POLICIES

Safeguarding at Henley Padel

We're committed to protecting children, young people, and adults at risk at our venue. Welfare takes priority over sporting or commercial outcomes.

Approved 12 October 2026 · Next review 12 October 2027

VENUE WELFARE OFFICER

Simon Haddleton

07748 654521

sjhaddleton@googlemail.com

Safeguarding training and DBS certificate held

DEPUTY SAFEGUARDING CONTACT

Luke Henley · 07593 822442 · Luke@henleypadel.com

IF SOMEONE IS IN IMMEDIATE DANGER

999 — emergency services

101 — police non-emergency

0808 800 5000 — NSPCC Helpline

0800 1111 — Childline

SHROPSHIRE STATUTORY SAFEGUARDING

0345 678 9021 — Children's safeguarding (First Point of Contact / Compass) · also LADO for allegations against staff

0345 678 9044 — Adult safeguarding (First Point of Contact)

0345 678 9040 — Out of hours urgent concerns (option 1 for children)

LTA SAFEGUARDING

Regional Safeguarding Officer (North and Midlands West): Clair Young. Report concerns via the LTA secure reporting form. LTA reporting must not delay urgent statutory reporting.

POLICY 1

Safeguarding Policy

Responsibilities

Management appoints and supports a trained Welfare Officer, ensures policies are accessible, trains and inducts personnel, and reviews risks. Coaches supervise sessions appropriately and follow LTA guidance and codes of conduct. Everyone must report concerns promptly; nobody should investigate allegations themselves.

Reporting and immediate response

If anyone is in immediate danger or a crime is in progress, call 999. Otherwise, listen calmly, reassure without promising secrecy, record the person's own words and factual observations, and promptly contact the Welfare Officer. The Welfare Officer refers to statutory services or LTA safeguarding as appropriate. If the Welfare Officer is implicated, unavailable or there is a conflict, contact the LTA safeguarding team or statutory agencies directly. Do not delay a statutory referral while seeking internal approval.

Recording and confidentiality

Make a dated, factual record including names, times, witnesses, actions and referrals. Store securely with access limited to authorised safeguarding personnel; retain and share under applicable law, LTA guidance and the privacy notice. Do not use routine Playtomic messages or open WhatsApp groups to store safeguarding disclosures.

Children, access and supervision

Children aged 14 or over may attend Henley Padel without a parent or guardian, subject to booking arrangements, behaviour rules and any activity-specific safeguarding risk assessment. Children under 14 must be accompanied by a parent or carer or attend a specifically organised, supervised junior session with documented drop-off and collection arrangements. Parents and carers remain responsible outside supervised organised activities; emergency contact details must be available for junior sessions. Being 14 or older does not remove safeguarding duties towards under-18s.

Safer working

Avoid one-to-one isolated situations; use visible spaces and appropriate supervision. No unnecessary physical contact, private transport or personal gifts. Record incidents and near misses; report allegations against adults in positions of trust via the Welfare Officer, LTA and statutory channels where appropriate.

POLICY 2

Inclusion and Diversity Policy

Commitment

We welcome participation regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy or maternity, race, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation. We will not tolerate unlawful discrimination, harassment or victimisation.

Practical steps

Provide clear information about accessibility, prices and sessions; consider reasonable adjustments for disabled players and visitors; respond respectfully to individual needs, including changing-room privacy; train staff to challenge exclusionary behaviour. Sporting eligibility decisions must follow applicable governing-body rules and law.

Reporting

Report concerns to management or the Welfare Officer if safeguarding is involved. Investigate fairly, keep records, avoid retaliation, and apply proportionate remedies, including coaching, warnings, exclusion or referral.

POLICY 3

Whistleblowing Policy

Purpose

Employees, coaches, volunteers and contractors may raise genuine concerns about unsafe practice, abuse, concealment, breaches of safeguarding rules, or unlawful conduct without retaliation.

How to raise concerns

Report to the Welfare Officer or a director in writing or verbally. If management or the Welfare Officer is involved, report directly to LTA safeguarding, police, local authority services or another appropriate regulator. For immediate risk, call 999. Confidentiality will be respected as far as legally possible; anonymity may limit investigation.

Protection and handling

Management will acknowledge, assess urgency, keep a restricted record, act or refer, and provide feedback where lawful. There will be no victimisation for good-faith reporting. This policy does not replace statutory whistleblowing rights or emergency reporting.

POLICY 4

Changing Room and Shower Policy

Scope and privacy

The venue has individual, single-occupancy changing rooms and shower facilities, rather than communal shared changing areas. Each room is for one person at a time, except where a child or person requiring assistance is accompanied by their parent, carer or an agreed appropriate assistant. Users must close and lock the door where a lock is fitted. No photography, filming or video calls anywhere in changing, toilet or shower facilities.

Children and adults

Adults and children use the single-occupancy rooms separately, maintaining personal privacy. Coaches and staff must not enter an occupied changing room except in an emergency or where assistance has been expressly requested and safeguarding precautions are followed. A parent or carer may assist their own child where necessary; do not leave children requiring supervision unattended. Any welfare concern must be reported to Simon Haddleton, the Welfare Officer.

