Heathcoat Cricket Club (The Club) is committed to ensuring all children (i.e. all persons under the age of 18) participating in cricket have a safe and positive experience.

We will do this by:

• Recognising all children participating in cricket (regardless of age, gender, race, religion, sexual orientation, ability and disability) have the right to have fun and be protected from harm in a safe environment

Ensuring through safe recruitment and vetting practices DBS checks, we can endeavour to make

• sure that we have the right people teaching, instructing, training, caring for and supervising children in the game

• Ensuring individuals working within cricket at, or for, our club provide a welcoming, safe and fun experience for children

• Adopting and implementing the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) “Safe Hands – Cricket’s policy for Safeguarding Children” and any future versions of this

• Appointing a Club Welfare Office and ensuring they attend all current and future training modules required by the ECB

• Ensuring all people who work in cricket at, or for, our club (such as staff, officials, volunteers, team managers, coaches and so on) have a responsibility for safeguarding children and understand how the “Safe Hands Policy” applies to them

• Ensuring all individuals working within cricket at, or for, the club are recruited and appointed in accordance with ECB guidelines and relevant legislation

• Ensuring all individuals working within cricket at, or for, the club are provided with support, through education and training, so they are aware of and can adhere to good practice and Code of Conduct guidelines defined by the ECB, and the clubs

• Ensuring the name and contact details of the Club Welfare Officer is available:

[1]As the first point of contact for parents, children and volunteers/staff within the club

[2]As a local source of procedural advice for the club, its committee and members

[3]As the main point of contact within the club for the ECB County Welfare Officer and the ECB Safeguarding Team

[4]As the main point of contact within the club for relevant external agencies in connection with child safeguarding

• Ensuring correct and comprehensive reporting procedures exist for raising and managing child safeguarding concerns.

• Providing an environment where the views of children, parents and volunteers are sought and welcomed on a range of issues. This will help us create an environment where people have the opportunity to voice any concerns ( about possible suspected child abuse/neglect, and/or about poor practice) to the Club Welfare Officer *

*Details of the County Welfare Officer will be made available, in case the Club Welfare Officer is unavailable, or the concerns relates to the Club Welfare Officer.

• Ensuring all suspicions concerns and allegations are taken seriously and dealt with swiftly and appropriately

• Ensuring access to confidential information relating to child safeguarding matters is restricted to those who need to know in order to safeguard children – including the Club Welfare Officer and the appropriate external authorities, such as Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO), as specified within ECB child safeguarding procedures

Safeguarding Policy to be reviewed by committee every year.