Safeguarding contacts

• Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL): Liam O’Sullivan — safeguardingstaineschess@gmail.com
• Immediate danger: call 999

Policy status: adopted by Staines Chess Club Committee on 19 August 2026. Version 1.2 clarified junior arrival, supervision and collection arrangements on 20 August 2026. Version 1.3 was an administrative revision dated 21 August 2026 correcting the adult safeguarding referral contact and clarifying registration/data-handling wording. Version 1.4 is an administrative revision dated 21 August 2026 updating safer-recruitment and DBS wording for the change to regulated activity with children from 1 September 2026. The junior arrival, supervision and collection arrangements are unchanged. Review due by 19 August 2027, or sooner if relevant guidance changes.

Junior Chess: arrival, supervision and collection

• The Club assumes supervisory responsibility during the published session once a junior has been signed in or formally received by the session team.
• Parents and guardians are not normally required to remain at the venue once the junior has been signed in, unless the Club has agreed that an adult should remain for the needs of an individual child.
• Children under 14 must be brought to the venue, formally handed over to the session team and collected at the end by a parent, guardian or another responsible adult authorised by the parent or guardian. They must not leave unaccompanied.
• Players aged 14–17 may attend and/or travel home without an accompanying adult only where written parental or guardian permission has been provided in advance and recorded by the Safeguarding Lead.
• A register of juniors and supervising adults will be kept for each session. Parents must provide an emergency contact and relevant information needed to keep their child safe.
• At least two responsible adults should be present for a junior session wherever reasonably practicable.

Safer recruitment and conduct

• The Club assesses DBS eligibility according to the activity actually carried out and how frequently it is undertaken. From 1 September 2026, regular teaching, training, instructing, caring for or supervising children can be regulated activity even where the volunteer is supervised by another adult; where a role meets the regulated-activity criteria, the Club will require the appropriate Enhanced DBS check with Children’s Barred List information. Occasional helpers who do not meet that threshold remain subject to the Club’s safeguarding arrangements and will not be left alone with a junior.
• Adults should avoid being alone and out of sight or hearing of other adults with a junior wherever reasonably possible.
• One-to-one coaching should take place in an open or observable setting, following the ECF-style “rule of three” wherever reasonably possible.
• Adults must use appropriate language and behaviour and must challenge or report conduct that may place a child at risk.
• Routine private messaging between an adult volunteer and a junior should be avoided; a parent, guardian or another authorised adult should normally be included where communication is necessary.

Photography and information

• Parents and guardians will be told if photography or video may take place at junior activities.
• The Club will record and respect objections to publication of a junior’s image.
• Safeguarding records are factual, dated, securely stored and kept separately from routine membership records.

Reporting a concern

A safeguarding concern does not need to be proven before it is reported. Club procedures must never delay an emergency referral. Listen calmly, do not promise secrecy, do not investigate, record the facts promptly and report them to the DSL.

• Staines Chess Club: safeguardingstaineschess@gmail.com
• Emergency services: 999
• Surrey Children’s Single Point of Access (C-SPA): 0300 470 9100 / cspa@surreycc.gov.uk
• Surrey Emergency Duty Team: 01483 517898
• Surrey LADO: 0300 123 1650
• ECF Safeguarding Team: safeguarding.officer@englishchess.org.uk
• Surrey Adult Safeguarding (MASH): 0300 470 9100 / ascmash@surreycc.gov.uk

This web page presents the operative safeguarding arrangements from the Club’s v1.4 policy. The controlled policy should be reviewed at least annually and sooner if ECF, DBS or statutory guidance changes.