This Safeguarding Policy is a global policy, and applies across all countries in which parkrun operates.
It is essential that all parkrun staff, ambassadors, event directors, trustees, and directors familiarise themselves with this Safeguarding Policy, understand it, and adhere to it, so that parkrun events and related activity around the world are delivered to the highest possible standard with safeguarding prioritised at all times.
Safeguarding
Safeguarding is a term which is broader than ‘child protection’; it is an umbrella term that relates to the action taken to promote the welfare of children and adults at risk, and protect them from abuse or neglect. Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility, though some people have a greater responsibility than others.
Child protection
Adults at risk
We believe that everyone should be able to participate in, and enjoy, all parkrun-related activities in a safe environment, and be safeguarded from harm through a duty of care.
parkrun acknowledges that children and some adults can be particularly at risk of harm and abuse and we are committed to taking reasonable and appropriate steps to ensure their safety and welfare, within the resources reasonably available to us as a charity.
We acknowledge our duty of care to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and adults. We are committed to ensuring safeguarding practice reflects statutory responsibilities and relevant local government guidance, and complies with best practice. parkrun is committed to collaborating with law enforcement, social services, local services, and other relevant agencies, in accordance with their procedures.
The Safeguarding Policy recognises that the welfare and interests of children and adults at risk are paramount in all circumstances. This policy aims to ensure that, regardless of background, to the best of our ability, everyone:
- Has a positive and enjoyable experience at parkrun in a safe environment
- Is protected from abuse whilst participating in parkrun
This Safeguarding Policy is based on the following key principles:
- Everyone who takes part in parkrun should have the opportunity to have fun and enjoy themselves in an environment that keeps them safe from harm
- The welfare, protection and safeguarding of children and adults at risk must always be paramount and should be based on prevention and best practice.
- Duty of care is the responsibility of all, regardless if in a paid or voluntary role
- We will endeavour to treat all allegations of abuse seriously and with sensitivity, and respond to them swiftly and appropriately, and in line with local reporting guidelines.
- Confidentiality will be appropriately maintained, but the safety and welfare of the individual/s will be the overriding consideration when making decisions on whether to share information.
- parkrun will support everyone involved in delivering and supporting events to understand their roles and responsibilities for safeguarding children and adults at risk; also to be aware of and understand best practice, and know how to manage any concerns they identify or are informed of.
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As part of our Safeguarding Policy, parkrun will at all times and as far as is reasonably possible within the scope and resources available to us as a global charitable organisation:
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The Safeguarding Policy is publicly available via safeguarding.parkrun.com and regularly shared via our communications channels (both internal and public-facing). This Policy is reviewed regularly, and at the very least every three years, and/ or following relevant significant changes, in order to maintain best practice.
This policy should be read in conjunction with other policies and procedures:
- Photo and video safeguarding policy
- Whistleblowing policy
- Social media safeguarding policy
- Facilities policy
- Anti-Bullying policy
- Missing person procedure
- Non-collection of child procedure
- Stalking and Harassment Policy
- Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Policy
Abuse and how we might see it at parkrun
Abuse is any action that causes harm to another person, usually a child or adult at risk.
- 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 people, parkrun is an incredibly safe environment, unfortunately abuse does occasionally occur in the parkrun setting and therefore we must remain mindful of it at all times.
For further information, this video outlines different types of abuse and some signs that may indicate that someone could be being abused. In addition, the following categories are not abuse, but we have included them here as they are incidents of concern, with the potential risk of harm, that may happen at parkrun events:
- Pushy parenting
- Over-familiarity, positions of trust and physical contact
- Unaccompanied children and children’s participation
- General safety
- Missing person procedure
- Tail walking and parkwalking
If you have any concerns about someone at parkrun, speak to the Run Director or Event Director of the event if possible, or contact the Safeguarding Team. If you are a Run/ Event Director, or if the concern is about the Run/ Event Director, always follow the Safeguarding Reporting Process and contact the Safeguarding Team. If in any doubt at all, contact the Safeguarding Team.
Decisions on whether someone is at risk or likely to suffer harm should only be made by the parkrun Safeguarding Team. In addition, safeguarding concerns and situations should never be dealt with without first reporting to the parkrun Safeguarding Team. The only exception to the above two statements is if a situation is judged to be an emergency (if someone is at risk of immediate harm); in this situation, your local emergency services should be contacted immediately, using your country’s standard procedure, and the incident reported subsequently, using the Safeguarding Reporting Process.
Reporting and responding to safeguarding incidents/concerns of abuse
| Everyone involved in parkrun has a responsibility to raise concerns about abuse (potential or actual) or unacceptable behaviour, in order to prevent the problem escalating and to minimise 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.
The Safeguarding Team will respond to every incident and the appropriate response will differ depending on the nature of the incident and what, if any, actions have already been taken.
Incidents can be reported to the safeguarding team via two main sources: our event management system (EMS) accessible to the core team of volunteers at each event, and/ or via emailing safeguarding@parkrun.com.
Safeguarding incidents are prioritised and managed by a dedicated Safeguarding Officer, under the overarching direction of the Safeguarding Lead. All communications regarding the case are added to the incident case notes. The reporting process flowchart shows the varying actions that may be taken depending on the case.
A lower-level concern is any concern, doubt, or sense of unease that someone may have acted in a way that is inappropriate. This can include inappropriate behaviour outside the parkrun environment. These concerns often do not meet the threshold to refer to a statutory agency; however, they should still be reported and recorded. Addressing lower-level concerns and providing early intervention helps us to create a more positive community experience at parkrun.
A sanctions panel will be held in cases where there are significant concerns about an individual participant, where there may need to be a restriction on their participation or their volunteering activity.
Confidentiality and information sharing
| Please ensure that all safeguarding concerns are shared with parkrun’s Safeguarding Team, even if you have already shared them with external services. |
Sharing information between relevant organisations, groups, and agencies is essential for protecting and supporting the welfare of children and adults. In some situations, both parkrun as an organisation and its volunteers are legally required to share information.
Often, concerns only become clear when information from different sources is brought together and reviewed. This can help identify when someone is experiencing harm or may be at risk of harm.
To help keep everyone safe, information must be shared appropriately. Everyone involved with parkrun must follow Confidentiality and Information Sharing Policy and Process and Data Protection at all times.