Safeguarding Threshold & Decision-Making Tool

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SAFEGUARDING · GUIDANCE FOR CLUB OFFICIALS

Safeguarding Threshold & Decision-Making Tool

A practical guide to support consistent, proportionate and defensible safeguarding decisions across BowlsWales. Thresholds support professional judgement; they do not replace statutory procedures or delay urgent action.

A safe organisational culture underpins every level

This applies whichever level you're dealing with

  • Clear policies
  • Safer recruitment
  • Appropriate DBS checks
  • Training & education
  • Codes of conduct
  • Accessible reporting
  • Board oversight
  • Learning and review

The three levels, at a glance

Use whichever level best reflects what you currently know. You never need proof before sharing a concern.

LEVEL 1

Welfare / Wellbeing

Needs support, advice or proportionate early action.

  • Respond to need
  • Address locally where appropriate (club & NGB level)
  • Record / monitor where needed
  • Escalate if risk increases
LEVEL 2

Safeguarding Concern

Requires formal safeguarding oversight and active consideration of risk.

  • Record promptly
  • Consult CWO & NGB Safeguarding Lead
  • Consider patterns and previous concerns
  • Risk assess and agree action
LEVEL 3

Child Protection / Adult at Risk

Statutory safeguarding threshold may be met, or serious/immediate harm is suspected.

  • Protect immediate safety
  • Report without delay
  • Refer to statutory services where required
  • Do not investigate

Decision-making sequence

  1. 1. Recognise
  2. 2. Respond
  3. 3. Record
  4. 4. Consult*
  5. 5. Risk assess
  6. 6. Report
  7. 7. Review

* Consult where practicable, but never delay direct statutory referral, emergency action or necessary protective action while waiting for internal advice or approval.

Reporting responsibility

Relevant partners have statutory duties to report children and adults at risk under the Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014. Irrespective of whether an individual is personally subject to that duty, BowlsWales requires staff, volunteers and members to report safeguarding concerns promptly in accordance with its policies.

Safeguarding Children Threshold Tool

Use the level that best reflects the information currently known. You do not need proof before sharing a safeguarding concern.

Level 1 — Welfare / Early Help ▸ expand

Definition

A child may need support, advice or guidance with no current indication of abuse, neglect or other harm.

Indicators

  • Low mood or isolation
  • One-off peer conflict
  • Minor unkindness
  • Participation / additional-needs difficulty

Bowls examples

  • Child struggling to join in
  • One-off inappropriate language
  • Occasional late collection where there are no wider concerns
  • Minor Code of Conduct issue

Questions to ask

  • What support would help?
  • Is this isolated?
  • Are reasonable adjustments needed?

Action

  • Support and address proportionately
  • Record where appropriate
  • Monitor and review

Report / escalate

  • Manage locally where appropriate (Club-level with advice from NGB if necessary)
  • Escalate if concern repeats, intensifies or new risk emerges

Record / review

  • Record support/action where needed
  • Review for recurrence or wider club learning
Level 2 — Safeguarding Concern ▸ expand

Definition

Information or behaviour raises a safeguarding concern and requires active consideration, even if the statutory threshold is not clearly met.

Indicators

  • Repeated/escalating bullying
  • Boundary or position-of-trust concerns
  • Concerning online contact
  • Pattern of concerns or marked behaviour change

Bowls examples

  • Coach repeatedly singling out a child
  • Private messages causing concern
  • Repeated peer exclusion
  • Inappropriate physical contact / boundary concern

Questions to ask

  • Is there a pattern or transferable risk?
  • Has risk increased / are others affected?
  • Who needs to know to help keep people safe?

Action

  • Record facts promptly
  • Consult NGB Welfare Officer
  • Assess immediate safety, urgency and protective measures
  • Consider statutory advice; do not investigate

Report / escalate

  • Report promptly to CWO, NGB Welfare Officer and/or BowlsWales DSP
  • Escalate if statutory threshold may be met

Record / review

  • Record concern, consultation, action and rationale
  • Review previous concerns and patterns
Level 3 — Child Protection ▸ expand

Definition

Reasonable cause to suspect the child is experiencing or at risk of abuse, neglect or other kinds of harm AND has needs for care and support. You do not need proof; it is not your role to determine whether abuse occurred.

Indicators

  • Current or non-recent disclosure/allegation of abuse
  • Serious/persistent neglect
  • Grooming or exploitation
  • Serious injury, sexual harm or immediate/significant risk

Bowls examples

  • Coach/volunteer alleged to have harmed a child
  • Sexual/physical abuse disclosure, including non-recent
  • Domestic abuse creating risk
  • Serious harmful behaviour between children — safeguard and support all children involved

Questions to ask

  • Is the child safe now?
  • Is urgent medical/Police action needed?
  • Could contacting a parent increase risk?
  • Who needs to know to help keep people safe?

Action

  • Protect immediate safety
  • Report to DSP without delay
  • Refer to Social Services/Police where required
  • Do not investigate, confront or delay urgent action

Report / escalate

  • Urgent statutory referral must not be delayed by internal processes
  • 999 for immediate danger

Record / review

  • Record disclosure/observations accurately
  • Record referrals, decisions, protective action and outcomes
  • Share only relevant and necessary information on a need-to-know basis

Child-centred reminder

Where one child has harmed another, consider the safety, welfare and support needs of all children involved; do not treat harmful behaviour solely as a disciplinary matter. Non-recent concerns must still be reported — the passage of time does not remove safeguarding responsibilities.

Safeguarding Adults Threshold Tool

Person-centred safeguarding: involve the adult, respect voice and control, and consider consent and capacity while responding proportionately to risk.

Level 1 — Welfare / Wellbeing ▸ expand

Definition

An adult may need support, advice, signposting or adjustment, with no current indication that the statutory adult-at-risk test is met.

