Juniors
Club Welfare Officer
The Club Welfare Officer is
Richard White. Richard has the primary responsibility to check that
everyone who has significant access to young people within the
club is suitable for that role and has been vetted by the
Criminal Records Bureau Disclosure procedures in line with the
guidelines set out by the Amateur Rowing Association.
Application Form
All juniors and their parent or guardian must complete the
Junior Application Form for membership.
Club Policy
The club follows the best practices set out by the ARA:
- Before undertaking any activities involving young
people, conduct a risk assessment to identify possible
sources of danger and take appropriate action to minimise
these risks
- Make the experience of Rowing fun and enjoyable; promote
fairness, confront and deal with bullying and do not condone
rule violations or the use of prohibited or illegal
substances; insist on adherence to the ARA Water Safety Code
and its Child Protection procedures
- Treat all young people equally; this means giving both
the more and less talented members of a group similar
attention, time, respect and preserving their dignity
- Respect the developmental stage of each young person and
do not risk sacrificing their welfare in a desire for club
or personal achievements. This means ensuring that the
training intensity is appropriate to the physical, social
and emotional stage of the development of the rower –
guidance on how much and how often juniors should train is
available from the ARA. Training and competition schedules
must be suited primarily to the needs and the interests of
the child, not those of the parents, coaches or club
- Build relationships based on mutual trust and respect,
in which young people are encouraged to take responsibility
for their own development and decision-making. Avoid
situations where the coach or team manager use their
position and power to decide what the rower should or should
not do without consideration of the young person’s needs and
capabilities
- Always be publicly open when working with children.
Avoid coaching sessions or meetings where a coach and an
individual athlete are completely unobserved
- Where children need to be supervised in the changing
rooms, coaches should work in pairs, and involve parents if
possible. Maintain an appropriate and open environment, with
no secrets.
- Avoid unnecessary physical contact with young people.
Where any form of physical guidance is required in teaching
technique, this should be provided openly and with the
consent of the athlete. It is important to educate parents
of what is and is not acceptable technically in the context
of rowing. Physical contact (touching) can be appropriate so
long as it is neither intrusive nor disturbing and the
athlete’s permission has been given.
- Maintain a safe and appropriate relationship with
athletes. It is inappropriate for coaches and others in
positions of authority to have an intimate relationship with
a young person, even if they are over 16, the normal age of
legal consent. (This could also be a criminal offence ‘abuse
of trust’ in certain circumstances defined by the Sexual
Offences (Amendment) Act 2000)
- Maintain appropriate standards of behaviour at social
events that young people attend
- Be an excellent role model, for example by not smoking
or drinking alcohol while working with young people
- Communicate regularly with parents and involve them in
decision-making. Gain their consent in writing to act in
loco parentis to give permission for the administration of
emergency first aid or other medical treatment if the need
arises
- Be aware of any medical conditions, existing injuries
and medicines being taken. Keep a written record of any
injury or accident that occurs, together with details of any
treatment given. Arrange that someone with knowledge of
first aid is readily available
- Gain written parental consent for any significant travel
arrangements, especially if an overnight stay is involved
Child
Protection - useful contacts
Amateur Rowing Association
6 Lower Mall
Hammersmith
London W6 9DJ
T: 020 8237 6700
www.ara-rowing.org
Criminal Records Bureau
PO Box 91
Liverpool L69 2UH
Helpline 0870 90 90 811
www.crb.gov.uk
NSPCC - Child Protection in Sport Unit
3 Gilmour Close
Beaumont Leys
Leicester LE4 1EZ
T; 0116 234 7200
www.sportprotects.org.uk
NSPCC Child Protection Helpline - 0808 800
5000
(This provides free advice on a 24 hour basis to anyone
concerned about child abuse)
NSPCC Childline - 0800 1111
(This provides a free confidential counselling service for
children to use)
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