Child Protection Policies and Procedures

RECOGNISING ABUSE IN RUGBY UNION Abuse is a powerful and emotive term. It is a term used to describe ways in which children are harmed, usually by individuals and often by those they know and trust. Coaches and others working with young people hold this trust and may be at risk of misusing their power over the young players. In order to provide young people with the best possible experiences and opportunities in rugby union, it is imperative that everyone operates within an accepted ethical framework and demonstrates exemplary behaviour. This not only ensures that rugby union makes a positive contribution to the development of young people and safeguards their welfare, but also protects all personnel from false allegations of abuse or poor practice. It is not always easy to differentiate poor practice from abuse, albeit intentional or unintentional. It is not, therefore, the responsibility of employees or volunteers in rugby union to determine whether or not abuse is taking place. It is, however, their responsibility to identify poor practice and possible abuse and to act if they have a concern about the welfare of a young person. There may also be an increased risk within many sports, including rugby union, for abuse to occur which does not necessarily fit into these categories. The four main types of abuse are: 1 EMOTIONAL ABUSE This occurs when individuals persistently fail to show young people due care, love or affection, where a young person may be constantly shouted at, threatened or taunted, or be subjected to sarcasm and unrealistic pressures. There may also be over protection, preventing young peoplefrom socialising, or bullying to perform to high expectations. The young person may lose self confidence and may become withdrawn and nervous. In a rugby situation, emotional abuse may occur when coaches: 1.1 Provide repeated negative feedback; 1.2 Repeatedly ignore a young player’s efforts to progress; 1.3 Repeatedly demand performance levels above those of which the young player is capable; 1.4 Over-emphasise the winning ethic. 2 ABUSE BY NEGLECT This occurs when a young person’s essential needs for food, warmth and care fail to be met. Failing to or refusing to provide love and affection could also be deemed as neglect. In a rugby situation, neglect may occur when: 2.1 Young players are left alone without proper supervision; 2.2 A young player is exposed to unnecessary heat or cold without fluids or protection; 2.3 A young player is exposed to an unacceptable risk of injury. 3 PHYSICAL ABUSE This occurs when individuals, including some young people, deliberately inflict injuries on a child, or knowingly do not prevent such injuries. It includes injuries caused by hitting, shaking, squeezing, biting or using excessive force. It also occurs when individuals give young people alcohol, or inappropriate drugs, or fails to supervise their access to these substances. In a rugby situation, physical abuse may occur when: 3.1 Coaches, managers or helpers expose young players to exercise/training which disregards the capacity of the players immature and growing body; 3.2 Coaches, managers or helpers expose young players to overplaying, over training or fatigue; 3.3 Coaches, managers or helpers expose young players to alcohol, or give them the opportunity to drink alcohol below the legal age; 3.4 Coaches, managers or helpers expose young players to performance enhancing drugs and recommend that they take them. 4 SEXUAL ABUSE Girls and boys are abused by adults, both male and female, who use young people to meet their own sexual needs. Examples include forcing a child to take part in sexual activity such as sexual intercourse, masturbation, or oral sex. Showing children pornographic material or making suggestions that sexual favours can help (or refusal hinder) a sporting career. In a rugby situation, sexual abuse may occur when: 4.1 The close proximity of coaches and others, to young people provides opportunities for potential abusers to exploit their position of trust to sexually abuse. BULLYING Bullying is not always easy to define and will not always be an adult abusing a young person. It is often the case that the bully is a young person. There are three main types of bullying: 1 Physical, e.g. hitting, kicking, theft; 2 Verbal, e.g. racist or homophobic remarks; 3 Emotional, e.g. persistent negative feedback. All of these will include: • Deliberate hostility and aggression towards a victim; • A victim who is weaker and less powerful than the bully or bullies; • An outcome which is always painful and distressing for the individuals Bullying behaviour may also include: • Other forms of violence; • Sarcasm, spreading rumours, persistent teasing; • Tormenting, ridiculing, humiliation; • Racial taunts, graffiti, gestures; • Unwanted physical contact or abusive, offensive comments of sexual nature. The competitive nature of rugby union makes it a potential environment for the bully. This may manifest itself in some of the following ways: • A parent who pushes too hard; • A coach who adopts a ‘win at all costs’ philosophy; • A player who intimidates others; • An official who is over officious. INDICATORS OF ABUSE OUTSIDE OF THE RUGBY SETTING TO BE AWARE OF These indicators are not exhaustive and the presence of one or more of them is not proof that the young person is being abused. 1 Physical abuse 1.1 Current unexplained injuries; 1.2 Inappropriate excuses to explain injury; 1.3 Untreated injuries; 1.4 Fear of returning home; 1.5 Aggression towards others 2 Neglect 2.1 Constant hunger and tiredness; 2.2 Poor personal hygiene; 2.3 Poor state or inappropriate clothing; 2.4 Frequent lateness or absence from the coaching sessions; 2.5 Low self-esteem; 2.6 Poor peer relationships. 