Code of Practice for Instructors - Annex A to SCSC Child Protection Policy 2025

Good Practice Guide for Instructors/ Volunteers/ All Club Members

Children can be protected from abuse and adults from false allegations if all members of the club follow these common-sense guidelines:

1. Adults are requested not to enter the showers and changing rooms at times when children are changing before or after Junior/ Youth training or racing. If this is unavoidable it is advised that they are accompanied by another adult.
2. Do not spend excessive amounts of time alone with children away from others.
3. Do not take children alone in a car on journeys, however short.
4. Do not take others' children to your home.
5. Where any of these situations are unavoidable, ensure that they only occur with the full prior knowledge and consent of one of the club's Flag Officers or other nominated club authority, or the child's parents.
6. Aim to design and deliver training programmes that are within the ability of the individual child (see 'Physical Abuse' at Annex B) .
7. Be sensitive to the risk of photographing or videoing children, or publishing their pictures, although it is probably slight in our sport, that images could be misused by a third party. Do not publish information, in print or on a website, which might enable someone to contact the child. Any concerns about inappropriate or intrusive photography or the inappropriate use of images should be reported to the Club Child Protection Officer.

You should never:

1. Engage in rough, physical or sexually provocative games, including horseplay.
2. Allow or engage in inappropriate touching of any form.
3. Allow children to use inappropriate language unchallenged.
4. Make sexually suggestive comments to a child, even in fun.
5. Let allegations a child makes go unchallenged or unrecorded; always act.
6. Do things of a personal nature that children can do for themselves.

However, it may be sometimes necessary to do things of a personal nature for children, particularly if they are very young or disabled. These tasks should only be carried out with the full understanding and consent of parents. In an emergency situation, which requires this type of help, parents should be fully informed. In such situations, it is important to ensure all staff are sensitive to the child and undertake personal care tasks with the utmost discretion.

In addition, medical consent should be obtained in the event where medication or treatment is required to be administered in the absence of the parent or guardian; this includes hospitalization. Failure to do this could leave the club open to accusations of neglect.

Further guidance can be found in the RYA Safeguarding policy and procedures:

https://rya.org.uk/about-us/policies/safeguarding-policy-and-procedures/

which is a sub-set of the full RYA document 'Safeguarding Children, Young and Adults at Risk', as published 01 February 2022 and reviewed 30 May 2023.

Last updated 14:39 on 15 May 2026