Safeguarding

Child

The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child defines a child as everyone under 18 unless, “under the law applicable to the child” (Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, 1989). The UK has ratified this convention under the following acts of Parliament, The Children (England) Act 1989, Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014, and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (Incorporation) (Scotland) Act 2024.

In this document and in day-to-day communications the terms ‘children’ and ‘young people’ are both used, recognising that older teenagers may prefer not to be referred to as ‘children’ although they are still children in the eyes of the law.

Adult at risk of harm

There are slight variations in the definitions of ‘adults at risk’ across the home nations, but our broad working definition would be a person over 18 who:

• has care or support needs
• is experiencing or at risk of abuse or neglect and due to those needs
• is unable to protect themselves from abuse or neglect, or the risk of it

(Care Act 2014, Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014, The Adult Support and Protection (Scotland) Act 2007).

While the Adult Support and Protection (Scotland) Act 2007 defines an ‘adult at risk’ as a person over the age of 16, Scottish National Guidance for child protection presumes that, in general, child protection processes will be triggered in relation to children and young people up to 18 years of age. With Inter-agency referral discussions being the opportunity to determine the relevance of applicable legislation.

Various factors make an ‘adult at risk’ more susceptible to harm from others, this includes physical disabilities, mental health conditions, learning disabilities, cognitive impairments, substance misuse or addiction, social isolation and can include young people transitioning from children’s care to adult services, if they have ongoing care and support needs.

ASTO follows best practice in safer recruiting for all staff, trustees and volunteers in roles involving close contact with vulnerable groups. This includes:

• Appropriate DBS checks
• Interview by CEO and/or Trustees
• The taking of two references
• Clearly stating safeguarding checks in the recruitment process

ASTO believes safeguarding is everyone’s responsibly and requires all staff to complete a 4-hour e-Learning course that provides them with an appropriate understanding of safeguarding. Training will be refreshed every three years or sooner following new legislation or best practice.

The CEO or other designated person is also required to complete Safer Recruitment training and Designated Safeguarding Lead training. Trustees are required to complete training that provides an introduction to safeguarding and child protection, as well as covering their accountability as board members with regards to safeguarding.

Event volunteers need to have completed a suitable safeguarding training course within the last three years that provides – as a minimum – an introduction to safeguarding and child protection.

All training is recorded on a central document.

The ASTO Code of Personal Conduct for Staff and Volunteers forms part of the induction process for staff and volunteers. It sets out the expectations of staff and volunteers in their interactions with children, young people and adults at risk involved in activities organised by ASTO with their core priority being to ensure their safety and wellbeing, including respecting their rights, promoting their welfare and understanding their needs.

ASTO has a published Privacy Notice

ASTO has a dedicated “Social Media Policy” which details guidelines and expectations for the use of social media platforms by ASTO staff, volunteers and representatives of ASTO. This policy forms part of the induction process for ASTO staff, trustees and volunteers. Social Media use is also covered in the ASTO Code of Conduct.

For ASTO events, ASTO asks member organisations to obtain photo/media consent participants ensuring that individuals (or their guardians, where applicable) fully understand how their images may be used. This consent must be documented and provided to ASTO. Where consent is not given ASTO will work with the event photographers to ensure images are not captured.

ASTO staff, trustees and volunteers are rarely in direct contact with children, young people and adults at risk.

ASTO usually interacts with the member organisations that are required to have their own policies and procedures in place. Occasions where ASTO has more direct contact with children and adults at risk include:

• Events such as the annual Small Ships Races
• Interviewing for and administering the Trinity House bursary

ASTO has a Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL), currently the CEO, who is:

• The first point of contact for all safeguarding concerns, unless it is concern about them, in which case the first point of contact is the Chair of Trustees
• Responsible for maintaining safeguarding policies and procedures, ensuring they are reviewed, and if necessary, updated annually or sooner following new legislation or best practice
• Responsible for ensuring staff/volunteer/trustee training and policy compliance
• Producing a report of any ASTO safeguarding incidents, plus any incidents relating to staff or volunteers of member organisations to trustees annually

If further support or review is required, or if the incident involves the DSL, a nominated trustee will be called upon to assist.

For each ASTO event there is a Safeguarding Plan, which includes processes to follow for possible safeguarding incident scenarios.

All ASTO member organisations must have an appropriate Safeguarding Children, Young People and Adults at Risk policy in place. This should include the DBS/PVG vetting of all staff and volunteers in contact with children, young people or adults at risk, as well as their safeguarding training protocols and how they handle safeguarding concerns. Member organisations are required to confirm their Safeguarding Policy as part of their annual membership compliance declaration.

ASTO also support member organisations in the implementation of safer recruitment and selection procedures. As a registered Business Unit for the RYA Employment check online DBS application system ASTO are able to process applications on behalf of member organisations.

ASTO also provide members with access to at or below cost online safeguarding training.

Whistleblowing is the act of raising a concern about wrongdoing in the public interest, and individuals who do so in good faith will be protected under the Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998.

ASTO is committed to maintaining the highest standards of integrity and accountability. All staff, volunteers, and stakeholders are encouraged to report any concerns they may have about unsafe practices, misconduct, or breaches of safeguarding policy.

ASTO will treat all reports seriously and confidentially and will ensure that concerns are investigated promptly and appropriately. No one will suffer any detriment for raising a genuine concern, even if it turns out to be unfounded. Concerns can be raised internally or directly with external bodies such as the Charity Commission or the NSPCC.

This policy will be reviewed every two years to ensure its effectiveness and relevance, and always following a serious incident. Amendments or revisions may be made as necessary to reflect changes in organisational structure, legal requirements, or best practices.