Children have a lot to gain from involvement in sport. Like other sports, mountaineering provides an opportunity to learn new skills, explore new environments, gain confidence and of course have fun. The full potential of these benefits can only be gained with a positive and progressive approach to the child’s involvement. The focus should be on the needs of the child rather than on competition or success. A child-centred approach to mountaineering involving children will result in continued participation, a positive public image of our sport and contribute to long-term benefits in terms of the health and well-being of our future adult population.
Mountaineering Scotland recognises that child protection is every member’s responsibility and that we should safeguard all children involved in youth mountaineering activities organised by staff or volunteers. All members have a right to protection, and the Mountaineering Scotland policy will be inclusive and take full account of the needs of disabled children and others who may be particularly vulnerable.
Mountaineering Scotland is committed to safeguarding its members, and to ensuring that children on Mountaineering Scotland or club activities are protected from harm, abuse and exploitation.
Mountaineering Scotland value a rights-based approach within our sport. Our Child Wellbeing and Protection Policy takes into account the National Guidance for Child Protection in Scotland 2014, the principles of “Getting it Right for Every Child” (GIRFEC) and we recognise the general principles of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC).
Staff and volunteers will work together to embrace difference and diversity and respect the rights of children and young people. Mountaineering Scotland is committed to ensuring every child and young person who takes part in mountaineering activities can participate in an enjoyable and safe environment which promotes inclusion and protects them from harm, poor practice, exploitation, bullying and abuse.
Our commitment to protecting children is based on the following principles:
Mountaineering Scotland will:
Mountaineering Scotland Affiliated Clubs with under 18s will:
We will regularly review this policy and associated procedures:
Mountaineering Scotland always welcomes feedback. Consultation has taken place with:
Definition: A wellbeing concern is if a child’s wellbeing (measured using the eight SHANARRI indicators: safe, healthy, achieving, nurtured, active, respected, responsible, and included), has been or is at risk of, being adversely affected in any manner.
A wellbeing concern may be identified by the child, or by anyone who knows or supports the child and can be identified for many reasons, such as (but not limited to) the following:
Or can be identified using the SHANARRI indicators for example:
Definition: Is behaviour of an individual in a position of responsibility which falls below the required standard as set out in the code of practice, the child wellbeing & protection policy or accompanying guidelines. It is behaviour that does not respect children's rights or those of their parents/carers. Poor practice may not be immediately dangerous or intentionally harmful to a child but is likely to set a poor example. While poor practice falls short of abuse it has a negative and adverse effect on the wellbeing of children and is considered unacceptable.
The following definitions set out common areas within sport where poor practice can occur:
It is essential that everyone challenges poor practice within Mountaineering/Climbing, even where there is a belief that the motives of an individual are well meaning. Failure to challenge poor practice can lead to an environment where abuse is more likely to remain unnoticed and accepted.
"Abuse and neglect are forms of maltreatment of a child. Somebody may abuse or neglect a child by inflicting, or by failing to act to prevent, significant harm to the child. Children may be abused in a family or in an institutional setting, by those known to them or, more rarely, by a stranger.”
While it is not necessary to identify a specific category of abuse when adding a child’s name to the Child Protection Register, it is still helpful to consider and understand the different ways in which children can be abused:
These categories are not mutually exclusive, for example, a child experiencing physical abuse is undoubtedly experiencing emotional abuse as well. The following definitions show the different ways in which abuse may be experienced by a child but are not exhaustive, as the individual circumstances of abuse will vary from child to child. (All definitions taken from ‘National Guidance for Child Protection in Scotland 2021’).
Although the physical and behavioural signs listed may be symptomatic of abuse, they may not always be an indicator and, conversely, children experiencing abuse may not demonstrate any of these signs.
Child abuse is often difficult to recognise. It is not the responsibility of anyone involved in sport to decide whether or not a child has been abused. This is the role of trained professionals. We all however, have a duty to act on any concerns about abuse.
