Good Practice at Lydney Hockey Club

Lydney Hockey Club aims to create an enjoyable environment for all juniors who wish to take part in hockey, other sport and social activities at the club.

The club emphasises that young people have the right to be safe, secure and free from threat.

The club acknowledges that young people have the right to be treated with respect and for their concerns to be listened to and acted upon

The club will ensure that junior members have specific programmes and facilities designated for them, with adequate supervision

The club has procedures in place to help any young person who requests help and support on a confidential basis, in issues relating to Child Protection

The club will ensure that the Head Coach(es) hold a full relevant EH Coaching Licence and that other coaches and coaching assistants are either Licensed or have completed the relevant CRB checks and/or other such checks as may be necessary in relation to Child Protection

The club will ensure that any club members and volunteers working with young people are aware of and apply the Lydney Hockey Club Code of Conduct for Those Working with Children in Hockey and have completed the relevant CRB checks and/or other such checks as may be necessary in relation to Child Protection

The Club has an adult member who is specifically responsible for young people, from whom CRB forms can be collected and to whom they must be returned

Lydney Hockey Club Code of Conduct for all those working with Children

Whilst it is important for adults to understand their responsibilities with children, we are concerned that specific advice is given concerning the behaviour of all coaches, staff and club and other officials. In addition, those who employ, for example, coaches, should know what standard of behaviour is acceptable.

Those working with children in hockey must:

Be professional and maintain the highest standards of personal behaviour at all times
Be aware of situations which can 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
Be vigilant and aware of how actions can be misinterpreted. For example, adolescents can have strong emotional feelings towards coaches. Whilst these should not be dismissed and the youngster hurt as a result, neither should they be encouraged in any way
Not appear to favour or show interest in one child more than another
Be very aware that physically handling a player, perhaps to help develop a game skill, can be misconstrued by an observer or even by the player
Never swear or use or respond to sexual innuendo
Design and use training methods and training programmes which are wholly appropriate to the individual player
Ensure that, as far as possible, they are not alone when working with young players on an individual basis. If this is unavoidable then the parents should be made aware of the situation for the sake of the coach or official. This also means that children should not be alone in cars or homes with a coach/official on a regular basis. The presence of others is an insurance against false accusations
Conduct all dealings with children in a public environment in full view of others, in order that all behaviour can be observed
On tours/trips away from home, ensure that another adult is always present when working with children. For example, another adult should always be present if a child’s room is visited at any time and the door should always be left open
Report any concerns within the area of Child Protection (physical, emotional, sexual or neglect), in confidence and without delay, to the Coach Education Director at EH or a responsible person within the Club who can give advice and recommend any necessary action
Not, at any time, discuss an allegation or suspicion with another person, other than the police, before either the above person or a responsible person has been contacted
When reporting an allegation or suspicion, record information, including relevant details. (This includes the nature of the allegation, background information of the parties involved, the period of time to which the allegation relates and the degree to which the information is known to be fact rather than opinion or hearsay)
At no time make comment to the media. The EH Press Office should be made aware of any media interest in relation to child protection
In the event of an allegation of improper behaviour being made, the personal conduct and professional behaviour of the adult will be very important evidence. For child abuse to take place, particularly sexual abuse, the child and the adult(s) will generally be alone and away from public view. Thus the best defence is to avoid all situations in which behaviour cannot be observed.