sports coach UK Develop Your Coaching Workshop

1. sports coach UK Develop Your Coaching Workshop Safeguarding and Protecting Children (formerly Good Practice and Child Protection) October 2006 For use by those accredited through sports coach UK’s Head Office Education and Training Team

2. By the end of this workshop, you will be able to: identify and recognise good coaching practice, and the implications for your coaching explore your values and feelings in relation to child abuse, and recognise their potential impact on your response recognise and respond to the signs and symptoms of child abuse and poor practice take appropriate action, if concerns about a child arise Safeguarding and Protecting Children Safeguarding and Protecting Children – Slide 1

3. The Learning Agreement The Learning Agreement promotes: • personal safety • equity • confidentiality • professionalism • ownership Safeguarding and Protecting Children – Slide 2

4. Legal Framework and Government Guidance • Child welfare and protection • Children Act 1989 and 2004 • Criminal offences against children • Sexual Offences Act 2003 • Recruitment and selection of staff and volunteers • Protection of Children Act 1999 • The Police Act 1997 • Criminal Justice and Court Services Act 2000 • The Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006 All the above are underpinned by the Human Rights Actand the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child Safeguarding and Protecting Children – Slide 3

5. Legal Framework and Government Guidance (continued) • Working Together to Safeguard Children 2006 • This is a key guidance document for all organisations providing services for, or working with, children and young people • It sets out how organisations and individuals should work together to safeguard and promote the welfare of children Safeguarding and Protecting Children – Slide 4

6. Safeguarding and Protecting Children in the Context of the Legal Framework • Duty of care – legal and moral responsibilities of organisations and individuals • Positions of trust • Standards of safeguarding and protecting children in sport (NGBs and CSPs) Safeguarding and Protecting Children – Slide 5

7. Scenarios • A gifted young performer in an under-14 squad requests individual, one-to-one coaching, even though they are part of a group • Some children who you coach ask to visit your house to see your collection of sports medals and trophies, and to borrow some training manuals • You are asked to attend a training weekend where, for supervisory reasons, you are allocated a sleeping area with a group of children • 4 A new coach uses inappropriate language that the children repeat, making fun of other groups in a loud, suggestive manner Safeguarding and Protecting Children – Slide 6

8. Scenarios(continued) 5 You are asked to coach a young adult with additional special needs, but are not given time to discuss her specific requirements, either with the young adult herself or her carer 6 A child in your care receives a bang to his head. He appears to be fine, so you forget to inform his parents and fail to complete an accident report form 7 During a coaching session, a young performer begins to suggest that they really like you and would like to meet you for a coffee 8 You are asked to take a squad to an away fixture by yourself Safeguarding and Protecting Children – Slide 7

9. Code of Practice for Sports Coaches – Key Principles • Rights –coaches must respect and champion the rights of every individual to participate in sport • Relationships –coaches must develop a relationship with athletes (and others) that is based on openness, honesty, mutual trust and respect • Responsibilities: personal standards –coachesmust demonstrate proper personal behaviour and conduct at all times • Responsibilities: professional standards –to maximise benefits and minimise the risks to athletes, coaches must attain a high level of competence through qualifications, and a commitment to ongoing training, that ensures safe and correct practice Safeguarding and Protecting Children – Slide 8

10. Rights Coaches must respect and champion the rights of every individual to participate in sport Safeguarding and Protecting Children – Slide 9

11. Coaches should: • create an environment where every individual has the opportunity to participate • create and maintain an environment free of fear and harassment • recognise the rights of all athletes to be treated as individuals • recognise the rights of athletes to confer with other coaches and experts • promote the concept of a balanced lifestyle, supporting the well-being of the athlete both in and out of the sport Safeguarding and Protecting Children – Slide 10

12. Relationships Coaches must develop a relationship with athletes (and others) that is based on openness, honesty, mutual trust and respect Safeguarding and Protecting Children – Slide 11

13. Coaches should always: • promote the welfare and best interests of their athletes • empower athletes to be responsible for their own decisions • clarify the nature of the coaching services being offered to athletes • communicate and cooperate with other organisations and individuals in the best interests of athletes Coaches must not: • engage in or tolerate behaviour that constitutes any form of abuse (ie physical, sexual, emotional, neglect) Safeguarding and Protecting Children – Slide 12

14. Responsibilities – personal standards Coaches must demonstrate proper personal behaviour and conduct at all times Safeguarding and Protecting Children – Slide 13

15. Coaches should always: • be fair, honest and considerate to athletes and others in their sport • project an image of health, cleanliness and efficiency • be positive role models for athletes Safeguarding and Protecting Children – Slide 14

16. Responsibilities – professional standards To maximise benefits and minimise the risks to athletes, coaches must attain a high level of competence through qualifications and a commitment to ongoing training that ensures safe and correct practice Safeguarding and Protecting Children – Slide 15

