Cambridgeshire RFU takes the welfare and safeguarding of Young People in Rugby very seriously.
Monitoring Clubs
It is an RFU requirement that we visit Clubs to ensure that youth rugby is being conducted in a safe and secure environment. As such, the team hope to visit every Club in the next three years to support you implementing VBS.
Prior to the visit we will send you the monitoring form (based on pages 14 - 16 of old CWO Handbook) and a possible date and time to meet the CSO and Youth/Mini Chairman. If the Club Chairman can spare the time to attend it would be extremely useful. We would also like to see your Policies and any other information to show your good practice. It will probably be on a Sunday, as I know I'd love to see some Youth rugby too.
You can request a visit if there are some urgent issues you wish to discuss and we'll try to fit you into the timetable. The RFU see this as an audit exercise but I see it as an opportunity to support you in your role promoting youth rugby and recruiting new players.
Information regarding the Safeguarding Audit can be found on the following page:-
Safeguarding Policy - Overview
At Cambridgeshire RFU, the health, wellbeing and welfare of the children who train with us and represent us, or who visit us, is of paramount concern. Our policies are summarised below and our full safeguarding policy is available at the foot of this page.
Cambridgeshire RFU fully endorses the RFU’s Safeguarding Policy and is adopted into its rules in its entirety. The RFU Policy is available to download from the RFU website at www.englandrugby.com and specifically here.
Serious incidents of abuse
Incidents of physical, sexual and serious emotional abuse are rare. Should you believe that you know of, or have witnessed, or possibly witnessed, such an incident you should contact the clubs safeguarding officer without delay. Their contact details should be available on their clubs website and advertised on the Youth notice board in the clubhouse.
Details of our procedure are contained in the full Safeguarding Policy. Also included are details of what to do if a child confides in you, or you believe may confide in you, about such matters. Please do read this section – the law isn’t as obvious as you may assume.
Our commitment to children, parents and coaches is that we will treat any incident seriously and sensitively, involving the appropriate professionals, remembering that the needs of the child are paramount.
Duty of Care
We believe that we have a duty of care to the children who play in our teams and train with us, and this extends to ensuring that our coaches are appropriately qualified and understand their responsibilities. It is the RFU's policy that all Coaches should have attained the RFU coaching course qualifications appropriate to their age group. All regular coaches and officers of the Club should be DBS checked. This policy doesn’t just protect the Club and the children – it also protects the individual, so please support us in making sure that all relevant individuals are properly checked.
The Safeguarding Policy also lists some “Do’s” and “Don’ts” for Coaches to help ensure that they do not inadvertently expose themselves to allegations of inappropriate behaviour.
DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service)
All adults who have ‘regular supervisory contact with young people’ must undertake a DBS within eight weeks of their appointment to a position which involves regular supervisory contact with young people.
These adults will include:
- Professional Staff
- All coaches/assistant coaches
- Members of the Youth Rugby Section
- Safeguarding Officers
DBS must be conducted through the RFU website where they will go to the RFU Safeguarding Department who have jurisdiction to deal with any matter arising from any such disclosure.
Behaviour
Whilst serious incidents are rare, concerns and complaints about behavior are more frequent. Cambridgeshire RFU is a part of the RFU and we are signed up to, and strongly support, their Code of Conduct and Code of Ethics. This can be found here. Go to the Schools and Youth section and then choose “welfare”. We understand that different organisations, schools and families have different approaches to coaching, support and the motivation of children. However, whilst training or representing us, we ask that all children, coaches, parents and supporters respect our policies and standards. We will also make it clear to visiting Clubs that we expect the Codes of Conduct of the RFU to be respected. Our policies can be found in full in the Safeguarding Policy, but are summarised here:
- the welfare of the children is paramount
- feedback to, and support of, the children should be positive, constructive and supportive
- it is never acceptable to verbally abuse the referee, the opposition and their supporters or any child in the team
- all children should be accorded equal respect, regardless of current ability
- children and young people play for fun and enjoyment and winning is only a part of it – the winning ethic should not be over emphasised
- all activities should be age appropriate and undertaken with regard to the safety of the children
- the relationships between coaches and children should be built on mutual respect and openness, and the rights and dignity of all children should be respected
Cambridgeshire RFU aims to provide a safe environment for the children, but parents must realise that this is a mutual responsibility. Responsibilities for parents include:
- In the younger age groups, ensure that a designated adult is present during training and matches
- In older age groups, ensure that emergency contact details are available
- Drop off and collect children promptly
- Inform the Club of any medical issues (this information will be available to the coaches) including severe allergies
- Ensure that the child has the correct safety kit and appropriate clothing
- Respect the policies and procedures of the club
It is the aim of Cambridgeshire RFU to build a safe, enjoyable environment, which will foster a lifelong commitment to the game of rugby, for all participants and members, regardless of current ability. We believe that we will achieve this aim by adhering to these policies and ensuring that rugby is an enjoyable and positive experience for all.