Safeguarding

Designated Safeguarding Lead: Barnaby Stephenson, Co-Founder & Director

Deputy Safeguarding Lead: Guy Stonor, Director

Report a concern: NUPL Safeguarding Concern Form or email safeguarding@nupl.co.uk. In an emergency, always call 999 first.

1. Introduction and Purpose

1.1 National Universities Padel League Limited (“NUPL”) is committed to making sure that everyone involved in the league can take part in a safe, respectful and enjoyable environment, free from abuse, harm and poor practice.

1.2 For this policy, “everyone involved” includes, but is not limited to, players, club representatives, club committee members, officials, volunteers, NUPL directors and staff, venue staff working at NUPL events, sponsors and partners present at NUPL events, and spectators.

1.3 Through this policy, NUPL aims to:

• prevent harm to anyone involved in the league wherever possible;

• make clear what NUPL expects of clubs, players, venues and partners in relation to safeguarding and wellbeing;

• give everyone a simple and accessible way to raise a safeguarding concern;

• make sure every concern is handled confidentially, fairly, appropriately and promptly;

• meet recognised good practice for safeguarding adults in sport; and

• set out how and when this policy will be reviewed.

1.4 NUPL also expects member clubs to adopt and demonstrate the principles set out in this policy.

2. Scope

2.1 This policy applies to all NUPL activities (each an “NUPL event”), namely:

• NUPL league fixtures, wherever they are played; and

• NUPL Finals Day.

2.2 NUPL takes responsibility for safeguarding at all NUPL events. An NUPL official attends league fixtures and acts as the on-site safeguarding contact, as set out in Section 4. Because NUPL staff may not always be present at every league fixture (despite trying to be), each club names a contact who can pass on any concern to NUPL when no NUPL official is there. Clubs and their representatives are not responsible for managing safeguarding at NUPL events.

2.3 This policy does not cover club training sessions, club socials or other activities organised independently by clubs or universities. Safeguarding for those activities sits with the club and its university or Students’ Union. Venues remain responsible for the safety of their own premises, facilities and staff.

2.4 Under-18s: under-18s are not permitted to take part in NUPL in any capacity, including as players, officials or volunteers. All players must be currently enrolled university students aged 18 or over, and must confirm at registration that they are 18 or over. Students who begin university aged 17, which is more common in Scotland, may register once they turn 18.

2.5 Any under-18 found to be registered will be withdrawn immediately until they turn 18. If a concern involves anyone under 18 at an NUPL event, for example a spectator, NUPL will immediately inform the relevant statutory child protection services and, where relevant, the individual’s university, and will follow their guidance.

3. Principles

3.1 NUPL’s approach to safeguarding is based on the following principles:

• Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility. Anyone involved in the league who has a concern should report it.

• Everyone has the right to take part free from abuse, harassment and discrimination, whatever their age, disability, sex, gender identity, race, religion or belief, sexual orientation, or marital or civil partnership status.

• The rights, dignity and wishes of the person at risk will be respected, and they will be involved in decisions about them wherever possible.

• Adults are presumed able to make their own decisions. NUPL will act without a person’s consent only where necessary, for example where there is a risk to life, a risk to others, or a crime has been or may be committed.

• Every concern will be taken seriously and handled under the procedure in this policy.

• Information will be kept confidential and shared only where necessary and lawful, in line with UK data protection law.

• Where others need to be involved, such as the police, local authority, a university or a venue, NUPL will work with them and refer concerns appropriately.

• Safeguarding concerns are kept separate from disciplinary matters under the NUPL Rules and Regulations (see Section 9).

• NUPL will keep its safeguarding arrangements under review and improve them in line with good practice.

4. Roles and Responsibilities

The key safeguarding roles within NUPL are:

• Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) and Director responsible for safeguarding: Barnaby Stephenson, Co-Founder & Director. Owns this policy; receives and manages all concerns; makes referrals; keeps records; trains and briefs NUPL officials; reports to the NUPL directors.

• Deputy Safeguarding Lead: Guy Stonor, Director. Handles any concern involving the DSL; covers when the DSL is unavailable; supports the DSL on complex cases.

• Fixture Safeguarding Officer (league fixtures): the NUPL official attending the fixture. On-site safeguarding contact; responds to concerns; passes them to the DSL.

• Event Safeguarding Officer (Finals Day): appointed by the DSL (may be the DSL). First point of contact on the day; briefs staff and volunteers; responds to concerns and passes them to the DSL.

