We are acutely aware of what can go wrong when safeguarding, safety, welfare and well-being are not prioritised. It is devastating to hear accounts of those who have been subjected to harm and abuse when participating in an activity they love.
We have learned tough lessons from the findings and recommendations of independent reports - both within our own sport and across other sports - where poor practice, failings and abuse have been identified.
The Whyte review published in 2022 further challenged us to ensure the highest standards of safeguarding, welfare, complaints handling, education, governance and oversight are in place. We are committed to rising to these challenges and we know we must do everything we can to ensure that harm and abuse is prevented.
Our Safer Together strategy document explains how we are going to rise to this challenge, such as Health, Safety, and Welfare being a cross cutting theme in our Stronger Together organisational strategy.
Cover Safeguarding, Safety, and Well-being, the strategy can be downloaded from the Downloads section on this page.
The Paddle UK (British Canoeing) Case Management Group (CMG) is an independent group of experts with safeguarding experience. It offers advice, guidance and direction in relation to the management of safeguarding concerns and cases. You can download their Terms of Reference in the Downloads section on this page.
The CMG comprises an independent safeguarding expert who acts as Chair of the CMG along with up to eight independent members who are volunteers with safeguarding management experience and expertise, and who have been appointed following an open and transparent recruitment process.
It also contains our Designated Safeguarding Lead and Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead and will on occasion seek advice from others within the organisation who can offer paddling specific expertise.
The current CMG members include experts drawn from a mix of legal, social work, offender management and sport backgrounds.
Case Management Group Profiles
Gill Camina
Gill been the Independent Chair of the CMG since January 2017. Gill is a hugely experienced safeguarding and governance consultant with a proven track record of working at a senior level in a safeguarding consultancy and training capacity for a number of decades. She has extensive experience at national and international level of delivering and facilitating effective and challenging change improvements around the safeguarding of children, young people and adults. Gill is retained by a number of sports national governing bodies as an independent consultant and trainer. She also works extensively across the FE/HE, charity, youth and faith sectors and, although she left the NSPCC in 2013 (where she was a senior consultant for the CPSU and then the national consultancy services), she remains an Associate for both the NSPCC and for the Ann Craft Trust.
Helen Murdock
Helen joined the CMG in August 2018 and is a sports development consultant and trainer who specialises in the field of child safeguarding in sport. She is retained by a number of other sports to assist with their development of child protection policies and practice and is also a member of England Hockey's Safeguarding Disciplinary Panel. She is an NSPCC associate and is a Panel Member on the Sport Resolutions National Safeguarding Panel.
Nancy Squires
Nancy joined Paddle UK (British Canoeing) as Head of Governance and Compliance in June 2019. Nancy is a qualified solicitor with extensive experience in the sports sector. In Nancy's previous role with England Golf she was responsible for managing safeguarding cases and steering safeguarding policy and training development.
Sarah Torkington-Halstead
Sarah joined the CMG in December 2020 and is Head of Safeguarding with Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust as well as being GB Snowsport Safeguarding and Welfare Officer since July 2020.
Gemma Roberson
Gemma joined the CMG in August 2023 having started her career in Education, leading on safeguarding and inclusion before moving into the charity sector to take on a role as Head of Safeguarding for a National Charity. Gemma is currently the Head of Safeguarding and SEND for PGL and also a member of the National Autistic Society Independent Safeguarding Board.
Helen Weeks
Helen joined the CMG in August 2023 and is currently Sport Governance and Welfare Manager at Swim England, developing policy guidance and processes alongside monitoring compliance of clubs and organisations to Safeguarding and Judicial regulations. Having competed at three Olympic Games in Swimming, been a GB Team Manager and Volunteer for over 15 years, as well as a National level Coach, Helen brings experience from all dimensions of sport to support the implementation of safe practices for all participants.
Dr Perdita Mousley
Perdita joined the CMG in August 2023; she has over 25 years experience in the education sector. Perdita is a qualified teacher and has spent over 15 years working as a senior educational leader mainly within independent specialist schools and colleges, for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities. Perdita has been the Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) where she has had strategic oversight of safeguarding duties, led complex safeguarding cases, as well as daily safeguarding practices and processes. As the DSL, Perdita has worked closely with other professionals in multi-agency partnerships. Perdita is passionate about creating safe communities for children and adults at risk.
Claire Parry
Claire joined the CMG in August 2023. Claire is a Senior Lawyer in the Regulatory team at the British Horseracing Authority, where she leads on safeguarding cases, advises on safeguarding strategy and updates to the BHA's Safeguarding Regulations and internal case management policy. In Claire's previous role, she advised on safeguarding investigations and gained experience of representing coaches and athletes before disciplinary panels. Claire also sits as a Disciplinary Panel member for England Netball.
Greg Kirk
Greg joined the CMG in August 2023. Greg is a senior leader in education and safeguarding with leadership experience in the mental health sector and was responsible for reviewing safeguarding issues with the Case Management Team. Greg has worked with the NHS to develop policy guidance and monitored compliance across multi-agency partnerships. He is a Board member for the Lincolnshire Football Association's Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) group. Greg is a former Team GB World Junior Champion athlete and coach for skeleton bobsleigh and a former British Champion in Surf Life Saving. Having worked with UK Sport and Sport England on World Class Talent Pathways, Greg offers valuable insight to strategic development, both at community and elite level sport.
Adam Leathwood
Adam joined British Canoeing as Safeguarding Manager in April 2023 and became part of the CMG in September 2023. Adam has around 9 years' experience in safeguarding lead roles across education, care, the charity sector, and sport. Within these roles, Adam has been responsible for managing safeguarding cases, developing policy and procedure, and writing and delivering safeguarding training. He is a trained Adult Safeguarding Trainer for Sheffield Local Authority and also volunteers in a safeguarding role with the Special Olympics organisation.