INTRODUCTION:

The entire team at Treasure Gymnastics take our safeguarding responsibilities very

seriously.  All of our coach team (age 16+)  take part in safeguarding training annually and hold enhanced DBS checks.

We have policies and procedures in place to ensure coaches always work in groups and are never alone with a child, as well as a coach pledge to ensure that our team members work towards the highest standards thinking about the whole gymnast and their development.

OUR WELFARE OFFICERS:

Becki Allbut - Non-ncoaching team member, Safeguarding trained.

Stephanie Bowen - Volunteer, Qualified coach not employed by Treasure Gymnastics, safeguarding trained.

You can contact them all directly or via the email address - safeguarding@treasuregymnastics.co.uk

Or individually on:

Becki.allbut@treasuregymnastics.co.uk

Stephanie.Bowen@treasuregymnastics.co.uk

OUR PLEDGE TO OUR MEMBERS:

Treasure Gymnastics - Pledge to Protect our gymnasts - Your children.

It is never ok for a coach to Verbally, physically or mentally abuse an athlete.

Screaming, Shouting, shaming, questioning eating habits and food, weighing, creating hierarchy and unhealthy competition, over stretching, ignoring injury, ignoring an upset child, and inappropriate handling techniques all constitute our definition of abuse.

We understand that Coach is a position of trust.

Our families deserve the right to know that when they entrust their child to us to develop them we will take that responsibility seriously and we will treat their child with the respect and care that any parent should expect.

We will take any report of inappropriate coach behaviour seriously.

We will ensure that our teams feel safe to report that abuse if they see it in a constructive and confidential way.

We will ensure that everyone - Gymnasts, parents, and coaches are fully aware of our behaviour policy and that any sanctions are proportionate and fair.

At times gymnasts do need to be motivated or questioned on their behaviour to keep the environment safe for everyone and to keep gymnasts learning.  

Parents / guardians will be informed at the time of these interactions so that they can be part of the solution to move forward positively.

We will never punish a whole group for the actions of a few.

We will never apply sanctions based on performance.

We will do our utmost to protect our members.

This includes at events where our coaches will not allow other officials to speak to our gymnasts in a manor that does not meet our own expectations.  

We will continue to provide continuous professional development for our coaching team.

This will ensure that they have the knowledge and understanding required to safely develop our gymnasts both physically and holistically.

We will continue our schedule of regular session observations to ensure that standards are upheld at every class.

At all times we will have 2 trained club welfare officers

Contact details will be shared at the gym and on our website.  Welfare officers can be contacted by anyone and will be available to hear the concerns of any gymnast, member, or person with a concern.

We will continue an open door policy - On request parents can always arrange to view a session.

We don’t regularly have parents “in” the gym because this can cause noise and distraction, however will continue our termly open sessions and at any time a parent feels they need to they can observe a session.  In our gym there is free viewing from the ‘balcony” at other sites this can be difficult but this is purely down to logistics NOT to hide anything.  parents can be assured watching is welcome.

We will all strive to be good role models for our gymnasts as they grow.  

We will never expect a gymnast to complete full training on an injury.

Professional advice will be taken on board, and where appropriate, conditioning around the injury will be planned.

We will encourage our gymnasts to develop resilience and perseverance through healthy competition.

This will never be at the expense of team work, kindness and health.

All of our coaches have signed this pledge personally and have agreed to spend time analysing their own coaching practises to ensure that they uphold the standard that Treasure Gymnastics requires and expects from their team.

This is our promise to all of our members.

SAFEGUARDING STATEMENT:

We will seek to keep children and young people safe by:

  • Valuing, listening to and respecting them
  • Appointing a nominated child protection lead for children and young people, a deputy and a lead trustee/board member for safeguarding
  • Adopting child protection and safeguarding best practice through our policies, procedures and code of conduct for staff and volunteers
  • Developing and implementing an effective online safety policy and related procedures
  • Providing effective management for staff and volunteers through supervision, support, training and quality assurance measures so that all staff and volunteers know about and follow our policies, procedures and behaviour codes confidently and competently
  • Recruiting and selecting staff and volunteers safely, ensuring all necessary checks are made
  • Recording, storing and using information professionally and securely, in line with data protection legislation and guidance [more information about this is available from the Information Commissioner’s Office: ico.org.uk/fororganisations]
  • Sharing information about safeguarding and good practice with children and their families via leaflets, posters, group work and one-to-one discussions
  • Making sure that children, young people and their families know where to go for help if they have a concern.
  • Using our safeguarding and child protection procedures to share concerns and relevant information with agencies who need to know, and involving children, young people, parents, families and carers appropriately
  • using our procedures to manage any allegations against staff and volunteers appropriately
  • Creating and maintaining an anti-bullying environment and ensuring that we have a policy and procedure to help us deal effectively with any bullying that does arise
  • Ensuring that we have effective complaints and whistleblowing measures in place
  • Ensuring that we provide a safe physical environment for our children, young people, staff and volunteers, by applying health and safety measures in accordance with the law and regulatory guidance
  • Building a safeguarding culture where staff and volunteers, children, young people and their families, treat each other with respect and are comfortable about sharing concerns.
  • The appointment of a welfare officer (Child protection officer) to whom grievances or complaints can be made confidentially.
  • Ensuring that staff are suitably trained in child protection and health, safety and welfare issues.
  • Ensuring that coaches and officials have been screened to confirm their suitability to work with children. Where appropriate this will include Criminal Record Disclosure
  • Ensuring that best coaching practice guidelines are followed at all times.
  • Ensuring that grievances and complaints are dealt with promptly.
  • Ensuring that a minimum of two coaches / helpers are present at all training sessions or events.
  • Ensuring that the participants and or parents are aware of the purpose of videoing, filming or photography

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USEFUL CONTACTS:

NSPCC 0808 800 5000

www.nspcc.org.uk

Childline - UK number

0800 111

www.childline.org.uk

NSPCC Child Protection in Sport Unit

0116 366 5590

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