CRAVEN POTHOLE CLUB LIMITED
CHILD PROTECTION POLICY
1.00 THE LEGAL FRAMEWORK
1.01 Craven Pothole Cub Ltd recognises the requirements of the Protection of Children Act 1999 (PoCA).
1.02 PoCA includes "children", that is under 18s’ and "young persons", that is young people recognised as children under the act, (further referred to here with equal meaning as "young persons" or “children").
1.03 PoCA takes in sexual, emotional and physical abuse and also "neglect" (which includes all aspects of failure to ensure the safety of a young persons and vulnerable adults).
2.00 POLICY STATEMENTS
2.01 Craven Pothole Club Ltd recognises the importance of the welfare of young persons and vulnerable adults and their right to protection from abuse as set out in section 1.00 of this document.
2.02 Craven Pothole Club Ltd recognises its duty of care to young persons and vulnerable adults, for the actions of its trustees, officers & agents.
2.03 Craven Pothole Club Ltd will take all allegations of child abuse seriously and will respond to such allegations quickly.
2.04 Craven Pothole Club Ltd considers that in any caving or mine exploration activity safety of the participants and conservation of the cave is of paramount concern at all times.
2.05 Underlying this it must be borne in mind that Craven Pothole Club Ltd does not proactively promote the participation of young persons or vulnerable adults in caving or mine exploration. It takes this stance for a number of reasons:
- caving can often be a strenuous activity requiring a mature physical and mental approach
- a working knowledge of weather patterns & limestone hydrology can be vital for safe caving
- caves are a strictly limited physical resource that deserve a mature appreciation of their conservation requirements.
