Great Totham Code of Conduct for Cricket Club Members and Guests*
All Members and Guests of Great Totham Cricket Club will:
*Members and Guests include all members and officers of the Cricket Club and all guests of those members and officers, as well as all individuals who watch/attend/participate/officiate in matches hosted by the club in whatever capacity.
In addition to the above, all Club Officers and Appointed Volunteers will:
STATEMENT OF INTENT
Great Totham Cricket Club is committed to providing a caring, friendly and safe environment for all of our children so they can train, and play, in a relaxed and secure atmosphere. Bullying of any kind is unacceptable at our club. If bullying does occur, all children should be able to tell, and know, incidents will be dealt with promptly and effectively. We are a TELLING club. This means ANYONE who knows bullying is happening is expected to tell someone who can do something about it.
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 take many forms:
EMOTIONAL: being unfriendly, excluding, tormenting (for example: hiding kit, or making threatening gestures).
PHYSICAL: pushing, kicking, hitting, punching or any use of violence.
RACIST: racial taunts, graffiti and/or gestures.
SEXUAL: unwanted physical contact or sexually abusive comment.
HOMOPHOBIC: because of, or focusing on, the issue of sexuality.
VERBAL: name-calling, sarcasm, spreading rumours and teasing
CYBER: bullying behaviour online or via electronic communication (email and text, social media etc) Misuse of associated technology, such as camera and video facilities
Why is it important to respond to bullying?
Bullying hurts. No one should be a victim of bullying. Everyone has the right to be treated with respect. Children who are bullying also need to learn different ways of behaving. Cricket clubs have a responsibility to respond promptly, and effectively, to issues of bullying.
Objectives of this policy
1) All adults and children at the club should have an understanding of what bullying is.
2) All officials, coaching and non-coaching staff should know what the club policy is on bullying and follow it when bullying is reported
3) All children and parents should know what the club policy is on bullying, and what they should do if bullying arises
4) As a club, we take bullying seriously. Children and parents should be assured they will be supported when bullying is reported
5) Bullying will not be tolerated
In cases of adults reported to be bullying cricketers under 18, the ECB must always be informed.
Signs and symptoms
A child may indicate, by signs or behaviour, that he or she is being bullied. Adults should be aware of signs and investigate if a child:
- Says they are being bullied.
- Changes their usual routine.
- Is unwilling to go to the club.
- Becomes withdrawn anxious, or lacking in confidence.
- Comes home with clothes torn or belongings damaged.
- Has possessions which are damaged or go missing.
- Asks for money or starts stealing money (to pay the bully).
- Has unexplained cuts or bruises.
- Is frightened to say what’s wrong.
- Gives improbable excuses for any of the above
In more extreme cases, the child:
- Starts stammering
- Cries themselves to sleep at night or has nightmares
- Becomes aggressive, disruptive or unreasonable
- Is bullying other children or siblings
- Stops eating
- Attempts or threatens suicide or runs away
These signs and behaviours could indicate other problems, but bullying is a possibility and should be investigated.
- Adults must not change, or shower, at the same time and using the same facility as children - if the same changing room is used then they must have different times.
- If adults and children need to share a changing facility, they must do so at different times.
- Mixed gender teams must have access to separate male and female changing rooms.
- Due to the risks of inappropriate photography or filming, mobile phones must not be used in changing rooms.
If children are uncomfortable changing or showering at the club, no pressure should be placed on them to do so. Suggest instead that they may change and shower at home.
Great Totham Cricket Club is keen to promote positive images of children playing cricket and is not preventing the use of photographic or videoing equipment.
Photographs are considered ‘personal data’ in terms of Data Protection. Depending on the circumstance, consent from either the child, adult, or both should be sought before capturing, sharing or publishing images where a child can be identified, including posting on the club’s website etc. In addition, as with all personal data the club processes, should be processed in accordance with GDPR principles, and other relevant legislation and guidance.
Great Totham Cricket Club commits to adhere to the following policies:
- Photographs/images are not to be taken at matches or training without the prior permission of the parents/carers of the child. This permission can be given by proxy by the coach of each team only after parental consent for this has been granted. The coach must arrange this prior to attending matches. If no consent has been given for a child, then it is to be made known to the relevant person of the other team (e.g. coach/ team manager) so the appropriate person/s taking photographs for the other team is/are aware and can avoid taking photographs of that particular child.
- The children should be informed a person will be taking photographs.
- The children should be informed that if they have concerns they can report these to the coach or team manager.
- Concerns regarding inappropriate, or intrusive, photography should be reported to the Club Welfare Officer and recorded in the same manner as any other child protection or safeguarding concern.
- Will set up a ‘Camera Registration Book’ for parents & carers to complete when the Club organises and runs cricket tournaments, festivals, events or competitions.
- Ask for parental permission to use the child’s image and, wherever possible, show the image to the parents and child in advance. This ensures that they are aware of the way the image will be used to represent cricket and the club.
- Ask for the child’s permission to use their image. This ensures they are aware of the way the image is to be used to represent cricket and the club
- If the cricketer is named, avoid using their photograph
- If a photograph is used, avoid naming the child
- Only use images of children in appropriate kit, to reduce the risk of inappropriate use, and to provide positive images of the children
- Encourage the reporting of inappropriate use of images of children. If you are concerned, report your concerns to the County or Club Welfare Officer.
