Longparish Cricket Club – Safeguarding Policy Statement

Longparish Cricket Club (LCC) is committed to ensuring all Children participating in cricket have a safe and positive experience. 

We will do this by:

• Recognising all children participating in cricket (regardless of age, gender, race, religion, sexual orientation, ability or disability) have a right to have fun and be protected from harm in a safe environment;
• Ensuring individuals working within cricket at, or for, LCC provide a safe, positive and fun cricketing experience for children;
• Adopting and implementing the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) “Safe Hands – Cricket’s Policy for Safeguarding Children” and any future versions of this;
• Appointing a Club Welfare Officer (CWO) and ensuring that they attend all current and future training modules required by the ECB, so that they have the necessary skills to undertake their role effectively;
• Ensuring all people who work in cricket at, or for, LCC (such as staff, officials, volunteers, team managers, coaches and so on) understand that the “Safe Hands Policy” applies to them according to their level of contact with children in cricket;
• Ensuring all individuals working within cricket at, or for, LCC are recruited and appointed in accordance with ECB guidelines and relevant legislation;
• Ensuring all individuals working within cricket at, or for, LCC are provided with support, through education and training, so that they are aware of, and can adhere to, good practice and code of conduct guidelines defined by the ECB, and LCC;
• Ensuring that the name and contact details of the CWO is available:
  • As the first point of contact for parents, children and volunteers/staff within LCC;
  • As a local source of procedural advice for LCC, its committee and members;
  • As the main point of contact within LCC for the ECB CWO and the ECB Child Protection Team; and
  • As the main point of contact within LCC for relevant external agencies in connection with child safeguarding.
• Ensuring correct and comprehensive reporting procedures exist for raising and managing child safeguarding concerns. Such procedures should recognise the responsibility of the statutory agencies and be in accordance with pre-defined child safeguarding procedures as set down by the ECB, Statutory Agencies and Local Safeguarding Children Board (LSCB) guidelines and policies;
• Providing everyone connected with LCC (including parents, children and volunteers) with the opportunity to voice any concerns that they have (about possible suspected child abuse, and/or about poor practice) to the CWO;
• Ensuring all suspicious concerns and allegations are taken seriously and dealt with swiftly and appropriately;
• Ensuring access to confidential information relating to child safeguarding matters (Section 3 – Safeguarding Policy Statement – October 2010) is restricted to the CWO and the appropriate external authorities, such as the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO), as specified within ECB child safeguarding procedures.