Child Protection

This Policy is wholly influenced by, and, in large measure, draws directly from, the R.F.U. Child/Young Player Protection Policy published in 1998.

1. Leek R.U.F.C. will maintain and uphold a Child and Young Player Protection policy in accordance with the RFU/RFUW Policy on Child Protection and ensure that all persons working with children and young people within the club are fully conversant with it and abide by it. At Leek RUFC we believe that taking part in sport should be a positive and enjoyable part of children's lives and aim to ensure that they are protected and kept safe from physical, emotional and sexual harm whilst they are with the club's coaches, helpers and other volunteers. The Policy will be available for inspection upon reasonable demand.
The L.R.U.F.C. Child and Young Player Protection policy will
i) offer safeguards to the children and young people with which we work and to our professional members of staff, coaches and club members,
ii) help maintain professionalism and safeguard good practice.
3. Leek Rugby Club recognises that it has a moral obligation to ensure that when given responsibility for children and young people it provides them with the highest possible standard of care and treats their welfare as paramount.
4. Leek Rugby Club recognises that all young players, whatever their age, culture, disability, language, racial origin, religious belief and/or sexual identity have the right to protection from abuse. The club's staff, members, coaches and voluntary helpers will strive to safeguard and promote the interests and well-being of children /young people with whom they are working, take all reasonable steps to protect them from harm, discrimination or degrading treatment and respect their rights wishes and feelings, treating everyone with dignity and equality.
5. Leek Rugby Club will follow specific guidelines when recruiting coaches and helpers and ensure that the requisite checks are carried out.
6. Leek Rugby Club will issue its coaches/helpers with a Code of Conduct and expect them to abide by it. The Club will encourage and help coaches to stay up to date with rugby coaching and child protection issues. The Club will expect all coaches to hold current RFU coaching awards and insist upon a coach having, as a minimum requirement, the START Coaching Rugby Union or Preliminary Award level, in order to be the head coach of an age group.
7. Leek Rugby club will ensure that all suspicions and allegations of abuse will be taken seriously and responded to swiftly and appropriately.
8. The Club will ensure that a formal procedure is in place for dealing with allegations of poor practice or abuse. The Club will appoint a person (Child Protection Officer) whose role it will be to deal with any concerns about physical emotional or sexual abuse.
9. As a club, we will promote fair play and always play within the spirit of the laws and the letter of the Continuum.