• Club Contact: a person named by each club (usually the University Club Representative). Shares this policy with players; passes on any concern they become aware of to NUPL; does not manage or investigate concerns.

4.1 NUPL’s Responsibilities

4.1.1 NUPL will:

keep this policy up to date and publish it on the NUPL website;

make sure the DSL, Fixture Safeguarding Officers and Event Safeguarding Officers have completed recognised safeguarding adults training, such as the Ann Craft Trust’s safeguarding adults in sport training, refreshed at least every three years;

provide a clear and accessible way to report concerns (Section 6);

give every club a safeguarding briefing at the start of each season, including how to report concerns;

ensure the NUPL Rules and Regulations set clear standards of conduct for players, clubs and spectators; and

include safeguarding as a standing item at NUPL directors’ meetings.

4.2 Fixture Safeguarding Officers (League Fixtures)

4.2.1 The NUPL official attending each league fixture is its Fixture Safeguarding Officer. At the fixture, they will:

• introduce themselves to both clubs at the start as the person to speak to about any concern;

• know the venue’s first aid arrangements, emergency exits and address for emergency services;

• call 999 in an emergency;

• listen to and respond to any concern raised, without investigating it themselves;

• record the concern using the NUPL Safeguarding Concern Form; and

• tell the DSL on the same day.

4.2.2 Before their first fixture, every NUPL official must:

• complete recognised online safeguarding adults training, refreshed at least every three years;

• attend the NUPL pre-season safeguarding briefing, which covers this policy, how to report a concern and example scenarios;

• confirm that they have read this policy and the NUPL Rules and Regulations and will follow the standards in Section 4.2.4; and

• have the DSL’s contact details and the concern form link saved on their phone.

4.2.3 The DSL will keep a record of each official’s training and briefing.

4.2.4 While on duty, NUPL officials must:

• act impartially and treat all players, clubs and spectators with respect;

• maintain professional boundaries with players, including avoiding relationships or private messaging that could create a conflict of interest or pressure on a player;

• not drink alcohol;

• keep any safeguarding information confidential, sharing it only with the DSL; and

• follow Section 8 of this policy when taking or sharing photos or videos.

4.3 Event Safeguarding Officer (Finals Day)

4.3.1 Finals Day will have a named Event Safeguarding Officer. On the day, they will:

• be clearly identified to all players, staff and volunteers;

• carry out the event safeguarding risk assessment with the event organiser before the event;

• brief staff and volunteers on their safeguarding responsibilities and how to report concerns;

• have contact details for the venue, local emergency services and the DSL;

• respond to any concern raised on the day and record it using the NUPL Safeguarding Concern Form; and

• pass all concerns to the DSL on the same day.

4.3.2 Where the DSL is the Event Safeguarding Officer, a second named person should be available to cover if the DSL is dealing with an incident.

4.4 Clubs

4.4.1 Clubs and their representatives are not responsible for safeguarding at NUPL events. Each club is asked to:

• name a Club Contact for NUPL at the start of the season;

• share this policy, the NUPL Rules and Regulations and the reporting link with its players;

• pass on to NUPL any concern it becomes aware of; and

• cooperate with NUPL if a concern involves one of its players.

4.4.2 If no NUPL official is present at a fixture, anyone with a concern should call 999 in an emergency and otherwise report it through the online form. The Club Contact can help them do this, but is not expected to assess, manage or investigate the concern.

4.4.3 Clubs remain subject to their own university or Students’ Union policies for their own activities.

5. Safeguarding at NUPL Events

5.1 League Fixtures

5.1.1 An NUPL official will aim to attend every league fixture and act as its Fixture Safeguarding Officer. At the start of each season, NUPL will share this policy, the NUPL Rules and Regulations and the reporting link with all clubs, and each club will name its Club Contact.

5.2 Finals Day

5.2.1 For Finals Day, NUPL will prepare a short safeguarding plan covering:

• the named Event Safeguarding Officer and their deputy, and how participants can find them;

• a safeguarding risk assessment covering the health, safety and wellbeing of everyone attending, including alcohol, travel, changing facilities, first aid and emergency procedures;

• details of the venue’s own safety arrangements and first aid provision;

• a safeguarding briefing for all staff and volunteers before the event starts;

• contact details for local emergency and statutory services; and

• how any concern raised on the day will be recorded and escalated.

5.2.2 The risk assessment will be shared with the venue and anyone helping to deliver the event, and kept on record.

5.3 Background Checks

5.3.1 NUPL is an adult competition, so most roles in the league are not eligible for criminal records checks such as DBS (England and Wales), PVG (Scotland) or AccessNI (Northern Ireland). NUPL will request a check only where a role is legally eligible for one.

