UK TaeKwonDo Academy
Child Protection Policy
Introduction
UK TaeKwonDo Academy recognises the need to make provision for children and young persons (under the age of 18 as defined under the Childrens Act 1987), and acknowledges its moral and legal responsibility to ensure that:
- The welfare of the child is paramount
- All children, whatever their age, culture, disability, gender, language, racial origin religious beliefs and/or sexual identity have the right to protection from abuse.
- All suspicions and allegations of abuse will be taken seriously and responded to swiftly and appropriately
UK TaeKwonDo Academy is committed to working in partnership with all agencies to ensure best practice when working with children and young people. Adopting best practice will help to safeguard those participants from potential abuse as well as protecting instructors and other adults in positions of responsibility from any potential allegation of abuse. All current and new Instructors and Officials will complete a declaration of self-assessment and a CRB enhanced disclosure.
Policy Statement
Tae Kwon-do as a sport and pastime has a duty of care to safeguard from harm all children involved. All children have a right to protection, and the needs of disabled children and others who may be particularly vulnerable must be taken into account.
UK TaeKwonDo Academy will strive to ensure the safety and protection of all children involved in our sport. The policy will be implemented by our entire club and is applicable to all officers, club Instructors and club officials.
Sport can and does have a very powerful and positive influence on people especially young people. Not only can it provide opportunities for enjoyment and achievement; it helps to develop and enhance valuable qualities such as self-esteem, leadership and teamwork. We have to ensure that for those positive experiences to take place that sport in the hands of those who have the welfare of young people uppermost in their mind and that we have proper procedures and practices to support and empower them.
Policy Aims
The aim of this Child Protection Policy is to promote good practice:
- Providing children and young persons with appropriate safety and protection whilst in the care of this Martial Arts club .
- Ensure that all incidents of poor practice and allegations of abuse will be taken seriously and responded to swiftly and appropriately
- The distinction between ages of consent, civil and criminal liability are recognised but in the pursuit of good in the delivery and management, a young person is recognised as being under the age of 18 years [Children’s Act 1989].
- Confidentiality will be upheld in line with the Data Protection Act 1984 and the Human Rights Act 2000.
Policy Implementation Guidelines
All those involved in Martial Arts should be encouraged to demonstrate exemplary behaviour in order to safeguard children and young people and protect themselves from false allegations. Our Instructors understand the added responsibilities of teaching children and also basic principles of growth and development through childhood to adolescence.
UK TaeKwonDo Academy will apply the following common sense procedures of how to create a positive culture and climate within club activities :
- Always working in an open environment (e.g. avoiding private or unobserved situations and encouraging an open environment i.e. no secrets).
- Treating all young people/disabled adults equally, and with respect and dignity.
- Placing the welfare and safety of the child or young person first above the development of performance or competition.
- Maintaining a safe and appropriate distance with players (e.g. it is not appropriate to have an intimate relationship with a child or to share a room with them).
- Making sport fun, enjoyable and promoting fair play.
- Where any form of manual or physical support is required, it should be provided openly.
- Keeping up to date with the technical skills, qualifications and insurance within Martial Arts.
- Involving parents/carers wherever possible (e.g. for the responsibility of their children in the changing rooms). If groups have to be supervised in the changing rooms, always ensuring parents/instructors/officials work in pairs.
- Ensuring that at tournaments or residential events, adults should not enter children’s rooms or invite children into their rooms.
- Being an excellent role model – this includes not smoking or drinking alcohol in the company of young people.
- Giving enthusiastic and constructive feedback rather than negative criticism.
- Recognising the developmental needs and capacity of young people and disabled adults – avoiding excessive training or competition and not pushing them against their will.
- Securing parental consent in writing to act in loco parentis, if the need arises to give permission for the administration of emergency first aid.
- Keeping a written record of any injury that occurs, along with the details of any treatment given.
- Requesting written parental consent if club officials are required to transport young people in their cars.
- Exercises will be appropriate to age and build. Instructors should not simply treat children as small adults, with small adult bodies.
- Children will not be asked to do assisted stretching - they generally don’t need to, and there is a real risk of damage with an inconsiderate or over-enthusiastic partner.
- Children will be carefully matched for size and weight for sparring practice.
- Great care must be taken, especially where children train in the proximity of adults, to avoid collision injury.
- Children will not be instructed to do certain conditioning exercises; especially those, which are heavy, load bearing, for example weight training or knuckle push-ups.
- Children will concentrate on the development of speed, mobility, skill and general fitness.
Our Instructors or Officials will NEVER :
- Engage in rough, physical or sexually provocative games, including horseplay
- Allow or engage in any form of inappropriate touching
- Allow children to use inappropriate language unchallenged
- Make sexually suggestive comments to a child, even in fun
- Reduce a child to tears as a form of control
- Allow allegations made by a child to go unchallenged, unrecorded or not acted upon
- Do things of a personal nature for children or disabled adults that they can do for themselves
- Invite or allow children to stay with them at their home unsupervised
- Hit, kick, shake or punch, or give harmful drugs or alcohol.
- Call names all the time, or act in a threatening manner.
- Be involved, or by in-action, allow bullying including threatening a child with violence, taking their things, calling them names or insulting them, making them do things they won't want to do, and deliberately humiliating or ignoring them.
NB. It may sometimes be necessary for Instructors or Officials to do things of a personal nature for children, e.g. if they are young or are disabled. These tasks will only be carried out with the full understanding and consent of parents.
If any of the following occur as a result of the actions/or in-actions of an Instructor or Official, in the first instance this will be immediately reported to another colleague, and then the Parents of the child will be told as appropriate if:
- A child or young person is accidentally hurt.
- He/she seems distressed in any manner.
- A student appears to be sexually aroused by your actions.
- A child or young person misunderstands or misinterprets something you have done.
UK TaeKwonDo Academy has a responsibility to act on any concerns if the following behavioural signs of abuse become apparent. However it is not the responsibility of this club to take responsibility or to decide whether or not child abuse has taken place. This is the role of the child protection agencies. The UK TaeKwonDo Academy will seek advice and information from the local Social Services Department, The Police or the NSPCC 24 hour Help line 0800800 5000. And will in all instances follow the instructions given by these authorities.
These signs will be seen as a possible indication of abuse and not as a confirmation. It is understood that changes in a child’s behaviour can be the result of a wide range of factors, that visible signs such as bruising or other injuries should not be taken as proof of abuse.
- The child appears distrustful of a particular adult, or a parent or a coach with whom you would expect there to be a close relationship.
- He or she has unexplained injuries such as bruising, bites or burns - particularly if these are on a part of the body where you would not expect them.
- If he or she has an injury which is not explained satisfactorily or properly treated.
- Deterioration in his or her physical appearance or a rapid weight gain or loss.
- Pains, itching, bruising, or bleeding in or near the genital area.
- A change in the child's general behaviour. For example, they may become unusually quiet and withdrawn, or unexpectedly aggressive. Such changes can be sudden or gradual.
- If he or she refuses to remove clothing for normal activities or wants to keep covered up in warm weather.
- If he or she shows inappropriate sexual awareness or behaviour for their age.