TRACKSIDE LAWN TENNIS CLUB CHILD PROTECTION POLICY STATEMENT

Trackside Lawn Tennis Club is fully committed to safeguarding the well being of its members. Every individual in the club should at all times show respect and understanding for their rights, safety and welfare, and conduct themselves in a way that reflects the principles of the club and the guidelines contained in the Code of Ethics and Good Practice for Children’s Sport.

“Children have the right to be protected from all forms of violence; they must be kept safe from harm, and they must be given proper care by those looking after them “

(Article 19 ; UN Convention on the Rights of the Child)

All children’s sport should be conducted in an atmosphere of fair play. Ireland and the UK have adopted and are committed to the European Code of Sports Ethics, which defines fair play as:

“much more than playing within the rules. It incorporates the concepts of friendship, respect for others and always playing within the right spirit.

Fair play is defined as a way of thinking, not just a way of behaving. It incorporates issues concerned with the elimination of cheating, gamesmanship, doping, violence (both physical and verbal), exploitation, unequal opportunities, excessive commercialism and corruption.”

(European Sports Charter and Code of Ethics, Council of Europe, 1993) The Childcare Act 1991 (ROI) and The Children’s (NI) Order (1995) are based on a clear and consistent set of principles designed with the common aim of promoting the welfare of children.

Children have the right to be safe. All coaches should ensure that this fundamental principle takes precedence over all other consideration.

Standards set by Trackside Lawn Tennis Club will be achieved through ensuring the Club: –

• Adopt and implement the Code of Ethics and Good Practice for Children’s Sport as an integral part of its policy on children in the Club
• Have its constitution approved and adopted by clubs members at an AGM or EGM
• Permit all members over 16 years of age to vote, where possible, in the running of their junior section. One parent / guardian should have one vote for all their children under 16 years of age, where relevant
• Ensure that the Club Management Committee is elected or endorsed by registered club members at each AGM
• Adopt and consistently apply a safe and clearly defined method of recruiting and selecting Sports Leaders
• Clearly define the role of the committee members, all Sports Leaders and parents/ guardians
• Appoint/ Reappoint at least one children’s officer at the AGM as outlined in the C.o.E . In the event that a club caters for both boys and girls, one children’s officer of each gender should ideally be appointed
• Appoint one of the Children’s Officers to act as Designated Officer to liaise with the Statutory Authorities in relation to the reporting of allegations or suspicions of child abuse. Any such reports should be made according to the procedures outlined in this Code/ Children First/ Our Duty to Care
• Ensure best practice throughout the club by disseminating its code of conduct, including the disciplinary, complaints and appeals procedures in operation within the club to all its members.
• The club’s code of conduct should also be posted in all facilities used by the club
• Have in place procedures for dealing with a concern or complaint made to the Statutory Authorities against a Committee Member or Sports Leader. Regulations should stipulate that a Sports Leader who is the subject of an allegation which has been reported to the Statutory Authorities, should stand aside while the matter is being examined.
• S/he should be invited to resume full duties immediately if s/he is vindicated
• Ensure that relevant Sports Leaders report to the Club Management Committee on a regular basis.
• Encourage regular turnover of committee membership while ensuring continuity and experience.
• Develop effective procedures for responding to and recording accidents/ incidents.
• Ensure that any unusual activity (high rate of drop-out, transfers, etc.) is checked out and reported by the Designated Officer to Tennis Ireland
• Ensure that all club members are given adequate notice of AGMs and other meetings
• Ensure that all minutes of all meetings (AGMs / EGMs / Committees) are recorded and safely filed.

This policy applies to all those involved in Trackside Lawn Tennis Club, coaches, administrators, officials, volunteer drivers, parents and young people.

Copies of the full policy and detailed guidelines on recruitment, reporting, recording accidents/incidents, bullying, away trips and use of photography are available from the designated person or any club official.

CHILDREN’S OFFICERS

The Children’s Officers within the Club are:

• Clodagh Watson  086 887 2006
• Kevin Hopkins 086 402 6642

Names of Children’s Officers shall be made known to young members, coaches and parents alike as the Designated Persons to whom concerns will be addressed. If the concern is about the Children’s Officer please report to Club Chairperson.

The club has procedures in place for dealing with any concern or allegation of abuse either within the club or externally, but the first point of contact for a child, parent/guardian or coach should be the Children’s Officer, although any individual has the right to contact the HSE / Social Services or the Police if they have a concern about a child’s safety.

EQUALITY STATEMENT

All children should be valued and treated in an equitable and fair manner regardless of ability, age, sex, religion, social and ethnic background or political persuasion. Children, irrespective of ability or disability should be involved in sports activities in an integrated and inclusive way, whenever possible, thus allowing them to participate to their full potential alongside other children (Code of Ethics and Good Practice for Children’s Sport 2000)

Trackside Lawn Tennis Club recognises the additional vulnerability of some children and the extra difficulties they may face when seeking help, i.e.

• Dependency due to disability may make some children feel powerless
• On occasions possible limited ability to communicate their feelings
• A negative self image can make children vulnerable to manipulation by others.

To address this vulnerability coaches will seek guidance on working with children with a disability from external agencies, parents / guardians and the children themselves.

CONFIDENTIALITY STATEMENT

We at Trackside Lawn Tennis Club recognise that the legal principle that the welfare of the child is paramount means that consideration of confidentiality should not be allowed to override the right of children to be protected from harm. Everyone in our organisation, including children, must be aware that they can never promise to keep secrets. However, information of a confidential nature will only be communicated on a ‘need to know’ basis.

