Safe and Inclusive Code of Conduct

This Code of Conduct should be interpreted in a spirit of integrity, transparency and common sense, with the best interests of children and vulnerable adults as the primary consideration.

See also the main ‘Club Code of Conduct for our members and our guests’ which includes more detailed sport specific information on good practice and on wider issues of fair play and equity.

  • Prioritise the well-being of all children and vulnerable adults at all times
  • Respect the rights, dignity and worth of every person within the context of our sports
  • Display high standards of behaviour. Always work in an open environment (i.e. avoid private, or unobserved, situations Act with integrity at all times.
  • Help to create a safe and inclusive environment both on and off the court or pitch. nets etc and promote the Fair Play values of enjoyment & respect
  • Place the well-being and safety of children above the development of performance
  • Value and celebrate diversity and make all reasonable efforts to meet individual needs
  • Keep clear boundaries between your professional and personal life, particularly on social media
  • Check you have the relevant consent from parents/carers, children and adults before taking or using photos and videos (explicit written consent is required before any identifiable images of children and vulnerable adults can be used on any social media platform)
  • Ensure your own roles and responsibilities, and those of everyone you are responsible for, are clearly outlined and everyone has the information, training and support to carry them out
  • Do not be alone with a child or adult at risk (NB LTA guidance does allow for public 1 to 1 coaching as defined within the good practice guidelines)
  • Coaches and Volunteers must take positive action to protect both themselves and raise concerns if they feel uncomfortably placed in a position of working alone and/or unsupervised.
  • Do not abuse, neglect, harm or discriminate against anyone; or act in a way that may be interpreted as such*
  • Doing nothing is NOT an option: report all concerns and disclosures as soon as possible, following the Concern Reporting Procedure. If someone is in immediate danger, call the police (999)

(* It is illegal to have an intimate relationship with someone who is under 18 years old if you are in a position of trust; it is illegal to have a sexual relationship with anyone under the age of 16 whether they give consent or not.)

Safe and Inclusive Standards

The Standards aim to set a minimum level of practice to promote and support safeguarding and equality in our sporting activities. The Safe and Inclusive Standards are intended to be used alongside the Safeguarding Policy, the Club Code of Conduct; and the Equity Statement.

Standard 1: We have Safeguarding and Equality Policies and a Code of Conduct, Communications and Social Media Policies that applies to all staff, volunteers, club representatives, coaches, club members and events

  • Everyone at The Club who works with children and/ or vulnerable adults including coaches, officials, bar and other staff and volunteers, has read, understood and follows the Safeguarding and Equality Policies, Standards, the Codes of Conduct and Reporting Procedure and Communications Policy.  All adult members and parents are made aware of these policies and where to find them.
  • All of our policies and procedures are monitored and updated to keep them relevant to everyone in our club and the programmes and events we run.

 

Standard 2: We empower children and adults to create safe and inclusive sports environments, both on and off court, pitch and nets

  • We support everyone to uphold the Fair Play values of enjoyment and respect
  • Information, resources and guidance on how to stay safe, promote equality, diversity and inclusion and report concerns is easy to understand and implement and can be found in the club and via the website(s). There is an overall Club Welfare Officer and sport specific Club Welfare Officers and named persons responsible for safeguarding and equality at our club; their name and contact details are clearly displayed at the club on the notice board in the club house and on the web-site.
  • Children and adults are actively encouraged to report any concerns they have about themselves or others; those who report concerns are protected and supported.

 

Standard 3: We prioritise safe and inclusive recruitment, induction, training and support

  • All qualifying applications, interviews and references address safeguarding and equality requirements
  • All eligible staff and volunteers have a criminal records check
  • All our coaches are either LTA or ECB accredited
  • Our Club Welfare Officers (or named person responsible for safeguarding and equality) have the relevant skills and training to undertake the role and are actively encouraged to refresh their training.
  • All our staff, volunteers, coaches, club representatives and members know how to access relevant information, guidance and resources, including the Safe and Inclusive toolkit on the LTA web-site or the ECB ‘Safe Hands Safeguarding Kit Bag’ on the ECB website

Standard 4: We protect people’s confidential information about safeguarding and equality as laid out in the Social Media Policy

  • Confidential information relating to safeguarding and equality is:
    • Stored securely and appropriately
    • Accessed and processed securely according to permissions granted
    • Shared securely and appropriately.

 

Standard 5: We address safeguarding and discrimination concerns immediately, prioritising the wellbeing of children and vulnerable adults

  • All concerns, including on-line concerns (cyber-bullying, sexting, grooming and all other forms of on-line abuse) are recognised, reported and responded to
  • All safeguarding and discrimination concerns/allegations made regarding a club member of staff, volunteer, coach or visitor are reported to one of our club Welfare Officers (or named person responsible for safeguarding and equality) and may be reported to external authorities as appropriate
  • All concerns reported to the venue are reported immediately, following the Safeguarding Reporting Procedure
  • We foster a collaborative approach to safeguarding across British Tennis and English Cricket and with Local Authority agencies