3 Emotional Abuse 3.1 Low self-esteem; 3.2 Decline in concentration levels; 3.3 Continual self-depreciation; 3.4 Emotional immaturity; 3.5 Extremes of behaviour. 4 Sexual Abuse 4.1 Unexplained changes in behaviour; 4.2 Inappropriate sexual awareness; 4.3 Engaging in sexually explicit behaviour; 4.4 Distrust of adults; 4.5 Inappropriate language. Sometimes changes in behaviour can relate to other significant events in a young person’s life, such as bereavement, internal family difficulties or bullying.Working in partnership with parents/carers and ensuring positive communication will help to ensure that reasons for changes in behaviour can be identified and action taken to support the young person. It is NOT the responsibility of those working in rugby union to decide that abuse is occurring, but it IS their responsibility to act on any concern. RESPONDING TO DISCLOSURE, SUSPICIONS AND ALLEGATIONS In all cases of reported poor practice/abuse, the following principles must always be adopted: DO: • Stay calm - do not rush into inappropriate action. React calmly in order to not alarm the young person; • Reassure the child - that they are not to blame and confirm that you know how difficult it must be to confide; • Listen sympathetically - to what the child says and show that you take them seriously; • Keep questions to a minimum - the law is very strict and child abuse cases have been dismissed where the child has been led or words and ideas have been suggested. Only ask questions to clarify; • Ensure you clearly understand what the child has said - in order that the information can be passed on to the appropriate agencies; • Consult with the club or CB Welfare Officer - ensuring that you communicate all the information accurately; • Maintain confidentiality - complete the incident report form (see Appendix 7). All incidents will be treated with an "open mind" and be handled in a fair and equitable manner. Confidentially must be maintained until a case is proven; • Ensure the safety of the young person - if urgent medical attention is required, then call an ambulance, inform the doctors of the concerns and ensure they are aware that this is a child protection issue. DO MAKE A FULL RECORD OF WHAT HAS BEEN SAID, HEARD AND SEEN AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. DO INFORM COACHMARK’S CHILD PROTECTION OFFICER IMMEDIATELY DO NOT: • Panic - or allow your feelings to be evident; • Make promises you cannot keep - explain that you will need to tell other people; • Make the child repeat the story unnecessarily; • Delay; • Speculate or make assumptions; • Approach the alleged abuser; • Take sole responsibility. DO NOT INVESTIGATE YOURSELF. COACHES CODE OF CONDUCT 1. All rugby coaches must respect the rights, dignity and worth of every young person with whom they work with and treat them equally within the context of rugby union; 2. All rugby coaches must place the physical and emotional well being of all young players above all other considerations, including the development of performance; 3. The relationship that a rugby coach develops with the players with whom they work must be based on mutual trust and respect; 4. All rugby coaches must ensure that all activities undertaken are appropriate to the age, maturity, experience and ability of the young players; 5. All rugby coaches must encourage young players to accept responsibility for their own behaviour and performance; 6. All rugby coaches should clarify with the young players (and their parents/carers) what is expected of them both on and off the rugby field and also what they are entitled to expect from the coach; 7. All rugby coaches should work in partnership with others within the game (officials, doctors, physiotherapists, sports scientists) to ensure the well being, safety and enjoyment of all young players; 8. All rugby coaches must promote the positive aspects of the sport, e.g. fair play. Violations of the Laws of the Game, behaviour contrary to the spirit of the Laws of the Game or relevant regulations or the use of prohibited techniques or substances must never be condoned. ANTI-BULLYING POLICY Bullying is not easy to define, can take many forms and is usually repeated over a period of time. The three main types of bullying are: physical (e.g. hitting, kicking), verbal (e.g. racist or homophobic remarks, threats, name calling) and emotional (e.g. isolating an individual from activities). They will all include: • Deliberate hostility and aggression towards the victim; • A victim who is weaker than the bully or bullies; • An outcome which is always painful and distressing for the victim. Bullying behaviour may also include: • Other forms of violence; • Sarcasm, spreading rumours, persistent teasing or theft; • Tormenting, ridiculing, humiliation; • Racial taunts, graffiti, gestures; • Unwanted physical contact or abusive or offensive comment of a sexual nature. Emotional and verbal bullying is more likely to be found in rugby than physical violence. It is also difficult to cope with or prove. It is of paramount importance that all clubs develop their own antibullying policy to which all its members, coaches, players, staffing volunteers and parents subscribe to and accept. Every club should be prepared to: • Take the problem seriously; • Investigate any incidents; • Talk to the bullies and victims separately. Decide on appropriate action, such as: • Obtain apology from the bully(ies) to the victim; • Inform parents of the bully(ies); • Insist on the return of items ‘borrowed’ or stolen; • Insist bullies compensate the victim; • Hold club or class discussions about bullying;


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