Introduction
Sadili Oval Sports Academy recognizes 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 and poor practice will be taken seriously and responded to swiftly and appropriately
- all children, parent and staff/volunteer of Sadili Oval have a responsibility to report concerns to the appropriate officer.
- The best interests of the child is paramount and at the core of our child protection policy as addressed through the following laws and conventions:
Art. 53 (2) Constitution of Kenya Children’s Act African Protocol on the rights of the Child .
International Convention on the Rights of the child Art. 3 (1)
- We must entrench gender equity, empowerment and equality
- We must continue to strengthen key actions to ensure the human rights of women, girls, boys and men are equally promoted and protected
Policy statement/aims
Sadili Oval Sports Academy has a duty of care to safeguard all children involved in our activities from harm. All children have a right to protection, and the needs of disabled children, girls and others who may be particularly vulnerable must be taken into account. Sadili Oval will ensure the safety and protection of all children involved in Sadili Oval through adherence to the Child Protection guidelines adopted by Sadili Oval.
A child is defined as a person under the age of 18.
Policy aims
The aim of the Sadili Oval Sports Academy Child Protection Policy is to promote good practice in order to:
provide children and young people with appropriate safety and protection whilst in the care of Sadili Oval Sports Academy.
- allow all staff /volunteers to make informed and confident responses to specific child protection issues.
- Effect a No harm approach: Any action meant for the benefit of the child must add value and that value must be greater than any harm that might be caused by that action
- Do no harm: actions should empower them to enable them take greater control of their lives rather than enhancing vulnerabilities and risks
- Assure enjoyment of all rights without discrimination based on sex, gender, disability, ethnicity, class and age amongst others.
- Understand and address the individual, group, and or societal discrimination
- Empowering children to engage in the protection of themselves through identifying concerns/risks and decision making that affects their lives, and enhance self esteem.
- Promote a Child representative in the decision-making committees
- Adopt a zero-tolerance policy for violence against women in both contractual agreements and codes of conduct for professional and amateur athletes
- Foster inter-agency linkages: Sadili Oval shall not work in isolation from other agencies or from the community as a whole; there must be dialogue with all stakeholders regularly through meetings and community activities. All stakeholders must be committed to working together, sharing information, exchanging ideas and providing relevant information or organized structures
- Create and sustain an environment that that is willing to share experiences and foster partnerships that support protection of children Promoting good practice Child abuse, particularly sexual abuse, can arouse strong emotions in those facing such a situation. It is important to understand these feelings and not allow them to interfere with your judgement about the appropriate action to take.
Abuse can occur within many situations including the home, school and the sporting environment. Some individuals will actively seek employment or voluntary work with young people in order to harm them. A coach, instructor, teacher, official or volunteer will have regular contact with young people and be an important link in identifying cases where they need protection. All suspicious cases of poor practice should be reported following the guidelines in this document.
When a child enters an academy activity having been subjected to child abuse outside the sporting environment, sport can play a crucial role in improving the child’s self-esteem. In such instances the organiser must work with the appropriate agencies to ensure the child receives the required support.
Good practice guidelines
All personnel are encouraged to demonstrate exemplary behaviour in order to promote childrens welfare and reduce the likelihood of allegations being made. This includes:
- Always working in an open environment (e.g. avoiding private or unobserved situations and encouraging open communication with no secrets).
- Treating all young people/disabled adults equally, and with respect and dignity.
- Always putting the welfare of each young person first, before winning or achieving goals.
- Maintaining a safe and appropriate distance with players (e.g. it is not appropriate for staff or volunteers to have an intimate relationship with a child or to share a room with them).
- Building balanced relationships based on mutual trust which empowers children to share in the decision-making process.
- Making sport fun, enjoyable and promoting fair play.
- Ensuring that if any form of manual/physical support is required, it should be provided openly and according to guidelines provided by Sadili Oval’s Coach Education Programme.
- Keeping up to date with technical skills, qualifications and insurance in sport.
- Involving parents/caregivers wherever possible. For example, encouraging them to take responsibility for their children in the changing rooms. If groups have to be supervised in the changing rooms, always ensure parents, teachers, coaches or officials work in pairs.