Using video as a coaching aid:
Players and parents/carers should be aware that this is part of the coaching programme, and the material taken in connection with coaching must be stored securely and deleted or destroyed when a parent requests this, or when the material is no longer needed.
The parents/carers and children must provide written consent for the use of photography and video analysis.
The purpose of this policy is to advise parents & that parents/carers are responsible for the safe delivery and collection of their child for matches or training.
- At the start of the year or season, Great Totham Cricket Club will advise all parents/carers of all planned away fixtures or competitions to provide parents/carers with an opportunity to make appropriate arrangements.
- Great Totham Cricket Club’s Coaches and club staff will be responsible for children in their care when on the club premises or on arrival at opponents’ cricket grounds.
- It is not the responsibility of the coach or team manager to transport, or arrange to transport, the children to and from the club or match.
- The club must receive permission from parents/carers for children to participate in all competitions and away fixtures/events.
- Coaches and Team Managers will establish with parents/carers a “pick up and drop off” point, which specifically addresses collection and also late collection of children.
Social Media, when used properly, is exciting and opens up a lot of opportunities, but at times it can seem strange and even intimidating for people who did not "grow-up" with it. Facebook, Twitter, texting, Whatsapp, online gaming and personal emails are everywhere. By following some simple guidelines, potential pitfalls can be avoided, and Social Media can be safely used as a professional tool and a means of communication for the club.
CLUB OFFICIALS/COACHES/MANAGERS
Facebook and Twitter accounts are great for promoting your club and cricket in general, as well as being a fun way to unwind and stay in touch with friends: it is essential to keep these two worlds separate. You should have separate cricket-club related and personal pages; all contact with players should be through the former, and strictly in relation to training, coaching, matches and cricket-related activity. You should also adjust the privacy settings for your personal account so that content is only visible to accepted ‘friends’. This will keep younger players safe from material that may be unsuitable for them and will reduce the risk of your online interactions being viewed with suspicion.
Although younger players may see you as a friend and may request to be your ‘friend’ on a social media site, you should direct them to the cricket club-related page and keep all contact professional. What they might consider innocent, friendly contact may not be seen as such by their parents, people at the club and others.
It is also important to be mindful of any content you post online via the cricket-club related page - remember:
- You are representing the club.
- Your communications should conform to the ‘Safe Hands’ policy and guidance. Ensure that nothing you post could cause personal distress or be seen as inappropriate for children.
- If you wouldn’t put it on the club notice board, it doesn’t belong on the club’s social media pages.
- You should have consent before posting any personal information online – this includes photographs where an individual can be identified. Remember the picture/no name guidance for under 18s.
Texts, apps and emails: contacting Under 18 players
The Children Act defines a person under 18 years as a child.
You should make arrangements for under 18s via their parents or carers; this includes text and email or WhatsApp messages, etc.
It is understood that in the case of over 16’s this may not be ideal for yourself or the parents. An acceptable exception to this rule is to text or email the parent and to copy in the 16 or 17 year old, with the parent’s prior consent. This means the parent is able to monitor communications, but the 16 or 17 year old receives the information directly.
If you receive any responses that appear inappropriate they should be brought to the attention of the parent or carer.
You should not engage in individual text or email conversations with a 16 or 17 year old without their parent receiving the same messages from you.
All contact with children should be in relation to coaching, matches and cricket-related activity.
SOCIAL MEDIA: DO’s & DONT's
COACHES/MANAGERS/CLUB
DO
DO NOT
ADULT PLAYERS IN OPEN AGE TEAMS
Please be mindful of who may have access to material you share via social media, including Facebook, Twitter and other platforms.
IF YOU HAVE CONCERNS REGARDING SOCIAL MEDIA, TEXTS AND EMAILS
If you suspect that someone is using social media in an unsafe or inappropriate manner, you should report their behaviour to your Club Welfare Officer, Rob Mutton, the County Welfare Officer, or the ECB Safeguarding team – email safeguarding@ecb.co.uk
If you believe that an offence has been committed, or that someone’s use of social media is placing a child is at risk of harm, inform the police immediately.
ECB GUIDANCE FOR PARENTS/CARERS AND CHILDREN/YOUNG PEOPLE ON THE USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA, TEXTS, APPS AND EMAIL
PARENTS/CARERS
This generation is growing up with the internet as part of their everyday lives. It’s a great place for them to learn, to have fun and to chat with their friends. Of course, it’s important to make sure that they’re safe while they do it.
As children have access to the internet from various devices, it can be more difficult to monitor their use than when a 'home computer' sat in a downstairs room, and more important that parents/carers have greater knowledge.
There is great information available for you to help keep your child safe online: visit https://www.net-aware.org.ukfor a good introduction.
You may also want to have a look at the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre’s guide to the internet for parents and carers: https://www.thinkuknow.co.uk
Remember: it is against Facebook’s rules for your child to have an account if they are under thirteen years old. This is to prevent them from being exposed to potentially inappropriate content. You will find all you need to know about keeping young teens safe on Facebook on their official safety page for parents: http://www.facebook.com/safety/groups/parents/.
In April 2018, WhatsApp raised their minimum age to 16 years.
Most importantly of all, it’s important that your child feels they can talk to someone if they are being bullied online, or if they’ve been exposed to something that makes them upset or uncomfortable.
DO
CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE
The internet is a great place to learn and to have fun with your friends, and the best way to have fun is to make sure that you stay safe. You should think about the points below whenever you use the internet, speak to people online, or by text:
DO
DO NOT