Safeguarding in the Marine Training Corps

We aim to create a space for all young people, regardless of their background, to come together, learn new life skills, make new friends, and reach their full potential.

To do this as an absolute minimum, all Adult Volunteers in the MTC are subject to the mandatory disclosure checks (Enhanced DBS). That ensures there’s nothing about that person that would cause us concern or indicate unsuitability to volunteer with the MTC. They then undergo induction training which includes safeguarding and Code of Conduct.
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Safeguarding training doesn’t end there however.  Annual refresher training is compulsory for all volunteers as this helps to keep safeguarding at the forefront of volunteers’ minds, and allows the MTC to address any particular issues or trends, or include recent changes in best practice or legislation.

If you have any concerns regarding safeguarding in the MTC please contact your local unit or HQMTC on: admin@matinetrainingcorps.co.uk.

ADULT VOLUNTEER DISCLOSURE CHECKS

Being a volunteer with the MTC is a very rewarding experience, but one that comes with huge responsibilities.  By entrusting their children to the MTC, parents and carers are putting the safety and wellbeing of their children in our hands.  We take our duty of care to young people very seriously, which is why we make checks on all potential new volunteers, give them regular safeguarding training, and expect them to abide by the MTC’s Regulations and our Code of Conduct.
Before joining the MTC all potential volunteers have to undergo an enhanced disclosure check (Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) in England and Wales, or Disclosure Scotland in Scotland). These and other checks have to be completed before volunteers are allowed unsupervised access to cadets.  We also renew our checks of every volunteer at least every three years.  The disclosure check will reveal any convictions, warnings or reprimands the potential volunteer has received and any other relevant information held by the police.  It will also show whether the applicant has been barred from working with children or vulnerable adults.
Where an applicant has a minor criminal offence but appears otherwise suitable, the local unit will discuss the application with HQMTC before a decision is made.  However, where the disclosure check shows that an applicant is on the barred list for working with children and vulnerable adults they will not be allowed to join the MTC.
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Safeguarding is of the utmost importance in the MTC which is why our volunteers are also subject to additional identification and reference checks before they join, and undertake safeguarding training as part of their induction process, and annually thereafter.

SAFETY RESPONSIBILITIES

There are various primary and secondary health and safety obligations placed upon the MTC when it comes to assuring safe delivery of our training and activities.  Primary obligations relate to regulatory requirements and secondary obligations relate to specific assurance requirements of key stakeholders.
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All cadets and volunteers have a duty to ensure they take care of themselves as well as others, and that they cooperate with any health and safety arrangements that the MTC requires.  MTC activities take place at a variety of locations.  These include military establishments, training areas, training centres, ranges and other MoD premises.  Also included are public facilities such as adventure training centres.
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We ask cadets’ parents and carers to share our health and safety responsibility by ensuring that we are aware of any changes in cadets’ medical status and that sufficient information is provided, in confidence, to their child’s MTC unit.

ACTIVITY SAFETY

All of our activities follow the ‘safe system of training‘.  This is made up of four elements:
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Safe persons.
Safe equipment.
Safe practice.
Safe place.
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By following the SST our activities are not only properly authorised but adequately planned and conducted to ensure that cadets, volunteers and others are not put at undue risk.  Those responsible for delivering a particular activity are also made aware of the need to adapt to changing circumstances (eg: dynamic risk assessment).

SICKNESS AND INJURY

When a cadet or volunteer falls ill or is injured whilst involved in MTC activities we will provide first aid treatment if appropriate (from first aid trained personnel) but if this is not sufficient we will seek medical assistance via the NHS (although free treatment may be given by a Defence Establishment if Service facilities are more readily available). MTC personnel may, when involved in our activities, be given treatment from Service sources for the relief of dental pain but dental treatment will normally be obtained through the NHS.
Whilst it is rare, we will take cadets and volunteers to hospital should an occurrence be assessed as being beyond the capabilities of our trained and qualified first aiders.  In the case of cadets, parents or guardians are immediately informed and kept updated.  In the majority of cases a hospital visit is purely precautionary.

CADET SUPERVISION

Our Duty of Care requires proper supervision of cadets at all times when engaged in MTC activities wherever they are being undertaken.  It is the responsibility of each MTC Unit Officer Commanding to ensure that this requirement is met, both in terms of the quantity of adults and their appropriate qualifications.  It is essential that an appropriate ratio of staff to cadets is maintained as defined by HQMTC.  Further guidance can be obtained from HQMTC or unit Commanding Officers.