Indicators

  • Isolation or distress
  • Participation/accessibility difficulty
  • One-off disagreement
  • Minor conduct concern

Bowls examples

  • Adult needs communication support
  • Reasonable adjustment needed
  • Low-level unkindness
  • Minor Code of Conduct issue

Questions to ask

  • What matters to the adult?
  • What support do they want?
  • Are adjustments needed?

Action

  • Listen, support and signpost
  • Make reasonable adjustments
  • Record/monitor where appropriate

Report / escalate

  • Manage support locally where appropriate (Club level with advice from NGB if necessary)
  • Escalate if risk or patterns emerge

Record / review

  • Record support and agreed actions where needed
  • Review wellbeing and recurrence
Level 2 — Safeguarding Concern ▸ expand

Definition

Indicators of abuse, neglect, exploitation, coercion or other risk require safeguarding oversight, but the statutory threshold is not yet clear.

Indicators

  • Financial pressure/exploitation
  • Coercive or controlling behaviour
  • Sexualised/boundary concerns
  • Serious self-neglect or deterioration giving rise to safeguarding concern

Bowls examples

  • Another person controls money or transport
  • Repeated harassment/discrimination
  • Concerning private contact by coach/volunteer
  • Adult appears frightened or controlled

Questions to ask

  • What does the adult want to happen?
  • Is consent given / capacity decision-specific?
  • Is there coercion, duress or risk to others?
  • Who needs to know to help keep people safe?

Action

  • Listen and involve the adult
  • Record and consult NGB Welfare Officer
  • Assess immediate safety, urgency, consent/capacity, coercion and protective measures
  • Seek statutory advice; do not investigate

Report / escalate

  • Report to CWO & NGB Welfare Officer for formal safeguarding oversight and/or BowlsWales DSP
  • Do not allow uncertainty to delay advice or direct referral

Record / review

  • Record wishes, consent, capacity considerations, risk and rationale
  • Review patterns/previous concerns
Level 3 — Adult at Risk ▸ expand

Definition

Reasonable cause to suspect: abuse/neglect or risk + care/support needs + because of those needs the adult is unable to protect themselves.

Indicators

  • Abuse/neglect with care/support needs affecting self-protection
  • Serious financial/material abuse or exploitation
  • Serious physical/sexual abuse or immediate harm

Bowls examples

  • Adult with care/support needs is financially abused and cannot protect themselves
  • Coercion into payments, theft or financial manipulation
  • Serious physical/sexual abuse
  • Immediate risk requiring urgent action

Questions to ask

  • Are all 3 statutory elements reasonably suspected?
  • Is the adult safe now?
  • Is Police/urgent medical action needed?
  • Who needs to know to help keep people safe?

Action

  • Protect immediate safety
  • Report promptly to DSP and relevant Social Services where threshold is suspected
  • Police/999 where necessary
  • Do not investigate or delay urgent action

Report / escalate

  • Statutory report/referral must not be delayed by internal processes
  • Continue to involve the adult as far as safe and practicable

Record / review

  • Record wishes and desired outcomes
  • Record referrals, information sharing, decisions and reasons, especially if acting without consent
  • Share relevant/necessary information on a need-to-know basis

If the adult does not consent

Do not automatically stop. Consider decision-specific capacity, coercion/duress, serious harm, risk to others, crime, position of trust and statutory/public-interest considerations. Seek DSP/Social Services advice, involve the adult as far as possible and record the rationale.

Adult at risk — three-part test

1. Experiencing or at risk of abuse/neglect, and 2. Has needs for care and support, and 3. Because of those needs is unable to protect themselves. You do not need to prove abuse; Social Services determines whether enquiries are required.

Reporting, Escalation & Defensible Decision-Making

Use these safeguards alongside the threshold sections above whenever a concern is raised.

Immediate danger

If someone is in immediate danger, needs urgent medical attention, or a crime is taking place, call 999. Internal reporting must never delay urgent protection.

Patterns matter

Repeated low-level concerns about the same individual, behaviour, environment, team, club or organisational practice may cumulatively indicate greater risk and require escalation.

If in doubt, seek advice

Thresholds guide judgement; they are not barriers to reporting. Consult where practicable, but never delay statutory referral or emergency/protective action while waiting for internal advice.

Record / share the why

Record what you knew, considered, decided, did and why. Risk assessment is not an investigation. Share relevant and necessary safeguarding information with those who need to know.

Positions of trust / Section 5 — parallel consideration

Report promptly to the BowlsWales DSP where a coach, volunteer, official, employee or other person in a position of trust is alleged to have:

  • harmed or may have harmed a child or adult at risk;
  • possibly committed a criminal offence against, or related to, a child or adult at risk;
  • behaved towards a child/adult at risk in a way indicating they may pose a risk of harm; or
  • behaved in their personal life in a way indicating potential transferable risk within employment/volunteering.

This includes concerns arising outside bowls, criminal investigation/arrest, family/domestic abuse concerns, restrictions by another organisation and non-recent allegations.

Seek advice/notify the relevant Local Authority Designated Officer / Designated Officer for Safeguarding (LADO/DoS) promptly in accordance with the Wales Safeguarding Procedures. Do not commence an internal investigation where this may interfere with Police, Social Services or Section 5 processes.

Consider proportionate interim safeguards (e.g. increased supervision, amended duties, restricted access/contact or temporary suspension). These are neutral protective measures, not findings of guilt.

Golden rules

  • You do not need proof
  • Do not investigate
  • Do not promise confidentiality
  • Listen and record accurately
  • Look for patterns
  • Seek advice
  • Escalate when risk increases
  • Never let an internal process delay urgent protection

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