Safeguarding & Child Protection Policy

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Policy reference	AU-POL-16
Version	1.0
Approved by	Board of Directors, Apex Up CIC
Date adopted	4 June 2026
Last reviewed	4 June 2026
Next review due	4 June 2027 (or sooner if legislation or guidance changes)
Policy owner	Designated Safeguarding Lead
Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL)	Muhammed Zahir, Director — mz@apexup.org — 07706 803260
Deputy Safeguarding Lead	______________________ (to be appointed)
Applies to	All directors, staff, sessional coaches, volunteers, students and anyone acting on behalf of Apex Up CIC

Apex Up CIC Safeguarding & Child Protection Policy

1 Policy statement

Apex Up CIC believes that every child and young person has the right to take part in our activities in a safe, positive and enjoyable environment, free from harm, abuse and neglect. The welfare of the children and young people we work with is our paramount concern, and it comes before everything else, including the reputation of the organisation.

We deliver sport, fitness, martial arts, mentoring and holiday activity and food (HAF) programmes for children, young people and families in Nechells and the surrounding inner city neighbourhoods of Birmingham. Many of those we support face significant disadvantage, and we recognise that this can increase their vulnerability. We are committed to safeguarding them and to creating a culture where everyone knows that safeguarding is their responsibility.

2 Purpose and scope

The purpose of this policy is to protect children and young people who receive any service from Apex Up CIC, and to give clear guidance to everyone connected with us on how to recognise, respond to and report safeguarding concerns. For the purposes of this policy, a “child” or “young person” is anyone under the age of 18. It applies to all directors, employees, sessional coaches, volunteers, students on placement, and anyone acting on behalf of Apex Up CIC, on or off our premises and in any online contact.

3 Legislation and guidance

This policy is based on relevant legislation and national and local safeguarding guidance, including:

The Children Act 1989 and the Children Act 2004
Working Together to Safeguard Children (HM Government, 2023)
What to do if you’re worried a child is being abused (HM Government) • The Sexual Offences Act 2003 and the Equality Act 2010
The Data Protection Act 2018 and UK GDPR
Keeping Children Safe in Education, where we work in partnership with schools • The Prevent duty guidance, in supporting young people away from radicalisation Locally, we follow the arrangements of the Birmingham Safeguarding Children Partnership (BSCP) and use Birmingham’s threshold document, Right Help, Right Time, reporting concerns through the Birmingham Children’s Trust Children’s Advice and Support Service (CASS).

4 Roles and responsibilities

Board of Directors

The Board holds overall responsibility for safeguarding, makes sure this policy is in place and reviewed at least annually, appoints a Designated Safeguarding Lead and Deputy, and ensures everyone receives appropriate training and checks.

Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL)

The DSL is the first point of contact for any concern. Our DSL is Muhammed Zahir (mz@apexup.org, 07706 803260). The DSL receives and records concerns, decides on action using Right Help, Right Time, makes referrals to CASS, keeps secure records, and supports

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Apex Up CIC Safeguarding & Child Protection Policy

and trains staff. A Deputy provides cover; where this role is not yet filled, the Board will identify an alternative director to act in the DSL’s absence.

All staff and volunteers

Everyone has a duty to keep children safe: to know the signs of abuse and neglect, follow this policy, behave appropriately, report any concern to the DSL without delay, and never promise to keep a disclosure secret.

5 What is abuse and neglect

The main categories we are alert to are:

Physical abuse — for example hitting, shaking or otherwise causing physical harm. • Emotional abuse — persistent criticism, humiliation, threats or making a child feel worthless.
Sexual abuse — involving a child in sexual activities, whether or not they are aware, including online.
Neglect — the ongoing failure to meet a child’s basic physical or emotional needs. We are also alert to wider risks affecting our community, including child criminal exploitation (CCE) and county lines, child sexual exploitation (CSE), child-on-child abuse, online abuse, domestic abuse and radicalisation.

6 Recognising and responding to a concern

Staff and volunteers do not need to be certain that abuse is taking place — if something does not feel right, it must be reported. It is not our role to investigate. If a child tells you something, or you have a concern, follow these four steps:

Respond — stay calm, listen and take the child seriously; do not ask leading questions, and never promise secrecy.
Record — as soon as possible, write down what was said or seen in the child’s own words, with date, time and your name.
Report — pass the concern to the DSL the same day; if unavailable, the Deputy; if neither and a child is in immediate danger, contact emergency services or CASS yourself.
Refer — the DSL decides, using Right Help, Right Time, whether to refer to CASS, and does so promptly. If a child is at immediate risk, we call 999.

As a member of the StreetGames network and a HAF provider, we also notify our funder of any safeguarding incident requiring a referral to CASS, the police or the LADO within 24 hours.

7 Allegations against staff or volunteers

Any allegation against a member of staff, volunteer, director or anyone in a position of trust must be reported immediately to the DSL, or to another director or the Chair if it concerns the DSL. Where an allegation meets the threshold of harm, we contact the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) through Birmingham Children’s Trust before taking action that might affect an investigation, and we consider precautionary measures. Lower-level concerns are also recorded and addressed.

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Apex Up CIC Safeguarding & Child Protection Policy

8 Safer recruitment, training and records

We carry out enhanced DBS checks, including the children’s barred list, for everyone in regulated activity before unsupervised contact, and keep a central record of checks and training. All staff and volunteers receive safeguarding training before working with children and at regular intervals; the DSL trains at a higher level. We handle safeguarding information in line with data protection law, sharing on a need-to-know basis, but always sharing promptly where a child may be at risk. Full detail is in our Safer Recruitment & DBS Policy.

9 Related policies and review

This policy should be read alongside our Safeguarding Adults at Risk, Code of Conduct, Photography Filming & Social Media, Anti-Bullying, Positive Behaviour Management, Prevent, Safer Recruitment & DBS, Health & Safety and Risk Management policies. The Board reviews it at least annually and after any incident or change in guidance.

10 Key safeguarding contacts

Contact	Details
Emergency (child in immediate danger)	999
Designated Safeguarding Lead	Muhammed Zahir — mz@apexup.org — 07706 803260
Children’s Advice and Support Service (CASS)	0121 303 1888 (Option 2, then Option 2) — CASS@birminghamchildrenstrust.co.uk
Emergency Duty Team (out of hours)	0121 675 4806
Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO)	Contact via Birmingham Children’s Trust on 0121 303 1888
Birmingham Safeguarding Children Partnership (BSCP)	0121 464 2612 — BSCP.ContactUs@birminghamchildrenstrust.co.uk
NSPCC Helpline	0808 800 5000 — help@nspcc.org.uk
Childline	0800 1111

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Apex Up CIC Safeguarding & Child Protection Policy

Approval and adoption

This Safeguarding & Child Protection Policy has been approved and adopted by the Board of Directors of Apex Up CIC. It will be reviewed at least every twelve months, and sooner if there is a change in legislation, national or local guidance, or following any relevant incident or learning.

Policy reference	AU-POL-16
Version	1.0
Date adopted	4 June 2026
Next review due	4 June 2027

Signed on behalf of the Board of Directors of Apex Up CIC:

Muhammed Zahir

Director, Apex Up CIC

Date: 4 June 2026