EQUALITY POLICY STATEMENT

Ronin Karate School

 

·  This club is committed to ensuring that equity is incorporated across all aspects of its development. In doing so it acknowledges and adopts the following definition of sports equity:

·  Sports equity is about fairness in sport, equality of access, recognising inequalities and taking steps to address them. It is about changing the culture and structure of sport to ensure it becomes equally accessible to everyone in society.

·  The club respects the rights, dignity and worth of every person and will treat everyone equally within the context of their sport, regardless of age, ability, gender, race, ethnicity, religious belief, sexuality or social/economic status.

·  The club is committed to everyone having the right to enjoy their sport in an environment free from threat of intimidation, harassment and abuse.

·  All club members have a responsibility to oppose discriminatory behaviour and promote equality of opportunity.

The club will deal with any incidence of discriminatory behaviour seriously, according to club disciplinary procedures.

SUMMARY OF THE CONSTITUTION OF Ronin Karate School  

1.     Name

The club will be called Ronin Karate School and will be affiliated to the PMA.

2.     Aims and objectives

The aims and objectives of the school will be:

·  To offer coaching opportunities in Karate.

·  To promote the club within the local community.

·  To ensure a duty of care to all members of the club.

·  To provide all its services in a way that is fair to everyone.

3.     To ensure that all present and future members receive fair and equal treatment Membership

 

Membership should consist of officers and members of the club.

All members will be subject to the regulations of the constitution and by joining the club will be deemed to accept these regulations and codes of conduct that the club has adopted.

Members will be enrolled in one of the following categories:

·  full member

·  junior member

4.     Membership fees

 

Membership fees will be set annually and agreed by the Executive/ Management Committee or determined at the Annual General Meeting.

Fees will be paid: annually

5.     Officers of the club

 

The officers of the club will be:

·  Chair

·  Vice Chair

·  Honorary Secretary

·  Treasurer

·  Health & Safety Officer

·  Child Protection Officer

School Code of Conduct

 

Club Members are expected to:

 

Attend and leave punctually to and from lessons.

Ensure that they are properly and adequately attired in a clean Gi, or tracksuit, sweat-tops, etc…

Ensure that proper personal safety equipment is worn when sparring in accordance with Health and Safety Regulations.  Any person not in possession of these 2 fundamental requirements - mitts and shin and instep protectors will not be permitted to participate

          Keep within the confines of the dojo during training.

 

Behave and listen to all instructions from the club instructors.

 

Take care of equipment owned by the club.

 

Refrain from the use of bad language or racial/religious/sexiest references.

 

Refrain from bullying or persistent use of rough and dangerous play.

 

Show respect to other members and instructors

 

Report inappropriate behaviour.

 

Respect club officials and accept decisions

 

Show appropriate respect and loyalty and be gracious in defeat

 

Respect opponents

 

Not to cheat

 

Not use violence outside the Dojo

 

Any misdemeanours and general misbehaviour will be addressed by the immediate coach and reported verbally to the designated person.  Persistent misbehaviour will result in dismissal from the club.  

 

The club member can appeal dismissals with final decisions taken by the club committee

 

  

RKS Anti-Bullying Policy

 

Definition: 

Bullying may take the form of physical attacks, such as hitting, kicking, taking or damaging belongings, verbal assault, including name-calling, insults, repeat teasing, racist assaults, or it may take more indirect forms, such as spreading malicious gossip, rumours or excluding someone from a social group.  Bullying is a more serious problem than is sometimes realised.  It is widespread and there is increasing evidence of immense distress caused by bullying, with a small number of children being driven to suicide every year.

Bullying is not an accepted behaviour towards anyone in RKS be they child, coach, volunteer or parent.

Anyone found to be bullying others will be dealt with seriously both in regards to the behaviour exhibited and the reasons for the behaviour and may be expelled from the club and all grades revoked regardless of rank or experience.

The possibility of people being bullied should be discussed openly within the Club and all young people and staff informed of both the Clubs’ views on bullying and ways in which bullying can be prevented /stopped.  It should be emphasised that anyone can be the victim of bullying and that being or feeling bullied is not a sign of weakness and does not make the victim a less valuable person.

