Child Protection Policy

INTRODUCTION: 
 
This policy is based on HPASLSC Swimgym philosophy that:  
 
All children are treated with dignity and respect and have the right to have their needs met in a safe environment. 
 
DEFINITION(S): 

1. Member, Staff member,  Adult or Volunteer includes any staff member, volunteer, parent, sibling, spouse or guardian who may or may not be a member of the club but is acting on behalf of the club or in a role for the club. 

2. HPK is the Howick Pakuranga Swimming and Life Saving Club and its commercial arm Swimgym. 

OBJECTIVES: 
 
1. To ensure the safety of the child is paramount. 
 
2. To provide teachers, coaches and managers with guidelines so that they can identify signs of abuse and neglect. 
 
3. To provide guidelines for everybody working with children in this programme. 
 
4. To provide procedures for dealing with cases of abuse or neglect. 
 
5. To provide guidelines for which help agencies will be used, interview procedures and how parents or caregivers will be informed. 
 
6. To provide children with knowledge and skills to recognise and to deal with situations that may threaten their emotional and/or physical wellbeing. 
 
7. To have in place procedures enabling suspicions of abuse/neglect to be resolved. 
 
8. To contribute to an overall awareness of its responsibility to help children to avoid abuse. 
 
GUIDELINES: 
 
1. HPK will adhere to the guidance of the Vulnerable Childrens Act 2014 including but not limited to Police Vetting,  

2. Adults will be receptive and sensitive to children so that the children feel listened to and believed. 
 
3. The programme will use the most appropriate agency for sexual abuse and the most appropriate agency for physical abuse and/or neglect. 
 
4. The Director of Coaching will be the resource person in this area. Anyone who has concerns may discuss them with this resource person. No outside agency will be involved without the prior knowledge of the Director of Coaching and the President of HPK. 
 
5. Parents will be informed except where the child’s welfare is likely to be threatened. Whichever agency is involved in the cases will be responsible for informing parents as they have the skills to handle the situation in the most appropriate way to support the child. 
 
6. In the case of a report from a third party to HPK (Volunteers in offices for the club will be considered a part of HPK), the first course of action will be to notify the Director of Coaching and the President of the Club. 
 
7. There will be a set of procedures which must be adhered to when dealing with cases of suspected abuse/neglect. 
 
8. In all cases confidentiality must be the prime factor. 
 
9. HPK and its community will regularly discuss child safety and protection issues. 
 
10. Bullying, stand-overs or intimidation will not be tolerated. 
 
11. The Director of Coaching will report to the Committee when appropriate regarding child safety issues. 
 

PROCEDURES: 
 
1. Identifying 
 
(a) Teach teachers signs of abuse  

  • Behavioural indications 

  • Physical evidence 

(b) Disclosures - child/or adult 
 
 
2. Initial Reporting 
 
All report to the Director of Coaching who will then bring them to the President, and or the Executive of the Club. The person who reported the matter may be invited to join the Executive as a part of the consultation process for that child.  
 
3. Recording 
 
(a) Coaches and or Teachers need to keep confidential records (notebook) on events/incidents relating to concerns about children. 
 
(b) A ‘confidential’ file is to be kept by the Director of Coaching which will record all instances of staff concerns re: abuse of children 
 
(c) Any and all recording will be confidential to persons dealing directly with the matter. 
 
Details should be recorded objectively, these records will be kept. Matters concerning abuse of children are highly confidential and should not be discussed outside the Executive. 
 
4. Consultation 
 
(a) Where further action is necessary the Director of Coaching, after consultation with the President and or Executive of HPK, will contact the appropriate agency without identifying the child and seek advice on the appropriate action. 
 
(b) Further actions will need to take into account the special nature of the relationship between HPK and its community. At this stage the parents of the child concerned must be advised unless the child’s welfare is likely to be threatened. (One action may be to continue to monitor the situation). 
 
(c) Whenever discussion is held with a child, identified as needing protection, an adult on the staff whom the child has confidence in must be present. The welfare of the child must be first priority and where that is compromised the interview must be terminated. 
 
(d) Support for staff and the child/family concerned will be sought from an appropriate source. 
 
(e) Where advice is sought from an outside agency the Director of Coaching will act on the advice given. 
 
(f) No case being considered by the Director of Coaching will be allowed to drag on without resolution to the best result for the child.  
 
5. Complaints Against Staff Involving Abuse (Volunteers holding offices for the club are included as staff). 
 
Once a helping agency is involved, the following procedures will be followed  
 
1. The Director of Coaching will inform the President of HPK. 
 
2. Both will then inform the staff member who will be advised to seek legal representation. 
 
3. The staff member will be suspended on full pay once an investigation has begun. At this stage the rest of the staff will be informed. 
(* Counsellors can be made available to any staff). 
 
6. Conclusion 
 
(a) Parents and staff will be aware of the procedures the school will take to protect children from any kind of abuse. 
 
(b) Staff should have firm guidelines to follow for any cases of suspected abuse. 
 
(c) Everyone who works in the school will know the Code of Conduct and will know what behaviours are and are not acceptable when working with our children. 

