Safeguarding
Surrey Goalball Club is here to provide a safe, welcoming environment for everyone who takes part in our sessions and any competitions we attend. If something doesn’t feel right (whether it involves a child (anyone under 18) or an adult), we want you to tell us. You don’t need proof, and it’s not your job to decide whether abuse or neglect has happened. If you have a concern, please share it.
If Someone is in Immediate Danger
If you believe someone is at immediate serious risk, call 999 straight away.
If it’s urgent safeguarding advice relating to children or adults at risk in Surrey, you can contact Surrey County Council on 0300 470 9100 between 9am and 5pm Monday-Friday, or on 01483 517898 outside of these hours.
How to Report a Safeguarding Concern to SGC
The simplest way to report something is through the Report a Safeguarding Concern Form. This will send directly to our safeguarding inbox: safeguarding@surreygoalball.com which is monitored by our Welfare Officer.
Katie Seabourne - Welfare Officer
safeguarding@surreygoalball.com
You can choose to include your name and contact details, or submit without sharing them. However, while we treat concerns sensitively and only share information on a need-to-know basis, we cannot guarantee anonymity in every situation (for example, if a fair disciplinary process requires people to be identified).
What Happens After You Report
All safeguarding concerns and allegations are taken seriously and responded to promptly. SGC does not investigate safeguarding concerns ourselves. When a concern is reported to SGC, it will be passed to Goalball UK’s Safeguarding Lead, who will assess and manage it through Goalball UK’s safeguarding procedures, with support to the club where appropriate.
Reporting Directly to Goalball UK
You can raise safeguarding concerns directly with Goalball UK by emailing safeguarding@goalballuk.com, or by contacting their Lead Safeguarding Officer (details listed on Goalball UK’s Safeguarding page). You can call the Goalball UK Independent CareLine on 07999 968 376.
If you can’t contact SGC or Goalball UK and it’s urgent, we advise you call the NSPCC 24-hour helpline on 0808 800 5000.
Is My Concern Serious Enough?
Yes. We want to hear about lower-level concerns too. For example, things that may fall short of abuse but still don’t feel acceptable, breach the Code of Conduct, or make you feel uneasy about someone’s behaviour around children.
Whistleblowing
If you’re worried that a concern won’t be handled properly, might be covered up, or you’re concerned about repercussions for raising it, you can still report it. We suggest the NSPCC Whistleblowing Advice Line on 0800 028 0285 and help@nspcc.org.uk.
What to Include in Your Report
Share what you’ve seen, heard, or been told, and what made you concerned. If you can, include dates/times, locations, the names (or descriptions) of people involved, and whether anyone is at immediate risk. If the concern relates to an adult at risk, tell us if there are any safe ways to contact them.
It’s okay if you don’t have everything, please just send what you do have.
Confidentiality and Information Sharing
Safeguarding information is handled confidentially on a need-to-know basis. We may need to share information with Goalball UK and, where necessary, statutory services to prevent or manage risk.
For adults at risk, we will usually seek consent before sharing information, but there are circumstances where we may need to act without consent (for example, where it isn’t safe to ask, where others are at risk, or where serious crime may be involved).