Action to be taken if a child states they are being bullied: -

 

·                     Child to be given time to say how they are being bullied and reassured they are right to tell.

·                     The coach/instructor will keep the young person informed of their proposed action and to take into account child’s feelings and perspective.

 

Chief Instructor/Instructor of the club to be informed of any incident of bullying so that policies and practices can be reviews on a regular basis. 

 

·                     The child’s parents and practices should be informed of any incident of bullying and an action plan will be implemented.

 

Anti-Bullying Policy & Procedure

The Individual 

·         Respect every child’s need for, and rights to, a train environment where safety, security, praise, recognition and opportunity for taking responsibility are available

·         Respect for every individual’s feelings and views

·         Recognise that everyone is important and that our differences make each of us special         

·         Show appreciation of others by acknowledging individual qualities, contributions and progress

·          Ensure safety by having rules and practices carefully explained and displayed for all to see

 

Bullying

• Bullying will not be accepted or condoned.  All forms of bullying will be addressed.  Bullying can include:

o        Physical pushing, kicking, hitting, pinching etc

o        Name calling, sarcasm, spreading rumours, persistent teasing and emotional torment through ridicule, humiliation and the continual ignoring of individuals

o         Racial taunts, graffiti, gestures R

o        Sexual comments and /or suggestions

o        Unwanted physical contact

o        Any person who is found guilty of bullying will be subject to a lifetime ban from RKS and their name and rank will be erased from the official register.

• Children from ethnic minorities, disabled children, young people who are gay or lesbian, or those with learning difficulties are more vulnerable to this form of abuse and may well be targeted.
• Everybody has the responsibility to work together to stop bullying – the child, the parent, the coach, the youth worker, the sport’s official                                                                          ·         Appropriate forums should be established within the community, including children, parents, teachers, youth workers and other agencies, to address, monitor and stop bullying 

·         Commitment to the early identification of bullying and prompt, collective action to deal with it 

·         Children should be encouraged to take a role in stopping bullying in their community 

·          Policy and practice should be reviewed regularly in the light of changing needs and changes adopted by other agencies (e.g. schools)

·         Staff will have access to training on bullying

·         Coaches will have access to appropriately trained staff for support when dealing with bullying

 

Support to the Child 

• Children should know who will listen to and support them
• Any advice and assistance should be given by an appropriately trained and experienced worker
•  Children should have access to Help-line numbers
• Children should be told what is being recorded, in what context and why
• An open door policy will be adopted by the RKS to children wishing to talk about bullying or any other issue that affects them.  There should be no barriers to talking, to enable children to approach adults
• Anyone who reports an incident of bullying will be listened to carefully and be supported, whether the child being bullied or the child who is bullying
• Any reported incident of bullying will be investigated objectively and will involve listening carefully to all those involved 
• Children being bullied will be supported and assistance given to uphold their right to train and live in a safe environment which allows their healthy development
• Sanctions involving long periods of isolation, or which diminish and make individuals look or feel foolish in front of others, should be avoided

Support to the Parents

• Parents should be advised on local policy and practice about bullying
• Any incident of bullying will be discussed with the child’s parent(s)
•  Parental advice on action will be sought and agreements made as to what action should be taken
• Information and advice on coping with bullying will be given
• Support should be offered to the parent(s) including information on other agencies.

 

 

RKS Code of Conduct for People working with Children

To ensure that all forms of abuse are prevented and to help protect people who work with young martial arts students the following guidelines should be followed:

• Always be publicly open when working with children. Avoid situations where you and an individual child are completely unobserved.
• If a student needs to be touched, it should be provided openly and the student should be asked first. Care is needed, as it is difficult to maintain hand positions when providing manual support if the child is constantly moving. Some parents are becoming increasingly sensitive about touching children and their views should always be carefully considered.
• Where possible parents should take responsibility for their children in changing rooms. If groups are to be supervised in changing rooms, always ensure that adults work in pairs.
• Where mixed teams compete away from home at least one male adult and one female adult should always accompany them.
• Volunteers and professionals must respect the rights and dignity and worth of all and treat everyone with equality’

• Volunteers and professionals must place the well being and safety of the student above the development of performance. 
• Coaches should hold a recognised coaching qualification.
• Adults must ensure that the activities, which they direct or advocate, are appropriate to the age, maturity and ability of the performer.
• Adults should always promote the positive aspects of their art (e.g. fair play) and never condone rule violations or use of prohibited substances.
• Adults must consistently display high standards of personal behaviour and appearance.
• Adults should never overtly criticise athletes or use sarcasm where it may cause the child to lose self-esteem or confidence.