"…is the persistent emotional neglect or ill treatment that has severe and persistent adverse effects on a child’s emotional development. It may involve conveying to a child that they are worthless or unloved, inadequate or valued only insofar as they meet the needs of another person.”
It may involve the imposition of age or developmentally inappropriate expectations of a child. It may involve causing children to feel frightened or in danger or exploiting or corrupting children. Some level of emotional abuse is present in all types of ill treatment of a child; it can also occur independently of other forms of abuse.
Examples of Emotional Abuse in Sport
Signs which may raise concerns about emotional abuse include:
"…is the causing of physical harm to a child. Physical abuse may involve hitting, shaking, throwing, poisoning, burning or scalding, drowning or suffocating. Physical harm may also be caused when a parent or carer feigns the symptoms of, or deliberately causes, ill health to a child they are looking after”.
Most children sustain accidental cuts and bruises throughout childhood. These are likely to occur in parts of the body like elbows, shins and knees. An important indicator of physical abuse is where the bruises or injuries are unexplained or the explanation does not fit the injury or the injury appears on parts of the body where accidental injuries are unlikely e.g. on the cheeks or thighs. The age of the child must also be considered. It is possible that some injuries may have occurred for other reasons e.g. skin disorders, rare bone diseases.
Examples of Physical Abuse in Sport
Bodily harm that may be caused by:
Signs which may raise concerns about physical abuse include:
"...is the persistent failure to meet a child’s basic physical and/or psychological needs, likely to result in the serious impairment of the child’s health or development. It may involve a parent or carer failing to provide adequate food, shelter and clothing, to protect a child from physical harm or danger, or to ensure access to appropriate medical care or treatment. It may also include neglect of, or failure to respond to, a child’s basic emotional needs”.
Neglect may also result in the child being diagnosed as suffering from ‘non-organic failure to thrive’, where they have significantly failed to reach normal weight and growth of development milestones and where physical and genetic reasons have been medically eliminated. In its extreme form children can be at serious risk from the effects of malnutrition, lack of nurturing and stimulation. This can lead to serious long-term effects such as greater susceptibility to serious childhood illnesses and reduction in potential stature. With young children in particular, the consequences may be life-threatening within a relatively short period of time.
Examples of Physical Neglect in Sport
Signs which may raise concerns about neglect include:
"…is any act that involves the child in any activity for the sexual gratification of another person, whether or not it is claimed that the child either consented or assented. Sexual abuse involves forcing or enticing a child to take part in sexual activities, whether or not the child is aware of what is happening. The activities may involve physical contact, including penetrative or non-penetrative acts. They may include non-contact activities, such as involving children in looking at, or in the production of, pornographic material or in watching sexual activities, using sexual language towards a child or encouraging children to behave in sexually inappropriate ways”.
Some of the aforementioned activities can occur through the internet. Boys and girls are sexually abused by males and females, including persons to whom they are, and are not, related, and by other children. This includes people from all walks of life.
Some children may never be able to tell someone they have been sexually abused. Changes in a child’s behaviour may be a sign something has happened. In some cases, there may be no physical or behavioural signs to suggest that a child has been sexually abused.
Examples of Sexual Abuse in Sport
The following signs may raise concerns about sexual abuse:
Bullying can be a ‘one-off’ occurrence or repeated over a period of time and can take many forms including children being bullied by adults, their peers and in some cases by members of their families. Bullying can be difficult to identify because it often happens away from others and those who are bullied often do not tell anyone. Bullying is not always deliberate.
Examples of bullying include:
Signs which may raise concerns about bullying include:
When talking about bullying, it’s never helpful to label children as ‘bullies’ or ‘victims’. Labels can stick for life and can isolate a child, rather than helping them to recover or change their behaviour. It is preferable to talk about someone displaying bullying behaviour rather than label them a ‘bully’ – behaviour can be changed with help and support.
Action to help children on the receiving end of bullying behaviour:
Support for children involved in bullying behaviour:
Creating an anti-bullying ethos is the best prevention. We should not underestimate the importance of the behaviour of adults as they are role models for children.