A full Child Protection policy document is available within club premises.

January 2023

Tennis Ireland Child Safeguarding Statement February 2023

Tennis Ireland provides tennis activities and opportunities for children and young people through participation in parks, clubs, regional, provincial events and with our representative teams. Tennis Ireland is committed to safeguarding children and young people. All our affiliated stakeholders work under the guidance and policies of our Safeguarding Code. All our volunteers and staff working with children throughout the organisation, seek to create a safe environment for children and young people to participate in Tennis.

Trackside Lawn Tennis Club’s written Risk Assessment document indicates the areas of potential risk of harm, the likelihood of the risk occurring, and gives the required policy, guidance or process documents require to alleviate these risks.  The list of risks identified and procedures to manage these risks are contained in the following categories: Club and Coaching Practices, Complaints & Disciplinary; Reporting Procedures; Use of Facilities; Recruitment; Communications; and general Risk of Harm.

Trackside Lawn Tennis Club’s Child Safeguarding Statement has been developed in line with requirements under the Children First Act 2015, (the Children First: National Guidance, and Tusla’s Child Safeguarding: A Guide for Policy, Procedure and Practice and Gateway Northern Ireland). In addition to our Risk Assessment document described above, there are further procedures that support our intention to safeguard children while they are availing of our activities.

Trackside Lawn Tennis Club has the following procedures in place as part of Tennis Ireland’s Safeguarding Policies:

• Procedures for the management of allegations of abuse or misconduct by staff or volunteers against a child availing of our activities.
• Procedures for the safe recruitment of staff and volunteers to work with children in our activities.
• Procedures for access to child safeguarding training and information, including the identification of the occurrence of harm.
• Procedure for reporting of child protection or welfare concerns to Statutory Authorities.
• Procedure for maintaining a list of the persons (if any) in the relevant service who are mandated persons.
• Procedure for appointing a relevant person.
• Procedures for managing trips away and hosting children.

The Mandated Person for Tennis Ireland is Roger Geraghty – 086 2316478

We recognise that implementation is an ongoing process. Our Club is committed to the implementation of this Child Safeguarding Statement and the procedures that support our intention to keep children safe from harm while availing of our activities.

The Designated Liason person for Trackside Lawn Tennis Club is Conrad Childs – 087 7852766

This Child Safeguarding Statement will be reviewed every two years

Children’s Officers:

Name: Clodagh Watson                                  

Signed: in club                                                     

Name: Kevin Hopkins                                                 

Signed: in club                                                              

For queries on this Child Safeguarding Statement, please contact the relevan children’s officer

Code of Conduct for Parents

Trackside Lawn Tennis Club believes that as parents you should:

• Be a role model for your child and maintain the highest standards of conduct when interacting with young people, other parents, officials and organisers.
• Always behave responsibly and do not seek to unfairly affect a player or the outcome of the game.
• Never intentionally expose any young participant to embarrassment or disparagement by the use of flippant or sarcastic remarks.
• Always recognise the value and importance of the officials and volunteers who provide sporting and recreational opportunities for your child. Do not publicly question the judgement or honesty of referees, umpires, coaches or organisers.  Respect convenors, professionals, coaches, referees, umpires, organisers and other players. Parents are welcome to attend events and coaching sessions but should not interfere with the coach or organiser while working with the player.
• Encourage your child to play by the rules of tennis. Teach your child that honest endeavour is as important as winning and do all you can to encourage good sportsmanship.
• Set a good example by applauding good play on all sides. Encourage mutual respect for other junior members, teammates and opponents.
• Support all efforts to remove abusive behaviour and bullying behaviour in all its forms. Please refer to bullying policy, Appendix 17, within the club’s Child Protection Policy.

Parents Code of Conduct:

1. I will respect the rules and procedures set down by Irish Sports Council Code of Ethics and Good Practice for Children’s Sport.
2. I will respect my child’s teammates and leaders as well as players, parents and coaches from opposing teams. I will encourage my child to treat other participants, professionals, coaches, convenors, selectors and managers with respect.
3. I will give encouragement and applaud only positive accomplishments whether from my child, his/her teammates, their opponents or the officials.
4. I will respect my child’s leader(s) and support his/her efforts.
5. I will respect the officials and their authority during sessions and events whether within the club or outside.
6. I will never demonstrate threatening or abusive behaviour or use foul language.

The undertaking to abide by and support the club’s Child Protection Policy given by the parent/legal guardian is deemed to be their agreement to abide by this code of conduct.

CODE OF CONDUCT FOR CHILDREN

All junior members are required to abide by the following Code of Conduct.

• Play fairly and have fun.
• Abide by the rules set down by team managers when travelling to away events.
• Behave in a manner that avoids bringing the game of tennis into disrepute.
• Respect officials and accept their decisions.
• Talk to one of the Children’s Officers if I have concerns.
• Respect opponents and always shake hands at the end of a match.
• Use my best efforts in competitive matches.
• Refrain from the use of bad language and inappropriate gestures.
• Refrain from ball/racquet abuse.
• Refrain from the use of coaching during competition.
• Never use unfair or bullying tactics to gain advantage on or off the court.
• Never use bullying tactics to isolate another player.
• Never pass on gossip about another player or adult.
• Never make false allegations about another player or adult.
• Never keep secrets about anyone who has caused me harm.
• Win with grace and lose with dignity.

The undertaking to abide by and support the club’s Child Protection Policy given by the parent/legal guardian of junior members is deemed to be agreement on the part of the junior member to abide by this Code of Conduct.