- Ensuring that if mixed teams are taken away, they should always be accompanied by a male and female member of staff. However, it is noted that same gender abuse can also occur.
- 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.
- Recognizing the developmental needs and capacity of young people and disabled - 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 administer emergency first aid and/or other medical treatment.
- Keeping a written record of any injury that occurs, along with the details of any treatment given.
- Requesting written parental consent if Sadili Oval officials are required to transport young people in their cars.
Practices to be avoided
The following should be avoided except in emergencies. If cases arise where these situations are unavoidable it should be with the full knowledge and consent of someone in charge in the academy or the child’s parents. For example, a child sustains an injury and needs to go to hospital, or a parent fails to arrive to pick a child up at the end of a session:
- avoid spending time alone with children away from others
- avoid taking or dropping off a child to an event or activity.
Practices never to be sanctioned
The following should never be sanctioned. You should never:
- engage in rough, physical or sexually provocative games, including horseplay
- share a room with a child
- 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
- fail to act upon and record any allegations made by a child
- do things of a personal nature for children or disabled, that they can do for themselves
- invite or allow children to stay with you at your home unsupervised.
N.B.
It may sometimes be necessary for staff or volunteers to do things of a personal nature for children, particularly if they are young or are disabled. These tasks should only be carried out with the full understanding and consent of parents and the players involved. There is a need to be responsive to a person’s reactions. If a person is fully dependent on you, talk with him/her about what you are doing and give choices where possible. This is particularly so if you are involved in any dressing or undressing of outer clothing, or where there is physical contact, lifting or assisting a child to carry out particular activities. Avoid taking on the responsibility for tasks for which you are not appropriately trained.
Incidents that must be reported/recorded
If any of the following occur you should report this immediately to the appropriate officer and record the incident. You should also ensure the parents of the child are informed:
- if you accidentally hurt a player
- if he/she seems distressed in any manner
- if a player appears to be sexually aroused by your actions
- if a player misunderstands or misinterprets something you have done.
Use of photographic/filming equipment at sporting events
There is evidence that some people have used sporting events as an opportunity to take inappropriate photographs or film footage of young and disabled sportspeople in vulnerable positions. All clubs should be vigilant and any concerns should to be reported to the Sadili Oval Child Protection Officer.
Videoing as a coaching aid:
there is no intention to prevent coaches and teachers using video equipment as a legitimate coaching aid. However, performers and their parents/caregivers should be made aware that this is part of the coaching programme and their consent obtained, and such films should be stored safely.
Recruitment and training of staff and volunteers
Sadili Oval Sports Academy recognises that anyone may have the potential to abuse children in some way and that all reasonable steps are taken to ensure unsuitable people are prevented from working with children. Pre-selection checks shall include the following:
- All volunteers/staff should complete an application form. The application form will elicit information about an applicant's past and a self disclosure about any criminal record.
- Consent should be obtained from an applicant to seek information from the CID, and Local Area Chief.
- Two confidential references, including one regarding previous work with children is required. These references must be taken up and confirmed through telephone contact.
- Evidence of identity (passport or driving licence with photo).
- A Certificate of Good Conduct where possible.
Interview and induction
All employees (and volunteers) will be required to undergo an interview carried out to acceptable protocol and recommendations. All employees and volunteers should receive an induction, during which:
- A check should be made that the application form has been completed in full (including sections on criminal records and self-disclosures).
- Their qualifications should be substantiated.
- The job requirements and responsibilities should be clarified.
- Child protection procedures are explained and training needs are identified.
- They should sign up to the Sadili Oval Sports Academy’s Code of Conduct and Child Protection policy.
Training
In addition to pre-selection checks, the safeguarding process includes training after recruitment to help staff and volunteers to:
- Analyse their own practice against established good practice, and to ensure their practice is not likely to result in allegations being made.
- Recognise their responsibilities and report any concerns about suspected poor practice or possible abuse.
- Respond to concerns expressed by a child or young person.
- Work safely effectively with children.