6. Reporting a Safeguarding Concern

6.1 How to Report

6.1.1 Emergencies: if anyone is in immediate danger or the situation is life-threatening, call 999 first, then report the concern to NUPL.

6.1.2 All other concerns should be reported through the online NUPL Safeguarding Concern Form. At an NUPL event, the Fixture Safeguarding Officer or Event Safeguarding Officer can help complete the form.

6.1.3 Concerns about an NUPL director: concerns about the DSL should be sent to the Deputy Safeguarding Lead, Guy Stonor: guy@nupl.co.uk. Concerns about the Deputy Safeguarding Lead should be sent to the DSL. A director who is the subject of a concern will take no part in handling it and will not have access to records about it.

6.1.4 If a concern involves both directors, or neither director can handle it impartially, it should be reported directly to the police, the relevant local authority adult protection team or the player’s university. NUPL will cooperate fully with any resulting process.

6.1.5 The form asks for:

• the name and contact details of the person reporting (optional, see Section 6.1.7);

• who the concern is about and who else was involved;

• what happened or what the concern is, with dates, times and places;

• whether anyone is at immediate risk; and

• any action already taken.

6.1.6 The person reporting does not need to decide whether abuse has happened or gather evidence. They should report what they know as soon as possible.

6.1.7 Concerns can be reported anonymously, but this may limit what NUPL can do and means NUPL cannot give updates.

6.2 What Happens Next

6.2.1 Once a concern is received, NUPL will aim to meet the following timescales:

• Urgent risk (same day): if someone is at risk of serious harm, the DSL will act immediately, including contacting the police or local authority.

• Acknowledgement (within 2 working days): the person reporting receives confirmation that the concern has been received.

• Initial assessment (within 5 working days): the DSL (or the Deputy Safeguarding Lead where Section 6.1.3 applies), taking specialist advice where needed, decides whether the concern needs no further action, a referral, or management by NUPL, and tells the person reporting.

• Resolution (aim: within 30 working days of the initial assessment): NUPL gathers information, takes appropriate action and confirms the outcome where appropriate.

“Working days” means Monday to Friday, excluding UK public holidays and the period between Christmas and New Year.

6.2.2 Some cases may take longer, for example when waiting for information from others or when the police or a university are involved. In those cases, NUPL will pause its own process where needed and update the person reporting at least every 10 working days.

6.3 Possible Actions

6.3.1 Depending on the concern, NUPL may:

• give advice or signpost support services;

• refer the concern to the police, the relevant local authority adult or child protection team, the player’s university, or the venue;

• take temporary measures while a concern is looked into, such as suspending a person’s participation; or

• refer conduct matters to the NUPL disciplinary process under the Rules and Regulations.

7. Confidentiality, Data Protection and Records

7.1 Safeguarding information will be handled in line with UK GDPR, the Data Protection Act 2018 and the NUPL Privacy Policy. Safeguarding records often include special category data, such as health information, so NUPL will apply the safeguards set out in this Section 7.

7.2 Access: only the DSL and the Deputy Safeguarding Lead can access safeguarding records, subject to Section 6.1.3. Other people are told only what they need to know to keep someone safe.

7.3 Storage: reports are stored in a secure, password-protected location with two-factor authentication, separate from general league records. Paper notes made at events are transferred to that location and securely destroyed within 7 days.

7.4 Sharing: information will be shared with third parties such as the police, local authorities, universities or venues only where necessary to protect someone from harm, to prevent or detect a crime, or where required by law. Where possible, the person concerned will be told first. The reason for any sharing will be recorded.

7.5 Anonymity: NUPL will make every reasonable effort to protect the identity of people who report concerns but cannot guarantee anonymity, particularly where a referral to statutory services is needed.

7.6 Retention: records will normally be kept for 6 years after a case is closed, then securely deleted. Records of serious concerns about a person’s suitability to take part may be kept longer where justified.

7.7 Rights: people can request access to information held about them under data protection law. Some information may be withheld where releasing it would put someone at risk.

7.8 The NUPL Privacy Policy explains how safeguarding information is used.

8. Photography, Filming and Social Media

8.1 Players choose whether to consent to photography and filming when they register with NUPL. NUPL will:

• give its photographers and content creators a list of players who have opted out, and make sure they are not identifiable in published content;

• remove any image or video of a player on request as soon as reasonably possible;

• never publish images taken in changing rooms or toilets, or images that are sexualised, humiliating or likely to embarrass;

• not publish a player’s personal details, such as their address or contact details, with any image; and

• expect clubs, players and spectators to follow the same standards when posting about NUPL events.

