Safeguarding
Safeguarding is a vital service that BaseballSoftballUK provides for the British Softball Federation and their membership. We are pleased to now also offer this support to all independent clubs and leagues in the UK through our Development Charter if the following requirements are being worked towards.
For those organisations working towards complying with these requirements, BaseballSoftballUK will support your efforts through training, administration, the provision of Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks, advice and guidance. Provided there is a demonstrable willingness and commitment to implementation, these requirements are not expected to be in place prior to chartering.
Safeguarding requirements
Each organisation that has three or more players under the age of 18 in the membership of its teams, must:
- Appoint a Safeguarding Officer, who has been trained in the last three years.
- Keep the Safeguarding Officer’s contact details up-to-date with BaseballSoftballUK.
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For teams accepting any young people, the organisation must:
- DBS check all coaches or team captains* in those teams, each year.
- Require that at least one coach per team is safeguarding trained. Except where agreed with BSUK, the head coach or captain shall hold that role.
- Annually collect parental/guardian permission forms for all under 18 year old players, prior to participation.
- For groups intending to stay overnight, away from home they must also meet our ‘Staying Away Overnight’ requirements.
* Where the team has coaches, they all must be DBS checked. In slowpitch softball, this role is often termed ‘team captain’ – the organiser of the team.
An organisation is a single team club; a multiple team club; an adult baseball or softball league; a national team; or a regional or national baseball or softball body.
Exclusions
The above applies to any organisation that takes membership of three or more young people. Therefore, the following are excluded from the above requirements:
- Any organisation that excludes the membership of young people (for example via an exclusion within its constitution or membership rules).
- Adult-only teams, clubs or leagues with no young people in membership.
For clarity, if an organisation has one or two young people in membership, it is not required to have a Safeguarding Officer, but coaches or captains must be DBS checked.
Adults at risk
If you believe a member or potential member could be considered an adult at risk, please contact BaseballSoftballUK to discuss the measures required for safe participation.
How we can help you
BaseballSoftballUK provides free, ongoing one-to-one support to all chartered organisations, covering advice and guidance on policy, process and any issues that might arise. This includes advising on appropriate training and providing a free DBS check service.
Further information can be found in the Safeguarding section of our website, via your allocated relationship manager or by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