17. Coaches will: • gain NGB coaching qualifications appropriate to the level at which they coach • be professional and accept responsibility for their actions • promote safe and correct practice in line with codes of practice • provide a safe environment that maximises benefits and minimises risks to athletes • make a commitment to providing a high-quality service to their athletes Safeguarding and Protecting Children – Slide 16

18. True or False? Children are abused mostly by strangers It is only men who sexually abuse children Disabled children are less likely to be victims of abuse Girls are much more likely to be abused than boys In some cultures, it is acceptable for children to be abused If social services are involved, children are usually removed from their homes Safeguarding and Protecting Children – Slide 17

19. True or False? (continued) Children are resilient and, therefore, recover quickly from abuse Children under the age of five are more likely to be abused than older children More children are abused now than 20 years ago Children often lie about abuse There is widespread reported occurrence of abuse in sport Coaches have many opportunities to abuse children emotionally, as well as physically Safeguarding and Protecting Children – Slide 18

20. False False False False False 6 False False True False False True 12 True True and False Answers Safeguarding and Protecting Children – Slide 19

21. Acceptable or Unacceptable Behaviour? A four-year-old being left alone for half an hour A 12-year-old child being left alone in the house for the evening A five-year-old girl is sent to school in January, wearing a thin cotton dress and a summer jacket A 13-year-old boy goes without lunch and dinner An instructor taking a group hill walking without adequate clothing 6 A father smacking his 12-year-old daughter because she arrives home two hours late Safeguarding and Protecting Children – Slide 20

22. Acceptable or Unacceptable Behaviour? (continued) An organisation’s requirements for a particular competition cause the performer to make abnormal changes to her body composition/shape A father bathes his 11-year-old daughter A mother bathes her 10-year-old son A female babysitter bathes a 10-year-old boy who is physically disabled 11 A male coach enters the girls’ changing room to talk before the competition Safeguarding and Protecting Children – Slide 21

23. Acceptable or Unacceptable Behaviour? (continued) A male coach physically supports a young female gymnast during a tumbling routine A coach has sexual intercourse with one of his 16-year-old athletes A male coach expresses his delight following a good performance by slapping the buttocks of one of his young female athletes 15 A parent has sexual intercourse with his or her child A female coach works alone with a squad of male athletes Safeguarding and Protecting Children – Slide 22

24. Acceptable or Unacceptable Behaviour? (continued) Parents make their 16-year-old son/daughter help out in the family shop every night and each weekend, rather than allowing him/her to socialise with his/her peer Parents constantly taunt their 12-year-old son who hates sports and enjoys ballroom dancing A teacher regularly undermines the efforts of a 15-year-old girl and publicly reports all the errorsshe makes on her homework A coach drives an eight-year-old to exhaustion andtears during training A player calls another player names 22 Initiation ceremonies within sports teams Safeguarding and Protecting Children – Slide 23

25. Neglect occurs when adults fail to meet a child’s basic physical and/or psychological needs, and is likely to result in the serious impairment of the child’s health or development Examples of neglect include:  • failing to provide a child with adequate food, shelter or clothing  • regularly leaving a child alone or unsupervised  • failing to protect a child from physical harm or danger • failing to ensure a child has access to appropriate medical care or treatment  • refusing to give a child affection and attention Safeguarding and Protecting Children – Slide 24

26. Neglect Examples in sport Neglect in a sport situation could include a coachfailing to ensure that children are safe and comfortable, exposing them to undue cold or to unnecessary risk of injury Safeguarding and Protecting Children – Slide 25

27. Physical abuse occurs when someone causes physical harm or injury to a child (in this case) Examples include: • hitting, shaking or throwing • poisoning, burning or scolding • biting, suffocating or drowning • giving children inappropriate drugs or alcohol • otherwise causing deliberate physical harm Safeguarding and Protecting Children – Slide 26

28. Physical Abuse Examples in sport Physical abuse in a sport situation may be deemed to occur if the nature and intensity of training and competition exceeds the capacity of the child’s immature and growing body. This includes instances where drugs are used to delay puberty, to control diet or to enhance performance Safeguarding and Protecting Children – Slide 27

29. Sexual abuse occurs when adults or other young people (both male and female) use children to meet their own sexual needsThis could include: • full sexual intercourse • masturbation, oral sex, anal intercourse or fondling • involving children in producing pornographic material (eg videos or photographs) • showing children pornographic material (eg magazines, videos or pictures) Safeguarding and Protecting Children – Slide 28

30. Sexual Abuse Examples in sport There are situations within all sports, in which the potential for this form of abuse exists: • Some individuals have deliberately targeted sports activities, in order to gain access to, andabuse, children • There is evidence that individuals have sometimes ignored governing body codes of practice, and used physical contact within a coaching role to mask their inappropriate touching of children • Some people have used sporting events as an opportunity to take inappropriate photographs or videos of sportspeople (including young and disabled participants) in vulnerable positions Safeguarding and Protecting Children – Slide 29

