Stillington Tennis Club

Child Protection Policy

Child Protection and Good Practice in sport:

1. Children have a right to be in a safe environment and Stillington Tennis Club has a duty to provide that security.

2. Christine Cookman is appointed to have specific responsibility for the safety of children and has undertaken awareness training.

3. All club members, including children, are able to contact Christine Cookman if they have concerns about an adult’s behaviour, and must be assured that confidentiality and support are available and that appropriate action will be taken.

4. All coaches / volunteers / officials have clearly defined roles / job descriptions.

What to expect of all adults working with children in tennis:

§ Professionalism and the highest standards of personal behaviour at all times.

§ Awareness of situations in which actions may be misconstrued or manipulated by others. For example, if the coach or official is alone with a child in the clubhouse, changing rooms or similar place, they are open to the possibility of allegations about their behaviour. The presence of others acts as an insurance against false allegations.

§ Vigilance and awareness of how actions can be misinterpreted. For example, adolescent girls can have emotional feelings towards male coaches. While these should not be encouraged, neither should they be dismissed and the youngster hurt as a result.

§ Avoidance of showing favours or interest in one child more than another.

§ Awareness that physically handling a player, perhaps to help develop a game skill such as the backhand swing, can be misconstrued by an observer or even by the player.

§ Awareness of the language used in discussions with children. Never swear and do not use or respond to sexual innuendo.

§ Use of training methods and training programmes that are appropriate to the player.

§ Ensuring that another adult is always present when working with children in trips away from home. For example, another adult should always be present if a child’s room is visited at any time, and the door should always be open.

A copy of the above is to be supplied to all adults working with children at the club.

All those working with children and young people at Stillington Tennis Club are asked to complete a self-declaration form (and when applicable provide sound references which are checked as necessary) before the Club agrees to recruit them.

May 2015