Child Protection

The Halifax Irish J.A.R.L.F.C. has a moral and legal obligation to ensure that, when given the responsibility for young people, coaches and volunteers provide them with the highest possible standard of care.

Through the implementation of a public policy for the welfare of young people and the support of its coaches and volunteers, the Halifax Irish J.A.R.L.F.C along side its governing bodies will maintain the professionalism and safeguards of good practice which are associated with the game.

The policy outlines the following key areas

·         It recognises the responsibility of all those involved in Rugby League (professional and volunteer) to safeguard and promote the interests and well being of the children and young players with whom they are working.

·         It provides a framework on the recruitment, selection, sustainability and deployment of individuals working with young people.

·         It emphasises the value of working closely in partnership with other coaches, parents, professionals and volunteers to protect children and young players from harm and discrimination.

·         It acknowledges that abuse does take place in sport and that raising awareness and understanding of the main forms of abuse and establishing communication and reporting procedures if abuse is suspected will further safeguard the young players, coaches and all other working within the game.

 

Section 1

It is the responsibility of every adult working in Rugby League, as a professional or a volunteer, to ensure that all young people can enjoy the sport in a safe environment.

The Halifax Irish J.A.R.L.F.C. recognises its responsibility to safeguard the welfare of all its young people involved in the game by protecting them from physical, emotional or sexual harm.  From neglect and any form of bullying.

The Halifax Irish J.A.R.L.F.C. is determined to meet its obligation by ensuring that all its playing opportunities for young people meet the highest possible standards of care.

The members of the Halifax Irish J.A.R.L.F.C. realises that they have a responsibility

·         To safeguard and promote the interests and well being of the young people with whom they are working.

·         To ensure that all adults who work with young people are aware of their role and responsibilities and that training opportunities are made available to them.

·         To take all reasonable practical steps to protect young people from harm or discrimination.

·         To respect young peoples’ rights, reasonable wishes and feelings

·         To take all reasonable steps to ensure that individuals involved in the game are aware of situations that may compromise their position.

This procedure seeks to

·         Create safeguards for the young people with whom we work and for our volunteers, coaches and club members.

·         Create good practice that is associated with Rugby League.

It recognises that any policy or procedure is only as effective as the ability of those who operate it therefore we are committed to offering appropriate training to all our coaches, volunteers and club members where appropriate.  This will enable them to work with the parents/carers to ensure that the needs and welfare of young people remain paramount.

Section 2

The welfare of all young people is paramount.

All young people, irrespective of their age, gender, culture, ability, language, religious beliefs, racial origin or sexual identity should be able to enjoy the game in a safe, fun environment free from abuse.

It is the responsibility of child protection experts to determine if abuse has taken place but it is everyone’s responsibility within the rugby club to report any concerns.

All suspicions and allegations of abuse must be taken seriously, reported swiftly and appropriately.

Individuals working with young people will be made aware of good practice in order to ensure that they are not placed in situations where allegations could be made

Working in partnership with parents/carers is essential for the protection of young people.

Section 3

Legal Framework

The Child Protection Act 1989

The Protection of Children Act 1999

Working Together to Safeguard Children and Young People 1999

‘Caring for the Young and Vulnerable’ – Home Office Guidance for Preventing the Abuse of Trust 1999

The Criminal Justice and Court Services Act 2000

The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child

The Human Rights Act 1998

‘What to do if you are worried a child may be being abused’ DOH 2003

Section 4

Abuse is a powerful, emotive term.  It is used to describe ways in which children are harmed usually by individuals and often by those they know and trust.

To provide young people with the best possible experience in ruby league, everyone must operate within the accepted ethical framework and display exemplary behaviour.  This protects all personnel from false allegation and makes sure that rugby has a positive contribution to the development of young people and safeguards their welfare. (see ‘Good Practice’)

Emotional abuse can occur when individuals fail to treat young people with care, love or affection.  The young person may be constantly subject to threats, taunts, sarcasm or unrealistic pressure.  Emotional abuse may occur from a coach when

·         Provide negative feedback

·         Repeatedly ignore a young players efforts to progress

·         Repeatedly demand performance levels above those of which the player is capable

·         Over emphasis the winning ethic

Neglect can occur when a young person’s essential needs for food, warmth and care are not met.  Neglect by the coach may occur when

·         Young players are left alone without proper supervision

·         A young player is exposed to unnecessary heat or cold without fluids or protection

·         A young player is exposed to an unacceptable risk of injury

Physical abuse can occur when individuals deliberately inflict injuries on a child, or knowingly do not prevent such injuries.  It includes:

·         Hitting

·         Shaking

·         Squeezing

·         Biting

·         Excessive force

It also occurs when individuals give young people alcohol or inappropriate drugs or fails to supervise their access to these substances.  Physical abuse by a coach may occur when

·         Coaches or helpers enforce a training schedule which disregards  the capacity of the players immature growing bodies

·         Coaches or helpers expose young players to overplaying, over training or fatigue

·         Coaches or helpers expose young players to alcohol or give them the opportunity to drink below the legal age

·         Coaches or helpers expose young players to performance enhancing drugs and recommend that they take them

Sexual abuse can be directed at both boys and girls by adults both male and female, who use young people to meet their own sexual needs.  Examples can include forcing a child to take part in sexual activity such as sexual intercourse, masturbation or oral sex.  Showing young people pornographic material or making suggestions that sexual favours can help a sporting career.  Sexual abuse by a coach may occur when

·         The close proximity of coaches and others, to young people provides an opportunity for potential abusers to exploit their position of trust.

