At Pi Wars, we take the safeguarding of everybody very seriously, whether competitor, spectator or volunteer.
Purpose of this statement
The purpose of this policy statement is:
- to protect children, young people and vulnerable adults who participate in Pi Wars from harm.
- to provide staff and volunteers, as well as children, young people and their families, with the overarching principles that guide our approach to the protection of children and vulnerable adults.
This policy applies to anyone involved with Pi Wars including competitors, volunteers and organisers.
Data collection and privacy
When applying for Pi Wars, we ask for the name and contact details of a team leader as well as contact details for a responsible adult for young teams. This information is used for system emails and update requests. We will always email the team leader and the responsible adult to keep everyone informed. If additional team members are requested to be added, then we will do so. Contact information is kept on our secure team management system, to which only the organising team have access. At the time of the application, we also ask for ages and numbers of young team members (but not names or contact information) as a rough guide to their level of experience.
Volunteers
We are incredibly grateful to the army of volunteers that help us with course construction before the event and also with marshalling and judging at the event.
In order to be a volunteer at the in-person event we request that you complete the Raspberry Pi Foundation’s short Safeguarding e-learning module. This will ensure that you are aware of safeguarding procedures and best practice. It takes about 30 minutes to complete. If, however, you have completed a similar, or more advanced, safeguarding course (for example, if you are a teacher) then you won’t need to do this.
Code of Behaviour
In terms of what to do, and what not to do, the Raspberry Pi Foundation has put together this excellent list of behaviours. We recommend that anyone involved with Pi Wars reads this document as an addendum to the Safeguarding module.
We have our own Code of Conduct that everyone involved with Pi Wars should comply with. It is recommended that marshals and judges, in particular, review this Code so that they know what to look out for.
Breaches and escalation
At the event
In the event that you believe a breach of our Safeguarding policy has taken place during the Pi Wars event, please report it immediately to the front desk. The front desk staff will refer you to one of the organisers and they will deal with the issue.
Depending on the severity of the breach, the person involved may be asked to leave the building. If further intervention is required, security may be asked to be involved in order to ensure the person is escorted away from the premises. If a serious breach has occurred, the issue will be referred to the Police who may take it further.
Outside the event
If you believe a breach has occurred during preparation for, but connected to, Pi Wars, please report it via the contact form on our website. If you wish to email one of the organisers in confidence about a breach directly, please use the email links on this page.
In any case
Regardless of the severity of the breach, Pi Wars staff will record information about the breach and the people involved securely. The person who reported the breach will be informed of any outcome.
Safeguarding officers
In order to cover all bases, responsibility for Safeguarding rests with the Pi Wars organisers.
Legal framework
This policy has been drawn up on the basis of legislation, policy and guidance that seeks to protect children in England. A summary of the key legislation is available from nspcc.org.uk/learning.
Do you have any questions or concerns?
If you would like to talk to us further, please use the contact form on this website, leaving your contact details and we will contact you shortly.
This statement was created on 3rd October 2019 and was last reviewed on 10th September 2023.