Safeguarding and Welfare
Everyone has a shared responsibility for safeguarding and creating safe, enjoyable environments in Orienteering whether as an Orienteer, parent, coach, club official or spectator.
At our club we want you to feel safe and welcome and we encourage you to raise any concerns you have or incidents you witness at the earliest opportunity to our Club Welfare Officer or British Orienteering’s Lead Safeguarding Officer.
Our club is committed to the principles of Safeguarding Children and Vulnerable Adults and our Club Welfare Officer is always there if you need any support or would like any advice.
Further information is available on British Orienteering’s Safeguarding pages.
Reporting a concern or incident
All reports are taken seriously and dealt with in a sensitive manner. Should you wish to report a concern or incident Please contact either:
- Our Club Welfare Officer
- Anna Koskela-Brook, email: welfare ‘at’ logonline ‘dot’ org ‘dot’ uk
- British Orienteering’s Lead Safeguarding Officer
- Peter Brooke 07540 150963 [email protected]
This includes any concerns about safeguarding either within orienteering or outside of orienteering and any concern over adult behaviour related to the welfare of children or adults at risk, including those away from the sport that involves members or participants.
All reports will be logged in confidence with the Lead Safeguarding Officer who will also explain the processes which will be followed depending on each case.
Your Club Welfare Officer is Anna Koskela-Brook
Anna was first introduced to orienteering in school but only started attending events and training regularly later in life. She enjoys long trail runs in the woods and spending time with her children.
Reporting Forms
In addition to contacting the Club Welfare Officer or Lead Safeguarding Officer, there are a couple of forms you can also use to report a concern or incident.
British Orienteering Quick Report Form
British Orienteering has introduced a quick report form which can be used to make immediate reports to the Lead Safeguarding Officer. This form is user friendly on mobile devices.
On completion of this form the Lead Safeguarding Officer will follow up with you directly.
Other Reporting Forms
- Incident reporting form children and young people
- Incident reporting form adults
- Reporting a concern report form
If you complete one of these forms, it will then need to be emailed to either your Club Welfare Officer or the Lead Safeguarding Officer as soon as possible.
If you need any advice on how to complete a form or what should you do if someone reports something to you, this short video will help you.
Safeguarding Policies
As a club, we support and follow British Orienteering’s two safeguarding policies, these can be found via the links below:
For further information including resources and training opportunities visit the British Orienteering website or contact the Lead Safeguarding Officer.
Event Safety
Risk Assessments
The organiser of any orienteering event or activity compiles a risk assessment of the event. This covers all aspects of safety, the level and potential severity of each risk, the action to be taken to mitigate the risk and who is responsible for ensuring the action is taken. If you wish to see a copy of the risk assessment for the event, please contact the club.
Stranger Danger
The risk assessment include risks from strangers, particularly in public access area. We take all reasonable steps to ensure that children will be safe from other participants and from strangers. We have had no reported incidents of children coming to any harm from strangers in public places whilst orienteering.
First Aid
There will be a trained first aider available at every event. The club’s policy is that all event organisers and coaches are first aid trained and renew their certification every 3 years.