As a friendly and welcoming club, Welfare is a top priority. If you wish to report any concerns, please email – welfare [at] unityrunningclub.co.uk – Full information is available in our Welfare Policy below.
Introduction
All members of our club have a duty of care to one another. This is reflected in our Club Constitution and Codes of Conduct. Our aim is to create a welcoming and supportive setting for our members to enjoy being part of the club and most of all feel safe. We want members to know that there is a safe space to talk to us, if they have any concerns about their own Welfare within the club. We also want to ensure that members feel confident in knowing how to raise any concerns they may have about the Welfare of a member and how this will be dealt with. As an England Athletics affiliated club, we adopt the follow policies for Club Welfare:
- UKA Safeguarding Children Policy
- UKA Safeguarding Adults Policy and Guidance Procedures
These can be found on the UKA Website or through the England Athletics Resource Library. This process provides details on how we as a club, implement these policies within the Club environment.
Welfare Concerns
There are three types of Welfare Concerns that can be raised at the Club
• A Welfare Concern that requires immediate action
• A Welfare Concern regarding a situation outside of the Athletics Environment
• A Welfare Concern regarding a situation within the Athletics Environment
There are different ways in which you may become aware of a concern
• A member may confide in you about a concern they have about themselves
• You may witness something that causes you concern
• A member or parent may confide in you about a concern they have about another member
When you become aware of a concern it is important that you do not:
• Probe for more information than is offered.
• Speculate or make assumptions.
• Show shock or distaste.
• Make comments about the person against whom the allegations have been made.
• Make promises or agree to keep secrets.
• Give a guarantee of confidentiality
Reporting a Concern
All members have a duty to raise the concern with a Club Welfare officer to ensure that matters are appropriate managed and recorded by the club. It is not the members responsibility to investigate concerns. If the concern does not require immediate action, it should be reported in writing to the Club Welfare Officer so that an accurate record is logged which may be required at a later time. In the case of an Adult Welfare concern, it is important that you also consider the needs and wishes of the person at risk, considering the nature of the alert. If the nature of the concern is against the Club Welfare Officer then concerns should be raised with the Club Chairman.
Our Club Welfare Officers are
Kimmy Daplyn – Club Welfare Officer – welfare [at] unityrunningclub.co.uk
Fiona Leicester– Club Welfare Officer – welfare [at] unityrunningclub.co.uk
When a concern is raised that requires immediate action
If there is an immediate risk to the safety of an individual, you need to contact the Police immediately and report your concerns. Please consider your own safety as well as that of the individual at this time. When it is appropriate to do so, you should inform a Club Welfare Officer of the action taken for official club records and will use this to consider what, if any further action is required by the club.
When a concern is raised regarding a setting outside the Athletics Environment
If you become aware of a Welfare concern that is not directly related to the club
environment, you still have a duty of care to share this information. If the concern does not require immediate action, you should report the matter to a Club Welfare Officer, in writing as previously described. The Club Welfare Officer will refer to the flow charts located in the appropriate policy (UKA Safeguarding Children / UKA Safeguarding Adults) and take the appropriate action. The Club Welfare Officer may be required to contact local services to report this concern. Contact details of these services can be found here:
• Kingston Child Services Contact Information – 8:00am – 5:15pm, Monday – Thursday, and Friday between 8:00am – 5:00pm – 0208 547 5008
• Referral Form (Richmond and Kingston share services)
• Kingston Child Services Out of Hours Contact – 020 8770 5000
• Kingston Adult Social Care – 0208 547 5005
Managing a Concern within the Athletics Environment
Report your concern to a Club Welfare Officer in writing. The Club Welfare Officer will then refer to the flowcharts located in the appropriate policy (UKA Safeguarding Children / UKA Safeguarding Adults) to decide if the concern meets the threshold of being reported to UKA
If the threshold is met for reporting the matter to UKA, the Welfare Officer is required to follow this process:
• Email dbrown@uka.org.uk or call the UKA Welfare Department on 0121 713 8450 (option 2).
• UKA Welfare Staff will talk you through the process that will subsequently follow and are on hand to answer any questions/concerns you may have.
• UKA Welfare Staff will also offer you advice in relation to reporting back to club officials and managing your club environment appropriately.
If as a Welfare Officer, you are unsure if the concern meets the threshold you should contact UKA using the means above to check.
Managing a Concern that does not meet the threshold for reporting to UKA but still requires intervention at club level.
If the concern does not meet the threshold for being reported to UKA, it does not mean that the concern will be dismissed. It is possible that this concern is still causing distress to a member or members and requires intervention at a club level. In this instance the Club Welfare Officer may need to speak to another member of the committee. In the first instance this should be another Welfare Officer or if this is not appropriate the Chair or other senior Committee member. An agreement will then be formed on what action should be taken. It may be the case that some mediation is required. If as part of the concern, a formal complaint has been raised, the club will use its Disciplinary Process to manage the complaint. If there is uncertainty regarding what action to take the Club Welfare Officer may sense check the proposed action with the England Athletics Club and Compliance Manager or their local Club Support Manager.