Strategies and solutions do not come in ‘one size fits all’. Each case is unique and requires an individual response to the individual situation. What might work in one situation might not work in another. You might have to adopt different strategies before finding one that is effective.
It is also important to ask for help and support if you need it to deal with a bullying incident. Section 6 has useful contact details for help and advice and RespectMe, Child Line and Parent Line Scotland are also useful contacts to know.
Definition
A Low-level concern is any concern that an adult has behaved in a way towards a child that:
Low-level concerns include a spectrum of behaviours which may be intentionally designed to facilitate abuse or be unintentional, inadvertent or thoughtless.
Low-level concerns may take place face to face, in writing, or digitally such as in online meetings, or via social media, text messaging, messaging apps or by email. The important consideration is that the behaviour is inappropriate and not what Mountaineering Scotland would expect of a member as set out in the code of conducts and Safeguarding Policy.
Examples of Low-level concerns:
The term ‘low level’ concern does not mean that it is insignificant, it means that the adult’s behaviour towards a child does not meet the harm threshold and is classed as potential poor practice or inappropriate behaviour.
A low-level concern is any concern – no matter how small, and even if no more than causing a sense of unease or a ‘nagging doubt’ – that an adult may have acted in a way that is inconsistent with the code of conduct, including inappropriate conduct and does not meet the allegation threshold.
Members when raising a concern, do not need to be able to determine in each case whether their concern is a low-level concern, or more serious, the Clubs CWPO will be able to assess the seriousness and take appropriate action. Advice is also available through Mountaineering Scotland CWPO.
An allegation of harm
An allegation of harm is where it is alleged that a person who works with children and young people has or may have behaved in a way that meets the harm threshold as specified below:
These would be classed as; serious poor practice, misconduct, gross misconduct or criminal behaviour and should be reported to Mountaineering Scotland through the reporting a concern process. Concerns that do not meet the harm threshold are treated as low-level concerns.
Having to make a report about someone you know or about someone who is causing harm to or abusing a child can be very challenging on a personal level. Although it can be difficult to report such matters, you must remember that:
Mountaineering Scotland assures all members, staff and volunteers that it will fully support and protect anyone who, in good faith, reports a concern where someone within the sport is or may be harming or abusing a child.
Who to report to:
The club safeguarding officer – Is your first point of contact when you have a concern about club activity
Parents/Carers of the child, to clarify any initial concerns about how a child is presenting e.g. if a child seems withdrawn or had a difficult session that evening.
Partnership working with parents is an important part of safeguarding. In most situations, the club safeguarding officer or Mountaineering Scotland will involve parents/carers as part of incident management. There are some situations where they are not involved.
Do NOT speak to the parents or carers if:
A parent or carer may be responsible for the abuse or may not be able to respond to the situation appropriately they should not be involved, as it may place the child at greater risk Where it is unclear whether the parents/carer’s involvement may place the child at risk further advice should be sought from Mountaineering Scotland or the child’s school/social work before involving them
Mountaineering Scotland must be informed of all allegations of abuse and persistent poor practice as soon as possible in order to decide the following:
Statutory authorities - In any case where there is suspected abuse or where a child’s safety is at risk, you should contact one of the following statutory agencies immediately:
A complaint, concern, incident or allegation may come from a number of sources: the child, one of their friends, a volunteer, a parent or someone else within the organisation. It may involve the behaviour of a volunteer/employee, or something that has happened to the child outside the sport e.g. at home or at school. Children may confide in adults they trust, in a place where they feel safe.
A report/concern may range from mild verbal bullying to physical or sexual abuse. If you are concerned that a child may be being abused, it is NOT your responsibility to investigate further BUT it is your responsibility to:
Following Mountaineering Scotland’s published procedures when dealing with concerns and discourses helps:
Observation / Information from an individual or agency
A concern or possible abuse of a child may be observed by another child or adult and information can come from an individual or another agency/organisation.
Where there is uncertainty about what to do with the information, directly from a child’s disclosure or from someone else, the club’s / Mountaineering Scotland CWPO can be consulted for advice on the appropriate course of action.
