SAFEGUARDING POLICY
Pure Pickleball CIC
Last reviewed: September 2026
1. OUR COMMITMENT
Pure Pickleball CIC is committed to providing a safe, welcoming and inclusive environment for everyone who takes part in our activities.
The welfare of children and young people is paramount.
Everyone who works with or on behalf of Pure Pickleball has a responsibility to help protect children from abuse, neglect, exploitation, bullying and other forms of harm.
Safeguarding is everyone's responsibility.
This policy explains how Pure Pickleball approaches safeguarding, how concerns should be reported and what we expect from staff, coaches, contractors, volunteers, parents, guardians and participants.
2. WHO THIS POLICY APPLIES TO
This policy applies to everyone involved in Pure Pickleball activities, including:
Pure Pickleball directors and staff
Coaches and assistant coaches
Self-employed coaches and contractors
Volunteers
Children and young people
Parents and guardians
Adult participants
Visitors
External providers working on our behalf
It applies to activities delivered at our regular venue, at schools, within the community, at competitions and events, and at other locations where Pure Pickleball is responsible for delivery.
3. CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE
For the purposes of safeguarding, a child is anyone under the age of 18.
Pure currently provides dedicated playing opportunities including:
Juniors — ages 5–9
Youth — ages 9–15
We may also work with children and young people through schools, community programmes, events, competitions and other projects.
4. OUR SAFEGUARDING PRINCIPLES
Pure Pickleball will:
Put the welfare of children first.
Treat children with dignity and respect.
Create an environment where children feel safe, welcomed and listened to.
Take concerns seriously.
Respond appropriately to disclosures or allegations.
Recruit and manage people working with children responsibly.
Use appropriate safeguarding checks where required.
Maintain clear boundaries between adults and children.
Protect personal and safeguarding information appropriately.
Work with parents, guardians and relevant organisations where appropriate.
Refer safeguarding concerns to statutory agencies where necessary.
We will never knowingly allow commercial, competitive or reputational considerations to take priority over the welfare of a child.
5. DESIGNATED SAFEGUARDING LEAD
Pure Pickleball will appoint a Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) responsible for overseeing safeguarding within the organisation.
The DSL's responsibilities include:
Receiving safeguarding concerns.
Maintaining appropriate safeguarding records.
Supporting staff and coaches.
Making referrals to external agencies where required.
Reviewing safeguarding procedures.
Helping ensure appropriate safeguarding training and checks are maintained.
Supporting the organisation in responding to allegations or incidents.
The current DSL and their contact details will be communicated to staff and made available to parents and participants.
Safeguarding concerns can also be raised through:
play@pure-pickleball.club
If a child is in immediate danger, contact the emergency services on 999.
6. SAFER RECRUITMENT
Pure Pickleball is committed to ensuring that people working with children are suitable for their role.
Depending on the position and activities involved, this may include:
Identity checks.
References.
Relevant qualification checks.
Safeguarding training.
Appropriate Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks.
Assessment of suitability and experience.
Clear role expectations.
Ongoing supervision and review.
A DBS certificate alone does not make someone suitable to work with children. Safer recruitment involves considering the person's overall suitability for the role.
7. STAFF, COACHES AND VOLUNTEERS
Adults working with children through Pure Pickleball must maintain appropriate professional boundaries.
They should:
Treat children fairly and respectfully.
Use positive and appropriate coaching methods.
Communicate in an age-appropriate manner.
Avoid unnecessary physical contact.
Never engage in sexualised behaviour or communication.
Never make inappropriate, degrading or discriminatory comments.
Never deliberately humiliate or intimidate a child.
Never use their position to develop an inappropriate relationship with a child.
Avoid being unnecessarily alone with a child where reasonable alternatives exist.
Report safeguarding concerns promptly.
Follow Pure's safeguarding procedures and Code of Conduct.
Concerns about the behaviour of another member of staff, coach or volunteer must not be ignored simply because the individual is a colleague or friend.
8. PHYSICAL CONTACT
Pickleball coaching may occasionally require appropriate physical contact, for example when responding to an injury or helping demonstrate a movement.
Any physical contact must be:
Necessary.
Appropriate to the activity.
In the child's interests.
Proportionate.
Clearly explained where appropriate.
Never sexualised, threatening or unnecessarily intrusive.