8.2 Online abuse, harassment or bullying connected with the league should be reported in the same way as any other safeguarding concern.

9. Safeguarding and Discipline

9.1 Safeguarding concerns are about someone’s welfare or risk of harm. Disciplinary matters are about breaches of the NUPL Rules and Regulations, such as misconduct during a match. Disciplinary matters are handled under the Rules and Regulations, not this policy.

9.2 Some situations are both. In those cases, the safeguarding process comes first, and any disciplinary action will be managed so that it does not put anyone at further risk or interfere with a police or statutory process.

10. Review and Approval

10.1 The DSL will review this policy every year before the start of the season, and the NUPL directors will approve it. It will also be reviewed sooner if the law, NUPL’s activities or a serious incident make that necessary.

10.2 The next review is due in August 2027.

This policy was approved by NUPL’s directors, Barnaby Stephenson and Guy Stonor, on 28 September 2026.

Appendix A: Legislation and Guidance

This policy is based on UK legislation and guidance, including:

• UK-wide: Human Rights Act 1998; Equality Act 2010; UK GDPR and Data Protection Act 2018; Sexual Offences Act 2003 (England and Wales) and Sexual Offences (Scotland) Act 2009; Modern Slavery Act 2015; Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015.

• England: Care Act 2014; Mental Capacity Act 2005; Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006; Protection of Freedoms Act 2012; Domestic Abuse Act 2021.

• Scotland: Adult Support and Protection (Scotland) Act 2007; Adults with Incapacity (Scotland) Act 2000; Protection of Vulnerable Groups (Scotland) Act 2007; Domestic Abuse (Scotland) Act 2018.

• Wales: Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014 and the Wales Safeguarding Procedures.

• Northern Ireland: Adult Safeguarding: Prevention and Protection in Partnership (2015); Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups (Northern Ireland) Order 2007.

Appendix B: Glossary

• Adult: anyone aged 18 or over.

• Adult at risk: an adult who has care and support needs, is experiencing or at risk of abuse or neglect, and cannot protect themselves because of those needs. In Scotland, the equivalent term is an “adult at risk of harm”.

• Child: anyone under the age of 18.

• Safeguarding: protecting people’s right to live and take part in safety, free from abuse and neglect, while supporting them to make their own choices.

• Concern: a worry that someone may be experiencing, or at risk of, harm or abuse.

• Disclosure: when someone tells another person that they are experiencing, or have experienced, harm or abuse.

Appendix C: Types of Harm and Abuse

The list below is a guide and is not exhaustive.

• Physical abuse: hitting, pushing, kicking, restraint, or misuse of medication.

• Sexual abuse and harassment: any sexual act, contact or behaviour without consent, including sexual assault, unwanted touching, sexual comments or jokes, sharing intimate images without consent, and indecent exposure.

• Emotional or psychological abuse: threats, humiliation, intimidation, controlling behaviour, harassment, verbal abuse or isolation.

• Bullying and hazing: repeated intimidation, or harmful or degrading initiation activities, including those involving forced drinking.

• Discriminatory abuse: abuse or harassment based on a protected characteristic, such as race, sex, disability, religion or sexual orientation.

• Online abuse: abuse, harassment, threats or image-based abuse carried out through social media, messaging or other online platforms.

• Domestic abuse and coercive control: abuse between partners, ex-partners or family members, including so-called “honour”-based abuse.

• Financial or material abuse: theft, fraud, scams, or pressure relating to someone’s money or belongings.

• Neglect and self-neglect: failing to meet someone’s basic care needs, or a person being unable or unwilling to care for their own health and wellbeing.

• Modern slavery: human trafficking, forced labour and domestic servitude.

• Radicalisation: being drawn into supporting terrorism or extremist ideologies.

Appendix D: Contacts

• Emergency services: 999

• Police (non-emergency): 101

• NUPL Safeguarding Concern Form: UK Padel NUPL Safeguarding Concern Form

• NUPL Designated Safeguarding Lead: Barnaby Stephenson, safeguarding@nupl.co.uk

• NUPL Deputy Safeguarding Lead: Guy Stonor, guy@nupl.co.uk

• Ann Craft Trust (safeguarding adults advice): www.anncrafttrust.org

• Samaritans (24 hours): 116 123