If the club’s or Mountaineering Scotland's CWPO is unavailable or an immediate response is required, the police and social work services must be consulted for advice. They have a statutory responsibility for the protection of children and they may already hold other concerning information about the child. Record any advice given.
Responding to Non-Verbal Concerns
Changes in a child’s behaviour can be the result of a wide range of factors and this makes it difficult to identify if the changes are linked to abuse. Even signs such as bruising or other injuries cannot be taken as "proof" of abuse (see appendices). However, if you have concerns, you have a responsibility to act on those concerns.
Allegations of Previous Abuse
Allegations of abuse may be made some time after the event (e.g. by an adult who was abused as a child or by an adult who was abused as a child by a member, or ex-member, of staff. Where such an allegation is made, the club should follow the procedures as detailed above and report the matter to the social services or the police. This is because other children, either within or outside sport, may be at risk from this person.
Circumstances where reporting to the club WPO is not possible
Involving Parents or Carers
Procedures – Responding to a Concern about an Adult’s Conduct
This procedure aims to ensure that all concerns about the conduct of an adult in sport are dealt with in a timely, appropriate and proportionate manner.
At any point in responding to concerns about the conduct of an adult, advice may be sought from the police or social work services if there is concern over a possible criminal offence.
No board member, member of staff, coach, volunteer, official, athlete, or participant in receipt of information that causes concern about the conduct of an adult towards any other individual shall keep that information to themselves; or attempt to deal with the matter on their own.
Internal Enquiries and Precautionary Suspension
Support for those involved
Key steps if concern raised about your conduct
Think about your relationship with a colleague who is under investigation. Ask management to confirm the contact arrangements and what support is available to your colleague and all other staff they work with.
Recruitment and Selection of Staff and Volunteers
The vast majority of Mountaineering Scotland actions are undertaken by volunteers with the aid and guidance of a small number of paid staff. Mountaineering Scotland seeks to position itself to support its members by allowing the recruitment of volunteer workers to provide technical, physical and clerical assistance.
Mountaineering Scotland will endeavour to recruit and select volunteers and staff in a transparent and equitable fashion in line with current guidelines.
Mountaineering Scotland recognises that anyone may have the potential to abuse children in some way and that all reasonable steps are taken to ensure unsuitable people are prevented from working with children. When undertaking selection checks the following should be included:
Volunteers aged 17 or under
While some children under the age of 17 may be in ‘regulated roles’ with children they should not be placed in positions of sole responsibility for other children. They should be supervised by a more senior qualified coach or volunteer who has been appropriately vetted.
Volunteers aged 17 and under should be assessed for their suitability to work with children. There is no lower age limit for PVG membership. Where the post meets the ‘regulated roles’ criteria, membership of the PVG Scheme should be considered.
Young volunteers may come under different pressures (e.g. lack of respect from peers) and closeness in age could lead to the development of friendships or romantic/sexual relationships. Regular supervision, training and extra support is recommended. Supervision ratios should also be reassessed, as a young volunteer may not be as capable of overseeing a group of children and young people as an adult in the same position.
Every effort should be made to ensure that confidentiality is maintained for all concerned.
Information should be handled and disseminated on a need-to-know basis only. This may include the following people:
Information storage and handling
Information should be stored in a secure place with limited access to designated people, in line with data protection laws (e.g. that information is accurate, regularly updated, relevant and secure).
In relation to any information regarding a Child Protection concern, it is recommended that this information should be retained for 25 years (from the date of birth of the child) and 10 years for any adult behaviour (this starts once the adult has left the club/employment).
For low level concerns it is important to consider proportionality and only keep the information for as long as it is necessary. It is important to think about why the information is being retained, for what purpose it might be needed and what the risks are if the information is kept or destroyed.
Destroying information
Hard copies should be destroyed using a Din level 5 micro cut shredder and for digital copies you would delete the data and empty the recycling bin. If you have a back-up solution for your electronic records, you should also delete any records from your backups as well.
Separate documents for:
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