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The Junior Section of Blandford Rugby Football Club will
adhere at all times to the Health and Safety policy of the Senior Section of
the Club.
To further enhance that policy the Junior Section will adhere
to the additional measures set out in this policy.
Compliance with
Blandford Rugby Football Club Health and Safety Policy
All the laid
down procedures contained in the Health and Safety policy produced by the
Senior Section of the club are to be complied with at all times.
At
times when members of the Junior Section are present in the clubhouse they are
to comply with any procedures or instructions displayed. Junior Members and
their parents/guardians are not to interfere with or misuse any equipment or
signs provided by the senior club for the safety of club members and any
visitors to the clubhouse. They will also comply with any fire precautions and
where necessary any planned or unplanned fire evacuation procedures.
The Welcoming of New Players
Either a coach, team manager or
member of the administrative staff will welcome all new players and the
parents/guardians. The welcoming club representative shall where possible
introduce the new player and their parents/guardians to the age group
coach.
The Youth Registrar is to explain the registration system,
currently employed by the Rugby Football Union and the Junior Section of
Blandford Rugby Football Club. It is essential that the parent/guardian
completes and returns to the Youth Registrar at the earliest opportunity all
documentation associated with player registration. This includes the
registration form, together with the required number of passport size
photographs, the annual subscription fee, Medical/Emergency Contact details and
Photographic Image Permission form. All forms must be completed in legible
handwriting and signed by both player and parent/guardian as indicated on
individual forms. Without this documentation it is impossible for all
notifications of fixture changes, emergency contact in the event of an accident
or indeed limited insurance cover to be implemented. Parents/guardians will
also be encouraged to complete the volunteer information sheet.
Young
players will be divided into recognised age groups. Each age group will be
coached in accordance with the guidelines issued by the RFU.
The coaches
and administrative staff are to provide guidance to the parents/guardians of
young players on the provision of suitable clothing and drinks whilst
undertaking training or matches. It is important that younger players have
enough layers of clothing to keep them warm during colder days.
Younger
players should be delivered and collected from training and/or home matches and
escorted by their parents/guardians to away fixtures. In inclement weather it
is advisable that parents/guardians check with their child's coach if training
sessions are to take place or cease earlier than normal. Decisions on match
days concerning the playing of matches will again be the responsibility of the
appropriate coach. For away matches the decision will rest with the hosting
club. Cancellations or amendments to both fixtures and training will also be
displayed on the Junior Section Website at the earliest
opportunity.
First Aid and Accident Reporting
The Junior
Section will ensure that provision is made for the players and coaches to have
access to emergency first aid kits when either training or on match
days.
The Junior Section encourages both coaches and administrative
staff to attend appropriate first aid courses to provide emergency treatment.
For home match day's additional cover if required is to be arranged with either
a holder of an HSE Approved First Aid at Work qualification or a similarly
qualified individual e.g. Doctor. The level of First Aid cover required is to
be based on the guidelines set out in the HSE publication "A Safety Guide for
Public Events". In all cases where an injury occurs, advice must be sought from
qualified first aiders. When the first aider believes that the extent of the
injury is beyond their level of competence the emergency services are to be
contacted.
The BRFC Youth Registrar is to provide all age group coaches
with a pack containing contact details for all registered players, medical
information forms, photographic consent forms and blank Reportable Injury
forms. This pack is to be updated at regular intervals throughout the
season.
All injuries are to be notified to the BRFC Safeguarding
Officer in order that action to record the injury can be taken. A review of the
accident book is to be undertaken quarterly by the committee of the Junior
Section so that any trends or recurring injuries may be identified and
investigated. In order that parents/carers can be immediately contact in the
event of an injury and first aid provide for young players, a Medical
Information authorisation form is to be completed for all players. A copy of
this form is at Appendix A. If the injury to a young person meets the
conditions set out by the RFU as a reportable Injury then the Injury Report
Form found at Appendix B must also be completed by the Club Safeguarding
Officer and forwarded to the RFU.
A Reportable Injury is defined as an
injury which:
- Results in a young person being admitted to a hospital
(this does not include attendance at an Accident and Emergency
Department).
- A young person dies during or within 6 hours of a game
or training session finishing.
In the event of an injury occurring which meets the above
definition the BRFC Safeguarding Officer is to be contacted immedialtely. The
BRFC Safeguarding Officer is to instigate the Reportable Injury Event Protocol.
A copy of this protocol is held by the Safeguarding Officer.
All
injuries or accidents which are not deemed to fall under the category of a
reportable injury are to be recorded by coaches on the Medical Occurrence Form,
and submitted to the BRFC Safeguarding Officer. All Accident/Injury Reports are
to be reviewed by the Junior Committee to identify any trends or poor coaching
practices.
Advice from medical professionals should be taken before
playing, especially before returning to training and matches following an
injury.
When attending away fixtures it is the responsibility of the
hosting team to provide if they deem necessary any additional first aid cover.
Coaches of the Junior Section will ensure that their players have access to our
first aid kits. Any injuries received at away fixtures are to be notified to
the BRFC Safeguarding Officer.
Any items, which are used from a first
aid kit, are to be replaced at the earliest opportunity.