Support available for Club Welfare Officers
Occupying the role of welfare officer can be challenging at times, mainly due to the vast and unpredictable nature of issues/concerns that can and may arise within your club setting. Please always ensure that you place the importance of your own health and wellbeing at the forefront of your work. If you find that a particular matter or simply a build up of issues are causing you a degree of upset/stress, please ensure that you reach out to one of the following organisations that will be more than happy to talk the matter through with you and offer you the reassurance, guidance and support you rightly deserve.
• England Athletics Athlete & Club Compliance & Wellbeing Manager –
0121 713 8450 (option 3)
• UKA Welfare Department – 0121 713 8450
• Mind – 0300 123 3393
• NSPCC – 0808 800 5000
• Ann Craft Trust – 0115 951 5400
Inclusivity Policy
Introduction
For the purposes of this policy ‘inclusion’ means access for all. It means recognising differences between individuals / groups and providing opportunities for them to participate in Athletics and Running regardless of those differences, whether this is as a participant, coach, leader, official, volunteer or member of staff.
Chessington Unity Running Club embraces diversity and difference and is committed to providing opportunities that are safe, inclusive, accessible, and equitable. We want our club to be equally accessible to all members of society, whatever their age, disability, gender, race, ethnicity, religion or belief, sexual orientation, or social/economic status.
We will develop a focus on inclusion, not exclusion, and ensure that we provide appropriate advice to members and volunteers to ensure that everyone can participate as fully as possible.
The Inclusion Policy is intended to promote a change in attitudes and perceptions and to improve opportunities for everyone to participate at our club.
We will seek to ensure that we comply with the Equality Act 2010 and the characteristics protected by it ( age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, marriage and civil partnership and pregnancy and maternity) and encourage our members to do so. We will seek to include everyone regardless of whether they have a protected characteristic or not.
Our aim is to provide an environment where everyone feels:
• Welcome
• Represented
• Included in decision making
• Able to participate
• Safe and free from discrimination, bullying, harassment and vilification.
Aims
The aims of the Inclusion Policy are:
- To promote the development of knowledge and understanding of disability, equity and inclusion amongst our participants, leaders/coaches, officials, volunteers and competition/event organisers by the provision of appropriate guidance and training. To guide and support the integration of inclusive practice into our core club/group programmes and activities.
- To contribute towards growing and sustaining numbers of people from under-represented groups participating within our club.
- To promote inclusion within Athletics and Running wherever possible and in accordance with the provisions of the Equality Act. The chairperson is typically the most senior official role in a club and fulfils a range of duties dealing with overall management of club affairs. The chairperson leads the club to achieve their vision, short term and long-term goals.
- To adopt inclusive practice within our competition and events.
- To promote close working partnerships with relevant groups and organisations to support the development of inclusive practice within our club.
Commitment
We will;
- Not tolerate discrimination, harassment, bullying or victimisation.
- Actively identify and reduce barriers to participation for under-represented groups.
- Consult with expert partners and other organisations to facilitate inclusive practices and remove barriers to participation.
- Ensure under-represented groups are given the opportunity to participate in all aspects of our club.
- Provide opportunities for all in coaching, officiating and leadership positions.
There are a number of measures that we will take to ensure that we are working under the guidance of the Policy and within the requirements of the Equality Act (2010).
We will provide a welcoming environment
- We will think positively about how we can include people rather than focusing on potential barriers to participation.
- We will consider how our club/group is promoted. For example, by providing information in formats which are accessible and by using appropriate imagery.
- We will encourage people to contact us to discuss their needs and requirements to facilitate inclusion and we will ensure we consider what reasonable adjustments could be made to enable them to participate.
- We will develop the knowledge and understanding of key officials, coaches, leaders and other volunteers, of disability, equity and inclusive practice by providing appropriate guidance and training.
We will talk to people
- We will, so far as is reasonably possible, consult with relevant groups and with prospective individuals about their needs and requirements.
- We will not make assumptions and will try to speak to people about the reasonable adjustments they believe might be made to enable them to participate and to discuss how these could be made.
We will make reasonable adjustments
- We will demonstrate that every effort has been made to enable everyone to participate and that inclusion not exclusion has been the priority.
- If reasonable adjustments are required to make an event/activity accessible, then we will make those reasonable adjustments.
Chessington Unity Running Club Core values
Core Club Values
INTEGRITY: Know and do what is right for club members and the community.
INCLUSIVITY: All adults of all abilities are welcome. All events will have an accessible option.
We run as one.
RESPECT: Encouraging and treating others as you’d like to be treated, valuing all contributions.
RESPONSIBILITY: Encourage all members to embrace opportunities to contribute, ensuring opportunities are made clear.
SPORTSMANSHIP: Bring your personal best to all activities and support fellow club members to do the same. Recognise the diversity of ‘best’.
COMMUNITY: Engage with, represent and have a positive impact on our local community and environment.