Sadili Oval Sports Academy requires:
- Coaching staff to attend a regular internally organized 2-hour good practice and child protection awareness training workshop, to ensure their practice is exemplary and to facilitate the development of a positive culture towards good practice and child protection.
- Non-coaching staff and volunteers to complete a regular internally organized 2-hour awareness training on child protection.
- Relevant personnel to receive advisory information outlining good practice and informing them about what to do if they have concerns about the behaviour of an adult towards a young person.
- Select personnel in each sport must gain a national first aid training sponsored by Sadili.
- All personnel, athletes and parents must attend update training when necessary.
Responding to allegations or suspicions
It is not the responsibility of anyone working in Sadili Oval Sports Academy in a paid or unpaid capacity to decide whether or not child abuse has taken place. However there is a responsibility to act on any concerns by reporting these to the appropriate officer or the appropriate authorities.
Sadili Oval Sports Academy will assure all staff/volunteers that it will fully support and protect anyone, who in good faith reports his or her concern that a colleague is, or may be, abusing a child. Where there is a complaint against a member of staff there may be three types of investigation:
- a criminal investigation
- a child protection investigation
- a disciplinary or misconduct investigation.
The results of the police and child protection investigation may well influence and inform the disciplinary investigation, but all available information will be used to reach a decision.
Action if there are concerns
1. Concerns about poor practice:
If, following consideration, the allegation is clearly about poor practice; the designated Sadili Child Protection Officer will deal with it as a misconduct issue.
If the allegation is about poor practice by the the Child Protection Officer, or if the matter has been handled inadequately and concerns remain, it should be reported to the relevant Conduct Committee who will decide how to deal with the allegation and whether or not to initiate disciplinary proceedings.
2. Concerns about suspected abuse:
Any suspicion that a child has been abused by either a member of staff or a volunteer should be reported to the Sadili Oval Child Protection Officer, who will take such steps as considered necessary to ensure the safety of the child in question and any other child who may be at risk.
The Sadili Oval Child Protection Officer will refer the allegation to the social services department who may involve the police.
The parents or caregivers of the child will be contacted as soon as possible following advice from the social services department.
The Sadili Oval Child Protection Officer should also notify the Sadili Conduct Committee who in turn will inform the Managing Director of Sadili Oval who will deal with any media enquiries.
If the Sadili Oval Child Protection Officer is the subject of the suspicion/allegation, the report must be made to the Sadili Oval Sports Academy Manager and/or the Managing Director who will refer the allegation to Social Services.
Confidentiality
Every effort should be made to ensure that confidentiality is maintained for all concerned. Information should be handled and disseminated on a need to know basis only. This includes the following people:
- the Club Child Protection Officer
- the parents of the person who is alleged to have been abused
- the person making the allegation
- social services/police
- the Conduct Committee, the Manager and the Managing Director
Seek social services advice on who should approach the alleged abuser (or parents if the alleged abuser is a child).
Information should be stored in a secure place with limited access to designated people, in line with data protection laws (e.g. that information is accurate, regularly updated, relevant and secure).
Internal enquiries and suspension
- The Sadili Oval Sports Academy Child Protection Officer will make an immediate decision about whether any individual accused of abuse should be temporarily suspended pending further police and social services inquiries.
- Irrespective of the findings of the social services or police inquiries the Sadili Oval Conduct Committee will assess all individual cases to decide whether a member of staff or volunteer can be reinstated and how this can be sensitively handled. This may be a difficult decision; particularly where there is insufficient evidence to uphold any action by the police. In such cases, the Sadili Oval Conduct Committee must reach a decision based upon the available information which could suggest that on a balance of probability, it is more likely than not that the allegation is true. The welfare of the child should remain of paramount importance throughout.
Support to deal with the aftermath of abuse:
Consideration should be given to the kind of support that children, parents and members of staff may need. Use of helplines, support groups and open meetings will maintain an open culture and help the healing process.
Consideration shall be given to what kind of support may be appropriate for the alleged perpetrator.
