East Coast Offshore Yachting is committed to the principle of equality of opportunity and aims to ensure that all present and potential participants, instructors, and employees are treated fairly and on an equal basis, irrespective of sex, age, disability, race, religion or belief, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity, marriage and civil partnership, gender reassignment or social status.
It is strongly recommended that you have adequate personal insurance to cover cancellation, injury, medical treatment & repatriation. You are advised to check that any insurance that you do have, includes sailing activities.
Cancellation by customers more than 6 weeks before the course commences will result in the forfeit of the deposit. Customer cancellation within 6 weeks of the course commencing will result in the forfeit of the full payment. In the event of East Coast Offshore Yachting cancelling a course, a full refund or an alternative date/course/venue will be offered. East Coast Offshore yachting cannot accept any liability for any additional expenses incurred.
At East Coast Offshore Yachting we strive to give you the very best possible experience. At the end of the course you will be asked to fill in a questionnaire, we value any comments you may have. If any part of the course falls short of your expectations, please inform your instructor at the first opportunity. Should you still be dissatisfied, please put your complaint in writing to The Principal. East Coast Offshore Yachting. ! Moory Croft Close. Gt Staughton. Cambs. PE19 5DY. Your complaint will be investigated & responded to promptly. You may also wish to contact RYA Training Tel 023 8060 4100 Ensign Way. Hamble-le-Rice. Southampton. SO31 4YA
Young people (Under 18 yrs of age) will only be accepted on courses if accompanied by a parent/guardian. Under 16 year olds will only be accepted on practical courses if accompanied by a parent/guardian & the whole boat is booked.
Extract
modified from RYA policy –
As
defined in the Children Act 1989, for the purposes of this policy anyone under
the age of 18 should be considered as a child. The policy also applies to vulnerable
adults (over 18s).
It
is the policy of ECOY Ltd to safeguard children and young people taking part in
boating from physical, sexual or emotional harm. ECOY Ltd will take all
reasonable steps to ensure that, through appropriate procedures and training,
children and vulnerable adults participating in ECOY Ltd activities do so in a
safe environment. We recognise that the safety and welfare of the child and
vulnerable adult is paramount and that all children and vulnerable adults,
whatever their age, gender, disability, culture, ethnic origin, colour,
religion or belief, social status or sexual identity, have a right to
protection from abuse.
ECOY
Ltd actively seeks to:
Create
a safe and welcoming environment, both on and off the water, where children and
vulnerable adults can have fun and develop their skills and confidence.
Recognise
that safeguarding children and vulnerable adults is the responsibility of
everyone, not just those who work with them.
Ensure
that ECOY Ltd – organised training and events are run to the highest possible
safety standards.
Be
prepared to review its ways of working to incorporate best practice. We will:
Treat
all children and vulnerable adults with respect and celebrate their
achievements.
Respond
swiftly and appropriately to all complaints and concerns about poor practice or
suspected or actual child or vulnerable adult abuse.
Staff/instructors/examiners
should not be on their own with a child or vulnerable adult. If they are
instructing on a 2 person boat they should keep within an area that is
supervised by a safety or rescue boat.
Inform
the child protection officer, Coordinator or Principal if you have any
suspicions or accusations of abuse.
AIM
The
Child & Vulnerable Adult Protection Policy relates to the actions of all
staff, visitors and individuals in a position of trust in the establishment.
The
purpose of the policy is to make a statement of intent and commitment to action
on the part of ECOY Ltd in relation to the child & vulnerable adult
protection aspects of its duty to safeguard and promoting the welfare of
people. To this end, it is intended to:
Ensure
action that will contribute to the safeguarding of all children and vulnerable
adults people.
Raise
awareness of Child & Vulnerable Adult Protection issues
Indicate
action to be taken in particular circumstances
Child
or Vulnerable Adult abuse can involve any one or more of the following:
�
Neglect
�
Physical Injury
�
Sexual Abuse
�
Emotional Abuse
LEGISLATIVE DUTY
ECOY
Ltd takes seriously its responsibility to safeguard and protect the welfare of
all people in its care and other people who may be on the site
legitimately. It has a moral duty and statutory obligation under Section
175 of the Education Act 2002 to all children and young people under 18 years
of age or vulnerable adults who are taught by or are on the site (legitimately)
for other reasons. ECOY Ltd is also required to work with other agencies to
protect children under the Children Act 1989 and Working Together to Safeguard
Children 1998. This duty is to:
Safeguard
and promote the welfare of children
Work
to provide an environment in which young people feel safe, secure, valued and
respected, and feel confident that any complaint, allegation or suspicion of
child abuse will be taken seriously
Ensure
that there are adequate procedures and arrangements at EVOY Ltd to identify,
assess, make referrals and support children who are suffering from harm.
Work
in partnership with parents and other agencies (e.g. Schools, Police, Social
Services in the child’s local authority) to meet these obligations.
Maintain
a safe environment.
ECOY
Ltd recognises that it is an agent of referral and not of investigation. It is
not the Sailing School’s responsibility to investigate abuse. Staff
should not extend an offer of confidentiality but should clearly inform any
child or vulnerable adult that if information about abuse is disclosed there is
a duty on staff to follow reporting procedures.
