At Boulders, we believe that:

Children and vulnerable adults should never experience abuse of any kind.
We have a responsibility to promote the welfare of all children and vulnerable adults, to keep them safe and to practise in a way that protects them.

We recognise that:

The welfare of children/vulnerable adults is paramount in all the work we do. In all the decisions we take, all children/vulnerable adults (regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex, or sexual orientation) have an equal right to protection from all types of harm or abuse
Some children/vulnerable adults are additionally vulnerable because of the impact of previous experiences, their level of dependency, communication needs or other issues
Working in partnership with children, vulnerable adults, their parents, carers and other agencies is essential in promoting young people’s welfare.
Our instructors are in a position of trust when working with children and vulnerable adults, and as such there are boundaries which must not be crossed.

We are vigilant in protecting children and young people, here is how:

Prevent

Staff are trained to recognise and respond to safeguarding concerns

Protect

We actively monitor and manage safety within our centre, including through the use of appropriate monitoring systems such as CCTV

Promote

We promote respectful behaviour and challenge inappropriate conduct

Prepare

Concerns are acted on and reported in line with our procedures

Partner

We follow an information sharing protocol and work with other organisations, relevant authorities, the local council and police to keep children safe abuse

Key Contact details at Boulders:

Nominated Welfare Officer and Child Protection lead: Liz Liz@BouldersUk.com

Senior lead for safeguarding and child protection: Ollie safeguarding@bouldersUk.com

If you have any safeguarding concerns please speak to a member of our team. Our team will report it correctly, every time. We have a dedicated safeguarding lead, supported by a team of welfare officers.

We will seek to keep children and young people safe by:

valuing, listening to and respecting them

appointing a nominated Child Protection Lead for children and young people, and a Senior Lead for Safeguarding (see above)

adopting child protection and safeguarding best practice through our policies, procedures and code of conduct for staff and volunteers

developing and implementing an effective online safety policy and related procedures

providing effective management for staff and volunteers through supervision, support, training and quality assurance measures so that all staff and volunteers know about and follow our policies, procedures and behaviour codes confidently and competently

recruiting and selecting staff and volunteers safely, ensuring all necessary checks are made

recording, storing and using information professionally and securely, in line with data protection legislation and guidance (more information about this is available from the Information Commissioner’s Office.)

sharing information about safeguarding and good practice with children and their families via leaflets, posters, group work and one-to-one discussions

making sure that children, young people and their families know where to go for help if they have a concern

using our procedures to manage any allegations against staff and volunteers appropriately

creating and maintaining an anti-bullying environment and ensuring that we have a policy and procedure to help us deal effectively with any bullying that does arise

ensuring that we have effective complaints and whistleblowing measures in place

ensuring that we provide a safe physical environment for our children, young people, staff and volunteers, by applying health and safety measures in accordance with the law and regulatory guidance

building a safeguarding culture where staff and volunteers, children, young people and their families, treat each other with respect and are comfortable about sharing concerns.

What to expect when a child or vulnerable adult visits Boulders

Children and vulnerable adults will be taken into the climbing areas under the supervision of a Boulders instructor. Parents and guardians will need to remain in the cafe, where they can watch the session. Carers may enter the climbing areas only after completing a ‘Register to Climb’ form.

Our team work under a ‘first name only’ policy.

Our instructors will need to ensure that everyone’s harnesses are worn properly. Where they are able to, participants will put on their own harnesses under the supervision of the instructor, who will then check to make sure it is fastened correctly. There may be times when our instructor needs to adjust or correct the harness. When this happens, our instructor will ensure that this is carried out in an open environment and with the minimum amount of touching required. We will also ensure the participant understands what is happenening and why, by talking through what we are doing as we are doing it.

Our team will never engage in banter or bullying remarks with children or vulnerable adults, and will remove anyone engaging in bullying behaviour from the session. You can read more about our anti-bullying policy here.

Our team will always report to management any concerns or issues that are raised during the session, using our internal reporting procedure. If you as a parent or guardian sees a concern, you should not hesitate to contact us at the above email addresses. All reports will be taken seriously and will be handled fairly, transparently, and confidentially.

Under 12s must always have a parent or legal guardian present to check them in. They must then remain onsite for the duration of the session, unless the child is on our Holiday Club.

The following will never happen:

Our team will never ask for any personal details from the child or vulnerable adult - this includes their phone numbers, address, or social media pages.

Our team will never follow children or vulnerable adults on their social media pages, or send them any correspondence through these channels. Our team have all been made aware of our Social Media policy.

Our team will never reach out to a child or vulnerable adult about arranging ‘one on one’ sessions. Any discussion about this will be done only with the parents or legal guardians and be booked through Boulders booking system, with consent from the parent/legal guardian, who must remain onsite during the ‘one on one’ session.

Our team will never drive children or vulnerable adults in their personal vehicles, or meet with them outside of Boulders.

Our team will never make sexually suggestive comments, or allow any rough or provocative activities/horseplay.