Allegations of previous abuse
Allegations of abuse may be made some time after the event (e.g. by an adult who was abused as a child or by a member of staff who is still currently working with children). Where such an allegation is made, the Sadili Oval shall follow the procedures as detailed above and report the matter to the social services or the police. This is because other children, either within or outside sport, may be at risk from this person. Anyone who has a previous criminal conviction for offences related to abuse is automatically excluded from working with children.
Action if bullying is suspected
If bullying is suspected, the same procedure should be followed as set out in 'Responding to suspicions or allegations' above. Action to help the victim and prevent bullying in sport:
- Take all signs of bullying very seriously.
- Encourage all children to speak and share their concerns. Help the victim to speak out and tell the person in charge or someone in authority. Create an open environment.
- Investigate all allegations and take action to ensure the victim is safe. Speak with the victim and the bully(ies) separately.
- Reassure the victim that you can be trusted and will help them, although you cannot promise to tell no one else.
- Keep records of what is said (what happened, by whom, when).
- Report any concerns to the Sadili Oval Child Protection Officer or the school (wherever the bullying is occurring).
Action towards the bully(ies):
- Talk with the bully(ies), explain the situation, and try to get the bully (ies) to understand the consequences of their behaviour. Seek an apology to the victim(s).
- Inform the bully’s parents.
- Insist on the return of 'borrowed' items and that the bully(ies) compensate the victim.
- Provide support for the victim's coach.
- Impose sanctions as necessary.
- Encourage and support the bully(ies) to change behaviour.
- Hold meetings with the families to report on progress.
- Inform all organisation members of action taken.
- Keep a written record of action taken.
- Most 'low level' incidents will be dealt with at the time by coaches and volunteers. However, if the bullying is severe (e.g. a serious assault), or if it persists despite efforts to deal with it, incidents should be referred to Sadili Oval Child Protection Officer as in "responding to suspicions or allegations" above.
3. Concerns outside the immediate sporting environment (e.g. a parent or caregiver):
- Report your concerns to the Sadili Oval Child Protection Officer, who should contact social services or the police as soon as possible. See 4. below for the information social services or the police will need :
- If the Sadili Oval Child Protection Officer is not available, the person being told of or discovering the abuse should contact the Manager or Managing Director or failing that, to the social services and Police.
- Social Services and the Sadili Oval Child Protection Officer will decide how to involve the parents/carers.
- The Sadili Oval Child Protection Officer should also report the incident to the Conduct Committee. The Conduct Committee should ascertain whether or not the person/s involved in the incident play a role in Sadili Oval and act accordingly.
- Maintain confidentiality on a need to know basis only.
See 4 below regarding information needed for social services.
4. Information for social services or the police about suspected abuse
To ensure that this information is as helpful as possible, a detailed record should always be made at the time of the disclosure/concern, which should include the following:
- The child's name, age and date of birth of the child.
- The child's home address and telephone number.
- Whether or not the person making the report is expressing their own concerns or those of someone else.
- The nature of the allegation. Include dates, times, any special factors and other relevant information.
- Make a clear distinction between what is fact, opinion or hearsay.
- A description of any visible bruising or other injuries. Also any indirect signs, such as behavioural changes.
- Details of witnesses to the incidents.
- The child’s account, if it can be given, of what has happened and how any bruising or other injuries occurred.
- Have the parents been contacted?
- If so what has been said?
- Has anyone else been consulted? If so record details.
- If the child was not the person who reported the incident, has the child been spoken to? If so what was said?
- Has anyone been alleged to be the abuser? Record details.
- Where possible referral to the police or social services should be confirmed in writing within 24 hours and the name of the contact who took the referral should be recorded.
DEFINITIONS
CHILD PROTECTION
Child protection consists of reducing risks to children’s holistic well-being, making children’s rights a reality, restoring hope and a dignified living where abuse has occurred and creating an enabling environment that supports children’s positive development.
CHILD ABUSE
Child abuse is the bad treatment of a child under the age of 18 by a parent, caretaker, someone living in their home or someone who works with or around children. Abuse of a child is anything that causes injury or puts the child in danger of physical injury. Child abuse can be physical (such as burns or broken bones), sexual (such as touching of private parts or incest), or emotional (such as belittling or calling the child names). Neglect happens when a parent or responsible caretaker fails to provide adequate supervision, food, clothing, shelter or other basics for a child. Child abuse is any action (or lack of) which endangers or impairs a child’s physical, mental or emotional health and development.