Procedures for Protecting Athletes  

We believe that the experience of children and young athletes in all organized sports should be guided by what is best for the safe and healthy development of the young person. Young athletes who participate in organized sports activities have a unique opportunity for learning. In working with each child, it is essential that we are mindful of their physical, emotional, and developmental needs. We must also be particularly diligent in recognizing the unique vulnerabilities that are an inherent part of childhood. It is the responsibility of all adults, not only recognize to these vulnerabilities, but to develop the knowledge and skills needed to create and maintain a safe and child-centred sports environment. The protection of children requires that all adults work together to support young athletes. As the child’s first and enduring resource for safety, parents and guardians play a critical role in athlete protection. When parents participate they are able to help educate other adults about the needs of the child, and help prepare the child to participate in sports programs in a way that promotes safety, enjoyment, and learning.

Adults, including coaches, officials, staff, facility workers, volunteers, chaperones, and others who interact with children, are in also positions of great trust and influence. The ability to use this position of trust to support the well-being of children is critical. The overwhelming majority of these adults fulfil their roles in a positive and responsible manner. Nonetheless, we must also understand that a few adults may seek to use the trust and authority that comes with their access and status to take advantage of a child.  

Because we aspire to foster safe and positive environments within our club, we believe it is especially important to provide our member adult leaders with policies and best practice guidelines that help define elements of appropriate behaviour and conduct. 

Policies and Best Practice Guidelines for Athlete Protection  

In order to provide a positive experience and a safe environment for athletes, all non-athlete adult members of HPK should maintain professionalism and avoid any appearance of impropriety in their relationships with athletes. Coaches, in particular, should recognize the influence, power and position of trust they have with athletes and should use these only in an athlete’s best interest.  

This document provides best practice guidelines that are strongly recommended.  

Policies 

The following policies for Athlete Protection are mandatory for all members. 

1. Inappropriate touching between an athlete and an adult non-athlete member or Participating Non-Member is prohibited, including, but not limited to, excessive touching, hugging, kissing, sexually oriented behaviour, sexually stimulating or otherwise inappropriate games, and having an athlete sit on a non-family member adult’s lap.  

2. Any rubdown or massage performed on an athlete by any adult member or Participating Non-Member, excluding the spouse, parent, guardian, sibling or personal assistant of such athlete, must be conducted with an open door policy and with at least one other member of staff or adult present. Any rubdown or massage performed at a swim venue must be conducted in open/public locations and must never be done with only the athlete and massager in the room. 

3. Use of audio or visual recording devices, including a cell phone camera, is not allowed in changing areas, rest rooms or locker rooms.  

4. Employees and volunteers of HPK who interact directly and frequently with athletes as a regular part of the their duties and individuals with any (potential future) ownership interest in the club must satisfactorily complete criminal background checks as required by HPK. This does not apply to volunteers such as timers, marshals, computer operators, etc. who only have limited contact with athletes during a meet.  

5. Travel

  • Regardless of gender, a coach shall not share a hotel room with an athlete (unless the coach is the parent, guardian, sibling or spouse of that particular athlete).  

  • Team managers and chaperones must be members of HPK, and if required, must have successfully passed an HPK administered criminal background check.  

  • When only one athlete and one coach travel to a competition, the athlete must have his/her parents’ (or legal guardian’s) permission in advance to travel alone with the coach.  

  • Club travel policies must be signed and agreed to by all athletes, parents, coaches and other adults travelling with the club. 

Best Practice Guidelines 

The following Best Practice Guidelines are recommended for HPK members 

1. Parents should be encouraged to appropriately support their children’s swimming experience.  

2. Open and Observable Environment: An open and observable environment should be maintained for all interactions between adults and athletes. Private, or one-on-one situations, should be avoided unless they are open and observable. Common sense should be used to move a meeting to an open and observable location if the meeting inadvertently begins in private.  

3. Coaches should not invite or have an athlete(s) to their home without the permission of the athlete’s parents (or legal guardian).  

4. During team travel, when doing room checks, attending team meetings and/or other activities, two-deep leadership and open and observable environments should be maintained.  

5. Athletes should not ride in a coach’s vehicle without another adult present who is the same gender as the athlete, unless prior parental permission is obtained.  

6. During overnight team travel, if athletes are paired with other athletes they should be of the same gender and similar age. Chaperones and/or team managers would ideally stay in nearby rooms.  

7. Communications between non-athlete adult members and athletes should not include any topic or language that is sexual or inappropriate in nature.  

8. Non-athlete adult members should respect the privacy of athletes in situations such as changing of clothes, showering, etc. Non-athlete adult members should protect their own privacy in similar situations. 

9. Relationships of a peer-to-peer nature with any athletes should be avoided. For example, coaches should avoid sharing their own personal problems with athletes.  

10. When a coach touches an athlete as part of instruction, the coach should do so in direct view of others and inform the athlete of what he/she is doing prior to the initial contact. Touching athletes should be minimized outside the boundaries of what is considered normal instruction. Appropriate interaction would include but not be limited to high fives, fist bumps, side-to-side hugs and handshakes.