Safeguarding, Protection & Welfare
The Scottish Orienteering community wants everyone to stay safe, feel welcome and have fun while taking part in orienteering. We all have a shared responsibility for safeguarding and creating safe, enjoyable environments in orienteering whether as an participant, coach, club official, volunteer, parent or spectator.
Our sport is committed to safeguarding the welfare of everyone in the sport and supporting their wellbeing. The Scottish Orienteering Association embraces the responsibility to promote the health and wellbeing of participants by providing opportunities for them to participate in a safe and enjoyable environment, and to implement ensure adequate policies and support is in place to protect those participating from harm, bullying, abuse and exploitation. The Scottish Orienteering Lead Welfare Officer is always there if you need any support or would like any advice.
Our Lead Welfare Officer contact at Scottish Orienteering is Nikki Howard and can be contacted via safeguardingandwelfare@scottish-orienteering.org if you have any questions or concerns.
Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility
If you feel a child or vulnerable adult or anyone is in immediate danger or at risk from harm call the Police.
If you have any safeguarding or welfare concerns we would encourage you to raise them or incidents you witness at the earliest opportunity with Scottish Orienteering’s Lead Welfare Officer (safeguardingandwelfare@scottish-orienteering.org).
There are many people and organisations that can help and support you through the process if you have any concerns. This flowchart explains how any information you disclose will be dealt with
Should you require support, help or advice about a concern the following people could be contacted:
- Your Club Welfare officer,
- the SOA Lead Welfare Officer safeguardingandwelfare@scottish-orienteering.org,
- the Children First Safeguarding in Sport helpline 0141 419 1156,
- You could talk to a coach or a teacher.
If you, as a participant, a young athlete, or a parent or carer of one, feel uncomfortable with any behaviour exhibited during your time in orienteering you should talk to your lead coach, your club’s Club Welfare Officer or contact Scottish Orienteering’s Lead Welfare Officer safeguardingandwelfare@scottish-orienteering.org. All reports are taken seriously and dealt with in a sensitive manner.
This includes any concerns about safeguarding and welfare either within orienteering or outside of orienteering and any concern over behaviour related to the welfare of children or adults at risk, including those away from the sport that involves members or participants.
Remember ‘abuse’ can take many forms and can take place in a number of settings. More information on what is ‘abuse’ can be found: https://www.childprotection.scot/types-of-abuse/
Your Club Welfare Officer or Scottish Orienteering’s Lead Welfare Officer would be happy to discuss any concern in person, or can be contacted by email or there is a reporting form which you may find helpful.
If you complete the reporting form, it will then need to be emailed to either your Club Welfare Officer or Scottish Orienteering’s Lead Welfare Officer as soon as possible.
As part of the Scottish Orienteering Association’s responsibility to implement ensure adequate policies and support is in place to protect those participating from harm, bullying, abuse and exploitation, we have a Child Protection Policy and a Safeguarding of Adults at Risk policy which can be found below.
SOA Child Safeguarding and Welfare Policy
The Scottish Orienteering Association sees the future of the sport in the nurturing and development of today’s children; we are fully committed to safeguarding the welfare of all children in our care. We recognise the responsibility to promote safe practice and to protect children from harm, abuse and exploitation.
Staff and volunteers will work together to embrace difference and diversity and respect the rights of children and young people.
The SOA’s Child Protection Policy can be downloaded
SOA Safeguarding of Adults at Risk Policy
SOA is committed to maintaining a culture where good, appropriate practices ensure the safeguarding and wellbeing of adults at risk and to ensuring there is zero tolerance for divergence from this culture. This policy builds on the SOA’s work to respect the rights and embrace everyone within our sport.
The SOA’s Safeguarding of Adults at Risk Policy can be downloaded
PVG Scheme
The Protecting Vulnerable Groups (PVG) membership scheme is managed and delivered by Disclosure Scotland. The PVG scheme helps ensure that people who are unsuitable to work with children and protected adults cannot do regulated roles with them. People who are barred from working with these groups cannot join the scheme.
From April 2025, it is an offence to have an individual in a regulated role with children and protected adults without PVG scheme membership. This applies to both the individual carrying out the work but also the organisation allowing the individual to carry out a regulated role without a PVG. It’s also illegal for the barred person to do or try to do a regulated role.
The PVG scheme does not apply to all jobs and volunteering roles. It only applies to regulated roles being conducted in Scotland. There are 2 types of regulated roles – work with children and work with protected adults. When a role is regulated, it means that a person does certain activities when in contact with children and protected adults.
Club Welfare Officers ensure that those working with children in regulated work within a club have a PVG in place.
Coaching children, assisting with the coaching of children and providing First Aid is automatically a “regulated role” and requires PVG Scheme membership if it takes place in Scotland. Other roles such as transporting children, being on a club committee and accompanying children on trips may require a PVG and this should be discussed with your Club Welfare Officer or contact nikki@scottish-orienteering.org for clarification.
The Scottish Orienteering Association processes PVG applications online, whether you are a new applicant looking to join the scheme or require an update.
For volunteers, there is at present no charge for scheme membership or for obtaining scheme records or updates. If you are unsure if you or someone in your club should have become a member of the PVG scheme, please contact nikki@scottish-orienteering.org and we will be happy to discuss your particular situation with reference to your application. All PVG applications are carried out online.
PVG Applications
All PVG applications are processed by Fran Britain fran@scottish-orienteering.org who will clarify the process and information required to allow PVG’s to be processed. Once the PVG application is submitted the applicant will be contacted by Disclosure Scotland to progress the application. Once the process is completed the applicant will be contacted directly and then needs to share the completed PVG with the Scottish Orienteering Association. The Scottish Orienteering Association then confirms to the club that there are no issues. Any potential volunteer will not be able to volunteer within the club without a completed and clear PVG if they are carrying out a regulated role.
Regular updates are not currently required unless you change your role within the club/organisation, though we reserve the right to request people doing regulated work to complete a self-declaration or to apply for a Scheme Update.
Membership of the PVG scheme lasts for life at present but from April 2026, Disclosure Scotland will be replacing the lifetime PVG scheme membership with a 5 year time limited membership.
Full details of the PVG Scheme are available from Disclosure Scotland https://www.mygov.scot/pvg-scheme/
Use of images & information on the web
Information published on websites must never include personal information that could identify a child e.g. home address, e-mail address, telephone number of a child. All contact must be directed to the club or SOA.
Children must never be portrayed in a demeaning, tasteless or a provocative manner. They should be portrayed in a manner and in clothing that is appropriate to the sport depicted.
Information about specific events or meetings such as junior coaching sessions must not be distributed to any individuals other than to those directly concerned.
A template form for child and parent to give permission for use of photos and video is available as well as advice from British Orienteering on the use of images within orienteering.
Resources
ChildrenFirst’s Parent Checklist for Youth Activities, 10 questions for parents to ask of child’s sports clubs before allowing child(ren) to join.