Eastwood Cricket Club

Eastwood Cricket Club

Conduct and Child Protection Policy

The Eastwood Cricket Club Conduct and Child Protection Policy [hereinafter referred to as “the Club Policy”] has been approved by the Management Committee of the Eastwood Cricket Club [will hereinafter be referred to as “The Club”] This policy has a high profile of awareness. The Club Policy and details of the management organisation, coaches and other personnel involved in the provision of club activities for junior members will be displayed on the club’s website.

The interests of all members are important regardless of gender, sexual orientation, age, ability, culture, language, racial origin and/or religious beliefs. It is recognised that junior members under the age of eighteen and disabled members are particularly vulnerable and safeguarding their wellbeing will be of paramount importance.

Volunteers (a description which includes all team managers, coaches, regular club umpires, scorers, other appointed adult helpers and adult team captains) will be given all the appropriate guidance on the Club’s Policy.

All volunteers and club members are bound by the Club Policy as a condition of their membership. Parents (an expression that includes legal guardians) of any junior member is/or are responsible for the action/s of that junior member.

The principles adopted in this said Club Policy incorporate the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) “Fast Bowling Directive,” the “...Safety Guidance On The Wearing of Cricket Helmets By Young Players” (February 2000) and the “ECB Coaches Code of Conduct” (September 2001). The ECB’s “Welfare of Young People Policy” (which sets out a framework to fulfil a commitment to good practice). The Club will adopt any such amendments of the above mentioned, as recommended by the relevant ruling bodies, whenever required. In relation to the safe development of cricket athletes which is the club’s response to the ECB’s “Long Term Athlete Development Model For Cricket”.

Only members or Club guests will be allowed to participate in club activities. Junior members may be asked to produce identification, and, any failure to do so may result in that member’s termination of their participation of that event and/or future Club events.

Attendance registers will be kept and maintained on busy practice sessions. Members must register their presence at the practice sessions before it commences.

Conduct of all Members

The Club expects high standards of conduct, both on and off the field from all their members. ALL Volunteers must at all times display high standards of sportsmanship and conduct. They must always lead by example.

Parents and their guests are also expected to support the club and volunteers in this regard by displaying integrity in relation to all aspects of the said Club conduct.

Players, volunteers, other club officials and parents are expected to be aware, adopt and display the codes of conduct in ‘Appendix A’ below at all material times.

Unacceptable behaviour includes substance abuse, bullying, verbal abuse (so called “sledging”) and any other form of bad sportsmanship or conduct. For the avoidance of doubt any substance abuse by any member or their guests at The Club’s activities at any location will not be tolerated.

Any adult or junior member and/or volunteer are subject to disciplinary action.

One of the consequences in the event of a complaint being received about unacceptable conduct of a member and /or any volunteer is that Committee members adjudicating the complained behaviour have the right to suspend or terminate any volunteer or family membership, and/or, take whatever action that is appropriate in all the circumstances.

However, in the event of any misconduct involving any adult member or any junior involved in any adult matches, The Cricket Sub-Committees, will adjudicate and have the same powers as the Conduct Committee as referred to above.

Where the Committee or the Cricket Sub-Committee decide on any disciplinary action/s involving a junior member, the Youth Development Officer should first be consulted.

The Club Welfare Officer (whose duties are contained in Appendix B below) will have the responsibility of ensuring that all volunteers are aware of the Club’s best practise.

Volunteer Selection Procedures

Team managers, principal coaches, team captains and regular club scorers and umpires will also be required to obtain a (certificate of) criminal record notification from the Criminal Records Bureau.

Volunteers with recognised coaching qualifications are responsible for attending refresher courses, keeping registrations and related insurance cover up to date and informing The Club Welfare Officer of any relevant matters relating to their suitability to coach or continue their role as volunteer.

Suitable references will be required for volunteers unknown to the club.

Selection for Matches of Junior and Adult Members

Membership by itself does not necessarily entitle any member to the automatic selection or to any level of involvement in matches.

The Cricket Sub-Committee have the responsibility for selecting appropriate players for adult matches.

The Youth Development Officer working with the Club managers he/she will appoint have the responsibility for selecting juniors to play in junior cricket matches.

Juniors over the age of twelve may be eligible for selection for Adult home and/or away matches. Parents who do not wish their children to play in adult cricket must take responsibility for supervising their exclusion.

Health

The Club wishes to support the development of players of all abilities including and whenever possible, those with health and learning difficulties. It is a requirement that appropriate medical advice relating to juniors has to be first obtained and given to the appropriate club member responsible for deciding whether that member can participate in that match, and the club shall rely on the information from parents in this regard.

It is a condition of membership that parents provide any relevant information [medical or otherwise] of their child to the Club. This is to be done on the membership consent form. Any developments and changes must be notified to the Youth Development Officer in writing as soon as it is known.

