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Reading Cygnets Swimming Clubfor the Mentally Handicapped
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CHILD WELFARE IN SWIMMING Procedures and guidelines
Information sheet for Club Club Welfare Officer
Name: DIANE DART Tel: 07768 205 352
District Welfare Officer
Name: ROGER PENFOLD Tel: 0118 947 3130
Local Authority Services
Social Services Department Tel: 0118 955 3600 Out Of Hours Contact Number Tel: Police Child Protection Team Tel:
National Body Amateur Swimming Association Legal Affairs Department Harold Fern House Derby Square Loughborough LE11 5AL
Telephone: 01509 221350 Swimline: 0808 100 4001
Other Services Child Protection In Sport Unit Tel: 0116 234 7278 Email: cpsu@nspcc.org.uk
NSPCC Child Protection Line Tel: 0808 800 5000 www.nspcc.org.uk
Kidscape Tel: 020 730 3300
AMATEUR SWIMMING ASSOCIATION CHILD PROTECTION POLICY
In the ASA we believe that the welfare of children is everyone’s responsibility, particularly when it comes to protecting children from abuse. Everyone in swimming - administrator, club official, coach, parent, friend, children themselves, everyone - can help.
Abuse can occur anywhere there are children - at home, at school, in the park, at the club. Sadly, there are some people who will seek to be where children are, simply in order to abuse them. We believe that everyone in the ASA has a part to play in looking after the children with whom they are working. The Children Act 1989 and Working Together to Safeguard Children (DOH 1999) highlight the shared responsibility of organisations to promote children’s wellbeing and safeguard them from harm. They stress the importance of effective information sharing, collaboration, and understanding.
As the National Governing Body of Swimming the ASA has a moral and legal obligation to both identify and appropriately deal with concerns raised regarding the well being of children involved in our sport.
These child protection procedures stem from the following principles The child’s welfare is the first consideration. All children regardless of age, gender, racial origin, religious belief, sexual identity and any disability have a right to enjoy sport free from all forms of abuse or sexual exploitation. The ASA and associated clubs have responsibilities for the welfare of children and young people who take part in our sport. The ASA has a responsibility to maintain confidentiality in all cases involving child protection in line with the current legislation. The ASA will not tolerate, within its associated clubs, poor practice in dealing with child elfare. We know that if the procedures are to help to protect children, everyone involved in swimming needs to see and discuss them. We are, therefore asking club secretaries and welfare officers to make sure that they are widely distributed and discussed at club executive and general meetings. Finally, please remember the ASA will support anyone who, in good faith reports his or her concerns that a child is at risk of, or may actually be, being abused. The ASA policy on child welfare is mandatory and all affiliated clubs must appoint a Club Welfare Officer to oversee the procedure is followed appropriately at all times. A child is defined as any young person under the age of 18, but Reading Cygnets apply these guides to all swimming members what ever age. What is Child Abuse? It’s generally acknowledged that there are four main types of abuse -Physical, Sexual, Emotional and Neglect. PHYSICAL ABUSE may involve hitting, shaking, throwing, poisoning, burning or scalding, drowning, suffocating, or otherwise causing physical harm or deliberate ill health to a child. It might also occur if a child is forced to train beyond his/her capabilities. SEXUAL ABUSE involves forcing or enticing a child to take part in sexual activities, whether or not the child is aware of what is happening. It may involve physical contact, including penetrative or non-penetrative acts, involving children in looking at, or in the production of, pornographic material, or encouraging children to behave in sexually inappropriate ways. EMOTIONAL ABUSE is the persistent emotional ill treatment of a child that adversely effects their development. It may involve conveying to a child that they are worthless, unloved, and inadequate, or where inappropriate expectations are put upon them. In a sporting context this may include severe parental or coaching pressure to succeed. Racially and sexually abusive remarks constitute emotional abuse and it can be a feature of bullying. NEGLECT is the persistent failure to meet a child’s basic physical and/or psychological needs, likely to result in the serious impairment of the child’s health or development, such as failing to provide shelter, food, clothing, or unresponsiveness to a child’s basic emotional needs. In a sporting context it could also mean failing to ensure they are safe or exposing them to harm. IN ADDITION BULLYING currently accounts for a high proportion of referrals to the ASA. A separate anti bullying policy has been written by the ASA with the assistance of KIDSCAPE. The guidance in this document should be followed in any case where bullying has been reported or observed within the club setting. Child Abuse in Swimming Swimming plays a major part in the lives of many children and families and for most the experience is a positive one that provides them with many opportunities to have fun, keep fit and even participate at national and international competitions. However, sadly we know from experience that a small minority of individuals who wish to harm children will access them