Procedures

It is not your responsibility to decide whether a child is being abused, but the school is asking you to act on your concerns.  It is your responsibility to ensure the concerns are raised as passed on appropriately.

Reef Scuba Dive Club and School has two club welfare officers.  They have knowledge of PADI policy and the procedure to advise anyone with a child welfare concern.  They should always be involved in any concerns raised within the school unless they are in some way implicated in the concern.

As dive school staff, Club official or parent involved in a dive school or private dive club you should follow the guidelines as outlined below:

• if the child or young person is in immediate danger or has been physically, emotionally or sexually injured, ensure they are safe and contact the police.
• If the child is not in immediate danger but you have concerns, either:
• Discuss the concerns with the welfare officer(s) or official who will advise you on the correct procedure for referring your concern appropriately;
• Complete a incident form as soon as possible; or
• Make a note of what you have seen or heard but don’t delay in passing on the information.

 

Raising Concerns

If a student (or parent of a student if the diver is under 18 years of age) has a grievance about the way in which the dive school handles a child protection incident or complaint, they should be advised to write to the Secretary for Reef Scuba at: Beverley@diveuk.com. 

Guidance

Action to take if a child or young person tells you that he or she is being abused:

• Stay calm
• Don’t promise to keep it to yourself
• Listen to what they say, and take it seriously
• Only ask questions if you need to identify what the child or young person is telling you – don’t ask them about explicit details.

 

Make a detailed note of what you have been told, but don’t delay in passing on the information.

A copy in pdf can be downloaded or printed by clcking here