RISK ASSESSMENTS

Each MTC unit will have risk assessments for its activities. For queries regarding Health and Safety within the MTC, please contact the MTC Support Officer on support@marinetrainingcorps.org.uk
HOW WE SAFEGUARD CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE
We are fully committed to safeguarding children and young people by:
Complying with all legal requirements in respect of child protection
Taking into account the interests and wellbeing of children and young people
Respecting the rights, wishes and feelings of the people we work with
Taking all reasonable, practicable steps to protect from physical, sexual and emotional abuse whilst engaged in activities.
Promoting the welfare of children and young people and their protection in relation to a position of trust

CADET CONFIDENTIALITY PROMISE

It is important that anyone feels they can trust the Marine Training Corps if they want to talk to someone about a concern or worry, either about themself or someone else.
If you tell an adult something which is worrying you, adults will take what you have said seriously, they will listen to you and may take notes to clarify things you’ve said. They may ask if another adult can sit in, this is to make sure that everything you say will be remembered and to give you as much support as possible, as we understand that it can be difficult to talk about worries either for yourself or someone else. If you don’t want this, you may have a close friend with you, someone else you trust or you may prefer no one else to be there.
When we will need to share what you’ve told us
Any information you give to an adult will be treated as sensitive and confidential and will not be shared unless we believe that you, or another person, is in danger or is being harmed or that they are involved, or plan to become involved in acts of terrorism (or other criminal acts). In this case, we will tell you that the information has to be shared with the appropriate agencies, we will try and encourage you to agree with this and support you and we will tell you who we have told and what we have told them. Adults cannot promise confidentiality and can never keep secrets which are of a safeguarding concern or that suggest someone is suffering harm.
As part of our confidentiality promise, please be assured that:
Any notes taken will be kept and stored in a safe and secure manner
Any information you have shared in confidence will not be discussed unless there is a child protection or safety concern, or you give your permission
We will tell you when information cannot be kept confidential.
We will support you and encourage you to talk to other people (e.g. a parent or guardian) or a professional where we feel it would help you

RAISING AND REPORTING CONCERNS

The Marine Training Corps take all concerns raised to us seriously regardless of the severity of the incident, especially when they are about the safeguarding of one of our cadets.
If you have any concern relating to immediate risk or harm to one of our cadets, or any child or young person, please report it directly to the police on 999 or 101.
To report an incident, you can click the button at the top or bottom of this page ‘Submit an Incident Report’. The referral will then be actioned by our Safeguarding Case Worker, who will decide the best course of action, whilst communicating the referral with the necessary personnel.
There are also a number of organisations that may be able to offer you help or advice if you have questions, such as the NSPCC’s Childline website.

ANTI-BULLYING POLICY STATEMENT

At the MTC, we believe that:
No cadet or young person should ever experience abuse of any kind
We have an absolute responsibility to promote the welfare of all cadets and young people by keeping them safe from harm and conducting ourselves and our activities in a way that protects them
All members of the MTC should not have to tolerate or be subject to bullying at any time
Everyone in the MTC has a collective responsibility to work together to stop bullying
We recognise that:
Bullying causes real distress and can adversely affect an individual’s health and development and/or, cause significant harm in extreme cases
The MTC seeks to prevent bullying by:
Ensuring that bullying behaviour is not accepted or condoned
Responding to any allegations of bullying, including prompt individual and collective actions being taken
Considering the needs of the individual being bullied
Considering the needs of the individual displaying bullying behaviour
Considering the needs of others witnessing any incidents of bullying
Promoting and implementing this Anti-Bullying Policy in addition to its Safeguarding Policy and Procedures
Ensuring all members of the MTC are given access to information and guidance on the prevention of bullying
Ensuring all members of the MTC support and ‘buy into’ this Anti-Bullying Policy
Providing support and training for Volunteers and Cadets on preventing and dealing with all forms of bullying
Encouraging and facilitating cadets to play an active part in further developing and adopting a code of conduct to address bullying
Recognising that everyone is important and that our differences make each of us special which should be valued

WHISTLEBLOWING POLICY

This policy covers whistleblowing and encourages anyone in the MTC to ’Speak Up’; in relation to safeguarding concerns. The MTC realises that raising and reporting concerns is often difficult to do. This policy is designed to offer protection to you if you raise a concern.
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Download our Safeguarding Statement

You can download a copy of our Safeguarding Statement here.