through our sport. In 2002, the ASA and NSPCC jointly published the report “In at the Deep End”, which analysed child welfare cases that had been referred to the ASA between 1997 and 2001. The study identified that having a policy and procedure was an essential part of child protection in our sport. All clubs were supplied with a copy of the report and any club member can access it from their club welfare officer. Many types of abuse and poor practice have been observed and reported in the swimming environment. It is often committed by a person well known and trusted to the child in the swimming club. It can also be committed by another young person. Sibling and peer abuse has been recognised as an ongoing aspect of child protection in swimming and should be recognised and addressed. Other concerns have involved the use of racist language and racist taunts which should not be tolerated in clubs, nor should bullying by children or adults. The ASA will be publishing an anti bullying policy, which all clubs should adopt if they do not already have an acceptable policy on bullying. All adults involved in swimming have a responsibility to report concerns of a child abuse nature appropriately and to act in a manner at all times that keeps children safe from harm. Children with Specific Needs Some disabled children may require specialised care and clubs who work with children with physical and learning problems should ensure that: The guidelines of Disability Sport England “Protecting Disabled Children and Adults in Sport and Recreation” are followed by clubs, teachers and coaches who work with children (and adults) with disabilities. All coaches and teachers are suitably qualified to teach/coach children with specific needs. The views of the child and parent/carer are always obtained prior to any activity, specifically those requiring any physical handling or of a physical nature, to gain both consent and agreement of all concerned. No child is discriminated against in any manner by the club or any member or from taking part in an activity, which it is safe and proper for them to undertake. Some children will suffer with an illness but show no outward appearance of being a child with specific needs, such as those diagnosed with epilepsy or diabetes. It is essential the club co-operate with parents on their child’s needs should they develop an attack at training or competition. Advice can also be sought from the ASA medical advisor if required. Such children should not be excluded or prevented from taking part in any sporting activity in which all other swimmers are entitled to take part, as this would be discriminatory. With the correct knowledge and information, and the required parental support, children with such illnesses can train and compete as any other swimmer. Currently the ASA is developing a welfare policy specifically for both children and adults with specific needs. Procedures Please remember it is not your responsibility to decide whether a child is being abused, but we are asking you to act on your concerns. It is your responsibility to ensure the concerns raised are passed on appropriately. LOCAL AUTHORITY SWIM SCHEMES If the child is part of a school group or on a local authority play scheme you are involved with follow the guidelines laid down by your employer. CLUBS AND SWIM SCHEMES AFFILIATED TO THE ASA Every ASA registered swimming club should have a club welfare officer. This person will have the knowledge of ASA policy and procedure to advise anyone with a child welfare concern. They should always be involved in any concern raised within the club unless they are in some way implicated in the concern. As a member, official or parent involved in an ASA affiliated club you should follow the guidelines as outlined below: If the child or young person is in immediate danger or has been physically injured, ensure they are safe and contact the police or social services. . If the child is not in immediate danger but you have concerns, either: Discuss the concerns with your club welfare officer or a club official who will advise you on the correct procedure for referring your concern appropriately. Or Ring the Swimline number 0800 100 4001 displayed on your notice board. The club welfare officer will be able to inform you on how to refer your concerns to gain appropriate advice and action. Make a note of what you’ve seen or heard but don’t delay passing on the information. As soon as possible complete the ASA referral form found on page 10 of this document. NB You or the club welfare officer/ official should, in every case send a completed referral form to the ASA Legal Department to advise them of your concern and to whom you have reported it. Address the letter to: ASA Legal Affairs Dept., Harold Fern House, Derby Square, Loughborough LE11 5AL PLEASE REMEMBER - it’s not your responsibility to decide whether a child is being abused but we are asking you to act on your concerns. When a concern is referred to the ASA and further action is required you will receive a copy of the ASA protocol document. This outlines what possible actions will be taken and what further contact will be made with the referrer. This document is located in the appendix section of this guide .Guidance Action to take if a child tells you that he or she is being abused:
Procedure Flow Chart - REFERRAL
. RECORD OF INCIDENT 1. All clubs should have an Incident Book where incidents, including those of a child welfare nature should be recorded. The book should be held by a nominated member of the club, and be kept in a secure and confidential manner. It should be available at all club sessions.