 

Section 5

Bullying can be defined in many ways and can be instigated by children as well as adults.  There are three main types of bullying

1.       Physical; hitting, kicking, theft

2.       Verbal; racism, sexism or homophobic remarks

3.       Emotional; continual negative feedback or criticism

 

·         They will all include;

                                                   i.      Hostility towards the victim

                                                 ii.      A victim who is weaker and less powerful than the bully

                                                iii.      An outcome that is always painful or distressing for the individual

Bullying behaviour may include

·         Violence

·         Sarcasm, teasing, he spreading of rumours

·         Tormenting, ridiculing or humiliation

·         Racial taunts, gestures or graffiti

·         Unwanted physical contact.  Abusive or offensive comments of a sexual nature

All adults should be aware of

·         Parents who push too hard

·         A coach who has a ‘win at all costs’ attitude

·         A player who intimidates others

·         An over officious official

 

Section 6

Possible indicators outside the sporting setting:

·         unexplained injuries

·         inappropriate explanations for the injuries

·         untreated injuries

·         fear of going home

·         aggression towards others

·         constant hunger and tiredness

·         poor personal hygiene

·         inappropriate clothing

·         lateness or absence from coaching sessions

·         low self esteem

·         poor peer relationships

·         poor concentration

·         continual  self depreciation

·         emotional immaturity

·         extreme behaviour

·         inappropriate sexual behaviour

·         distrust of adults

·         inappropriate language

Section 7

Levels of awareness need to be raised without causing fear, anxiety or suspicion.  The basic principle should be that:

If you become aware of anything which causes you to feel uncomfortable, you should talk to the Child Protection Welfare Officer.

Section 8

Responding to disclosure

Do’s

·         Stay calm, don’t frighten the young person or take inappropriate action

·         Reassure the child, they are not to blame and confirm that you know how difficult it is to confide in others

·         Listen Sympathetically, show that you take them seriously

·         Keep your questions to a minimum, only ask questions to clarify, don’t lead the child

·         Make sure you clearly understand what the child has said, you may need to pass this information on to other agencies

·         Maintain confidentiality, all incidents should be treated with an open mind and be handled in a fair, equitable manner.  Confidentiality must be maintained until the case is proven

·         Ensure the safety of the young person, if urgent medical attention is needed then call an ambulance/ doctor but make it clear that this is a child protection issue.

Don’t

·         Panic, or let you emotions become evident

·         Make promises you cannot keep, explain that you will need to tell other people

·         Make the child repeat the story unnecessarily

·         Delay

·         Make assumptions or speculate

·         Approach the alleged abuser

·         Take sole responsibility

If your are not sure then you gain guidance from the NSPCC 24 hour help line 0800 800 500

As information may need to be passed to external agencies the information gathered should be as helpful as possible.  Information you will need;

1.       the child’s name, address, date of birth, ethnic origin.

2.       the allegation

3.       description of injuries.

4.       observation about the behaviour or emotional state of the young person

5.       times, dates, locations.

6.       take the account in the young person’s own words

7.       you actions as a result of your concerns

8.       if the person writing the report is expressing their own opinions or those of a third party

9.       Sign and date

10.   keep a copy

11.   keep a record of the details of the staff you have passed your concerns on to.

 

Section 9

Good Practice

·         always work in an open environment – No Secrets

·         treat all young people with respect and dignity

·         put the welfare of the young person before winning or achieving

·         keep a safe and appropriate distance with players

·         aim to build balanced relationships based on mutual trust

·         make sport fun and promote fair play

·         any manual/physical support should be provided only according to the guidelines provided in the Rugby League Coach Education Programme

·         Keep up to date with insurance and skills qualifications

·         Always ensure that parents/coaches/officials work in pairs

·         Mixed teams should be accompanied by a male and female member of staff

·         At tournaments or residentials adults should not enter children’s rooms or invite children into their own.  If supervision is needed then adults should work in pairs

·         Be an excellent role model, no smoking or drinking in the company of children

The Halifax Irish J.A.R.L.F.C. takes with the utmost seriousness is undertakings in line with this policy and will ensure that all young people, parents, coaching staff and volunteers comply with our codes of conduct and embrace the ethic and ethos behind it.