Safety

• Always working in an open environment (e.g. avoiding private or unobserved situations and encouraging an open environment i.e. no secrets).
• Treating all young people/disabled adults equally, and with respect.
• Maintaining a safe and appropriate distance with members (e.g. it is not appropriate to have an intimate relationship with a child or to share a room with them).
• Making sport fun, enjoyable and promoting fair play.
  Ensuring that if any form of manual/physical support is required, it should be provided openly.
• Keeping up to date with the technical skills, qualifications and insurance in sport.
• Involving parents/carers wherever possible.
• Ensuring that if mixed teams are taken away, a male and female member of staff should always accompany them.
• Giving constructive feedback rather than negative criticism.
• Recognising the developmental needs and capacity of young people and disabled adults – avoiding excessive training or competition and not pushing them against their will.
• Securing parental consent in writing to act in loco parentis, if the need arises to give permission for the administration of emergency first aid and/or other medical treatment.
• Keeping a written record of any injury that occurs.
• Requesting written parental consent if club officials are required to transport young people in their cars.

Practice to be avoided

The following should be avoided except in emergencies.

• Avoid spending excessive amounts of time alone with children away from others.
• Avoid taking children to your home where they will be alone with you. Practice never to be sanctioned.

The following should never be sanctioned. You should never:

• Engage in rough, physical or sexually provocative games, including horseplay.
• Allow or engage in any form of inappropriate touching.
• Make sexually suggestive comments to a child, even in fun.
• Reduce a child to tears as a form of control.
• Allow allegations made by a child to go unchallenged, unrecorded or not acted upon.
• Do things of a personal nature for children that they can do for themselves.
• Invite or allow children to stay with you at your home unsupervised.

It may sometimes be necessary for staff or volunteers to do things of a personal nature for children, e.g. if they are young or are disabled. These tasks should only be carried out with the full understanding and consent of parents and the players.

If you have any concerns or queries, regarding practises by our instructors or club officials. Please contact one of the committee members who will investigate your concerns.