2. The club welfare officer or another officer of the club should complete the ASA referral form whenever a child welfare issue is raised and send it to the Legal Affairs Department of the ASA. ASA Investigations The ASA has developed a protocol for all child protection investigations. This protocol has been developed over many years with the knowledge gained from the many cases dealt with to date. PROTOCOLS FOR CHILD PROTECTION INVESTIGATIONS This document is to act as a guide for all members of the ASA with regard to the Protocols that have been put into place for the conduct of investigations. If there are any queries that you may have with regard to the content of these Protocols then please do not hesitate to contact the ASA Department of Legal Affairs Telephone (01509) 264668 or via e-mail to legal@swimming.org 1. Any concerns of a child protection nature with regard to any individual involved in the sport of swimming must be referred to the ASA Department of Legal Affairs through any of the following initial contact communication channels; Swimline message, telephone call, letter or E-mail. The concern or query will then be noted and referred to the ASA Independent Child Protection Officer, (“ICPO”), for her initial assessment. The ICPO will report her views and any recommended course of action direct to the Department of Legal Affairs, and a decision will be taken as to how the matter will proceed. This procedure will normally be completed within 3 working days of receiving the initial information. The ICPO may at her discretion decide to hold an early case conference meeting with such of the affected persons as the ICPO believes appropriate in the circumstances of the case. Regard will be given to the nature and seriousness of the allegations made. 2. Depending on the circumstances, the matter could then proceed in one or more of the following ways: (i) if the matter is being handled correctly by the club, organisation or affiliated body then advice may be given to proceed, but to keep the Legal Department updated as to progress. (ii) a decision may be made to refer matters to a relevant agency, either the Police or Social Services. (iii) a decision may be made to appoint an independent investigator to conduct an independent fact finding investigation. (iv) A decision to make a complaint under the ASA Judicial Laws. 3. All members who refer matters of a Child Protection nature must be aware that in certain circumstances the ASA’s powers to take action may be compromised and the ASA would bring the following points to members attention: (i) In any circumstances giving cause for concern, there must be early communication to the Legal Department via any of the channels mentioned above. (ii) the ASA can not, normally, play any role in any Child Protection concerns involving the parent/child relationship. Such matters would be immediately referred where necessary to a relevant agency. Any action recommended to the ASA by the statutory body regarding the person’s role in swimming would be acted upon. This may require direct action by the ASA or the relevant club. (iii) failure to communicate to the Department of Legal Affairs at the earliest possible stage MAY INHIBIT THE ABILITY OF THE ASA AND RELEVANT AGENCIES TO ACT. In addition, it could render the club or individual subject to disciplinary or other action by the ASA. 4. If the decision is made to appoint an investigator, then it would be standard practice for the investigator to make contact with the initial referrer/ complainant normally within 3 - 5 working days of initial contact with the Department of Legal Affairs. Preliminary contact will be made by telephone to confirm the appointment of an investigator and to make arrangements to meet with the referrer/complainant. The meeting and it’s content will be reported back to the Department of Legal Affairs and the ICPO, and a strategy would be initiated. The likely course of action is as follows: (i) Serious allegations of abuse would immediately be referred by the Department to the Police and/or Social Services. If the police and/or Social Services are unable or willing to act the matter will be referred back to the ICPO/Department of Legal Affairs. A decision may then be made to instigate a full ASA investigation. (ii) Less serious allegations which the sport is competent to handle may be made the subject of a full investigation by the ASA independent investigator. 5. Dependent on the particular circumstances and without prejudicing the investigation the subject of the inquiry will, at the earliest appropriate opportunity, be informed of the complaint. The Subject will be given an indication of the nature of the complaint and possible outcomes from the investigation. If he so desires, the subject may provide a written response to the independent investigator, at this stage. 6. Both the complainant/referrer and subject would be offered a “friend” to assist them in explaining procedures and lead them through the normal practice of an investigation. 7. During the investigation process there will be regular communication, and as appropriate, meetings between the Department of Legal Affairs, ICPO and the investigator to discuss the progress of the investigation. The investigator will send to the Department of Legal Affairs weekly reports detailing the action taken and a schedule for the following week. This will enable the Department of Legal Affairs to keep up to date as to the progress of the investigation. 