CLG Cuchulainn is committed to creating and maintaining the safest possible environment for all young people who wish to participate in our Gaelic Games and activities.
We will take all practicable steps to protect them from discernible forms of abuse, from harm, discrimination or degrading treatment and shall respect their rights, wishes and feelings.
We do this by:
- Recognising that all children have the right to be protected from harm.
- Ensuring that all of our coaches and volunteers are carefully recruited and selected and that they accept responsibility for ensuring the well-being of children in their care.
- Responding swiftly and appropriately to protect the welfare of children who participate in our games and related activities.
- Providing parents and children with the opportunity to voice any concerns that they may have.
- Appointing Children’s Officers to oversee the implementation of good child protection and welfare practices within the club and who will liaise with the statutory authorities as appropriate.
- Ensuring that all allegations of abuse of young people are confidentially dealt with in accordance the Association's Guidelines for Dealing with Allegations of Abuse (Fourth Edition 2009) and with statutory guidelines and relevant legislation.
- Reviewing the effectiveness of our Child Protection procedures and policies on an ongoing basis.
- Ensuring that members, coaches, team mentors, administrators, parents/guardians and spectators sign up, where possible to and adhere to our Code of Behaviour.
The Club
Our club cater for under age players and does so with a child centred approach and philosophy that recognises that the welfare of the child is paramount, thus ensuring that those chosen by them to work with children and young people are at all times competent and confident as to their roles and responsibilities.
Our Club must provide these people with the necessary supports and ensure in the best interests of the child and the adult that all those chosen to work on the club’s behalf have been selected following thorough recruitment, selection, training and coaching procedures.
CLG Cuchulainn should promote quality participation by:
• Adopting this Code of Behaviour as a basic level of agreement between the club and their players, their mentors, parents/guardians and supporters.
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Leading by example and ensuring that a user friendly and child centred approach is adopted in our work with young people and that equal opportunities are available for all to participate in our games and activities, regardless of an individual’s ability.
• Developing effective procedures for responding to and recording all attendance’s, incidents, accidents and injuries.
• Accessing relevant information on Alcohol and Substance Abuse Prevention Programmes and promoting relevant training in this area of health awareness for relevant club personnel.
• Distributing information on Anti Bullying strategies in our work with young people and by adopting and implementing an Ant Bullying Statement in the club.
Encourage the Participation of Club Members by:
• Communicating regularly with our mentors and clearly agree and define their roles.
• Ensuring that Child Protection in Sport Awareness Training is undertaken by all persons working in an official capacity with children and young people on behalf of the club.
• Adopting and implement clearly defined recruitment and selection procedures when choosing mentors to work with children and young people.
CLG Cuchulainn encourages the participation of their members by:
• Agreeing the role of each and every coach or mentor working with young people.
• Adopting and implementing clearly defined recruitment and selection procedures when choosing mentors and other relevant personnel to work with young people.
Encourage the Participation of Young Players by:
• Ensuring that the types of programmes, rules, equipment, length of games and training schedules are structured to facilitate greater participation by all young players, are suitable to all age categories, and to the ability and maturity level of young players.
• Not imposing responsibilities or roles on young people that may be inappropriate to their age.
• Respecting the rights, dignity and worth of all players and treating them equally regardless of their age, gender, ability, ethnic origin, cultural background or religion.
• Creating pathways for young people to participate in our games not just as players but by affording them other developmental opportunities including training to become referees, coaches etc.
• Ensuring that on the occasions when the team may travel away and stay overnight that separate sleeping facilities are provided for all adults and for young people. Similarly, for mixed groups separate sleeping quarters for males and females shall be required.
• When your group consists of both males and females you are required to have adequate adult to member ratios and male and female coaches/mentors present.
Encourage the Participation of Parents/Guardians by:
• Encouraging parents/guardians to become members of their club and to make themselves aware as to the running of juvenile games and activities and to the rules and codes that direct us in our work.
• Encouraging the participation of parents and guardians in all aspects of a club’s activities and events and in the organising and delivery of our games.
• Welcoming all parents/guardians to attend the games and training sessions that relate to their children. Information relating to such events should be made known to them at all times.
• Informing parents/guardians as to the identity of their Children’s Officer. This person should be available to assist with any concerns or enquiries that parents/guardians may have regarding the welfare and safety of children and young people in the club.
Develop Best Practice in the Club Structure and Administration by:
• Ensuring that the Juvenile Section of the club is structured in accordance with good practice guidelines and that young people are afforded a role in decision making at an appropriate level.
• Ensuring that all club members are aware as to their responsibilities to all children and young people.
• Appointing a Children’s Officer whose role shall include the monitoring of the child centred ethos of the club and compliance with the Code of Ethics and Good Practice (Irish Sports Council/SportsNI) and with any policies and guidelines as issued by the club, by their National Governing Bodies, or by statutory authorities and agencies.
• Appointing a Designated Person whose role shall include liaising with Statutory Authorities and the relevant Governing Body in relation to the reporting of allegations, concerns and/or suspicions of child abuse.
• Ensuring that all players are covered by their relevant Injury Scheme and that all premises etc in use by your club and players are equally covered for property/liability insurance as deemed necessary.
• Adopting procedures that facilitate the privacy and safety of all young people in the Club and that such procedures are maintained and regularly reviewed so as to ensure that young people feel safe and are safe in the Club.
• Seeking the agreement of parents/guardians when their sons/daughters under 18yrs of age are invited into adult squads. Boundaries of behaviour in adult groups are normally different from the boundaries that apply to under age teams and squads.