Operational arrangements

Management will check and document door locks, privacy, signage, accessibility, cleaning procedures and emergency access for each single-occupancy room. Rooms must not be used by two unrelated people simultaneously. Cleaning or maintenance staff must knock, announce themselves and confirm vacancy before entry. Rules apply equally to players, coaches, Casa Pilates users and visitors where they use the facilities.

POLICY 5

Anti-Bullying Policy

Zero tolerance

Bullying includes repeated or serious intimidation, humiliation, threats, discriminatory abuse, exclusion, unwanted contact and cyberbullying. It may occur between juniors, adults, spectators or staff.

Prevention

Communicate respectful behaviour expectations at coaching, social sessions, Americano tournaments and junior clubs. Coaches actively supervise and intervene early; do not dismiss behaviour as banter.

Response

Prioritise safety, listen separately to those involved, record facts, inform parents and carers appropriately, agree protective actions and monitor. Serious or discriminatory incidents may require safeguarding referral, disciplinary action, suspension or police involvement. Avoid forced mediation where there is a power imbalance.

POLICY 6

Online Safety and Communication Policy

Approved channels

Use official Henley Padel business accounts, Playtomic and authorised business email or phone for bookings and general communications. Keep communications professional, necessary and auditable. Personal social-media accounts should not be used to contact junior players.

Children and young people

For under-18s, communicate via a parent or carer, or through an approved transparent group arrangement with appropriate adult oversight. Do not conduct private one-to-one messaging, disappearing-message chats or late-night personal conversations. Do not publish children's contact details, locations or identifying personal information.

Digital safety

Protect booking and access credentials, restrict admin rights, use secure passwords and multifactor authentication where supported. Never share venue access codes publicly. Report abusive content, grooming concerns, inappropriate images or breaches to the Welfare Officer; preserve evidence securely without circulating it. Follow the privacy notice and UK GDPR / data protection requirements.

POLICY 7

Safe Recruitment Policy

Scope

Applies to employed and self-employed coaches, junior activity leaders, staff, volunteers and contractors where relevant. Self-employment is not treated as exemption from safeguarding checks.

Before appointment

Define role and safeguarding responsibilities; check identity, qualifications, coaching accreditation and right to work as applicable; obtain appropriate references, assess gaps and concerns, interview consistently and document selection. Determine DBS eligibility by duties and frequency; obtain the correct level and barred-list check only where legally eligible, following LTA requirements.

Deployment and ongoing checks

No person may undertake regulated activity unsupervised until required vetting and suitability decisions are complete. Record dates, check status and renewal requirements without retaining unnecessary certificate details. Provide safeguarding induction, codes of conduct, reporting routes, appropriate training, supervision and periodic reviews. Escalate adverse disclosures to the LTA safeguarding team as appropriate.

POLICY 8

Photography and Filming Policy

Consent and notice

Obtain informed, specific consent before taking or publishing identifiable promotional images, especially of under-18s, using parent or carer consent and considering the child's wishes. Explain purpose, channels, retention and how to withdraw consent for future use. Display event photography notices, but do not rely on notices alone for children's promotional consent.

Safe practice

No photography or filming in toilets, changing rooms or showers. Avoid identifying children by full name alongside images, tagging their accounts or publishing personal details. Use approved photographers, brief them on boundaries and prohibit private use or distribution.

Events and social media

At coaching, tournaments, girls' socials and other activities, maintain a consent or opt-out list accessible only to organisers; provide reasonable no-photo arrangements. Seek separate permission for livestreams and apply LTA livestreaming safeguarding guidance. If consent is withdrawn, stop future use and remove images from channels under our control where reasonably possible; we will explain limits of removal from third-party shares.

ALIGNMENT

How these policies work with our website terms

Child attendance versus online registration

The venue rule permits children aged 14 and above to attend without an accompanying parent or guardian, subject to junior activity supervision, booking conditions, emergency contact details and individual risk assessment. This does not remove parental consent requirements for online accounts, marketing, data collection or photography. Our Terms & Conditions require parental or guardian permission for under-16s using website registrations or submitting personal information; our Privacy Policy notes appropriate parental or guardian consent for personal data from children under 16.

CCTV and safeguarding records

Our Privacy Policy describes CCTV for safety, security, crime prevention and incident management, and states footage is normally retained for approximately 30 to 45 days unless needed longer for an incident or legal purposes. CCTV does not operate in changing rooms, showers or toilets. Safeguarding concerns, witness notes, consent records and necessary incident footage are securely accessible only to authorised personnel, with appropriate legal bases, retention decisions and disclosure controls.

Booking platforms and communications

Playtomic and Momence each operate their own booking services. Safeguarding expectations for coaches, employees, junior players, photography and online communications apply regardless of the booking channel; booking-platform terms do not override safeguarding obligations.

QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS

For general questions about safeguarding at the venue, or to request a printed copy of these policies:

Henley Padel
Unit 4 Knights Park, Knights Way
Shrewsbury, SY1 3AB
info@henleypadel.com