Everyone should also be aware that as a general rule it does not make sense to:

• Spend amounts of time alone with children away from others
• Take children alone on car journeys, however short
• Take children to your home if they will be alone with you
• If it should arise that such situations are unavoidable they should only take place with the full knowledge and consent of someone in charge in the club/governing body and/or the child's parents/carer. In addition you most discourage over enthusiastic kisses and embraces

If you accidentally hurt a child, or cause distress in any manner, or the child appears to be sexually aroused by your actions, or misunderstands, or misinterprets something you have done, report the incident as soon as possible. Parents/carers should also be informed of the occurrence.

You should never:

• Engage in rough physical or sexually provocative games, including horseplay
• Share a room with a child Permit or engage in any form of inappropriate touching
• Permit children to use inappropriate language unchallenged
• Make sexually suggestive comments to a child, even in fun
• Allow allegations made by a child to go unchallenged, unrecorded or not acted upon
• Do things of a personal nature that a child can do for itself. However it may be necessary for a volunteer to do things of a personal nature for children particularly if they are very young or disabled. Such tasks should only be carried out with the full understanding and consent of the parent/carer. There is also a need in these instances to be responsive to the child's reactions - if a child is fully dependant upon you talking with him/her about what you are doing and give choices where possible.
• Agree to meet a young student on your own

 Advice for young people on how to avoid misconduct by others in training and what to do about it

What is misconduct?

Very broadly, any form of unacceptable behaviour towards you such as sexual misbehaviour, physical acts, inappropriate remarks, suggestive gestures, pictures or other material, or some other forms of abuse such as physical violence and all forms of bullying.

What you can do to avoid such misconduct?

• Listen to the advice of your parents
• Avoid being left alone with anyone
• If you have to leave a group tell someone - where your going, why you are going, how long you are likely to be, and report to them when you return
• Do not allow anyone to talk to you about something personal concerning him or her or us if it has nothing to do with his or her job or work in sport. If they still persist, walk away and complain to someone in a senior position
• Do not agree to meet anyone on your own any time, without informing another adult
• Do not accept a lift from anyone if you will be the only passenger, unless you have informed another adult. Either refuse or insist that someone else go along too. Do not accept a lift if you feel unsafe
• Do not be over friendly towards those who work with you in athletics
• Do not walk home alone at night
• Be especially wary of parked cars with engine running
• Do not tolerate any form of bullying from team mates and other athletes

It misconduct happens what should you do?

• Tell that person to stop at once
• Tell others who may be present what happened
• If they actually saw what happened remember who they are so they can be your witnesses
• If the misconduct continues, tell that person again to stop at once then leave if you can or shout help. If this is not possible then you must report the matter as soon as possible, to another official or adult
• Tell your parents as soon as possible
• Keep a record of the date, time and place and what happened, and make a list of any witnesses
• If any of your group or club mates have suffered the same sort of experience, ask them to make a similar record
• Ask any witnesses to do the same
• Talk to your parents and decide to whom to make a formal complaint. You should at least report it to your club Child Protection Officer Richard Dinning.

What you should definitely not do:

• Do not wrongly complain if nothing happened
• Do not exaggerate if something did happen
• Do not ignore behaviour that makes you uncomfortable
• Do not keep to yourself what happened
• Do not delay before complaining
• Do not agree to hush up or hide what happened
• Do not be afraid or embarrassed to tell your parents or a friend

In all cases if you are not sure what to do you can gain help from the NSPCC 24 hour telephone Child Help line on 0800 800 500

  

    

What do you do if you discover a child is subject to abuse?