8. The complainant/referrer and subject of the complaint will be updated periodically on the progress of the investigation. The initial update will normally be in writing, within 6 weeks of initial notification. Thereafter, not less than monthly intervals by either telephone contact or letter. 9. The highest possible standards of investigation will be used during the inquiry. 10. Before the subject of the complaint is interviewed by the investigator, a precis of facts and any matters of concern will be supplied to the individual. This will be an outline of the matters that will be put to them. They will not include statements, nor will they detail any questions that will be asked. The meeting may be tape recorded, if appropriate. (See paragraph 11 below) 11. The ASA reserves the right to record any interview conducted under its Child Protection Procedures. In any such case the interviewee will be provided with a copy of the tape recording. 12. After the investigator has met the subject of the complaint, a report will be supplied to the Legal Department, ICPO and the Independent Disciplinary and Dispute Resolution Commissioner, in cases where an investigation has been called for by the Commissioner and/or the Chief Executive for their information. A meeting will be held to decide the best course of action. There are a number of possible outcomes, these include: (i) Evidence of poor practice which indicates a lack of competence then the matter may be referred to our Education department with a view to guidance being given with regard to correct methods. (ii) Where issues arise regarding the ethical aspects of behaviour then this would be in the first instance be dealt with as an educational issue with guidance and support to be given to the individual to encourage them to modify their behaviour in line with accepted practice. (iii) Should this guidance be refused or whether there is clear subsequent indications that malpractice is continuing or taking place then this would result in a formal complaint being brought by the Association under the Judicial system. (iv) The ASA will consider the actions of any member club or affiliate body and whether its internal management should be looked into and further support or guidance provided. However the Association reserves the right to give consideration as to whether the club and its officers should be made the subject of a formal complaint. (v) A complaint under the ASA Judicial system. (vi) The imposition of a suspension under the ASA Child Protection Laws. 13. At the conclusion of an investigation the subject of the complaint will normally be provided with a copy of any written report and be given the opportunity to comment on matters of accuracy and will be made aware that any such report (or a summary thereof) may be made available to such individuals and organisations as considered appropriate in all circumstances of the case. In any event the ASA may advise in writing an individual or appropriate organisation of the outcome of the investigation and any proposed action. 14. Any action to be taken will be dependent upon the particular circumstance of the case but may include any of the following: (i) The bringing of a complaint under the ASA Judicial Laws. (ii) The issue of a formal warning as to future conduct. (iii) A requirement upon any person to undertake a period of training or re-training and to submit to monitoring and ongoing review. 15. It is important to note that at any stage during the course of an investigation, matters may be referred to a relevant agency (ie police or social services) which may result in the ASA investigation concluding or being temporarily placed on hold pending action by the police and/or Social Services. Andy Gray, Head of Legal Affairs. Barbara Barrett, ASA Independent Child Protection Officer The Role of the Independent Child Protection Officer for the ASA The ASA has contracted support on a half time basis from an independent child protection officer (ICPO) to advise and deal with cases of a child protection nature. All Welfare Officers can discuss issues of concern with the ICPO who will offer advice on how to deal with issues of child welfare. In certain situations the ICPO will become directly involved with the club and persons concerned. The ICPO has a group of Swimline volunteers available to offer advice to all club members, officials and parents. All Swimline volunteers are experienced in dealing with issues of child welfare. When deemed appropriate by the ICPO and the Legal Affairs Department a Swimline volunteer can be used to act as a mediator in club disputes of a child welfare nature. THE ROLE OF THE ASA WELFARE OFFICERS The ASA has established a structure of welfare officers as follows. The role of each welfare officer is administrative to ensure proper procedures are followed in cases involving child welfare. . 2 District welfare Officers in each ASA district . 1 County welfare officer in each County . 1 club welfare officer in each ASA club. CLUB WELFARE OFFICER . To have an understanding of child protection, and how best practice and the use of the criminal record bureau checks can help prevent child abuse. To assist the Amateur Swimming Association to safeguard children and young people in swimming and to implement the ASA child protection plan at club level. To do this by working to the ASA policy document and by consultation with the legal affairs department and the Independent child protection officer of the ASA. To ensure all persons who have significant contact with children in the club complete a CRB check when they join the club or when requested to if they are existing club personnel. To have details of the following contact numbers:
