Finchley RFC Child Protection Policy
Aims
Finchley Rugby Football Club have a moral and legal obligation to ensure that coaches and volunteers provide any young person, whom they are responsible for, the highest possible standards of care.
Finchley RFC does this through the implementation of this Child Protection Policy which
has been endorsed by the Middlesex RFU.
The Policy outlines the following key areas: -
- The responsibility of all those involved, both professional and volunteers, at Finchley RFC to safeguard and promote the interests and well being of all children and young people that they are responsible for.
- It provides a framework for the recruitment, selection, suitability and deployment of individuals working with young people.
- It emphasises working closely with all those involved; other coaches, parents, volunteers and Professionals that will assist in the protection of all young people.
- It recognises that abuse does take place in sport and that raising awareness and establishing reporting procedures if abuse takes place will help protect young people.
Introduction
It is the responsibility of every adult involved at Finchley RFC to ensure that all young
people can enjoy Rugby in a safe and enjoyable environment and to protect them from
physical, emotional or sexual harm and from neglect or bullying.
Finchley RFC recognises that they have a responsibility to protect all young people and to put in place procedures to ensure that that all young people are treated with respect.
Finchley RFC also recognises that they have to put in place procedures to ensure that all
adults working with young people are aware of their roles and responsibilities and that
training is offered to them.
Key Principles
Anyone under the age of 18 shall be considered as a young person for the purposes of this
document.
All young people, whatever their age, culture, ability, religious beliefs, racial origin
and/or sexual identity should be able to enjoy the game, safe from any kind of abuse.
Young Girls are allowed to play along side Young Boys up to and including the Under 12
age group.
All allegations of abuse will be treated seriously and dealt with appropriately. It is for the
child protection experts to determine if abuse has taken place but for everyone within
Finchley RFC to report their concerns.
All individuals at Finchley RFC working with young people will be made aware of good
practice. They will also be shown that working with parents/carers for the protection of
young people is vital.
Finchley RFC operates within all guidelines and procedures as recommended by the RFU
and within the RFU Policy and Procedures for the Welfare of Young People in Rugby
Union.
Recognising Abuse
Young people are usually abused by individuals they know and trust. Coaches and others
working at Finchley RFC with Young people hold this trust and must not abuse or put
them selves in a position where they could abuse.
It is imperative that all adults at Finchley RFC working with young people operate with an accepted ethical framework and demonstrate exemplary behaviour. This will ensure that no false allegations of abuse can be made.
Poor practice and abuse are often difficult to differentiate. It is not up to those at
Finchley RFC to determine if abuse is taking place but it is their responsibility to act if
they have concerns about the welfare of any young person at Finchley RFC.
Abuse is usually categorised in one of four forms: -
Emotional Abuse
This may occur when a young person is repeatedly provided with negative feedback,
repeatedly ignored when making efforts to improve, and repeatedly expected to perform
to levels they are not capable of or when the coach emphasises winning at all costs.
Neglect
This may occur when Young people are left alone without proper supervision, left alone
in extreme heat or cold without adequate fluids or protection or put at unacceptable risk
of injury.
Physical Abuse
This can happen when young people are expected to train or play in such circumstances
that disregards the capacity of their immature and growing body, expected to play more
than is acceptable for a young person, exposed to alcohol or encouraged by adults to dink
alcohol below the legal age, or exposed to or be encouraged to take performance
enhancing or recreational drugs.
Sexual Abuse
This can happen because Coaches and other Adults can use opportunities to exploit their
position of trust with young people.
Bullying
Finchley RFC will not tolerate Bullying and will use a number of sanctions against those
who perform bullying. Ultimately any person found bullying may be asked to leave the
club.
Bullying is not always easy to define. It may not be by an adult on a young person but
may be by one young person on another. It is usually defined in one of three ways: -
1 Physical, e.g. hitting, kicking, theft;
2 Verbal, e.g. racist or other remarks about appearance
3 Emotional, e.g. persistent negative feedback
All of these will usually include deliberate hostility towards the victim, a victim who is
weaker than the bully or bullies and an outcome which is distressing and painful for the
individual.
Bullying can also include other forms of violence, sarcasm or persistent teasing,
tormenting or humiliation and taunting and gestures.
The competitive nature of rugby makes it a potential environment for the bully. It can
manifest itself in a number of ways. The parent who pushes too hard, a coach who
adopts a ‘win at all costs’ philosophy, a player who intimidates others or an official who
is over officious.
Roles and Responsibilities
Finchley RFC will appoint a Welfare officer who will act as the first point of contact for
concerns about the welfare of young people.
Finchley RFC accepts that all officers and committee members have a responsibility in
this area and are prepared to respond to any indication of poor practice or abuse in line
with the RFU policy and to put in place structures and systems to ensure that this is
followed.
Finchley RFC will adopt and implement a policy of Best Practice for all adults working
with young people.
Finchley RFC will ensure that all those who have regular supervisory contact with young
people or management responsibility for those working with young people undertake a
Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) disclosure.
Finchley RFC will identify a disciplinary panel that, where necessary, will be convened
to hear any alleged case of abuse.
Responding to Allegations/Taking Appropriate Action
Finchley RFC will deal with all allegation of Poor Practice/abuse in a sympathetic and
responsible way.
Any action taken will be in accordance with the RFU publication ‘Policy and Procedures
for the Welfare of Young People in Rugby Union’
Recruitment and Selection of Coaches & Volunteers
Finchley RFC will ensure that any new coach or volunteer who is working with young
people will undergo a CRB disclosure.
Finchley RFC will ensure that all new coaches and volunteers are given an induction
which will include details about the appropriate Code of Conduct and Code of Good
Practice, details relating to their roles and responsibilities and details about Child
Protection issues.
Finchley RFC will assist with the appropriate training of all new coaches and volunteers.
Finchley RFC will where possible take up references if the new Coach or Volunteer has
worked with young people before.
Finchley RFC monitors all its coaches and volunteers to identify new training
requirements and if necessary to highlight concerns regarding behaviour that does not fit
with ‘Best Practice’.
Good Practice in a Rugby Setting
Finchley RFC fully endorses the details contained in ‘Policy and Procedures for the
Welfare of Young People in Rugby Union’ and attempts to implement all the details
contained within the section “Good Practice in the Rugby Setting”.
Finchley RFC has policies relating to the Welfare of all young people associated with the
club. It is at the heart of all that the club stands for and is recognised as being of primary
importance by all Officers, Members and Volunteers at the club.