Safeguarding Policy

SAFEGUARDING POLICY

Cloughey and District Tennis Club is fully committed to safeguarding the wellbeing of its members. Every individual in the club should at all times show respect and understanding for their rights, safety and welfare, and conduct themselves in a way that reflects the principles of the club and the guidelines contained in the Code of Ethics and Good Practice for Children’s Sport.

“Children have the right to be protected from all forms of violence; they must be kept safe from harm, and they must be given proper care by those looking after them” (Article 19; UN Convention on the Rights of the Child)

All children’s sport should be conducted in an atmosphere of fair play. Ireland and the UK have adopted and are committed to the European Code of Sports Ethics, which defines fair play as:

“much more than playing within the rules. It incorporates the concepts of friendship, respect for others and always playing within the right spirit. Fair play is defined as a way of thinking, not just a way of behaving. It incorporates issues concerned with the elimination of cheating, gamesmanship, doping, violence (both physical and verbal), exploitation, unequal opportunities, excessive commercialism and corruption.” (European Sports Charter and Code of Ethics, Council of Europe, 1993)

The Childcare Act 1991 (ROI) and The Children’s (NI) Order (1995) are based on a clear and consistent set of principles designed with the common aim of promoting the welfare of children. Children have the right to be safe. All coaches should ensure that this fundamental principle takes precedence over all other considerations.

Standards set by Cloughey and District Tennis Club will be achieved through the Club:

• Adopting and implementing the Code of Ethics and Good Practice for Children’s Sport as an integral part of its policy on children in the Club
• Having its constitution approved and adopted by club members at the AGM
• Permitting all members over 16 years of age to vote, where possible, in the running of any junior section. One parent / guardian should have one vote for all their children under 16 years of age, where relevant
• Ensuring that the Club Management Committee is elected or endorsed by registered club members at each AGM
• Clearly defining the role of the committee members, coaches and parents/ guardians
• Appointing (or reappointing) two children’s officers at the AGM. One children’s officer of each gender should ideally be appointed.
• Appointing one of the Children’s Officers to act as Designated Officer to liaise with the Statutory Authorities in relation to the reporting of allegations or suspicions of child abuse. Any such reports should be made according to the procedures outlined in this Code/ Children First/ Our Duty to Care
• Having in place procedures for dealing with a concern or complaint made to the Statutory Authorities against a Committee or Club Member or coach. Regulations stipulate that a member or coach who is the subject of an allegation, which has been reported to the Statutory Authorities, should stand aside while the matter is being examined. S/he should be invited to resume full duties immediately if s/he is vindicated.
• Developing effective procedures for responding to and recording accidents/ incidents
• Ensuring that any unusual activity (high rate of drop-out, transfers, etc.) is checked out and reported by the Designated Officer to the Committee
• Ensuring that all club members are given adequate notice of AGMs and any other Club meetings
• Ensuring that all minutes of all meetings (AGMs / EGMs / Committees) are recorded and safely filed.

This policy applies to all those involved in Cloughey and District Tennis Club, coaches, administrators, officials, volunteer drivers, parents and young people.

SAFEGUARDING OFFICERS

The Designated Officer for the club is:

Fiona Rafferty

33C Cloughey Road,

Portavogie,

BT22 1EF    

07990 543659

The Children’s Officer is:

Ruby Ferguson         

98 Rubane Road,

Kircubbin,

BT22 1AU                  

07719 664626

Names of the Children’s and Designated Officers shall be made known to young members, coaches and parents alike as the persons to whom concerns will be addressed.  If the concern is about a Children’s Officer a report must be made to the Designated Officer.

The Club has procedures in place for dealing with any concern or allegation of abuse either within the club or externally, but the first point of contact for a child, parent/guardian or coach should be the Children’s Officer, although any individual has the right to contact the HSE / Social Services or the Police if they have a concern about a child’s safety.

EQUALITY STATEMENT

All children should be valued and treated in an equitable and fair manner regardless of ability, age, sex, religion, social and ethnic background or political persuasion. Children, irrespective of ability or disability should be involved in sports activities in an integrated and inclusive way, whenever possible, thus allowing them to participate to their full potential alongside other children (Code of Ethics and Good Practice for Children’s Sport 2000)

Cloughey and District Tennis Club recognises the additional vulnerability of some children and the extra difficulties they may face when seeking help, i.e.

• Dependency due to disability may make some children feel powerless
• On occasions possible limited ability to communicate their feelings
• A negative self-image can make children vulnerable to manipulation by others

To address this vulnerability coaches will seek guidance on working with children with a disability from external agencies, parents / guardians and the children themselves.

CONFIDENTIALITY STATEMENT

We at Cloughey and District Tennis Club recognises that the legal principle that the welfare of the child is paramount means that consideration of confidentiality should not be allowed to override the right of children to be protected from harm. Everyone in our organisation, including children, must be aware that they can never promise to keep secrets. However, information of a confidential nature will only be communicated on a need to-know basis.

CODES OF CONDUCT

Cloughey and District Tennis Club has agreed Codes of Conduct for:

• Coaches and volunteers
• Parents
• Children and Young People

All codes of conduct must be read and signed by the relevant people and are available in the Club induction booklet on the Club noticeboard, on the website and from the Club Secretary.

GENERAL SAFETY

Cloughey and District Tennis Club has various other policies in place relating to first aid, Health and Safety and accidents and incidents and these are available through the website or from the Club Secretary. An accident/incident book is held by the Coach and kept in the courtside box.

Any accident or injury to a child must be reported to the Coach or Assistant Coach and recorded in the accident book.

COMPLAINTS

Cloughey and District Tennis Club is fully committed to ensuring the well-being of its members. Every individual in the club should at all times show respect and understanding for their rights, safety and welfare, and conduct themselves in a way that reflects the principles and rules of the club. However, if any child member, or parent of a member, feels they need to make a complaint they must follow the Club Complaints Policy, available on the website, Club noticeboard or from the Club Secretary.

Signed:  John Lee,   Chairman

Fiona Rafferty,   Designated Officer

Ruby Ferguson,   Children’s Officer

Agreed: June 2023

Date of next revision: June 2026