For
the purpose of Child Protection this policy covers all young people under 18
including
Children
under 18 years of age School-link students
Employees,
work experience students or volunteers who are under 18 years of age
Children
and adults who are potentially vulnerable because of their learning difficulty
and/or disabilities, regardless of age, are also covered by this policy.
POLICY STATEMENT
ECOY
Ltd will:
Make
all staff aware of Child & Vulnerable Adult Protection issues through the
Sailing School Induction Process.
Recruit
and train employees to adopt best practice to safeguard people from abuse, and
themselves from false allegations.
ECOY
Ltd will not tolerate inappropriate behaviour and will protect staff who
disclose information regarding abuse by a colleague or other adult towards
anyone.
All
individuals, including those in a position of trust, are expected to act
professionally at all times, and to be familiar with ECOY Ltd.’s guidance on
safe practice. This includes the need to:
Behave,
dress, and talk to everyone in an appropriate way (non-sexual, non-aggressive,
not abusing a position of trust)
Avoid
situations where they may be at risk of false allegations, or take action to
reduce that risk.
Report
and seek the advice of the principal if they are concerned about a situation,
such as a young person having a crush on them, or believe an incident may have
been misconstrued.
Know
ECOY Ltd.’s procedures, including how to respond to a person who discloses
abuse.
Know
and comply with requirements for recording all concerns and comments and
passing them onto the Dedicated Child & Vulnerable Adult Protection Person.
Treat
all information received with sensitivity and with due regard to
confidentiality and its limits in child & vulnerable adult protection
matters.
Respect
and promote the rights, wishes and feelings of people, and be sensitive to
their developmental needs and capabilities.
Regard
all children and vulnerable adults as having an equal right to protection,
irrespective of age, ethnicity, culture, disability, gender, language,
religious belief or sexual identity.
Regard
the interests and safety of the person to be the prime concern. (Where there is
a conflict of interest between the person and parent or other adult, the
welfare of the person will be considered paramount).
Work
in partnership with people and their parents.
Contribute
to the provision of a safe environment by raising concerns where ECOY Ltd and
health and safety procedures appear to fall short of acceptable standards
PROCEDURE
All
staff, including temporary staff, have a full and active part to play in
protecting our children and vulnerable adults from harm and their welfare will
be our paramount concern.
All cases of suspected
child, vulnerable adult abuse need to be channelled via the nominated person
with minimal delay.
NAMED CONTACT/PRINCIPAL
LES
RANT
The
Principal is responsible for:
Acting
as a focal point for staff to discuss child & vulnerable adult protection
concerns
Making
contact with Social Services for Joint Consultancy Team.
Keeping
written records of concerns about a child or young person even if there is no
need to make an immediate referral.
Ensuring
that all such records are kept confidentially and securely on a student file
separate from student records.
Establishing
and maintaining a system for all staff to record and pass on concerns about a
person and ensuring that staff are aware of the system
Ensuring
that records are received and passed onto other establishments as required
Ensuring
that staff receive child & vulnerable adult protection concerns when they
come to ECOY Ltd to learn to sail on a need to know basis
Ensuring
that ECOY Ltd is linked into networks which will enable procedures and
processes to keep abreast of developments
Ensuring
that either they or another member of staff attends case conferences, core
groups, or other multi-agency planning meetings, contributes to assessments.
Developing
and maintaining guidance and policies on safe environments and child &
vulnerable adult protection.
Monitoring
overall compliance with child & vulnerable adult protection requirements
and procedures, challenge and require improvements in poor practice at ECOY Ltd
and bring any concerns to the attention of the Principal
Attending
update training provided by ECOY Ltd or elsewhere as appropriate.
ECOY
Ltd recognises that it is an agent of referral and not of investigation.
It is not their responsibility to investigate abuse.
The
Principal is responsible for:
Ensuring
that all staff are trained to an acceptable standard, including adequate
induction training, by establishing and maintaining a training plan/schedule
and monitoring compliance with this. Ensuring that action is taken in cases of
non-compliance.
Developing,
monitoring and advising on the implementation of procedures for dealing with
allegations against staff which are consistent with Area Child & Vulnerable
Adult Protection procedures and national guidance.
Managing
the progress of allegations against staff, liaising with and reporting to the
Principal required
Arranging
support for staff facing allegations according to procedures.
Developing
guidance for safe practice for all adults, ensuring that all staff have been
(and continue to be) briefed on a regular basis) and understand the
implications of this.
SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS
Some
people with special educational needs may need a different approach from other
people. Staff must be aware of any special considerations with regard to
communication difficulties and equal opportunities.
MONITORING
It
will be the responsibility of the nominated participants of staff to review and
monitor the procedures and to seek the advice of the ACPC and local authority
Social Services department and to alert the ACPC should a change in the
procedures be considered.
CHILD & VULNERABLE
ADULT PROTECTION INCIDENT REPORT
Available
on request
Instructors
must be aware:
1. – you cannot
offer absolute confidentiality
2. – do not use
leading questions
3. – clarify the
situation
The
completed report will be sent to the Principal with responsibility for child
& vulnerable adult protection, and you must keep a copy securely for your
records only.