Social Media Policy

Content must be checked that is it appropriate to be seen by members of the public, and that it does not have the potential to bully or offend, before it is included on the website or distributed through a social media. Sometimes these decisions can be finely balanced. If there is any doubt, the text should not be included.

The responsibility for checking content is allocated to the individual(s) who are authorised by the club and given access to upload articles to the website. The individual(s) should also be familiar with child protection policies and the guidance therein.

In the unusual circumstance that it is possible any content will go onto the website without being checked by someone else (such as a blog) the club must satisfy itself that the author is sufficiently aware of child protection risks, and the content of this guidance, to be able to self-check effectively.

Where members of the public can email comments which would then appear on the website (often called a message board, or chatroom, or discussion forum) the content of these emails should be checked before appearing on the website. Publication should not be automatic.

If a club receives any complaints about content, it should remove the content in question immediately, and reinstate it only once the complaint has been resolved. A club needs to be able to react quickly in the event of any complaint.

Personal information about children over and above the child’s name should not feature on the website.

Links to another website should not be placed on a club’s website unless that club has checked the site’s content and is satisfied that the content is appropriate. It is good practice to discuss any proposed link with the owner of the other website, and obtain the owner’s assurance that the linked site is designed to be suitable for children at all times of the day or night (some websites’ content is different and more adult during the night). If the linked site has marketing content aimed at children, the club should obtain a further assurance from the other website owner that it complies with ASA guidelines.

The content of linked sites should be checked thoroughly at least once every 6 months.

If a club learns of any concerns over the content of the linked site, it should investigate immediately. Unless it is clear that there is no need for concern, the link should be removed immediately, and any decision to restore only made after the concern has been investigated