The Aims

At Lymm RFC we believe that playing and coaching Rugby Football should be a positive and enjoyable experience for all involved, children, coaches, helpers and parents. We wish to ensure that all children under our care are protected form physical, sexual and emotional harm whilst they are with club representatives and that there is a support structure in place to help children in need.

Our aims are :

• All coaches will be encouraged to attend a Good Practice/Child Protection course
• All coaches will have a job description
• Coaches will be encouraged to be qualified to the RFU Mini/Midi Level I before they become a Year Group Head Coach
• The club will appoint a Child Protection Officer
• The Mini and Junior section Code of Conduct will be distributed to all coaches, players and guardians
• All players will be registered
• Records will be kept of any serious injuries
• We will provide a Health and Safety policy covering best practice for injuries, fire or other emergencies
• We will provide a written procedure for dealing with question of Child Protection
• We will be vigilant
• As a club we will promote fair play and always play to the spirit of the laws and the letter of the continuum
• All Coaches will be provided with a copy of The Code of Conduct, Guidelines of Good Practice and the clubs Child Protection Policy which will be available to all
• All Coaches will complete Application Forms
• All records will be stored centrally and confidentially

CLUB CHILD PROTECTION POLICY STATEMENT — GOOD PRACTICE AT LYMM RUGBY FOOTBALL CLUB

Those working with children in rugby should:

• 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
• Not to 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 such as the tackle, scrum ruck or maul, 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 behavior 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 Child Protection Officer or a responsible person 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 RFU Press Office should be made aware of any media interest in relation to child protection
• In the event of an allegation of improper behavior being made, the personal conduct and professional behavior 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 defense is to avoid all situations in which behavior cannot be observed
• The club's child welfare officer is  Dianne Mansfield Hickman
  mobile: 07732 602556
  email: manhic@hotmail.com