Ø N.B. Child Protection Police and SSD have an out of hour’s service Ø To have an understanding of thgal Affairs Department or directly in an emergency role of the police and social services in child protection and how to make referrals as necessary through the ASA Le To ensure all club swimmers, parents, officials, teachers and coaches are aware of the child protection policy and procedure of the Club and the ASA and make available copies of relevant club and ASA documents. . To be available to advise any person in the club who has a concern of a child protection nature of the appropriate procedure to follow to refer the concern appropriately. To maintain appropriate records of all concerns raised. . To promote best practice within the club at all times and question issues arising from poor practice and ensure the club committee deals with them appropriately. If necessary refer concerns of poor practice to the ASA legal affairs department . To promote and raise awareness of child protection training available and to ensure all persons undertake appropriate Child Protection training according to their role. . To sit on the club management committee and ensure the issue of child welfare in the club is raised, monitored and reviewed appropriately. To advise the committee on actions required when child welfare issues are referred. . To ensure confidentiality is maintained at all times by all members of the club committee over issues of a child protection nature. . To promote anti-discriminatory practice within the swimming club. . To have an awareness of equity issues and the ASA equity policy. . To ensure Swimline notices are displayed at club training venues. . To refer all concerns of a child protection nature to the ASA Legal Affairs Department for action/ information. . To ensure club policies and practices are reviewed every 3 years and revised appropriately.
COUNTY WELFARE OFFICER . To have an understanding of child protection, and how best practice and the use of the criminal record bureau checks can help prevent child abuse. To have a working knowledge of the child protection policy and procedures of the Amateur Swimming Association and how to refer concerns appropriately as outlined in the procedure document. . To have an understanding of the role of the police and social services in child protection and how to make referrals if necessary through the legal affairs department or directly in an emergency . To have an awareness of equity issues and the ASA Equity policy. . To promote anti-discriminatory practice within swimming clubs in the County and the County ASA. . To support and advise the club welfare officer to refer a child protection concern appropriately. . To become directly involved, or nominate another suitable member of the County in advising or supporting a club in matters of a child protection nature upon the express request of the Legal Affairs Department. . To arrange annual meetings with club welfare officers for the purposes of sharing information and training, with the support of Swimline volunteers . To disseminate information on child protection from the ASA to all club Welfare Officers. . To refer all concerns of a child protection nature to the ASA. . To assist clubs in their review of policies and practices as requested or nominate a person able to do so. . To assist the ICPO by helping to inform on local resources.
DISTRICT WELFARE OFFICER
To have an understanding of child protection and best practice to prevent child abuse. To have a working knowledge of the child protection policy and procedures of the Amateur Swimming Association and how to refer concerns appropriately as outlined in the procedure document. . To have an understanding of child protection, and how best practice and the use of the criminal record bureau checks can help prevent child abuse. To have an understanding of the role of the police and social services in child protection and how to make referrals as necessary through the Legal Affairs Department or directly in an emergency. . To have an awareness of equity issues and the ASA equity policy. . To promote anti-discriminatory practice within the Counties and the District ASA. . To support and advise the County Welfare Officer to ensure all concerns of a child protection nature as referred appropriately. . To become directly involved in advising or supporting a county or club in a matter of a child protection nature upon the express request of the Legal Affairs Department. . The District Welfare Officer will be linked to a Swimline volunteer to provide advice when required.