Child abuse may be:
- Physical - hitting, shaking, burns, human bites, strangulation.
- Emotional - constant disapproval, belittling, constant teasing.
- Sexual - fondling, the showing of private parts by an adult, sexual intercourse, oral and anal sex, forcing a child to watch while others have sexual intercourse, incest, pornography.
- Neglect - absence of adequate food, shelter, emotional and physical security, and medical care. Physical abuse is any physical injury to a child that is not accidental. Emotional and psychological abuse is when a child is not nurtured and is not provided with love and security. Psychological abuse occurs when children are not provided with the necessary environment to develop mentally and/or emotionally.
Sexual abuse is when the child is involved in any sexual activity with an adult or another child who is either older or more powerful. Neglect is depriving a child of their basic needs. These include food, clothing, warmth and shelter, emotional and physical security and protection, medical and dental care, cleanliness, education, and supervision.
SEXUAL HARRASSMENT
Sexual harassment is defined as unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature when: (1) submission to such conduct is made a term or condition of employment or participating in educational programs; or (2) submission to or rejection of such conduct is used as a basis for employment or academic decisions affecting the individual; or (3) such conduct has the purpose or effect of unreasonably interfering with an employee's work performance or student's academic performance creating an intimidating , hostile, or offensive working or learning environment.
Some examples may include but are not limited to the following:
1. Creating an offensive working or learning environment by repeated written,
verbal, physical and/or visual contacts with sexual overtones.
- written forms may include suggestive or obscene letters, notes, invitations;
- verbal forms may include derogatory comments, slurs, jokes, epithets;
- physical forms may include assault, unwelcome touching, impeding or blocking movements;
- visual forms may include leering, gestures, display of sexually offensive objects, pictures, cartoons or posters.
2. Establishing a patter of conduct that would cause discomfort and/or humiliate a reasonable person at whom the conduct was directed and that includes one or more of the following:
- unnecessary touching, patting, hugging, or brushing against a person's body;
- remarks of a sexual nature about a person's clothing or body; or remarks about sexual activity or speculations about previous sexual experiences;
- continued expressions of sexual interest after being informed that the interest is unwelcome.
3. Making reprisals, threats of reprisal, or implied threats of reprisal following a rebuff of harassing behavior.
4. Retaliating against a person for reporting or threatening to report sexual harassment.
5. Engaging in explicit or implicit coercive sexual behavior within the work environment which is used to control, influence or affect the employee's career, salary and/or work environment, such as implying or actually withholding support for an appointment, promotion or change of assignment; submitting or threatening to submit an undeserved performance report, failing or threatening to fail the probationary period.
6. Engaging in explicit or implicit coercive sexual behavior within the educational environment which is used to control, influence or affect the educational opportunities, grades, and/or learning environment of a student, such as withholding or threatening to withhold grades earned or deserved; submitting or threatening to submit an undeserved performance evaluation; denying or threatening to deny a scholarship recommendation or college application.
GENDER DISCRIMINATION
Gender discrimination is any unequal treatment based on gender and may also be referred to as sexism. Characteristics of gender discrimination are any situation where a person shows a prejudice towards another that would not occur had they been the opposite sex. Sexism has historically been enacted most often to the detriment of females, but it can apply to males as well. Gender discrimination can also extend to transgender people. Gender discrimination can apply most commonly to workplace scenarios, but can also apply to educational rights, in household gender roles and in community and organization roles. Most frequently, it involves being denied an opportunity such as a promotion, position, scholarship, credit or a loan. It can also be used to describe receiving or failing to receive a punishment on the basis of gender.
EQUITY
Fairness and impartiality towards all concerned, based on the principle of evenhanded dealing. Equity implies giving as much advantage, consideration, or latitude to one party as it is given to another. Along with economy, effectiveness, and efficiency, Equity is essential for ensuring that extent and costs of funds, goods and services are fairly divided among their recipients