31. Emotional abuse is the emotional ill treatment of a child, resulting in severe and persistent adverse effects on his or her emotional development. Although it can occur in isolation, children who have suffered neglect or physical or sexual abuse, will also have suffered some level of emotional abuse. Research shows that children who experience an emotionally abusive environment are at a higher risk of suffering other forms of abuse Safeguarding and Protecting Children – Slide 30

32. The emotional abuse of children of all ages can occur in a number of ways, including: • imposing developmentally inappropriate expectations on them • making them feel worthless, unloved, inadequateor valued only insofar as they meet the needs of another person • making their positive self-image entirely dependent on sporting achievement and success • making them feel frightened or in danger • shouting at, threatening or taunting them • overprotecting them or, conversely, failing to give them the love and affection they need Safeguarding and Protecting Children – Slide 31

33. Emotional abuse in sport may occurif children are subject to constant criticism, name-calling, sarcasm, bullying, racism or unrealistic pressure to perform to high expectations (this may be from parents or coaches) Safeguarding and Protecting Children – Slide 32

34. Bullying Bullying is deliberately hurtful behaviour, usually repeated over a period of time, where it is difficult for those being bullied to defend themselves. Bullying can be verbal, written or physical. Forms of bullying can include: • physical assaults • name-calling, sarcasm and racist taunts • threats and gestures • unwanted physical contact • graffiti • stealing or hiding personal items • being ostracised or ignored Safeguarding and Protecting Children – Slide 33

35. Typical indicators of abuse include: • unexplained bruising or injuries • sexually explicit language/actions • sudden changes in behaviour • something a child has said • a change, observed over a long period of time The presence of one or more of these indicators does not necessarily mean that abuse is occurring. In the first instance, you may wish to raise your concerns with the child and/or the parents, to establish if there is cause for concern Safeguarding and Protecting Children – Slide 34

36. It is not your responsibility to decide whether or not a child is being abused… …but it is your responsibility to act if you have any concerns Safeguarding and Protecting Children – Slide 35

37. If a child is being abused: always: • stay calm – ensure the child is safe and feels safe • listen to the child • show and tell the child that you are taking what they say seriously • reassure the child and stress that he/she is not to blame • be honest and explain that you will have to tell someone else to help with the situation • make a note of what the child has said as soon as possible after the event • involve parents, where appropriate • maintain confidentiality – only tell others if it will help protect the child • tell the designated officer (this may be at a club, leisure centre or in school) • follow guidelines (eg NGB, LA or CSP) never: • rush into actions that may be inappropriate • make promises you cannot keep • take sole responsibility – consult someone else (the person in charge or the designated officer) so you can begin to protect the child and gain support for yourself Safeguarding and Protecting Children – Slide 36

38. Does the behaviour of a member of staff or volunteer towards a child/young person raise concerns? Could the behaviour constitute child abuse and/or poor practice/breach of code of practice? If necessary, ensure the immediate safety of the child (or other children) Report your concerns to: the relevant club welfare officer the organisational lead the Child Protection Officer the Line Manager or a senior colleague who will decide if the concern constitutes poor practice? and/or breach of organisation’s code of practice/ethics possible child abuse? Safeguarding and Protecting Children – Slide 37

39. Poor Practice and/or breach of organisation’s code of practice/ethics Relevant organisational disciplinary procedures initiated Organisational disciplinary investigation undertaken • Possible outcomes: • No case to answer • Warrants advice/warning as to future conduct/sanctions • Further training/support needed • Dismissal and referral to PoCA banning list (to become Children’s Barred list) Appeals Appeal procedures should be available to anyone under investigation as part of any natural justice Safeguarding and Protecting Children – Slide 38

40. Possible Child Abuse Relevant organisational disciplinary procedures initiated – decision regarding temporary suspension pending outcome of any social services/police investigations and organisation’s subsequent disciplinary investigation Concerns referred to social services • Possible outcomes: • Threshold for social services/police investigation not met = referral back to the organisation for disciplinary proceedings • Social services/police enquiry • Criminal proceedings • Possible civil proceedings Organisational disciplinary investigation undertaken, informed by outcome of social services/police investigation • Possible outcomes: • No case to answer • Warrants advice/warning as to future conduct/sanctions • Further training/support needed • Dismissal and referral to PoCA banning list (to become Children’s Barred list) Safeguarding and Protecting Children – Slide 39

41. Safeguarding and Protecting Children By the end of this workshop, you will be able to: • identify and recognise good coaching practice, and the implications for your coaching • explore your values and feelings in relation to child abuse, and recognise their potential impact on your response • recognise and respond to the signs and symptoms of child abuse and poor practice • take appropriate action, if concerns about a child arise Safeguarding and Protecting Children – Slide 40

42. Where Next? • For further information on sports coach UK workshops, visit www.sportscoachuk.org • For further information on safeguarding children, please visit www.thecpsu.org.uk Safeguarding and Protecting Children – Slide 41