Equity
The ASA takes its responsibility to protect all children irrespective of their race, creed or specific needs. To ensure this it is essential that club policy reflects the ASA Equity policy outlined below,
All ASA clubs are required to take measures to ensure all the needs of children and young people to be protected from abuse are addressed by the club as follows:
The club policy makes it clear all children have equal rights to protection. . The club gives guidance on child protection through policy, procedure and where applicable training, to spot the signs of potential abuse recognising the needs of all groups in society. . The club has a code of conduct that expects all members and adults concerned with the club to treat children with dignity, fairness, sensitivity and respect. . The club has a code of conduct that makes it clear discrimination, offensive or violent behaviour is not acceptable and that complaints will be acted upon. . That the club complaint procedure is open in nature, available in writing to all who request it and observe the following key principles:
PREVENTION
CLUB GUIDANCE
To minimise the risk of a child being abused, the club should:
Follow ASA policy and guidelines on recruitment and ensure all personnel who have significant contact with children and young people undertake a CRB check (See Role of Club Welfare Officer and Appendix (A). In the interim period all existing club members who have significant contact with children and young people are required, in addition, to complete the ASA self declaration (Purple) form. . Publicise that the welfare officer is the appropriate person to whom concerns of a child protection nature should be raised, or in his or her absence a member of the club committee. The welfare officer will be able to give you the information on how to appropriately refer on the concern or will take responsibility for referring the concern on him or herself. . Have a clear policy on taking children away for events based on the procedures laid down in “Safe sport away”. . Have a written club policy outlining the direct responsibilities for running and providing activities and operating standards to ensure children and young people are adequately supervised by adequately trained persons at all times. . Have a clear written policy on Bullying.
GOOD PRACTICE
The club should have a code of good practice outlining what is acceptable behaviour and how to promote good practice. In addition it should also have a complaints policy which is available to all parents and club members and which outlines the disciplinary policy of the club and an anti bullying policy. To comply with the above those involved in the running of the club should: . Ensure all members comply with the ASA code of ethics. . Acknowledge they have a duty of care for swimmers until they leave the club venue or event with an appropriate adult. If a carer or parent persistently fails in their duty of care towards their child by failure to collect that child at the appropriate time the club should refer the matter appropriately. . Avoid one to one situations with a swimmer except in an unavoidable emergency. . Provide guidelines to all coaches, teachers, officials and helpers who have significant contact with children on appropriate/expected standards of behaviour towards children and young people at all times. . Encourage all personnel involved with children directly in the club to undertake suitable training. . Provide guidance of the expected and acceptable behaviour of children towards other children. . Lay down disciplinary measures that are non-violent and do not involve humiliation of children and young persons. The disciplinary policy of the club should comply with the guidelines prepared by the ASA Judiciary to assist clubs in administering discipline within their own rules to ensure compliance with principles of natural justice. . Promote a culture that ensures all children are listened to and respected as individuals. . Ensure that mixed teams are appropriately accompanied by male and female coaches/teachers/officials. . Not allow bullying, humiliating behaviour, racist or sexist comments within the club. Not allow any physically rough or sexually provocative games, or inappropriate talking or touching by anyone, in any group for which you have responsibility. If you are a coach or teacher follow the guidelines of your professional organisation. Never invite swimmers to your home for the day or overnight as in all circumstances your professional position must be maintained. . Ascertain the child’s and the parent’s/carers views about manual support for children who need this kind of help, particularly when theyare in the water. . Make sure you have another adult accompanying you. If it’s necessary to do things of a personal nature for children who are young or disabled, Get the child’s consent if at all possible and certainly get consent from the parent/carer. Let the child know what you are doing and why. . Ask parents/carers and/or nominated club officials to be responsible for children in changing rooms. . Get teachers/coaches/club officials to work in pairs if classes or groups of children have to be supervised in the changing room.
RECRUITMENT
When recruiting club coaches and teachers whether paid or unpaid the following guidelines should be followed at all times. . Anyone has the potential to abuse children, male/female, young/old. . A potential abuser will choose to work where he has access to children. . An employer who asks the right questions and does the right checks to prevent abuse will put off a potential abuser from pursuing the application. . The same procedure in recruitment needs to be consistent whether the person is paid or unpaid, full or part time. . A potential abuser will not appear “different” and may be the most helpful and kind person in the group. To be particularly helpful, kind and friendly is part of the process by which the abuser becomes a trusted and respected member of the group. This is known as the “grooming process”. . He/she may spend several months or years getting the trust of those around him to enable abuse to take place. In the case of sport some people will train within a club as a teacher or coach after having made themselves “invaluable” to the club committee, parents and swimmers.
ADVERTISING POSITIONS
When advertising for all staff to work directly with children you should: . Note in the advert that you have a Child Protection Policy. . Ensure all checks possible are made in advance of employment.
