Safeguarding

Keeping Our Young People Safe

Safeguarding is everyone's responsibility. Here's how we protect the young people in our care.

What Safeguarding Means

Safeguarding means protecting children from harm, abuse, and neglect. It means creating environments where young people feel safe, valued, and able to thrive. It means every adult involved with Progress Network understands their responsibility to keep children safe.

We take this responsibility seriously. Every child who comes to Sparks, Green Arena, or any of our programmes deserves to be protected, and every parent who trusts us with their child deserves confidence that we're doing everything possible to keep them safe.

How We Keep Children Safe

Safe Recruitment

Every staff member and volunteer working directly with children undergoes an enhanced DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) check. We verify identities, check references, and ensure everyone understands our safeguarding policies before they begin working with young people.

We don't cut corners. If someone hasn't been properly checked, they don't work with children. It's that simple.

Clear Policies and Training

All volunteers and staff receive safeguarding training appropriate to their role. They know how to recognise signs of abuse or neglect, understand their responsibility to report concerns, and follow our clear procedures for keeping children safe.

We review our policies regularly to ensure they reflect current best practice and legal requirements, following guidance from the UK Government's "Working Together to Safeguard Children" and "Keeping Children Safe in Education" frameworks.

Designated Safeguarding Lead

Claire Oram is our Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL). She has undertaken specialist safeguarding training and is the person responsible for managing safeguarding concerns and liaising with external agencies when needed.

Safe Environments

Our sessions are structured to protect children:

  • Volunteers never work alone with individual children
  • Drop-off and pick-up procedures are clear and followed consistently
  • We maintain appropriate ratios of adults to children
  • Physical contact follows strict guidelines (e.g., demonstrating a football skill is appropriate; anything beyond professional guidance is not)

Code of Conduct

Every adult working with Progress Network signs a code of conduct covering:

  • Professional boundaries with children and families
  • Appropriate behaviour and communication
  • Confidentiality and information sharing
  • Use of technology and social media
  • Reporting concerns

Anyone breaching this code is removed from working with children immediately.

If You Have Concerns

Contact our Designated Safeguarding Lead immediately:

Claire Oram - Designated Safeguarding Lead

Contact via our safeguarding form

If your concern is about our DSL, or if you need to speak to someone outside Progress Network:

East Sussex Children's Services:

  • Phone: 01323 464222 (Monday-Thursday 8:30am-5pm, Friday 8:30am-4:30pm)
  • Out of hours: 01273 335905

In an emergency where a child is at immediate risk:

Call 999 immediately

If you're worried about a child but don't feel it's an emergency, you can also contact:

  • NSPCC Helpline: 0808 800 5000 (24/7, free and confidential)
  • Childline: 0800 1111 (for children and young people)

Your Concerns Matter

We would rather hear about ten concerns that turn out to be nothing than miss one child who needs help.

If something doesn't feel right - a change in a child's behaviour, something they've said, something you've observed - tell us. You don't need to be certain. You don't need to investigate. You just need to share your concern so we can take appropriate action.

Safeguarding is everyone's responsibility. When parents, volunteers, and staff all look out for children's wellbeing, we create the safest possible environment.

Online Safety

Children's safety online is part of safeguarding. At Progress Network:

  • We never publish children's names alongside their photos without explicit parental consent
  • We don't share detailed information about where and when children will be present
  • Our social media accounts are monitored and moderated
  • We teach young people about staying safe online as part of our programmes
  • Any online communication with young people follows strict professional boundaries

Information Sharing

We handle information about children carefully. Personal information is:

  • Stored securely and only accessed by those who need it
  • Shared with parents/carers as appropriate
  • Only shared with external agencies when necessary to keep children safe
  • Managed in accordance with GDPR and data protection law

Sometimes we must share information without parental consent - specifically when we believe a child is at risk of harm. In these situations, the child's safety always comes first.

Our Commitment

Progress Network CIC is committed to:

  • Creating environments where children feel safe and can speak up if something's wrong
  • Listening to children and taking their concerns seriously
  • Continuously improving our safeguarding practice
  • Working with parents, carers, and external agencies to protect children
  • Being transparent about how we keep children safe

Safeguarding isn't something we do because we have to - it's fundamental to who we are.

Every child deserves to be safe. Every parent deserves to trust the organisations caring for their children. We work every day to honour that trust.