Petersfield RFC acknowledges its responsibility to safeguard the welfare of all children involved in rugby at our club, and confirms that it adheres to all the RFU's Safeguarding Policies and procedures, recommended practices and guidelines and furthermore endorse and adopt the statements contained in those documents.

These can be viewed at:

http://www.englandrugby.com/governance/safeguarding/

Under Child Protection laws and RFU policy, a "child" is anyone under the age of 18 engaged in any rugby union activity.

The Key Principles of the RFU Safeguarding Policy are that:

The welfare of the child is, and must always be, paramount to any other considerations
All participants regardless of age, gender, ability or disability, race, faith, size, language or sexual identity have the right to protection from abuse or harm and should be able to enjoy their rugby in a positive, safe and enjoyable environment
All allegations or suspicions of abuse, neglect, harm, discrimination and poor practice will be taken seriously and responded to swiftly, fairly and appropriately
Everyone involved in the sport will work in partnership to promote the welfare, health and development of children

The PRFC Safeguarding Team, led by Janie will:

ensure all RFU safeguarding criteria are met in their own club by use of the RFU Safeguarding Audit
maintain an up to date Children's Workforce list listing all volunteers who work in regulated activity with children at their club
ensure all Youth Rugby Tours are appropriately organised and signed off
ensure all players who are playing out of their own age grade are assessed and appropriate consents are in place
ensure that all allegations or incidents abuse, neglect, harm, discrimination and poor practice are be taken seriously and responded to swiftly, fairly and appropriately
ensure that all cases of concussion is reported in line with Hampshire RFU guidelines.

All rugby coaches, coaching assistants, first aiders and team managers must:

respect the rights, dignity and worth of every young person with whom they work with and treat them equally within the context of rugby union
undertake an enhanced DBS clearance with the RFU if working in a regulated activity (involving unsupervised access to children)
place the physical and emotional well being of all young players above all other considerations, including the development of performance.
understand that the relationship that develops with the players with whom they work must be based on mutual trust and respect
ensure that all activities undertaken are appropriate to the age, maturity, experience and ability of the young players
encourage young players to accept responsibility for their own behaviour and performance
be aware of good safeguarding practices so that any poor practices will be addressed immediately

It is EVERYONE'S responsibility at a rugby club to report concerns.

Petersfield RFC as part of Hampshire RFU is committed to working in partnership with parents/carers and statutory agencies in order to safeguard the young people at our club.

Petersfield RFC will manage the changing facilities and arrange for them to be supervised by at least two adults (DBS checked) of the appropriate gender for the players using the facilities. Also ensure that all our coaches, parents, officials and spectators are aware that adults must not change at the same time, using the same facilities as children. Clear signage is displayed to help with this.

We strongly recommend that club coaches DO NOT participate in communication with children on social networking sites or by personal or frequent text messaging. Contact with players should always be via (or copied to) their parent or carer. All social network groups should be CLOSED and participation should be ADULTS ONLY or PLAYERS ONLY by invitation. Player groups should be administered by a DBS cleared adult/s who is made known to all parents of participating players. The administrator should only act in a monitoring capacity to ensure no inappropriate content or bullying and should not be participating in the conversations of the group.

Petersfield RFC Equity Statement
We aim to ensure that all members irrespective of their age, gender, ability, race, religion, ethnic origin, colour, nationality, social status or sexual orientation have a genuine and equal opportunity to participate in rugby. This aim covers all players, coaches, administrative staff, match officials or spectators.

It is our aim not to disadvantage any individual by imposing any conditions or requirements which cannot be justified.

Anti-Bullying
Petersfield RFC aims to create a safe and secure learning environment where individuals treat each other with respect and understanding. Bullying will not be tolerated. Bullying will be taken seriously, responded to promptly, and procedures followed to deal with the situation. It is the responsibility of every adult working in rugby union whether professional or volunteer, to ensure that all young people can enjoy the sport in a safe enjoyable environment. Bullying is deliberately hurtful behaviour which results in the victim feeling distressed. Bullying occurs when this behaviour is exercised through the use of power rather than an exchange between equals.

Establishing a positive Club ethos
The most important aspect of our strategy to combat bullying is the creation of a positive and inclusive ethos in all our member clubs. This begins with how adults in clubs treat each other, parents, and players: with respect and understanding, even in difficult situations. Concerns expressed by players and parents are always listened to carefully and taken seriously.

We promote and follow the RFU Core Values (http://www.englandrugby.com/news/rugby-core-values-1288344/)

Everyone involved in rugby in England, whether as a player, coach, referee, administrator, parent or spectator is expected to uphold the Core Values of our sport:

Teamwork – Respect – Enjoyment – Discipline – Sportsmanship

Play to win – but not at all cost
Win with dignity, lose with grace
Observe the Laws and regulations of the game
Respect opponents, referees and all participants
Reject cheating, racism, violence and drugs
Value volunteers and paid officials alike
Enjoy the game

We aim to be constantly promoting and reinforcing positive behaviour and developing all children's self-esteem through celebration of achievement. In this way, by aiming to 'include' everyone in the rugby community, it is much less likely either those children will become a focus for bullying, or that others may resort to bullying

We encourage children, parents and club personnel to report any suspected instances of bullying to a member of the coaching staff or to the Club's Safeguarding Officer.

Managing Touchline Behaviour

We do not tolerate poor touchline behaviour at any of our member clubs, it will be addressed at every level. Spectators and coaches alike MUST NOT enter the field of play without the referees permission whilst a game of rugby is in progress unless there are exceptional circumstances. Poor behaviour on the touchline is no more acceptable than poor behaviour on the pitch.

Useful downloads & links
Playing Out of Age Grade Permission form Jan 2016
Further details on England Rugby, Regulations:
http://www.englandrugby.com/governance/regulations/
Safeguarding Toolkit:
http://www.englandrugby.com/mm/Document/Governance/Safeguarding/01/30/34/52/safeguarding_toolkit_fullcolour_aw_singlepages_Neutral.pdf
(Age Grade Rugby) Regulation 15
http://www.englandrugby.com/mm/Document/Governance/Regulations/01/30/34/88/RFU_Regulation_15_Neutral.pdf
(Safeguarding) Regulation 21:
http://www.englandrugby.com/mm/Document/Governance/Regulations/01/30/35/32/RFU_Regulation_21_Neutral.pdf
RFU Safeguarding Policy:
http://www.englandrugby.com/mm/Document/Governance/Safeguarding/01/30/34/50/rfuSafeguardingPolicy2014_Neutral.pdf

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