Child Safeguarding Policy

WHY A CHILD SAFEGUARDING POLICY?
Sport2Be aims to provide equal opportunities to all children, girls and boys, and to enable them to develop their potential and integrate into society and the professional world, in accordance with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) and the National Action Plan for Children adopted in 2005 by the Belgian federal government and the governments of the Regions and Communities.

Our organisation is committed to respecting and upholding children’s right to protection from all forms of abuse (UNCRC, Article 19). The purpose of this policy is to protect children involved in our activities.

This document:

helps our teams, donors and partners fulfil their responsibility to safeguard children by promoting appropriate behaviour and reporting any concerning behaviour;
prevents individuals with harmful intentions from becoming involved in Sport2Be’s work;
provides for robust measures against anyone who abuses a child.

KEY DEFINITIONS
Child: any person under the age of 18 (UNCRC, Article 1).

Child abuse: any form of physical or emotional abuse, sexual abuse or exploitation, neglect, commercial exploitation or other harm inflicted upon a child. This includes any intentional or unintentional act or failure to act by an individual or institution, or arising from a process, that causes or may cause actual or potential harm to a child’s wellbeing and dignity, or undermines their prospects of healthy and safe development into adulthood.

Child safeguarding: the responsibilities and preventive and responsive measures taken by Sport2Be to protect children from harm that may arise as a result of their involvement with Sport2Be, their contact with Sport2Be staff, associates and visitors, and/or their participation in Sport2Be activities.

WHO DOES THIS POLICY APPLY TO?
Sport2Be’s Child Safeguarding Policy applies to all staff members (operational support staff and sports and development coaches), all associates (members of the Board of Directors and General Assembly, volunteers, Sport2Be sponsors, donors, workers, consultants, suppliers and representatives of partner organisations or local authorities), and visitors (journalists, media representatives, researchers, public figures, etc.) who may come into contact with children through Sport2Be.

It also applies to designated safeguarding leads and other individuals with specific child safeguarding responsibilities.

Everyone covered by this policy is required to comply with its provisions.

PRINCIPLES
Our Child Safeguarding Policy is based on a number of principles set out in the UNCRC, including:

All children have equal rights to protection from abuse and exploitation (UNCRC, Article 19); to life, survival and development (UNCRC, Article 6); to develop to their fullest potential (UNCRC, Article 27); and to express their views freely, with those views given due weight in accordance with their age and maturity (UNCRC, Articles 12 and 13).

Inequality and discrimination must be challenged. Every child must be treated with respect, regardless of gender, national or ethnic origin, religious or political beliefs, age, mental or physical health, sexual orientation or gender identity, family, socioeconomic or cultural background, or any involvement with the justice system (UNCRC, Article 2).

Everyone has a responsibility to support the care and protection of children (UNCRC, Article 3).

Our Child Safeguarding Policy is also based on Sport2Be’s specific responsibilities towards children involved in its activities.

No child should suffer harm as a result of their involvement with Sport2Be, whether as a participant in Sport2Be sports activities, the Job2Be programme, an event organised by Sport2Be, a fundraising campaign or Sport2Be advocacy activities.

These specific responsibilities extend to all individuals and organisations associated with Sport2Be. Anyone working with Sport2Be or involved in its work must therefore be familiar with and comply with the provisions of this policy.

RESPONSIBILITIES
Everyone who works for or has a relationship with Sport2Be has a responsibility to safeguard children. The responsibilities set out below are mandatory for all individuals covered by this policy.

Sport2Be staff, associates, visitors and designated safeguarding leads commit to:

• never abuse a child or expose a child to the risk of harm;
• respond to suspected abuse in accordance with this policy and the procedures set out in the “Sport2Be Coach Manual”;
• report any abuse of a child or any child safeguarding concern in accordance with this policy and the procedures set out in the “Sport2Be Coach Manual”;
• provide their full cooperation, while maintaining confidentiality, in any investigation into suspected abuse;
• contribute to creating an environment in which children are respected and encouraged to speak about their concerns and their rights;
• always respect children’s rights, integrity and dignity, act in the child’s best interests and never expose children to a risk of harm. For example, when photographing or filming children, or communicating with or about them, this must always be done in accordance with Sport2Be’s relevant policies and procedures;
• never disclose, or facilitate the disclosure of, information that could identify families or participants in Sport2Be activities through any means, including printed materials, photographs and social media, unless such disclosure is in accordance with Sport2Be’s policies and procedures and/or has been expressly authorised by Sport2Be;
• not contact a child or members of a family involved in Sport2Be’s work without first informing the relevant Sport2Be representatives, including in relation to visits, emails or letters.

In addition, Sport2Be staff commit to:

• comply with the standards of behaviour set out in the Sport2Be Coach Manual;
• organise visits by Sport2Be coaches, Job2Be staff, members of the press and other visitors to participants in Sport2Be activities in a safe and appropriate setting designated by the local Sport2Be office. This may include a sports facility where Sport2Be operates or the child’s home, with the consent of the family and following the advice of local office staff;
• provide a coach’s contact details to former participants aged 18 or over only with the coach’s prior approval;
• ensure that Sport2Be associates formally acknowledge their commitment to this Child Safeguarding Policy and comply with it throughout their involvement with Sport2Be;
• ensure that Sport2Be staff members who have raised a child safeguarding concern or who are accused of abusing a child receive appropriate care, support and protection while dealing with all aspects of the case, including safety concerns and potential retaliation.

OUTSIDE INTERACTIONS WITH SPORT2BE
Sport2Be does not intend to dictate the personal values or private lives of its employees, associates, visitors or designated safeguarding leads outside their interactions with Sport2Be.

However, conduct outside interactions with Sport2Be that is deemed incompatible with our Child Safeguarding Policy may be considered a breach of this policy.

IMPLEMENTATION, MONITORING AND SANCTIONS
Ultimate responsibility for compliance with our Child Safeguarding Policy rests with Sport2Be’s managers, directors and Board of Directors. In addition, Sport2Be has appointed a designated safeguarding lead: Tanguy Nève (tanguy@sport2be.org), Founder and CEO of Sport2Be.

Sport2Be also regularly reviews compliance with this policy and its procedures.

Any breach of this policy or of the responsibilities set out above may result in the following measures:

• For Sport2Be staff members or designated safeguarding leads: disciplinary action, which may include termination of employment;
• For Sport2Be associates or visitors: measures that may include termination of all relationships with Sport2Be, including contractual and partnership agreements;
• Where appropriate: legal action or any other measures considered appropriate in the circumstances.
• Where there are concerns about the conduct of a staff member, associate, visitor or designated safeguarding lead and/or where this Child Safeguarding Policy has been breached, an investigation will be conducted in accordance with this policy. Depending on the circumstances, this may involve either:

referring the matter to the competent authorities for a criminal investigation in accordance with the laws applicable in the country where the alleged offence took place; or
Sport2Be handling the matter through its internal disciplinary procedures. This may result in disciplinary action against the relevant Sport2Be employee or designated safeguarding lead.
It is important to note that where a concern regarding suspected child abuse is reported in good faith and an investigation subsequently establishes that the allegation was unfounded, no action will be taken against the person who made the report.

However, appropriate sanctions may be imposed where an allegation is found to have been made knowingly and maliciously.