Q: How do I manage physical contact when coaching children
and young people?
Touching as part of coaching is not prohibited. Sometimes physical contact is unavoidable,
even necessary, for example, to prevent an injury or accident. Physical contact should never be a surprise and always proportionate,
appropriate, sensitive and respectful. Children should never be touched in any way which could be interpreted as sexual, and
contact should be avoided with buttocks, the genital areas and breasts.
Good coaching practice includes verbally explaining
tasks, demonstration and then, if required, physical support, ensuring that the child has consented to and is comfortable
with contact. Children and young people should be supported to understand the boundaries around physical contact and to reject
any contact which makes them feel uncomfortable.
Q:
When taking children and young people on an overnight trip, what should the room arrangements be?
Adults
taking children away on overnight stays should be aware that children are more vulnerable when away from their usual environment
and the care of their parents. Organisers should consider the numbers, age and gender of the children taking part. Try to
be sensitive to the needs of the group e.g. adolescent girls are likely to value privacy. Adults should not share rooms with
children. Children and parents should be consulted on and give approval to the sleeping arrangements in advance. Organisers
should ensure that all accompanying adults have gone through the safe recruitment and selection procedure, have had appropriate
training and signed up to the organisation’s Code of Conduct.
Overnights and residential stays can be a great
experience for children provided adults are vigilant and prepared to support children. The key is in planning ahead. A useful
publication is SafeSport Away (NSPCC, 2001).
Q: Do we need
a male and female chaperone on trips away from home?
Where possible it is recommended good practice to
have a male and female present where there is a mixed group.
Q: Should there be separate changing areas for adults and children?
Most
facilities are not set up to provide separate changing areas for adults and children. Organisers could think about co-ordinating
sessions so that children and adults are unlikely to use changing facilities at the same time. Arrangements need to be practical
and the supervision of children by group leaders who have been recruited and selected using the recommended procedures should
ensure that risks are managed.
Q:
Is there a law about how many hours children should train per week?
No. Some Governing Bodies of Sport
have introduced guidelines on this issue e.g. cricket. In planning coaching sessions, coaches should take in to consideration
the time a child is spending at school, study and other activities in which they are involved.
Where a child is required
to take part in more intensive training parents and coaches should be mindful of the child’s right to rest (Article
31.1 United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child) and to enjoy childhood. Monitoring of training is crucial and the
child’s views about training should be respected. For further reading on this issue see Paulo David Human Rights in
Youth Sport (2005), Routledge.
Q:
What are the legal ratios for adults to children?
There are no legal ratios for adults coaching children
in sport. Some Governing Bodies of Sport have developed their own e.g. Scottish Swimming. Good practice in this area includes
undertaking a risk assessment when planning the activity. The number of adults required to safely run the activity will depend
on:
- Gender, age, level of experience and numbers of participants
- Whether any participants have a disability
or special needs
- The qualifications and experience of the leaders
- The environment and equipment involved e.g.
a hazardous environment such as rock climbing or swimming requires a greater degree of supervision
- Whether transportation
is required
- Health and safety requirements relevant to the activity
There should always be at least two
adults present to supervise a group in order to respond to an emergency situation.
Q: Is the club’s child protection officer ultimately responsible if someone
at the club harms a child?
Firstly, if someone in the organisation harms a child in any way, the individual
is responsible for their actions and will be accountable for them through the process of criminal justice and, where appropriate,
the child protection system.
Questions may be asked however as to what the organisation did to prevent such an incident
from occurring. The organisation would then have to demonstrate that it did “everything that was reasonable in all the
circumstances to safeguard the welfare” of the child. This would include, but is not limited to, practical things such
as following a safe recruitment and selection procedure, ensuring those who work/volunteer with children have appropriate
qualifications and training to do so, and that they receive management support. If the organisation failed to take reasonable
action to prevent such an incident, the question of who in the organisation is liable will depend on the structure and governance
or management of the organisation. This would be decided by courts if legal action was raised.
Ultimately it must be
agreed as to who is accountable, be it an individual or group of individuals, for ensuring that there are appropriate structures
in place for the safe running of a club.
Remember, keeping children safe in clubs is everyone’s responsibility
and not the job of one person in the club. While the role of the CPO is to co-ordinate the implementation of child protection
procedures, it is those who are responsible for running the club to ensure that this is done effectively.
Q: What are the guidelines regarding photographing children
and the use of their photographs in publishing material?
There have been concerns about the risks posed
directly and indirectly to children and young people through the use of photographs on sports web sites and other publications.
Photographs can be used as a means of identifying children when they are accompanied with personal information or the content
of the photo can be used or adapted for inappropriate use. Sports organisations should develop a policy relating to the use
of images of children and young people on their web sites and in other publications. Parents and children should be informed
what pictures will be taken and what they will be used for and their permission obtained where possible in writing. The NSPCC
Child Protection in Sport Unit has produced a Briefing Paper on this subject.
Q: Do we
need written consent from the parents of 16-18 year olds for photographs and trips away?
This should
be detailed in the organisation’s child protection guidelines. In Scotland, young people would generally be regarded
as being able to consent to such activities from the age of 16. It is good practice however, to work in partnership with parents
and to keep them informed.
Q:
At what age can a child be left on their own?
The law in Scotland does not state at what age children
can be left alone. It depends on whether the child is mature enough to cope in an emergency and feels happy about being left.
Children mature at different ages and every child is an individual. The decision to leave a child alone should be made by
the adult who has considered the environment and any potential hazards, child’s age, maturity, safety and well- being
and whether the child has any special needs. It is against the law to leave children in circumstances that are likely to put
them in any kind of danger. Anyone aged 16 or over who has the care or control of a child under 16 could be prosecuted if
they leave children in circumstances that could cause them harm. Leaving young children alone is never a good idea. For more
information, see the Home Alone Leaflet (this link will take you to the CHILDREN 1ST website).
