English Chess Federation Child Protection Policy Guidelines

South Hams Chess Club endorses and adopts, with appropriate modifications for our local circumstances, the English Chess Federation (ECF) Child Protection Policy, as set out on the ECF website on 2nd October 2015. The guidelines in this Policy are reproduced below.

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GUIDELINES

These guidelines apply to any person acting in an official capacity on behalf of the ECF at a ECF organised event. In particular this includes officers, controllers and arbiters.

What happens if……?

(a) If you suspect a child is being abused:

(b) If a child tells you about abuse by someone else:

(c) If you receive any allegation of abuse about any adult or about yourself:

The ECF official will take action which may include contacting the social services or the police. The ECF official will also submit a report to the ECF President and Chief Executive Officer.

Code of Conduct

• Do put the guidelines into practice.
• Do treat everyone with respect.
• Do provide an example you wish others to follow.
• Do plan activities which involve more than one other person being present or at least are within sight or hearing of others. This applies to such activities as one-to-one training and travelling to or from chess events.
• Do respect a young person’s right to privacy.
• Do have separate sleeping accommodation for adults and young people.
• Do provide access for young people to talk to identifiable responsible adults about any concerns they may have. Deal with any concerns in a sympathetic and appropriate manner.
• Do encourage young people and adults to feel comfortable and caring enough to point out attitudes or behaviour they do not like.
• Do avoid situations that compromise your relationship with young people and are unacceptable within a relationship of trust.
• Do remember that someone else might misinterpret your actions, no matter how well-intentioned.
• Do recognise that caution is required even in sensitive moments of counselling.
• Do recognise that children with differing abilities have differing requirements.
• Do recognise that children from different backgrounds may have differing values.
• Do not permit abusive peer activities (e.g. bullying, ridiculing).
• Do not play physical contact games with young people.
• Do not have any inappropriate physical or verbal contact with others.
• Do not allow yourself to be drawn into inappropriate attention seeking behaviour such as tantrums.
• Do not show favouritism to any individual.
• Do not make suggestive remarks or gestures even in fun.
• Do not let suspicion, disclosure or allegation of abuse go unrecorded or unreported.
• Do not rely on just your good name to protect you
• Do not believe ‘it could never happen to me’.

Notes on Unacceptable Behaviour by Children

• Participants should be encouraged to develop a sense of right and wrong behaviour.
• Where unacceptable behaviour does take place, appropriate sanctions, decided by a consensus of responsible people present, should be applied to modify the behaviour.
• Sanctions applied to each case should take account of the age and stage of development of the young person, be given at the right time, be relevant to the action and be fair.
• The participant must always be told why the behaviour is unacceptable and the reasons for applying a particular sanction.
• Corporal punishment (smacking, slapping or shaking) is illegal and therefore should never be used. It is permissible to take necessary physical action in an emergency to prevent personal injury, either to the young person, other participants or adults, or serious damage to property.
• Participants should not be shouted at directly, though raising of the voice is permissible in instances where it is necessary to be heard.