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The following procedures and guidelines have been adopted by Leicester Lions Juniors Rugby Union Football Club.
They have been adopted for three main reasons:

1. To ensure the safety of children and good practice of club operations.
2. To protect the interests of club members and coaches.
3. To comply with the requirements of The Children Act. (The Children Act (1989) became law in October 1991, and is a major piece of legislation affecting children, their parents and those who work with children).

Procedures and Guidelines

• Only recognised coaches/volunteers and recognised/authorised visitors/parents/guardians will be permitted on site during training sessions/matches.
• Only officially appointed Minis/Junior Coaches will be permitted to control Leicester Lions Juniors activities - (including parents/guardians supervised by a qualified club coach).
• All children under 8 years of age must be accompanied by a parent/guardian when arriving and leaving the Club unless written agreement is provided otherwise beforehand.
• Every child must be signed in on the register when arriving.
• No child is permitted to leave the site without parental consent during coaching sessions.
• Children will not be released from the Club's facilities to anyone who is not recognised as the official collector of the child.
• Equipment shall be suitable, child centred, and in good repair.
• Accurate records shall be properly maintained for each child including details of names, address, telephone, emergency contact, details of health and necessary confidential notes.
• Any personal details/information about any child will be kept completely confidential by the staff having access to it.
• Details of all coaches/volunteers will also be kept on record.
• All coaches/relevant volunteers will be checked by the Criminal Records Bureau.

Child Protection
As the provider of mini/junior coaching sessions and games all of our members and coaches have a duty of care to protect all children under their supervision from possible cases or causes of abuse.

Our members' and coaches main role in the protection of children will be:

• To be aware of the symptoms children may display if suffering from any form of abuse.
• To report any suspicion they may have about possible cases of abuse.

Child Sickness/Injury
If a child becomes unwell or is injured whilst under the supervision of the Club and it is the appropriate coach/relevant first aider's judgement that it is to that child's detriment to stay on site, the following procedure will be adopted:

• The child will be removed from activities that are likely to deteriorate their state of health.
• The relevant coach/first aider will contact the relevant parent/guardian
• The relevant coach/first aider will record all information about the incident on the Incident/Accident Report Form

If the parent/guardian cannot be reached:

• The relevant coach/first aider will ensure that the child is supervised until the parent/guardian can be reached.

Children Taking Medication:

• Children who take medication, of any nature, will be responsible for administering it themselves.
• Under no circumstances will any club member/coach accept responsibility for securing or administering a child's medication.
• Any medication that a child brings to the club must be labelled with the child's name.

Although these are 'rules' club members and coaches staff will be encouraged to use their common sense and decide when it would be appropriate to handle medication, e.g. a coach may hold medication such as inhalers while a child participates in physical rugby activities.

Code of Conduct

With effect from September 2003.

Players will agree to:

• Abide by the rules and spirit of the game
• Not use deliberate or dangerous play, poor sportsmanship or foul language
• Respect the directions of coaches at all times, both for their safety and the safety of others
• Show respect and courtesy at all times to coaches, referees, team-mates, opponents and parents/guardians
• Be gracious in victory and defeat. Fun, enjoyment and skill development are the most important parts of the game
• Be punctual at all times
• Let coaches know of your availability for matches/training
• Treat equipment with respect, and respect the facilities provided by Leicester Lions Rugby Club

Understand that you, as an individual, have the right to share your concerns, if you have them, with a coach, club official or another adult.

Coaches will agree to:

• Encourage a sense of fair play and sportsmanship and set a good example of sportsmanlike conduct
• Use appropriate language and refrain from inappropriate or foul language
• Show respect and courtesy to players, referees, opponents, parents/guardians and fellow coaches at all times
• Respect the long-term development of players and respect that winning is not the ultimate goal
• Never employ methods or practices that could involve risks to the health or development of the players or fellow coaches and volunteers
• Not to manipulate rules in order to take advantage of opponents
• Not to touch any young person in an intrusive or sexual manner
• Respect players confidentiality

Parent/Guardian and Spectators will agree to:

• Always encourage and applaud good play for both teams
• Never ridicule or shout at players, and show respect for coaches and referees
• Remember that players are taking part for enjoyment. Rugby should be fun

Parents/Guardians to:

• Help players to achieve their objectives
• Ensure that the club has your emergency contact number(s).
• For insurance purposes the Club Registration Form and the RFU Registration Form must be completed, signed and handed into the co-ordinator and the membership/subscription fee paid
• Share concerns, if you have them, with club officials
• Be aware that the club has a duty of care and therefore, where appropriate, assist coaches with the supervision of players where numbers are large and there is a need to transport youngsters to away games

Violation of the code of conduct and action to be taken:

If as a parent/guardian, player, coach or observer you feel that part of the code of conduct is being broken, it is essential that this is raised with a coach, or the co-ordinator or the Child Protection Officer, who will deal with the matter in the appropriate manner. It is essential that this is done quickly so that action can be taken to address the concern.

In cases of inappropriate player behaviour each instance will be noted with the coach. If this behaviour is disruptive to the enjoyment of the session or other players and coaches, action will be taken.

Action for cases of inappropriate player behaviour:

· First incident – player/parent will be told to correct behaviour in session

· Second incident – player will be asked to stand on sidelines for remainder of session

• Subsequent incidents - parent will be informed and appropriate action taken

Disciplinary Procedure

• For any behaviour that may bring the club into disrepute on or off the pitch the disciplinary committee (a minimum of 3 members) will meet to discuss any actions that may be required due to behaviour by either player/parent/official of the club that is unbecoming or inappropriate.
• The Committee will deal with the appropriate sanction, which may range from touchline bans to total exclusion and suspension of club membership.