Child Protection & Welfare
The Club supports and adheres to the Child Welfare in Swimming Procedures & Guidelines issued by Swim England. All of our coaches have are DBS checked and we have a Child Welfare Officer who should be the first point of contact if you have any concerns. Our Welfare Officer is Helen Harper.
If you have any queries or concerns regarding safeguarding email:
welfarecobasc@gmail.com
SwimLine - 0808 100 4001
The service is provided for anyone involved in swimming, including children and young people who believe that the welfare of a young child is at risk. This could be neglect or abuse, bullying or fear of someone, or anything that is worrying you and you don't know who to discuss it with.
When you ring, you will hear a message. This will explain that you wish to speak to someone urgently or it would not be convenient for someone to call you back - you can press a number to transfer straight to the NSPCC Child Protection Helpline. This will be answered by trained and experienced counsellors who will advise you and act to protect children.
If there is a problem with someone calling you back and you wish to speak to someone who understands swimming, you will need to leave your telephone number and time when it is convenient for one of our Child Protection Group to ring. These people are members of swimming clubs who work in child welfare as a profession and have volunteered to help this Swim England programme. If there is an issue which causes concern Swim England will act to protect the child.
SwimLine calls are free and do not appear on itemised bills unless the call is made from a mobile phone. SwimLine does not use the 1471 code or any other call return or call display facility. If you leave a message they aim to ring back during the next working day. If you phone over the weekend, they will aim to contact you on Monday.
SwimLine: 0808 100 4001
NSPCC Child Protection Helpline: 0808 800 5000 - (open 24 hours a day and calls are free).
For information on protecting children both online and offline - https://www.thinkuknow.co.uk
Equality & Diversity Policy
The Club supports and follows the Swim England’s Equality & Diversity Policy which is designed to promote swimming as 'sport for all' which can and should be enjoyed and made accessible to everyone. In principle we welcome disabled youngsters providing that the nature of their disability would not prejudice safe & successful participation. In practice, some physical disabilities may preclude this due to the nature of the sport but if you would like to discuss this with our coach or a committee member, please contact us. In cases where a particular disability might make participation in synchro impractical, please note that the City of Birmingham Swimming Club has a disabilities section.