What is abuse and how we might see it at SE Fitness
The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child specifically states that children should be protected from all forms of abuse, and for the purposes of this policy we extend this to include vulnerable adults.
If anyone discloses any form of abuse to you, you witness it, or you have concerns about someone, please contact jo@sefitness.com as a matter of urgency.
If you suspect someone may be in immediate danger, always contact the police.
Abuse is any action that causes harm to another person, usually a child or vulnerable adult.
• It can be intentional or unintentional
• It usually happens over a period of time, rather than being a one-off event
• An abused child or adult will often experience more than one type of abuse
• It is not always obvious, or easy to identify
Whilst for the vast majority of time SE Fitness is an incredibly safe environment, free from abuse of any sort, unfortunately, abuse can occur in the SEF setting and therefore we must remain mindful of it at all times.
For further information, below is a list of different types of abuse and some signs that may indicate that someone could be being abused. This is not an exhaustive list of indicators, and there may be genuine reasons why someone is displaying these signs or behaviours.
There are many different types of abuse, including:
• Physical abuse
• Emotional/mental/psychological abuse
• Sexual abuse and child sexual exploitation
• Neglect and self-neglect
• Self-harm
• Domestic abuse
• Bullying
Below are some examples of how the different types of abuse might occur or show themselves in an SE Fitness setting:
Physical abuse
Deliberately hurting someone, causing injuries such as bruises, broken bones, burns or cuts. This may or may not have occurred at SE Fitness.
You may see unexplained, frequent or unusual injuries. You may notice fear of contact, fear of adults, reluctance to uncover their body (wearing long sleeves/trousers in hot weather), or physical aggression towards others. You may witness someone hitting/pushing/hurting someone during or after our sessions.
Emotional/mental/psychological abuse
The ongoing emotional maltreatment of another person. It can seriously damage a person’s emotional health and development.
You may see someone humiliating or constantly criticising a vulnerable adult, threatening them or calling them names, or pushing them too hard and not recognising their limitations.
Self-harm
When a person hurts themselves on purpose, for example by cutting, burning, the inappropriate taking of medicine, or disordered eating.
You may notice cuts/pinch marks/burns on someone’s body, or if someone is an unhealthy weight (very over or underweight).
Domestic abuse
An incident, or pattern of incidents, of controlling, coercive, threatening, degrading and violent behaviour. In the majority of cases, this is by a partner or ex-partner but can also be a family member or carer. Domestic abuse can often continue after separation, and this can be a time of greater risk of harm.
Adults being domestically abused may be very nervous, reluctant to talk to new people, or to do anything (go for coffee, change their plans etc), without first getting their partner’s permission. They may not have access to their own money, car, phone etc, and be disproportionately scared of getting things wrong.
In some cases, members at risk of domestic abuse may wish to keep their attendance at SE Fitness private and may request that images are not shared online and names are not used.
Bullying
Repeated behaviour which is intended to hurt someone emotionally or physically, and is often aimed at certain people because of their race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, appearance, ability or disability. It can be carried out by, and aimed at, both children and adults.
You may witness children or adults repeatedly teasing each other, singling others out, or purposefully excluding others, forming groups that others aren’t a part of. Please don’t label children ‘bullies’ if you witness this sort of behaviour, but do address it and contact the Safeguarding Team for support.
Responding to and reporting safeguarding incidents/concerns of abuse
Due to the very open, public nature of SE Fitness, the risk of abuse taking place in an SE Fitness context is low, as are the chances of someone disclosing abuse. However, despite the risk being low, concerns should never be ignored, and we should not assume that it is someone else’s responsibility.
Everyone involved in SE Fitness has a responsibility to raise concerns about abuse (potential or actual) or unacceptable behaviour, in order to prevent the problem increasing and to protect or reduce the risk to others.
It is important that confidentiality is maintained at all times, and disclosure should take place only on a ‘need to know’ basis, remembering to keep the information restricted to as small a circle as possible. Failure to keep the information confidential may lead to disciplinary action.
Leaders should never make a decision on whether someone is at risk of, or likely to suffer harm, or deal with concerns or safeguarding incidents on their own; if concerns are raised at all, it is essential that our Safeguarding Reporting Process is followed.
Responding to contact from law enforcement or other relevant services
If you are contacted by the police, or other services, such as children’s social services, disclosing or requesting any information about anyone connected with SE Fitness, in any capacity, please do:
• Take down the agency’s contact details (name, telephone number, email address) and pass these details on to jo@sefitness.com
• Keep any information you are given confidential
Please do not:
• Let the rest of your leaders know
• Contact the individual in question
• Agree to taking any actions
• Take any actions (for example, please don’t issue any bans, remove the individual from sessions etc.)
The Welfare Officer will liaise directly with the body that is disclosing information and will come back to the leaders to update them with anything appropriate that they need to know.
Reporting in a non-emergency situation
If you have any non-emergency/non-urgent concerns of a safeguarding nature, you must:
• Record details of the incident, including names of those involved, times and dates
• Report it to a Leader, who must then report it to the Welfare Officer via jo@sefitness.com
• If the Leader is the alleged perpetrator, or there are concerns that he or she won’t report it, you should contact the Welfare Officer directly via jo@sefitness.com
Records may be passed to relevant external agencies, such as local law enforcement agencies or social services. Files are stored securely using a safe online process.
Reporting in an emergency situation
Should you feel that anyone within an SE Fitness setting may be at immediate risk of harm, you should:
• Call the police and follow their advice
• Take reasonable steps to ensure the individual at risk is safeguarded
• Do not take actions that would put your own safety at risk
Once the incident is under control, ensure it is reported to Jo on 07969847937.
Following a report the Welfare Officer will make an assessment and any necessary follow up. This might include liaising with:
• The leaders
• The people involved
• External services such as the police and safeguarding authorities
Where appropriate the Safeguarding Team will also consider how follow up support can be offered to those involved. This might include:
• Signposting to external support charities or services
• Online information
• Local health services
• Local community support services
• Referral to relevant support services including statutory services
• Discussing with individuals (or their parents/carers) what support they feel they might benefit from