We achieve this through the delivery of high-profile events that attract thousands of competitors and spectators, international representation for GB Students, conferences and residential events for both students and staff, and a competition calendar made up of hundreds of events and thousands of weekly fixtures.
Through this programme more than one hundred thousand students take part in our activities each year, and critical to our success in creating exceptional experiences is our commitment to always providing safe, friendly and enjoyable environments for all participants. Whether competing, coaching, officiating, volunteering, working or spectating at these events, the welfare of all is critical to our mission.
If you wish to report a concern, full details on how to do this are below, or you can use the call to action below.
Working together to safeguard everyone’s experience
At BUCS we recognise that our activity provision is a team effort with several partners taking on responsibilities in different circumstances. This means that our approach to safeguarding must ensure that all members of ‘the team’ know, understand and be capable of delivering exceptional student sporting experiences that meet agreed safeguarding standards.
The welfare of participants, regardless of their age, role or other characteristics is everyone’s responsibility. Everyone involved in BUCS’ activities including employees, coaches, officials, volunteers, trustees, consultants, agency workers, parents, and partners can help to safeguard participants, children, young people and adults.
Student sport experiences extend well beyond what we provide and support at BUCS, and while beyond the scope of our responsibilities and policies, we are aware that an exceptional student sporting experience is not possible if matters arise away from competitions and events fail to safeguard participants from abuse or poor practice.
Concerns raised could include on-field actions that have the potential to cause harm, but extend to matters of self-harm, or even playing on while injured.
What makes a safeguarded experience?
We recognise the following characteristics of a safe environment to include:
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The vetting and training of delivery teams
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Recognition that there is always the potential for harm to occur
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Confidence from anyone disclosing a concern that it will be taken seriously and treated with sensitivity.
At BUCS, we take our role and responsibility to ensure a safe experience very seriously and are committed to not only putting policies, processes and procedures in place but also to constantly improving them.
BUCS’ Safeguarding
At BUCS we have a designated Welfare and Safety Lead on our Board of Trustees, who liaises directly with the CEO and the Safeguarding Strategy Group (SSG) who are responsible for the application of our policies and procedures and ensuring that they are up to date and compliant with evolving requirements.
Our Policies
At all BUCS run events there will be at least one safeguarding trained member of staff in the delivery team, and a named safeguarding lead whose identity will be made known to participants.
The full BUCS Safeguarding Policy acknowledges BUCS' role in safeguarding both adults and for those under the age of 18 and detail the full scope of these policies. All involved should note that participants can be below the age of 18 at Scottish institutions meaning that there could be participants below the age of 18 at events taking place in any nation should they be entered.
Associated to this is also our Anti-Bullying Policy which is designed to ensure an inclusive, respectful and enjoyable experience for all, and our Social Media Policy which reflects our commitment for all social media content and comment from BUCS to be positive and supportive. These policies make clear the cultural expectations and standards of behaviour and practice expected in university sport.
Reporting concerns about BUCS activities
We recognise that coming forward with a concern can be daunting, and that it is often difficult to tell whether the actions of an individual or institution constitutes abuse
In such circumstances it is important that concerns about the welfare of another person, or the impact of practice you witness, is reported. If you have any queries or concerns about a safeguarding matter please contact us by emailing [email protected]. BUCS has a process for reporting any welfare concerns whether these are within or outside of our direct activities.
Children and young people under the age of 18
The welfare of the child must always be your primary concern.
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Immediate danger or medical attention required – call the emergency services on 999. You can also ring the NSPCC helpline on 0808 800 5000 to report immediate risks.
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If there is no immediate danger or medical attention required - if you are at an event, you should report the concerns to the designated Safeguarding Officer at the event. They will be able to support with any requirements on the day and will support you with formally reporting the concern to us. If you are not at an event, but still need to raise a concern, you can do this through our BUCS Safeguarding Incident Report Form
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Adults over the age of 18
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Immediate danger or medical attention required – call the emergency services on 999. Wherever possible or appropriate, let the adult know what you are doing
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If there is no immediate danger or medical attention required, if possible or appropriate you should discuss your concerns with the adult together and determine what should happen next. If you are at an event, you should report the concerns to the designated Safeguarding Officer at the event. They will be able to support with any requirements on the day and will support you with formally reporting the concern to us. If you are not at an event, but still need to raise a concern, you can do this through the BUCS Safeguarding Incident Report Form
Reporting documents
Please use the BUCS Safeguarding Incident Report Form to submit a written report of your concern. You may find that you cannot complete all of the information fields on the form, don’t worry about this – just focus on the information that you can provide. A report should not be delayed by trying to search for further information.
Whistleblowing and raising safeguarding practice concerns
Reflecting our commitment to trust being at the heart of strong safeguarding practice, we recognise that we might not always get it right and could be implementing poor practice. Where this is the case, we would encourage individuals to raise this with us, to ensure our continual improvement is informed.
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Whistleblowing – is the raising of concerns over misconduct or malpractice within BUCS. This could be the individual behaviour of a staff member or representative towards another person, or when it’s recognised that appropriate actions have not been taken. Our Whistleblowing policy can be found here (create, included link)
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Safeguarding Complaints – are about how we respond to a safeguarding concern and how it is managed. This must in the first instance be directed to BUCS’s Lead Safeguarding Officer ([email protected])
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If the concern is about the Lead Safeguarding Officer, contact the BUCS Chief Executive Officer
All concerns submitted in in good faith, will be supported and treated seriously, and managed sensitively and appropriately.
Safeguarding concerns and complaints reported to us will be taken seriously and responded to promptly and appropriately.
