Protecting children and adults
British Canoeing is committed to ensuring that everyone can enjoy canoeing in a safe environment where they are protected from any form of poor practice, abuse and neglect. Working with the NSPCC and Child Protection in Sport Unit (CPSU), British Canoeing has developed policies, procedures, guidance and templates to support everyone involved in our sport.
Training and vetting
While there is Government legislation setting out legal and duty of care procedures, we all have a moral duty of care to ensure everyone has the right to live free from abuse or neglect. British Canoeing aims to ensure that anyone who is in regular contact with children and young people through paid or voluntary roles within the sport have completed the minimum safeguarding training requirements for their role. It is also the responsibility of an employer or deployer to ensure their staff or volunteers (paid or voluntary) have been appropriately vetted prior to being deployed in their role.
Developing Best Practice
British Canoeing is committed to constantly evaluating and developing our Safeguarding policies and processes so that we are exceeding the CPSU best practice guidance. We work collaboratively with the other National Associations within Paddlesports to share knowledge and experience in Safeguarding and offer a consistent approach across all of the Paddlesports bodies in the United Kingdom. The UK Safeguarding Steering Group meets twice a year and the Terms of Reference for the Group can be found here.
If you have a concern
We are committed to investigate all reported safeguarding concerns or allegations. If you know of a safeguarding concern or allegation, whether it has been disclosed to you by someone else, something you have witnessed or something that has been worrying you, don’t keep it to yourself – always report the concern.