Responding to Complaints and Alleged or Suspected Incidents

Abuse may become apparent in a number of ways:

• A child may tell you
• A third party may have reported an incident, or may have a strong suspicion
• You may have a suspicion
• If an allegation is brought to your attention

Step 1 - Listen and Reassure

DO

• Stay calm - do not rush into inappropriate action
• Reassure the child - that they are not to blame and confirm that you know how difficult it must be to confide
• Listen and believe - to what the child says and show that you take them seriously
• Allow only one Adult to Talk to the Child - as any discrepancies in statements may lead to legal problems
• Keep questions to a minimum - in many cases it may be more appropriate to nod and acknowledge the child's account. If you must question then use open ended questions i.e. those where more than a yes/no response is required. The law is very strict and child abuse cases have been dismissed if it appears that the child has been led or words and ideas have been suggested
• Ensure that you clearly understand what the child has said - so that you can pass it on to the appropriate agencies
• Consult with the identified Child Protection Person - ensuring that you communicate all the information accurately
• Maintain confidentiality

DO NOT

• Panic
• Make promises you cannot keep - explain that you may have to tell other people in order to stop what is happening whilst maintaining maximum possible confidentiality
• Make the child repeat the story unnecessarily
• Delay
• Take sole responsibility for further action

In all cases if you are not sure what to do you can gain help from NSPCC 24 hour telephone on 0800 800 500

Step 2 -Record

Record what the child has said and/or your concerns legibly and accurately. Details should include:

• The child's name, address and date of birth
• Date and time of the incidents and/or nature of allegations
• Your observations e.g. describe the behaviour and emotional state of the child and/or bruising or other injuries
• The child's account - if it can be given - of what has happened
• Any action that you took as a result of your concerns e.g. comments made to the child, whether the parents/carers have been contacted
• Record whether the person writing the report is expressing his or her own concerns. Or passing on those of someone else
• Sign and date the report
• Keep a copy of the report

Please note that when a disclosure is made, it is the person to whom the disclosure is made that the authorities (police and/or social services) will come to for an account of what was said. This first hand account is of primary importance

Step 3 - Involve the appropriate people

Once you have completed your report you must ensure that the Child Protection Officer in your club has been informed so a decision can be made as to the most appropriate action. 

If you are unhappy with the Child Protection Officer's handling of the incident or the allegations are made specifically against this individual you should contact the person in charge immediately and make a record of this - this person might be the Club Instructor, the Chief Instructor of the club, the Sports Centre Manager, the Team Manager. The person in charge shall then contact the Social Services and/or the Police immediately. A record of the same name and designation of the official informed, together with the time and date of the call should be kept, in case future contact is required. 

In all cases - do not delay - if you cannot contact the persons above immediately, you must contact the authorities (police and/or social services).

If you are unsure what to do advice can be obtained from the NSPCC free phone help line 0800 800 500 or contact your local social services department

 

      

Child-Safe Environment

Promoting Good Practice

By promoting good practice throughout the Club and in the wider context of the martial arts training it is possible to reduce situations for the abuse of children. The Club should have a policy that ensures children are protected and kept safe from harm and everyone should know what to do if there are concerns about abuse and where the procedures are kept.

 

The appointment of a Child Protection Officer is key in this process and will be encouraged to promote good practice throughout the Club and by ensuring everyone is aware of his or her responsibilities. This role may include leading by example, organising simple training briefings and the use of leaflets/posters and notices throughout the areas used by the Club.

 

In addition to the procedures described above it is the Child Protection Officer's responsibility to ensure that the Clubs get all coaches and trainers to be prepared to subject themselves to police vetting. Clubs should also display Child Protection material highlighting the child-line phone number. 

Use of photography and video recorders - There has been an increase in the misuse of photography and video recording within the sporting arena. To reduce the risk of abuse to children some Sports Centres require any person wishing to use cameras and video recorders to declare their interest by filling in a simple form which asks their name, address, who they are with and the reason for the use of the camera/recorder. This is not intended to prevent bona fide use of this equipment for family or coaching purposes but may deter the inappropriate use of such material. Clubs, event promoters and Sports Centres are encouraged to adopt this practice.