Where a coaching point can reasonably be demonstrated without physical contact, that should normally be preferred.
9. JUNIORS AGED 5–9
For Pure Juniors sessions, a parent or guardian must remain at the venue throughout the session.
The parent or guardian must remain contactable and responsible while Pure's coaches supervise the activity.
Children must be appropriately checked in before taking part.
10. YOUTH AGED 9–15
For Pure Youth sessions, a parent or guardian may leave after their child has been properly checked in.
At the end of the session, the child must normally be collected by:
Their parent or guardian; or
Another adult authorised by their parent or guardian.
A Youth participant may leave independently where their parent or guardian has explicitly authorised this in advance.
Children will not knowingly be released to an unauthorised person.
11. LATE COLLECTION
If a parent or guardian is going to be late collecting a child, they should contact Pure as soon as possible.
The child will remain appropriately supervised until suitable collection arrangements have been made.
Staff should not simply leave a child alone because the scheduled session has ended.
Repeated late collection may be discussed with the parent or guardian and appropriate arrangements agreed.
12. MEDICAL AND ADDITIONAL NEEDS
Parents and guardians are responsible for providing relevant information that may affect their child's safe participation.
This may include:
Medical conditions.
Allergies.
Medication.
Disabilities.
Additional needs.
Emergency contact information.
Other relevant support requirements.
Parents and guardians must tell Pure promptly if this information changes.
Information will be handled appropriately and shared only where reasonably necessary to protect or support the child.
Pure may prevent or suspend participation where information reasonably required to provide a safe activity has not been supplied.
13. PHOTOGRAPHY AND VIDEO
Pure may use photography and video to celebrate activities and communicate the work of the organisation.
Identifiable photographs or video of children will only be used for Pure's website, social media, marketing or promotional purposes where appropriate parent or guardian consent has been obtained.
A child should not be pressured into appearing in photographs or video.
Where consent has not been provided, reasonable steps will be taken to avoid identifiable images of that child being used.
Images must never be taken or used in a way that could reasonably be considered inappropriate, degrading or exploitative.
14. DIGITAL COMMUNICATION
Communication with children must remain professional and appropriate.
Where practical, communication about children's sessions should take place through parents or guardians rather than through a child's personal account.
Staff and coaches must not use private digital communication to develop inappropriate personal relationships with children.
Any communication directly with an older young person must have a legitimate organisational purpose and maintain appropriate professional boundaries.
15. CHANGING AND TOILET FACILITIES
Adults working for Pure must respect children's privacy.
Staff should not enter changing or toilet areas used by children unless reasonably necessary for safety, supervision or an emergency.
Where intervention is necessary, staff should act proportionately and, where practicable, avoid being alone with a child.
16. TRANSPORT
Pure staff and coaches should not routinely transport children in personal vehicles unless this has been specifically authorised and appropriate safeguarding arrangements are in place.
Parents and guardians are normally responsible for transport to and from Pure activities.
17. BULLYING
Bullying is not accepted at Pure Pickleball.
This includes:
Physical bullying.
Verbal abuse.
Deliberate exclusion.
Threatening behaviour.
Discriminatory bullying.
Cyberbullying.
Repeated humiliation or intimidation.
Concerns about bullying will be taken seriously and dealt with appropriately.
Competitive sport sometimes involves frustration and disagreement. That does not justify bullying or abusive behaviour.
18. RESPONDING TO A DISCLOSURE
If a child tells a member of staff or coach that something has happened to them, the adult should:
Listen carefully.
Stay calm.
Take the child seriously.
Allow them to explain in their own words.
Avoid asking leading or unnecessary questions.
Avoid promising secrecy.
Explain that the information may need to be shared with people who can help keep them safe.
Record what was said as accurately as possible.
Report the concern promptly to the DSL.
The adult should not attempt to investigate the allegation themselves.
19. REPORTING A SAFEGUARDING CONCERN
Any concern about the welfare of a child should be reported to Pure's Designated Safeguarding Lead as soon as possible.
This includes concerns arising from:
Something a child says.
Something another person reports.
An injury or behaviour that causes concern.
The conduct of a coach, employee, volunteer or other adult.
Information received outside a Pure session that may indicate a child is at risk.
A safeguarding concern does not need to be proven before it is reported.
It is the DSL's role to determine the appropriate next steps.
