Each Group will have a designated trustee or delegated volunteer or employee to be a Group Safeguarding Officer.
The Safeguarding Officer has the main responsibility for coordinating child and adult at risk protection issues within the RDA Group, ensuring effective safeguarding policies and procedures are in place and are understood by all members of the Group.
This page contains useful resources for Safeguarding Officers and Group Trustees.
Emergency / Out of Hours Support for RDA Groups
If you have a potential safeguarding issue and need support out of office hours, please call the NSPCC: 0808 800 5000, or call your Local Authority social services safeguarding team.
Taking on the Role
If you are considering taking on the role of Safeguarding Officer we recommend you read the role description and other resources in the downloads section.
All Group Safeguarding Officers need to complete a role acceptance form signed by a representative of the Group Trustees this should be returned to RDA National Office and we will update our records accordingly.
Safeguarding Officers do not need to be experts but are required to take on appropriate training and guidance on child protection. All of those who accept the role must confirm that they have attended a minimum of a half day safeguarding course in the last three years. Safeguarding training must be renewed every 3 years, and you can alternate between face-to-face and online. If your previous training was online, you MUST attend a face to face course the next time.
Safeguarding Training
Safeguarding training is a common requirement for volunteers and employees who work with children and vulnerable adults and as a result there are courses which are run all over the country.
RDA provides workshops within regions on a frequent basis. If you are interested in going on a workshops, please show your interest with your Regional Chairman, or pop over to our E-learning site to re-fresh your memory
The British Horse Society also provide a safeguarding course which RDA would accept. Please visit the BHS website for more information.
If there is a not an RDA course being put on near you in the future we would recommend contacting your local council for voluntary services as they should know who delivers the workshop locally for the voluntary sector.