We want everyone to stay safe, feel welcome and have fun while taking part in orienteering. We all have a shared responsibility for safeguarding and creating safe, enjoyable environments in orienteering whether as an participant, coach, club official, volunteer, parent or spectator.
If you have any safeguarding or welfare concerns we would encourage you to raise them or incidents you witness at the earliest opportunity to our Club Welfare Officer (Ken McDonald) or Scottish Orienteering’s Lead Welfare Officer (Nikki Howard).
Our club is committed to safeguarding the welfare of all 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 Scottish Orienteering's Safeguarding website page.
Reporting a concern or incident
If you feel a child or vulnerable adult is at immediate danger or risk of harm you should contact the Police immediately.
If you have a concern about the safety or welfare of an individual, have been abused or you have reason to believe that someone is being abused, you should report it immediately. 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
o Ken McDonald - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
● Scottish Orienteering’s Lead Welfare Officer
o Nikki Howard - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
● Or if it concerns something within the British Orienteering context
o Peter Brooke, British Orienteering’s Lead Safeguarding Officer - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
This includes any concerns about safeguarding and welfare either within orienteering or outside of orienteering and any concern over 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 Scottish Orienteering’s Lead Welfare Officer who will also explain the processes which will be followed depending on each case.
Reporting Forms
Concerns can raised directly, with either the Club Welfare Officer or Scottish Orienteering’s Lead Welfare Officer in whatever way you feel comfortable raising the concern. Our Club Welfare Officer or Scottish Orienteering’s Lead Welfare Officer would be happy to discuss any concern in person, or can be contacted by email or there is a reporting form which you may find helpful.
If you complete the reporting form, it will then need to be emailed to either your Club Welfare Officer or Scottish Orienteering’s Lead Welfare Officer as soon as possible.
Safeguarding Policies
As a club, we support and follow Scottish Orienteering’s two safeguarding policies, these can be found via the links below:
● Scottish Orienteering Child Safeguarding and Welfare Policy
● Scottish Orienteering Adult Safeguarding Policy
For further information including resources and training opportunities visit the Scottish Orienteering's Safeguarding website page or contact Scottish Orienteering’s Lead Welfare Officer.
Additional Information
When you come orienteering we ensure everyone’s welfare and safety by ensuring that;
● Organisers of events and activities carry out risk assessments and have procedures for managing safety in public places.
● Planners of courses and activities follow rules and guidelines to provide courses or activities with different levels of challenge to meet different needs.
● We keep track of every individual at every event or activity to ensure that they are accounted for. We will give you information so that you understand the level of challenge on courses offered. At events, we will explain what physical and navigational skills are needed to complete a course and how we can help with an individual need. We have procedures for finding and looking after lost participants and for providing first aid.
● We expect you to follow our guidelines about which course is appropriate for you or your children to complete. In order to meet our safeguarding and insurance responsibilities, we may refuse to let you do a course if we consider you are taking undue risk.
● At events, we will explain what physical and navigational skills are needed to complete a course and how we can help with an individual need.
● At activities led by coaches if you tell us about any special needs we will tell you what adaptations can be made to make our activities accessible. We have procedures for finding and looking after lost participants and for providing first aid.