All coaches
and administrative staff are to be conversant with the method of calling the
emergency services when required. During the current building works in the
vicinity of the pitches a clearly defined access route is to be maintained to
enable any emergency services vehicles attending an incident to approach as
close as possible to the incident. This access route is to be communicated to
all parents/guardians, coaches and administrative staff of BRFC Junior section.
The provision of the access route is also to be briefed to all clubs who will
be attending any arranged matches at the site.
Code of Conduct and
Behaviour
It is important that all those who are concerned with the
Junior Sections of Blandford Rugby Football Club remember that when training or
playing a match, they are all ambassadors for the game of rugby and BRFC. To
promote good conduct and behaviour there are simple guidelines which should be
followed by players, the administrative staff (including coaches), parents and
spectators.
The RFU has in accordance with legal requirements produce a
Safeguarding document which has been incorporated into both the senior and
junior sections policy documentation. The Codes of Conduct and Behaviour for
Players, Coaches Parents and Spectators are set out in Appendix 9 of the BRFC
Junior Section Welfare Policy. The Anti-Bullying Policy is also included in the
Blandford Rugby Club Junior Section Welfare Policy at Appendix 5. A simplified
version of these Codes of Conduct and Behaviour can be found in the BRFC Junior
Section Handbook which is available to download from the Junior Section
Website. All the coaches and administrative staff will be issued with a hard
copy of the handbook. A copy will also be provided to all parents/guardians and
a copy will be available in the Tuck Shop for parents to view.
Risk
Assessment
To ensure that all risks are identified a full Risk
Assessment will be conducted to identify all hazards that could harm any
players, coaches, administration staff or parents. This assessment is to be
reviewed at the commencement of each season. If conditions require then
adjustments to the assessment are to be made at the pitch. Included at Appendix
C is a copy of the current risk assessment. All coaches are responsible for
conducting an inspection of their individual training/match areas prior to the
commencement of any session to ensure that there are no hazards
present.
It is the responsibility of the Senior section to undertake a
Risk Assessment to identify all hazards and the appropriate control measures
for the clubhouse. All parents/guardians are to be informed of the content of
this assessment and are to comply with any control measures implemented by the
Senior section for their safety whilst visiting the clubhouse.
Job
Descriptions
All key club officials have simple job descriptions,
which defines the role and duties they undertake for the Junior Section. Not
only is it important for everybody to understand their own role and
responsibility, but it is also important for them to see how they fit into the
whole picture - what everybody does and where jobs interact together.
The Junior Section of Blandford Rugby Football Club Job Descriptions are
available to view on the website.
Pitch Regulations
The
Junior Section, Blandford Rugby Football Club Pitches are located on the sports
pitches which belong to The Blandford School. As this area is under the control
of the school and the Local Education Authority, the Junior Section must comply
with any regulations or guidance issued by the school or Local Education
Authority.
The Local Education Authority Policy is that on all school
grounds there is a strict rule of no dogs being allowed on site, this
includes any sports facilities. The Junior Section coaches and administrative
staff are to ensure that this ruling is fully briefed to all players' parents
and carers on a regular basis throughout the season. The Fixtures Secretary is
to ensure that when arranging fixtures for the Junior Section that this policy
is communicated to all clubs who will be visiting. The Fixtures Secretary is to
remind visiting teams of this regulation when confirming all home
matches.
Any person bringing a dog to "pitch side" is to be politely
informed of the school and Local Education Authority policy and asked to remove
their dog from the site immediately. If the person bringing the dog to the site
is from a visiting team they should be informed of the existence of the
recreational area known as "The Milldown" where dogs may be exercised
freely.
Parents of BRFC Junior Members who are under the age of 8 are
to ensure that they arrange with another adult cover if they need to leave the
site whilst their child is attending. The age group coach is to be informed of
who is the point of contact whilst they are away. No coach will assume this
role.
It is also the policy of the School and Local Education Authority
that school sites are "No Smoking" areas. As a club we are aware that a number
of parents and carers do smoke. The Junior Section, Blandford Rugby Football
Club requests that parents or carers do not smoke whilst in the immediate
vicinity of the playing pitches. Any person who wishes to smoke may do so well
away from pitch side and any other facilities provided by the Junior Section,
Blandford Rugby Football Club. Parents and carers are to be reminded of this
restriction throughout the season.
Tour Guidelines
All
coaches who are planning to organise a tour for their age groups are to comply
with the RFU Tour Guidelines, a copy of which can be obtained from the
Safeguarding Officer or downloaded from the RFU Website.
All coaches
must produce in advance of the tour all the documentation which is required by
these guidelines. This includes the production of the Financial Planning Sheet
detailing all costs of the tour including transport, accommodation insurances
and any additional entertainment costs. It must also detail the required
financial payments required from each participant. Details of any sponsorship
or fundraising must also be included.
The Junior Section Committee
shall be presented with all documentation prior to any age group being informed
of a tour for their consent to the tour proceeding. The final decision on the
tour proceeding will be taken by the Chairperson, Vice-chairperson and
Safeguarding Officer once all documentation has been presented. Any age group
which does not produce or amend as requested any part of the required
documentation will not be permitted to undertake a tour. |
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