Section 4: Procedures

Contents

1. Identification of Adults at Risk Procedure
2. Concern Management Procedure
   1. The Concern Record
3. Mitigating Risks for all Adults

Identification of Adults at Risk Procedure

4. It is expected that adults at risk will self-identify so that appropriate arrangements can be put in place. As stated in the Safeguarding Adult at Risk Policy, "In all cases, it is expected that an adult at risk will be accompanied by a carer capable of managing the adult at risk's needs, including their protection from harm or abuse." Thus, initially, it will be the carer's responsibility to ensure that the adult at risk is safeguarded by making their needs known to the activity organiser.
5. Further, for events booked through the CA's Tournament Entry System (TES), which includes some courses, all CA members have the opportunity to indicate within TES that they have Special Requirements when making a booking. It is expected that adults at risk (or their carer) will use this facility to indicate their needs for added support.
6. For any other managed activity (i.e. not a tournament or course managed via the TES), it will be the obligation of the adult at risk / their carer to make their needs known at the time of booking to the manager of the activity.
7. When an outside organisation books club facilities, they should be asked whether any within their group requires extra assistance. Where this includes Adults at Risk, the group should be required to provide the appropriate level of assistance, while a member of the club should also be present throughout.

Concern Management Procedure

8. When any concern arises concerning safeguarding, it is important that it is managed in the manner the CA Council has approved, namely this Concern Management Procedure, based on Ann Craft Trust guidance, which states:
   1. Seek consent from the person concerned. If you feel that they do not have capacity to consent, you can act without consent but you must log your decision.
   2. Collect all available relevant facts and appropriate information.
   3. Make a written record of the concern.
   4. Tell the person involved what you are going to do about the concern and note any views that they may have regarding how they wish the matter to be dealt with.
   5. Tell only the people who need to know - such as your safeguarding officer.
   6. Consider the balance between listening to someone's wishes and needing to refer information where others may be at risk.
   7. Inform the person involved about the outcome of any process.
9. The following diagrams represent what should happen when a Concern arises. It is explained in the paragraphs below.

10. When a concern about the risk of harm to an Adult at Risk arises, the first decision must be whether it requires immediate action by the emergency services, in which case a call to 999 must be made without delay.
11. Whether or not the emergency services have been involved, the concern must be confidentially reported without any delay, and only to a Local Safeguarding Officer (LSO) (Club Federation or Academy) or in their absence The National SO.
12. Having been told about a concern, the Club SO is responsible for recording the concern details to form the formal Concern Record, gathering such information as is necessary, without compromising the confidentiality of any involved. This must include establishing the expectations of the adult at risk (through their carer if appropriate). This information gathering is NOT to involve the interviewing of any alleged perpetrator, nor should the originator of the concern be involved in further fact-finding - this is the sole responsibility of the LSO.
13. Once such necessary information as can be obtained has been documented on the Concern Record, a Safeguarding Concern Panel consisting of the National SO, Fed SO and Club SO is responsible for deciding whether the matter merits referral to the Local Authority responsible for the adult at risk. If that Panel is unable to come to a decision, the matter it is to be passed to the designated Executive Board member, who will make the decision which is to be registered in the Concern Record. The default will be to refer to the Local Authority.
14. Any such referral is to be led by the National SO, keeping the remainder of the Concern Panel, the complainant and the adult at risk/carer informed of the progress in investigating the complaint.
15. Whether or not a matter is referred to the Local Authority, with one proviso, the Concern Panel is to recommend to the Executive Board any remedial necessary action/ disciplinary procedure it sees fit (in liaison with the Local Authority, if the Concern has been referred to them).
16. The proviso is that NO action is to be taken with regard to the alleged perpetrator (this includes interviewing them for their side of the case) until it is clear that any action by emergency services / local authority is complete.
17. Once actions arising from the Concern have been fully addressed, final feedback should be given to the adult at risk/carer and the person who raised the initial complaint. The main thrust of such feedback is to be the actions taken to ensure that the causes of the complaint does not occur again.
18. Exceptionally it may be necessary for the CA to contribute to an external Case Management Group set up by Adult Social Care. In such a situation the National SO, working with Fed SO and Club SO, is to ensure that the Case Management Group gets all the support they need.
19. The CA may wish to liaise with other sports governing bodies, following the resolution.

The Concern Record

20. At all times the Concern Record (see T4 Safeguarding Report Form) is to be maintained by the Concern Panel, logging all actions as they are taken, and noting actions required.
21. Once a Concern Record has been raised, it is to be investigated by a Safeguarding Officer and reported to the National Safeguarding Officer within five working days.
22. All Safeguarding-related activity will be recorded and will be discussed as part of the Executive Board meetings and appropriate action, support and advice provided to all staff and members.
23. Concern Records which must be confidentially maintained, are to be retained for a minimum of 10 years.

Mitigating Risks for All Adults

24. The procedure for mitigating the risks of harm from abuse or neglect for all adults is contained in the Welfare Policy and therefore also applies to adults at risk.

Version: 1.3
Dated: 18 Nov 21
Responsible: National Safeguarding Officer