the person's engagement with the Company. Usually, any appropriate steps following a safeguarding referral in respect of an individual connected to the Company will include either:
- further initial enquiries
- escalation to the applicable Local Authority Children's Services department for assessment and/or the police for investigation
- instigation of any appropriate disciplinary, formal investigation processes and suspension of any person concerned within the Company
- a referral to the Disclosure and Barring Service, or any other relevant regulatory bodies.
Any person within the Company who has allegations made against them shall be informed properly in a formal meeting of the particulars of the allegations and the relevant next steps which shall be taken. Such a meeting should ordinarily be held by the Safeguarding Officer.
On certain occasions, such a meeting may not be convened until this has been approved by any authorities involved (such as the police or the relevant Local Authority). Any person from within the Company who has allegations made against them shall be treated fairly.
All enquires, investigations and decisions taken shall be just and fair, with the safety of any child concerned at the heart of the process. Any person from within the Company who makes an allegation against another person from within the Company shall be listened to, taken seriously and shall be treated fairly and justly throughout the process of enquiries, investigations and decision making.
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Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS)
Checks and Reporting DBS checks under the appropriate legislation should be undertaken wherever required. The groups of people we will usually undertake DBS checks in relation to are:
All employees over the age of 16 years old.
Wherever we deem it is necessary and appropriate to remove any individual from a position of work in a activity which is regulated under the relevant legislation, we shall also be obliged to make a referral to the Disclosure and Barring Service.
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Safeguarding Children at the Company:
Responsibilities and Planning
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Although the Safeguarding Officer will hold ultimate responsibility for overseeing the safety of children present at the Company, all individuals under this policy must also play an active role in ensuring the safety of children at all times.
Where a certain type of events, activity or trip is taking place, we may issue an additional code of conduct, policy, or some specific other requirements which is specific to that occasion.
Any such additional documentation will be made available to all those concerned (staff members, parents, guardians etc.) in advance.
They should be read carefully and adhered to. Appropriate background checking shall be undertaken wherever we are legally required to do so in respect of adults who are engaged by us (see the relevant section above).
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We have carried out a health and safety risk assessment in relation to the premises, in reference to its safety and suitability for children.
Where any events, activities or trips are to take place at other locations, we shall also carry out a further risk assessment. The fire safety procedure in relation to the premises can be found inside the main door to the studio.
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First Aid
We have the following first aid procedure within Thundercats Studio
Any accident or injury concerning a child should be brought to the attention of the nearest first aider and should thereafter be formally reported to the Safeguarding Officer. All first aid is located within the storage cupboard to the right in the first draw.
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Consent Forms
We shall always obtain written consent from a parent or guardian in the following circumstances:
1) Within the Studio setting - regarding health and safety, understanding the sport at hand, photographs for social media to promote our business
2) Showcases - Duty of Care, Hair and Make Up consent
3) Competition Days
4) Local Events
Consent will be obtained via: Our Class4kids, Coacha and ClassManager online booking systems.
Written consents if preferred
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Consent forms will include emergency contact details and will set out any specific safety needs/requirements for children. All consent forms will be kept secure and shall be stored in accordance with our data protection privacy policy.
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Supervision
For most activities and events, our procedure for supervision of children is as follows:
For every 8 children between the ages of 2-6 there is one coach and junior coach present.
For every 10 children between the ages of 7-12 there is one coach, one assistant coach and one junior coach present.
For every 12 children between the ages of 12-18 there is two coaches present.
In most cases we have multiple coaches for under the maximum participation coach number. Wherever a child attend our premises alongside their parent or guardian, parents and guardians should ensure that children are properly supervised.
