CHILD PROTECTION POLICY

The interests of all juniors under the age of eighteen will be of paramount importance, regardless of gender, ability, culture, language, racial origin or religious beliefs. The Ainsdale Cricket Club Committee has approved this policy with a requirement that it is given high profile in terms of awareness. The policy is aimed to cover the four forms of abuse: physical, neglect, emotional and sexual.

Aim of the Policy:

The Welfare of the Child is paramount.

All Children, whatever their age, culture, special needs, gender, language, racial origin; religious beliefs have the right to protection from abuse.

All suspicions and allegations of abuse will be taken seriously and responded to swiftly and appropriately.

All paid staff or unpaid working for Ainsdale Cricket Club have a responsibility to report concerns to the Appointed Welfare officer, Social Services or Police.

Good Practice at Ainsdale Cricket Club:

Ainsdale Cricket Club aims to create an enjoyable environment for all juniors who wish to take part in cricket and social activities at the club.

The club emphasises that young people have the right to be safe, secure and free from threat.

The club acknowledge that young people have the right to be treated with respect and for their concerns to be listened to and acted upon.

The club will ensure that junior members have specific programmes and facilities designated for them, with adequate supervision.

The Club will ensure that the coaches are aware of the Child Protection Policy and that they attend child protection courses, they are CRB checked. All Coaches, Umpires Junior Team Managers and others who are responsible for, have significant or regular contact with children will complete CRB forms.

The club will ensure that any club members and volunteers working with young people are aware of and apply the ECB policy to Child Protection.

Self-declaration forms should be completed by individuals in the club who have not completed CRB forms. These will be held by the Welfare officer.

The club has procedures in place to help any young person who requests help and support on a confidential basis, in issues relating to Child Protection.

The Welfare Officer is: Steve Gregory (Tel : 01704 543851)

Please speak to the Welfare Officer if you suspect that a young member of Ainsdale Cricket Club is at risk of any form of abuse while taking part in Club Activities or using the Club Facilities.

The above named have full discretion on matters which may be brought to his/her attention and will act with total confidentiality on issues which are extremely sensitive to any persons involved.

The Welfare officer will:

Be open to easy contact by any person who has reasonable suspicion that abuse is taking place or is likely to take place.

Carry out vetting procedures for all adults (parents/members) who are involved in club activities (coaching, teams and transport arrangements) that bring them into regular contact with young members.

Liase with the County Welfare Officer.

This club has a disciplinary procedure within its constitution that gives officers / the committee the power to suspend, exclude, expel members.

Complaints Procedure:

All complaints should be reported to The Child Protection Officer. Adults or juniors who wish to make a complaint may prefer first to talk to a team manager who will, along with the CPO complete a WELFARE INCIDENT FORM.

A panel consisting of the CPO and a minimum of two General Committee members who will determine the appropriate action to be taken. Where this panel decides on disciplinary action the Ainsdale Cricket Club Junior Co-ordinator must be consulted first. Members subject to disciplinary action have the right to appeal in writing to the General Committee, who may cancel, increase or vary any penalty. Unless there are reasonable grounds to believe that a criminal offence may have been committed, appeals will be heard by the General Committee. The CPO is not responsible for determining whether abuse has taken place but to consider the substance of complaints and decide the most appropriate response.

Important Numbers:

1. Childline UK 0800 1111 (24 hour)

2. NSPCC 0800 800 500 (24 hour)

3. The nearest Police Station: Ainsdale Police Station, Station Road, Ainsdale

4. The County Cricket Development Officer

Mr Paul Bryson
Lancashire Cricket Board
Old Trafford
Manchester
M16 0PX
Tel: 0161 282 4188

Conduct:

Ainsdale Cricket Club expects high standards of conduct, both on and off the field from all its junior cricketers. Volunteers have an important role to play by setting high standards of sportsmanship and conduct and leading by example. Parents and guardians are also expected to support the club and volunteers in this regard by displaying integrity in relation to all aspects of conduct. Membership does not give a right to selection or any level of involvement in matches.

A condition of membership is that the CPO has the right (subject to appeal to the General Committee) to suspend or terminate (without refund of subscription) any junior or family membership in the event of unacceptable behaviour, including drug abuse, bullying, verbal abuse and any other form of bad sportsmanship.

Health:

The club wishes to support the development of young players of all abilities including, whenever possible, those with health and learning difficulties. It is a requirement that appropriate medical advice is first obtained and the club shall rely on the information from parents in this regard. It is a condition of membership that parents or guardians provide the relevant information on the medical consent form and report any changes as and when they occur.

Wherever possible more than one adult should be in attendance when administering first aid to injuries. First aid equipment will be available at the club’s premises and at away fixtures. An accident report log provided (see ACCIDENT REPORT FORM). Parents and guardians should be informed of any injury or illness. Whenever there is potentially serious injury or illness, particularly if contagious illness is suspected, the Child Protection Officer should be immediately informed.

Transport:

Parents or guardians are responsible for the transport arrangements of their children to the venue of matches and practice sessions. Parental consent is required whenever volunteers and other adults transport a junior. This will be by way of a written authority (see TOURS & AWAY FIXTURES FORM). Although volunteers will help in the arrangement of transport, neither they nor the club can be held liable for any accident that occurs during the journey. It is the responsibility of the parents and guardians of the juniors to ensure that children are supervised both at the time of dropping off and taking home, i.e. when dropping off young children at the clubhouse or other location, it is essential to ensure that the particular event (match / practice) has not been cancelled and that adult supervision has arrived. Children under twelve should not be left unsupervised in any location at any time.

In relation to the transporting of junior cricketers, volunteers and other adults should:
(i) avoid giving a lift to a single child;
(ii) avoid taking a child home or to any other location;
(iii) avoid asking a child to wait in a vehicle with them alone
(iv) avoid sending a child home with another person without permission.
(v) ensure that vehicles are roadworthy and insured;
(vi) ensure that children wear seatbelts and where possible sit in a back seat.

Volunteer Selection Procedure:

The CPO will be responsible for advising The Junior Cricket Co-ordinator on the suitability of prospective volunteers within the context of this policy. They will be entitled to rely on the screening procedure described below and any other information in their possession. Screening will involve a procedure to be implemented based on self-disclosure from volunteers who are regularly in close contact with the junior members. This will be a mandatory requirement for team managers and coaches. There will be borderline cases, for example the many helpers whose involvement in coaching and team management is occasional and not on a regular basis; these adults are encouraged to provide the specific information referred to below. A volunteer covered by this requirement must be given a copy of this policy document and make a declaration in the prescribed form (see VOLUNTEER AGREEMENT FORM) to the Child Protection Officer on certain information about criminal convictions, sanctions and Social Services Department listings. When fully implemented, volunteers will also be required to obtain a certificate of criminal record checks from the Criminal Records Bureau, or any other suitable agency.