DKRFC, Swindon Road, Wall Heath, Kingswinford, West Midlands, DY6 0AW Tel: 01384 287006. Email: youthchairman@dkrfc.co.uk
DUDLEY KINGSWINFORD RUGBY CLUB (YOUTH SECTION) BELIEVES:
A young player’s welfare is paramount.
· All young players whatever their age, culture, disability, gender, language, racial origin religious belief and or sexual identity have the right to protection from abuse.
All suspicions and allegations of abuse will be taken seriously and responded to swiftly and appropriately.
Anyone under the age of 18 years should be considered as a young player for the purposes of this statement.
Working in partnership with young players and their parents/guardians is essential for the protection of young players. The Officers of Dudley Kingswinford Rugby Club recognise the statutory responsibility of the Social Services Department to ensure the welfare of children and are committed to working together with local Area Child Protection Committees and comply with their procedures.
Dudley Kingswinford Rugby Club is committed to ensuring that equity is incorporated across all aspects of its development. In doing so it acknowledges and adopts the following Sport England definition of sports equity.
Sports equity is about fairness in sport, equality of access, recognising inequalities and taking steps to address them. It is about changing the culture and structure of sport to ensure it becomes equally accessible to everyone in society.
The Club respects the rights, dignity and worth of every person and will treat everyone equally within the context of their sport, regardless of age, ability, gender, race, ethnicity, religious belief, sexuality or social/economic status.
The Club committed to everyone having the right to enjoy their sport in an environment free from the threat of intimidation, harassment and abuse.
All club members have a responsibility to oppose discriminatory behaviour and promote equality of opportunity.
The Club will deal with any incidence of discriminatory behaviour seriously, according to club disciplinary procedures.
What is Bullying?
Bullying is the use of aggression with the intention of hurting another person. Bullying results in pain and distress to the victim.
Bullying can be
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Emotional – being unfriendly, excluding (emotionally and physically), tormenting (e.g. hiding rugby kit, threatening gestures including sending threatening text messages, e-mails and messages on social network sites)
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Physical – pushing, kicking, hitting, punching or any use of violence.
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Racist – racial taunts, graffiti, gestures.
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Sexual – unwanted physical contact or sexually abusive comments.
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Homophobic – because of, or focusing on the issue of sexuality.
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Verbal – name-calling, sarcasm, spreading rumours, teasing.
Principles
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Bullying of any kind is not acceptable within this DK that is providing playing opportunities for children and young people.
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This Club encourages a ‘telling’ culture and anyone who knows that bullying is happening is expected to tell their Coach, Club Welfare Officer or any other adult.
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Bullying will be taken seriously, responded to promptly, and procedures followed to deal with the situation.
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It is the responsibility of every adult working in rugby union whether professional or volunteer, to ensure that all young people can enjoy the sport in a safe enjoyable environment.
Objectives of the Policy:
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All Club members, coaches, volunteers and parents should have an understanding of what bullying is.
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All Club members, coaches and volunteers should know what the Club policy is on bullying, and follow it when bullying is reported.
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All players and parents should know what the Club policy is on bullying, and what they should do if bullying arises.
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Players and parents should be assured that they will be supported when bullying is reported
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Bullying will not be tolerated.
Procedures:
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Report bullying incidents to the Club Welfare Officer
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If the incident is an adult bullying a young person, the Club Welfare Officer will report the incident to the RFU Child Protection Officer.
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If the incident is a young person bullying a young person, the club will manage this, and can access advice and support from the Club Welfare Officer or RFU Child Protection Officer at any stage of the process.
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Parents may be informed and asked to come in to a meeting to discuss the problem.
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If necessary and appropriate, police will be consulted.
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If mediation fails and the bullying is seen to continue the Club can initiate disciplinary action under the relevant constitution.
The youth section recognises that publicity and pictures of young people enjoying rugby are essential to promote the sport and a healthy lifestyle. To facilitate this it is therefore essential that the following principles and rules should be observed.
The youth section is committed to providing a safe and enjoyable environment for young people. Implicit in this is the commitment to ensure that all publications, resources and media represent participants appropriately and with due respect. By adopting the points outlined in these guidelines we will be putting in place the best possible practice to protect young people wherever photographs or recorded images are taken and stored.
a) Ensure parents/guardian/young person have granted their consent for the taking and publication of photographic images and have signed and returned the Parent/Guardian and Young Person Permission Form. The relevant form is incorporated into the annual club registration form and will therefore only need to be completed once a year.
b) All young people must be appropriately dressed for the activity taking place.
c) Photography or recording should focus on the activity rather than a particular young person and personal details which might make a young person vulnerable, such as their exact address, must never be revealed.
d) Where an individual has achieved success in the game (e.g. when selected for representative side or showing triumph over adversity) permission must be gained from parent/guardian and young person to use photographs/recordings and relevant details.
e) Where possible, to reflect the RFU/RFUW Equity Policy, photographs/recordings should represent the diverse range of young people participating in rugby.
f) Anyone taking photographs or recording at any rugby event must have a valid reason for doing so and seek the permission of the organisers/persons in charge.
g) Anyone taking photographs or recording should make themselves known to the event organisers/persons in charge and be able to identify themselves if requested during the course of the event.
h) All concerns regarding inappropriate or intrusive photography should be reported in confidence to the Club Safeguarding Officer.