In our constitution we state that we embrace the Welfare Policy of UK Athletics http://www.ukathletics.net/governance/welfare/ which includes the following Principles and Scope:

Safety – The welfare of the athlete will always be paramount.

Equity – The right of everyone involved in athletics to equitable treatment, regardless of age, sex, race, religion, ability, sexual orientation or social background, will be upheld.

Responsiveness – All allegations or suspicions of abuse or violations of athlete welfare will be taken seriously and acted upon appropriately and speedily. Those found to be spreading malicious or false allegations will be disciplined according to the relevant procedures.

Consent – Parents/carers or those in loco parentis will be consulted if it becomes necessary to invoke the ‘Athletics Welfare’ procedures.

Compliance with the statutory system – The club will operate within the law, including guidelines and rules set down by the Criminal Records Bureau and the Home Office. The club will work in partnership with all relevant agencies in order to ensure compliance with this policy.

Fairness - The human rights of staff, coaches, athletes or volunteers facing allegations will be embodied in disciplinary and appeals procedures.

All people involved in athletics need to respond to four main dimensions of athlete welfare and protection by:

recognising and referring to the appropriate agency anyone who has been subjected to poor practice, abuse or misconduct by someone else, whether inside sport (by another staff member or athlete) or outside sport (such as the family or peer group);

observing and encouraging good practice when working with athletes in order to avoid perpetrating poor practice, abuse or other types of misconduct;

taking precautions to avoid false allegations against themselves;

safeguarding the good name and integrity of the sport of athletics.

The ‘golden rule’ for all involved in athletics in relation to welfare and protection is that it is not your responsibility to judge whether or not a welfare violation has taken place but it is your responsibility to act on any concerns you may have.