Bullying - There is a possibility that bullying may occur between children and all involved in the sport are encouraged to be aware of this possibility Clubs are encouraged to adopt an anti-bullying policy and ensure that everyone understands bullying will not be tolerated in any form. Clubs must be prepared to take the problem seriously and investigate any incident and decide on appropriate action, also ensuring that children are able to report the instance of bullying (either to themselves or team members) to someone in authority, preferably the Child Protection Officer.

Team Management/Team Travel - Implicit within this Policy is the Duty of Care that a Team Manager and/or Club have to its young students when travelling to events. It is recommended that Clubs travel with a full address list and contact telephone numbers for all the children within their team and the permission of the parent/guardian of each child (the inclusion of special instructions, dietary requirements and allergies is also extremely useful). This will allow Team Managers to take the necessary action in the event of an emergency.

For those events that require an overnight stay in lodgings/hotels it is essential that Team Managers take the necessary action to prevent the misuse of alcohol (from hotel mini bars etc.) and access to adult video/film channels.

 Procedures for the Disciplinary Panel

Because of the sensitive nature of this kind of action and in order to protect and shield children from the trauma and rigor of formal disciplinary bearing the Ronin Karate School will use the following procedures depending on the circumstances. The Chief Instructor will appoint a Disciplinary Panel when deemed necessary.

Reports of alleged misconduct, including those arising from a person's club, from court appearances or from actions by employers, are likely to cover a wide variety of behaviours. Each case will, thus be considered on its unique merits by the Disciplinary Panel as to whether misconduct has occurred.

If it is decided that the behaviour does not by itself call into question suitability for the particular role, no further action will be taken by RKS other than to formally advise the person of the receipt of a report and of the decision taken. The recipient shall have the right to make immediate written representations or to reserve that right should he or she be reported for misconduct on a subsequent occasion. The RKS also reserves the right on receiving a second report, to take into account the facts of prior submissions.

If it is found that the report raises a question about a person's suitability within the sport, the RKS Disciplinary Panel shall proceed as follows: The accused will be advised of the receipt of a report (with copies) and of the RKS knowledge of any related disciplinary hearings or legal and/or employment proceedings. The accused will be asked to provide a written explanation supported, if he or she wishes, by further representations, including any representations, references or testimonials from those whose knowledge of the person is relevant.

The RKS Chairman may make an immediate decision to temporarily suspend an individual accused of abuse pending further inquiries and will inform the Club and other relevant organisations as necessary.

If the Panel decides that a decision cannot be reached on the basis of a written representation alone - or on request from the accused - the accused shall be asked to give verbal evidence or representation to the Panel. A friend, an official representing that person’s professional body or a legal representative, may accompany the accused.

When representations have been completed the Panel shall decide whether the individual is unsuitable for the position he/she holds and if so, whether he or she shall be barred or restricted from such work throughout or shall be suspended or expelled from membership. The accused and the club (via the child protection officer) shall be notified in writing of the restrictions imposed.

Should the decision be that behaviour fell short of the expected standards, but there is no need for any bar or restrictions, the Panel shall in writing issue a warning as to future conduct.

The RKS and all affiliated clubs, areas and other associated bodies shall respect and enforce the sanctions imposed by other sporting governing bodies for similar misconduct

Notification

The club (via the Child Protection Officer) of the individual who made the accusations, local social services department and any sport professional body to which the individual belongs shall be notified of the outcome.

Roles

For effective implementation of this policy all deliverers of martial arts must work in partnership, each with a role to ensure the protection of the children in their care.

The role of the club will be as follows:

• To appoint one Child Protection Officer
• To accept that all Officers and Committee members have responsibilities in this area and be prepared to respond to any indication of abuse
• To be ready to amend bad practice
• To implement any recommendations of the RKS relating to this area
• To maintain confidentiality of the child and the accused

Richard Dinning has kindly agreed to be the Child Protection Officer for the club.

Ronin Karate School