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Managing Behaviour of Children:
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Whenever any coach is engaged is faced with challenging or inappropriate behaviour from a child or with conflict between children, they must:
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- treat each child fairly and equally
- approach the situation in a calm and neutral manner
- only ever use physical restraint/intervention in order to protect the immediate safety of a person, for example to prevent an injury or harm either to the child or others
- wherever it is justified to physically restrain a child or to physically intervene, the amount of force used should be kept to the absolute minimum taking into account the risk posed
- make a written record of the incident and ensure this is reported appropriately to the Safeguarding Officer
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Managing Risks Posed by Other Children
It is important for all adults engaged by us to recognise that children can face harm from their peers.
This can commonly take the form of bullying.
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Bullying can be defined as any behaviour which is:
- repeated
- has the intention of hurting somebody either physically or emotionally.
Bulling can sometimes be motivated by prejudices based on certain groups, for example gender, race, religion or sexual orientation. Bullying can often include:
- physical harm perpetrated against another child
- name calling and threats
- cyberbullying (threats and abusive comments made via technology)
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Any instance of bullying or concern relating to possible bullying between children at any event or activities arranged by us will usually be dealt with by us in the first instance as follows:
All children and any relevant staff shall be spoken to individually to ascertain the facts.
Where appropriate, children will receive a first warning and relevant support/education.
If the bullying continues
- the child will be asked to move to a different class (Second Warning).
If their behaviour does not improve, the child will be asked to not return to the studio (Third and final warning).
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Where any behaviour amounting to bullying continues following this, the following steps will be taken:
If the students behaviour does not improve, the child will be asked to not return to the studio. All steps in relation to the prevention or management of bullying should be taken in consultation with the Safeguarding Officer.
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Photography
On some occasions, we may take photographs featuring children. We recognise that photography of children carries risks, such as:
- the potential for images to be re-used, shared or adapted in a damaging or inappropriate manner
- the general risk of sharing images and the impact this could have on child's public image as they grow older
In view of these risks, we will:
- always ask for written permission from a child and their parent/guardian before taking and sharing any image of them
- always ensure that a child and their parent/guardian are properly informed how an image will be used and shared
- always ensure that a child's identity is protected as far as is possible within any published material
- ask that parents, guardians, children and any other person connected to them who may wish to share any of our published images which features other children to refrain from doing so unless they have the permission of the other children and their parent/guardian
- always store photos in accordance with our data protection policy.
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Members of the Public:
We do also recognise that members of the public may take photographs when they are attending our premises, events or activities.
We ask that any parents, guardians and other members of the public take the following into consideration when taking photos at our premises, events or activities:
- images of other children should not be shared on social media without the permission of any children who feature in the images (where ascertainable)
- together with the permission of the children's parent/guardian
- images which are shared on social media should be shared cautiously, with the appropriate privacy and security settings in place.
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Other Policies We have referred within this document to the following other important policies which should be read in conjunction with this policy:
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- Our data protection policy -
Our first aid policy
- Our photography policy
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Legal Framework This policy has been drawn up in accordance with all relevant and applicable legislation and guidance available to the Company in the jurisdictions it operates within.
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Equal Opportunities
Thundercats Studio will work to ensure there is no discrimination on the basis of race, colour, nationality or ethnic/national origins, disability, age, gender, married or single status, employment status, unrelated criminal convictions, class, political belief or religious affiliation, in regard to members of staff and all students coming through our door.
Students will always be treated with dignity and respect regardless of race, nationality, gender or disability. The following behaviour will not be tolerated within the studio, and they will be asked to leave immediately.
• Attacks on individuals or groups on any grounds in regard to race, nationality, gender or disability.
• Discriminatory name calling, insulting remarks, jokes, or threats.
• Encouraging other people to harass or discriminate against another individual or group.
• Online hate towards race, nationality, gender, or disability will be removed, and blocked from our profile and reported.
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AT ALL TIMES PEOPLE’S FEELINGS WILL BE VALUED AND RESPECTED by coaches and students, we will ensure the children coming through the door follow this procedure.
This Policy is approved and robustly endorsed by THUNDERCATS STUDIO and is due for review every 2 YEARS.
Signed: LILY WILSON (Safeguarding Officer)
Date: 12/06/2025.