20. IMMEDIATE DANGER
Where there is reason to believe a child is at immediate risk of significant harm, protecting the child takes priority over normal internal reporting procedures.
Call 999 where emergency assistance is required.
Safeguarding concerns may also need to be referred to children's social care, the police or another appropriate statutory safeguarding agency.
Pure will cooperate appropriately with safeguarding authorities.
21. CONCERNS ABOUT A MEMBER OF STAFF OR COACH
Any allegation or safeguarding concern involving someone working or volunteering for Pure must be taken seriously.
The matter should be reported immediately to the DSL.
Where the concern relates to the DSL, it should be reported to another appropriate senior person within Pure Pickleball.
Pure will consider whether the matter needs to be referred to the relevant Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO), police, DBS or another appropriate authority.
Pure may suspend or restrict an individual's duties while a safeguarding matter is considered.
Such action is a protective measure and does not automatically imply that an allegation has been proven.
22. RECORDING CONCERNS
Safeguarding records should be:
Accurate.
Factual.
Dated.
Stored securely.
Accessible only to appropriate people.
Records should distinguish between factual information, observations and opinions.
Safeguarding information will be retained and handled in accordance with applicable law and Pure's data protection procedures.
23. CONFIDENTIALITY
Safeguarding information is sensitive and should not be shared unnecessarily.
However, protecting a child takes priority over keeping information confidential.
Information may be shared with appropriate people or organisations where necessary to safeguard a child or comply with legal obligations.
Staff and coaches must never promise a child absolute confidentiality.
24. SCHOOLS AND PARTNER ORGANISATIONS
When Pure delivers activities within a school or another organisation, we will work alongside that organisation's safeguarding procedures.
The school or host organisation remains responsible for its own safeguarding responsibilities.
Pure staff must follow reasonable safeguarding instructions provided by the host organisation.
Where a concern arises during a school-based activity, Pure will normally report it promptly to the school's Designated Safeguarding Lead as well as following any relevant Pure procedures.
25. EXTERNAL PROVIDERS
Where an external provider is engaged to work with children as part of a Pure activity, Pure may require appropriate evidence of:
DBS checks.
Safeguarding training.
Qualifications.
Insurance.
Policies and procedures.
Other documentation relevant to the activity.
External providers remain responsible for ensuring that their staff comply with applicable safeguarding requirements.
26. ADULTS AT RISK
Although much of this policy focuses on children, Pure recognises that safeguarding responsibilities can also apply to adults who may be at risk of abuse or neglect.
Concerns about the welfare or safety of an adult at risk should also be reported to the DSL and handled appropriately.
27. CODE OF CONDUCT
Everyone attending Pure activities is expected to comply with our Code of Conduct.
Abusive, threatening, discriminatory, sexually inappropriate, intimidating or dangerous behaviour may result in immediate removal from an activity and further action where appropriate.
Where behaviour creates a safeguarding concern, Pure's safeguarding procedures will take priority.
28. WHISTLEBLOWING
Staff, coaches and volunteers should feel able to raise concerns about unsafe or inappropriate practice within Pure Pickleball.
Nobody should be disadvantaged for raising a genuine safeguarding concern in good faith.
Concerns should normally be raised with the DSL or an appropriate senior person.
Where someone reasonably believes that internal reporting is inappropriate or has failed to address a serious safeguarding concern, they may contact the relevant external safeguarding authority.
29. TRAINING AND REVIEW
Pure will seek to ensure that people with safeguarding responsibilities understand their role and receive appropriate training.
This policy will be reviewed regularly and whenever:
There is a significant safeguarding incident.
Our activities materially change.
Relevant legislation or safeguarding guidance changes.
A review identifies an improvement that should be made.
30. CONTACTING PURE
Safeguarding concerns relating to Pure Pickleball can be raised through:
play@pure-pickleball.club
Pure Pickleball CIC
Valentine Building
Health Science Campus
Crewe Green Road
Crewe
Cheshire
CW1 5DP
If a child is in immediate danger, call 999.
OUR SAFEGUARDING PROMISE
Every child should be able to enjoy pickleball in an environment where they feel safe, respected and supported.
If something concerns you, say something.
You do not need to decide whether abuse has taken place.
You only need to share the concern with the right person so that it can be dealt with properly.
Safeguarding is everyone's responsibility.