Wherever possible more than one adult should be in attendance when administering first aid to injuries. First aid equipment will be available at The Club’s premises and at away fixtures. An accident report form is to be completed on the injured player.  Parents and guardians should be informed of any injury or illness. Whenever there is potentially serious injury or illness, particularly if contagious illness is suspected, The Club Welfare Officer should be immediately informed.

Volunteers with coaching qualifications will be required to attend first aid courses, and, other volunteers are also encouraged to do so.

Appendix C provides guidelines for dealing with an accident/ incident.

Premises, Coaching and Playing Environment

Wherever practicable volunteers should avoid being alone with a junior in the changing rooms or working with a junior in completely unobserved areas.

Everyone involved in club activities has a responsibility towards safety. Coaching and playing areas will be made as safe as possible whenever and wherever reasonably practicable.

No junior will be allowed to play hard ball cricket without appropriate adult supervision. Specifically, practise at the nets can only be conducted with the authority of team managers or coaches, which is subject to the cricketer’s abilities. Otherwise attendance in the net area by any member is prohibited.

Appropriate protective clothing and kit must be worn at all times. For protection against the sun, suitable drinks must be taken and appropriate sun cream and caps or hats must be worn (see dress code below).  Volunteers have the right to prohibit any junior from playing or practising if they are not satisfied that this requirement is met.

Junior members are encouraged to have their own kit. The Club cannot accept responsibility for loss of personal items of clothing or other items, which should be labelled with the member’s name.

Where juniors require help on dressing, two adults should supervise, whenever possible.

For cricket activities juniors are required to wear helmets where appropriate.

Discrete and practical arrangements will be followed in respect of the use of changing facilities where juniors play in adult cricket is involved. Where possible separate changing rooms will be used but where this is not practical it may be necessary for juniors to change at home or to use suitable toilet facilities. Where male juniors share changing facilities with adults it is to be regarded as best practice for adults to give juniors the opportunity to change first and leave before adults shower. The attention of parents is specifically drawn to the practical issues arising from these arrangements.

Parental Supervision and Transport

Parents or their nominated adults are responsible for bringing juniors to The Club’s premises or other venue wherever the match/ club activity is to be held and collecting them at the end of sessions. Supervision outside these times is also a parental responsibility. Juniors under the age of ten must not be left unsupervised at any time. It is emphasised that parents or their nominated adults are responsible for the transport arrangements of their children.

Photographs and Video Recordings

No unauthorised photography or video recordings will be permitted. The Club may authorise the taking of photographs for appropriate use in newspapers, clubhouse displays, website reports and the use of video recordings for coaching purposes. Parental permission will be requested on membership consent forms. Parents who refuse permission must both inform The Youth Development Officer as appropriate and take responsibility for personally supervising the exclusion of their child.

Dress Code 

Players should be appropriately dressed when representing The Club. All players participating in all junior hard ball cricket competitions and in all adult cricket fixtures should wear whites with a club shirt.

The Complaints Procedure

All complaints regarding the behaviour of members should be lodged, in writing, with the Secretary.

The Disciplinary Committee will meet to hear complaints within 14 days of a complaint being lodged. The Disciplinary Committee shall have the power to take appropriate disciplinary action, up to, and including, termination of membership of the Club.

Termination of membership of the Club as a result of disciplinary action shall be subject to ratification by at least half the Full Members present at either the Annual General Meeting or an Extraordinary General Meeting.

The outcome of any disciplinary hearing shall be notified, in writing, to the complainant and the member against whom the complaint was made within 14 days following the hearing.

There shall be a right of appeal to the General Committee following disciplinary action being taken.

Any such appeal should be made, in writing, to the Secretary within 21 days of the disciplinary hearing. The General Committee shall consider any appeal within 14 days of the Secretary receiving notification of any such appeal.

Appendix A

Codes of Conduct

Our aim is to remain an accessible and friendly cricket club

Club officials, adult captains, coaches, team managers and volunteers are asked to

• Observe the Conduct and Child Protection Policy, which is a condition of membership
• Consider wellbeing and safety before performance
• Consider only activities appropriate to age, ability and experience
• Avoid exerting undue influence over players to obtain personal benefit or reward
• Value enthusiasm and good conduct as well as results
• Develop appropriate working relationships with players and their families, based on mutual trust and respect
• Promote the positive aspects of cricket e.g. fair play
• Display consistently high standards of behaviour and appearance and avoid taking alcohol while supervising juniors.