APPLICATION FORMS AND INTERVIEWS
Application forms and the subsequent interview should be designed to elicit information required to ascertain the persons suitability to work with children and should include the following:
REFERENCES
You should make every effort to verify any reference received from a club that has employed your candidate with children or who supports the person as being suitable to work with children.
TRANSPORTING SWIMMERS AND AWAY TRIPS
In any swimming club event that requires transporting swimmers or staying away over night, good practice should be followed at all times.
When a club is taking children away overnight or longer for training, competition or social events they must follow the guidelines in “Safe Sport Away”, a copy of which has been sent to all clubs. If this publication has been mislaid please contact the Legal Affairs department to purchase a new one.
ASA TRAINING IN CHILD PROTECTION AWARENESS
The ASA is committed to providing child protection awareness training for all club welfare officers and other staff including teachers and coaches. Details of training will be notified to the club Welfare officer. It is expected that all persons who have significant contact with children through swimming take part in available training.
PHOTOGRAPHY, MOBILE PHONES AND WEBSITES
It has come to the attention of the ASA that persons unconnected to the sport or club have been taking photos and videos of swimmers for illicit use. All clubs must follow the ASA guidelines on photography and use of photographic material.
The issue of Mobile phones with the ability to take photos is currently being debated by sports organisations and the Child Protection in Sport Unit (CPSU). The ASA believes it is not wise to ban young people from having mobile phones as they enable young people to remain in contact with parents and in an emergency to get appropriate assistance. The ASA is recommending that sounds be added to mobiles that will be easily recognisable when a photo is being taken. The ASA’s current policy on photography with a mobile phone is covered by our current guidelines and a parent or young person wishing to take such a photo should register in the photography book. As it is currently possible for photographs to be taken with a mobile phone unknown to the person being photographed, the ASA requires all ASA clubs to advise all its members to be vigilant in changing rooms and other areas of the pool and to report immediately to the pool management and the club any concern arising from the photographic use of mobile phones. It has also been identified that some clubs are using “web sites” as a means of making their club known. The ASA has specific guidelines on use of swimmers’ names and details on web sites and these policies must be followed at all times. In competitions and galas, look out for people who don’t appear to be relatives or friends of children who are swimming but, nevertheless, seem to spend a lot of time videoing or photographing them. Report these incidents to the organisers or the pool management immediately. If you’re organising a swim meet arrange an accreditation system for parents/relatives and friends and bonafide press photographers
AMATEUR SWIMMING ASSOCIATION GUIDELINES FOR USE OF PHOTOGRAPHIC/ FILMING EQUIPMENT AT COMPETITIONS
Professional photographers/ filming / video operators wishing to record the event should seek accreditation with the event organiser by producing their professional identification for the details to be recorded. Ideally they should request this at least 5 working days before the event.
Students or amateur photographers / film / video operators wishing to record the event should seek accreditation with the event organiser by producing their student or club registration card and a letter from their club / educational establishment outlining their motive for attending the event.
All other spectators wishing to use photographic / film / video equipment with a telescopic or zoom lens should register their intent with the promoter of the event.
Accreditation procedure: a system should be established whereby a record is made of the individual’s name and address and club. Professionals are required to register prior to the event and their identification details also recorded. Ideally identification details should be checked with the issuing authority prior to the event. On registering, promoters of events should consider issuing an identification label on the day, which can serve to highlight those who have accreditation. Where regular events occur, the identifying label should be changed to prevent unofficial replication.
Public Information: the specific details concerning photographic / video and filming equipment registration should, where possible, be published prominently in event programmes and announced over the public address system prior to the start of the event. The recommended wording is:
In line with the recommendation in the ASA Child Protection Policy, the promoters of this event require that any person wishing to engage in any video, zoom or close range photography should register their details with staff at the spectator entry desk before carrying out any such photography.
AT ALL TIMES CLUBS MUST ADHERE TO ASA LAW
with particular reference to: Ø The code of ethics. Ø The Guidance on child protection procedure. Ø The guidance on CRB checks for all club coaches, teachers, helpers and officials. AND ALL CLUBS SHOULD Ø Ensure a swimline notice is on display and this file is available when requested.
ASA SWIMLINE
Who is the ASA SwimLine for?
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