Bovingdon & Flaunden Tennis Club
Child Protection Policy

Introduction

Bovingdon & Flaunden Tennis Club (B&FTC) operates its own Child Protection Policy, as set out below, and also in conjunction with the advice and guidance and codes of conduct provided by the Lawn Tennis Association.

B&FTC provides a safe place for children to come and learn the game of tennis and participate in both coaching and matches, as well as social events.  In doing so, the Clubs members (particularly its coaches) regularly come into contact with children and young people.  The purpose of Child Protection Policy is:

· to provide protection for the children who visit B&FTC facilities or take part in activities organised by B&FTC
· to provide all B&FTC representatives dealing with children with good practice guidelines
· to provide all B&FTC representatives with guidance on procedures they should adopt in the event that they have concerns that a child may be experiencing, or be at risk from, some form of abuse
· to guide B&FTC representatives on responding appropriately to, and reporting, child protection concerns

This Policy Applies to:

All Officers, Committee members and members and associated persons such as those employed under a contract for services.  The above will be referred to as B&FTC representatives throughout this policy.  All B&FTC representatives will be given a copy of this policy as well as the LTA guidelines and will sign a copy to confirm that they are familiar with the contents.  The signed copies shall be kept in a central file.

Policy Statement

B&FTC is involved with the provision of tennis opportunities for children through coaching (both individually and groups) and matches.  B&FTC recognises that it has a duty of care towards those children who visit the tennis club.

Bovingdon & Flaunden Tennis Club recognises:

· the welfare of the child is paramount
· all children without exception have the right to protection from all types of harm and abuse
· all suspicions and allegations of abuse will be taken seriously and responded to swiftly and appropriately
· all B&FTC representatives have a responsibility to report concerns

Recruitment of Bovingdon & Flaunden Tennis Club Representatives

Only B&FTC coaches have unsupervised contact with children, and undergo Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) checks as part of their LTA Licence process, which includes taking of references from referees. The CPO must carry out an annual check to ensure coaches CRB licences are current.

If the result of the CRB check and/or the references raises doubts about the suitability of the individual to work with children, they shall not be allowed to coach.

All other adults involved with the children are required to sign a self declaration form (as per LTA guidelines)

Training

The Child Protection Officer (CPO) (Nick Leighton) responsible for dealing with Child Protection Issues shall undergo training in Child Protection issues and good practice.

Good Practice Guidelines

All B&FTC representatives will conduct themselves in a way that promotes best practice.

Child protection is about safeguarding children.  Good practice can reduce the risk of behaviour being misinterpreted or adults making themselves vulnerable to allegations of abuse.

B&FTC representatives should adopt a common sense approach when dealing with children.  There will be times when B&FTC representatives have to, for example, carry out first aid.  These guidelines should be followed wherever possible and if this is not possible, a colleague should be notified of the reasons for this.

These guidelines should apply in respect of all children who visit Bovingdon Tennis Club:

· treat all children equally with respect and dignity
· challenge inappropriate language or behaviour when used by colleagues or children
· ensure that individuals do not spend excessive amounts of time alone with children away from others
· if individuals are alone in a room with a child, they should leave the door ajar and make others aware of the situation
· no photographs or video footage of the children should be taken or published without the consent of the parents
· where possible, B&FTC representatives should not touch children but if this is ESSENTIAL they should obtain the child’s permission before they touch them.  They should also provide a commentary of what they are doing and why.  If a child is unconscious, a commentary should still be given to any colleagues or bystanders present.

Recognising Abuse and Responding to Allegations and Suspicions

A child may tell a B&FTC representative about abuse they have suffered or a third party, e.g. a parent or coach may inform the representative of suspicions.

B&FTC representatives may also have concerns if a child:

· has suspicious injuries such as bruising, cuts or burns, especially if on unusual areas such as cheeks
· uses sexually explicit language or displays sexually explicit behaviour
· displays sudden changes of behaviour
· displays a distrust of adults, especially those they would be expected to have a close relationship

The above list is not exhaustive.

The presence of one or more of the above is not proof that abuse has occurred as there may be other reasons.  It is important not to overreact.  Children often have bruises and it is difficult to spot what is different from the norm.

If a representative is worried, it is not their responsibility to decide if it is abuse but it is their duty to act on their concerns and if in doubt, report it to the Child Protection Officer as soon as possible.

Reporting Procedure and Confidentiality

If a child confides to a B&FTC representative that they are being abused, the representative should:

· tell the child that they cannot keep the information secret if they think the child has been harmed
· keep calm
· reassure the child they were right to tell and make it clear they are not to blame for what has happened
· take what is said seriously
· keep questions to a minimum
· make a full written report of the conversation as soon as possible
· pass the report on to the Child Protection Officer as soon as possible

Once the Child Protection Officer has received the report, they can then decide what action to take. 

If the visit was a school visit, they should ring the school within 24 hours of the report being passed to them and ask for the school’s Child Protection “Designated Teacher” and refer the matter to them.  Once this has been done, the Child Protection Officer should send a copy of the report together with a letter confirming that the matter has been referred to the “Designated Teacher”.  A note should be made that this action has been taken and filed with the report.

If the visit was not a school visit, the Child Protection Officer needs to decide whether to report the matter to Social Services/the Police. In coming to this decision, the Child Protection Officer may liaise with the Club Officers if they consider this necessary.  The Child Protection Officer should follow this up by sending a copy of the report and a letter confirming that the matter has been referred to the appropriate agency.  A note should be made that this action has been taken and filed with the report.

Allegations of Abuse against B&FTC Representatives

If an allegation of abuse is made against a B&FTC representative, this should be reported to the Child Protection Officer immediately. The Child Protection Officer will liaise with the Chairman to decide whether the matter should be referred to the school/Social Services/the Police as above.

The allegation should be referred to the Chairman to decide what action to take in respect of the B&FTC representative and whether and how the B&FTC representative is to be informed of the allegations.

Review of the Policy

This policy shall be reviewed on an annual basis and updated as necessary.

Adopted by the Officers and Committee of B&FTC on the XX  December 2008

Gordon Bettis – Chairman
John Wareham – Treasurer
Diana Mills – Secretary
Child Protection Officer
Health & Safety Officer
Nick Leighton - Club Coach
John Bain
Gary Briggs
Jill Fisher
Dot Burgin
Anne Duncan
Peter Oppenheimer
Paul Smith
Wendy Dixon