Players are asked to

• Be fair and help everyone to enjoy the game.  Shake hands with opponents and thank umpires and scorers.
• Observe the dress code; cricketers to wear whites (or other approved colours).
• Do not wear caps in club bars

Parents/ Guardians are asked to

• Discuss your child’s needs and progress with the team managers or Heads of Junior Cricket
• Encourage your child to learn and observe the laws of cricket
• Recognise and encourage fair play. Clap incoming batsmen and applaud good performances of both sides
• Help your child to recognise good performances, not just good results
• Discourage unfair play and arguing with officials. Support and help team managers and appointed volunteers; avoid questioning or criticism of their judgement in public
• Encourage but never force your child to play
• Use correct and proper language at all times
• Where possible, provide help with hospitality for players and guests; support social functions.

Everyone is asked to Support the interests of your club and bring any relevant concerns to the attention of team managers, the Heads of Junior Cricket or The Club Welfare Officer. Your club wants to know of any problems that need to be addressed.

Club Welfare Officer Job Description

The Conduct and Child Protection Policy, sets out the responsibility of the Management Committee to ensure the welfare of all its members at all material times.

It is recognised that having regards to the number of junior members and levels of activities at the Club, the conduct and child protection is the collective membership responsibility. All members have a responsibility in this regard and compliance of the policy is a condition for all categories of club membership.

 The Management Committee will appoint a number of members with specific authority to manage this important area. These members are called Committee members who will be headed by a Club Welfare Officer. The Club Welfare Officer will be a co-opted member of the Management Committee with the following duties and responsibilities:

• To act as a focal point in respect of all child protection issues including, where appropriate social services, statutory child protection agencies and case officers of regulatory bodies.
• To advise the Management Committee on the effectiveness and compliance of the Conduct and Child Protection Policy in meeting the club’s declared aim to follow best practice as identified by cricket, football and coaching regulatory bodies.
• To advise the Management Committee on the appointment of Committee members.
• To review self-declaration forms and advise the heads of junior cricket generally on suitability of volunteer appointments after obtaining more information where appropriate.
• To review in conjunction with heads of junior cricket, that volunteers undergo suitable initial and on-going training.                                                                                               

Injury

Stay calm but act swiftly and observe the situation, is there danger of further injuries?

Listen to what the injured person is saying

Where possible, alert a first aider who should take appropriate action. In the event of an injury or incident requiring specialist treatment, call the emergency services

Deal with the rest of the group and ensure that they are adequately supervised

Do not move someone with suspected major injuries unless there is danger of further injury. Wait for the emergency medics

Contact the injured player’s parents/guardians/relatives.

Complete an Incident Report Form for Injuries, Illness and other Incidences

Any major injury or illness and any incident relating to alleged abuse, theft or damage to property must be reported to The Club Welfare Officer or another Committee member as soon as possible.

Eastwood Cricket Club

Conduct and Child Protection

Your club has an established policy on these important issues, available on the club’s website, www.eastwoodcc/hitscricket.com

If you want to discuss a problem you can with any team manager or the adults listed below. Information will be confidential and only discussed with people who may be able to help.

Kevin Robinson (Club Welfare Officer) 07775944855

Graham Fletcher (Chairman) 07730954481

Neil Mason (Youth Development Officer) 07775 666798

Notice Boards:      Eastwood Cricket Club

Conduct and Child Protection

Compliance with the club’s conduct and child protection policy is a condition of membership. Copies are available on the club web-site, www.eastwoodcricket.org 

Key features are:

-The interest of all members is important, regardless of gender, sexual orientation, age, ability, culture, language, racial origin, religious beliefs. Safeguarding the wellbeing of disabled and junior members will be of paramount importance.

-High standards of conduct are expected, both on and off the field. Adult volunteers are expected to lead by example. Parents and guardians have a similar responsibility. Members may be suspended or membership terminated without refund in the event of unacceptable behaviour, including sledging and any form of bad sportsmanship or conduct. Substance abuse by members or their guests at any club activity in any location will not be tolerated.

-Team captains and other volunteers will be required to provide information and make declarations for screening purposes.

-Responsibilities of parents and guardians of juniors include child supervision, transport and the provision of relevant medical information. They should ensure that an event has not been cancelled and adequate supervision is available before dropping off. Children under ten should not be left unsupervised in any location at any time.

-Coaching and playing areas will be made as safe as possible while recognising that accidents may happen. Juniors must wear appropriate clothing and protective kit including helmets for hard ball cricket matches and practice sessions. Cricket nets can only be used with the authority of coaches and team managers. Where help is required for first aid two adults should assist whenever possible. Discrete and practical arrangements for changing facilities are required where juniors play mixed or in adult cricket.

-A number of adult volunteers, including The Club Welfare Officer, has been appointed to listen to and consider complaints. These people are called Committee Members and their names are displayed in the clubhouses. Information will be kept confidential and only shared by a small number of people who need to know and may be able to help.

Note: the above is only a brief summary and does not contain all the details.