Keeping children, young people and vulnerable adults safe

We have some special guidelines to help us keep the following people safe:

  • children

  • young people, and

  • vulnerable adults.

We’re continually developing our thinking on keeping such people safe and this web page explains our current policy and tells you our progress in implementing it.

These guidelines are designed to help:

  • all club members, and

  • parents and guardians.

Definitions

  • We means Macclesfield Wheelers.

  • Child or young person means anyone under the age of 18.

  • Parent means a parent, guardian or carer.

  • Vulnerable adult means someone aged 18 or over, who is or may be in need of community care services by reason of mental or other disability, age or illness and who is or may be unable to take care of themselves, or unable to protect themselves against significant harm or exploitation.

In this document, when we use the term ‘child’ we mean a child riding with us, or otherwise involved with us, and the term applies equally to a young person or vulnerable adult.

Who can ride with us

All riders must be at least 12 years old to ride with us on public roads. Riders aged 12-17 must be accompanied by a parent. Named adult members of the Macclesfield Wheelers can take the place of a parent, providing the parent agrees this with the named member or members and the ride leader in advance.

If you are the parent of a child aged 12-17 who wants to ride with us, you must do the following.

  • Read this document.

  • Read our guidelines Riding with us on the road (or, if you are joining an off-road ride, Riding with us off-road), ask your child to read them, discuss them with your child and ensure that your child is sufficiently responsible and competent to ride in a manner which is safe for them and others.

  • Unless you are accompanying your child, confirm with the ride leader which club member or members will take your place on the ride, including how your child will get home at the end of the ride, and make sure that your child understands the arrangement.

If a child enters any club time trial, their parent must complete a Cycling Time Trials consent form and a club official must watch them sign it. The consent form is then valid until the end of that calendar year.

Keeping children safe

We are affiliated to British Cycling, which requires us to comply with the following:

British Cycling safeguarding and protecting children policy

British Cycling safeguarding and protecting vulnerable adults policy

We tell all members at least once a year that they should comply with the guidelines on this web page and the principles in British Cycling’s policies. We do this by emailing all members that have supplied us with a valid email address and last did so in July 2018.

The rest of this web page explains what we have done, or are doing to keep children safe.

Club Welfare Officer

We appointed a Club Welfare Officer to our committee in December 2016.

The Club Welfare Officer’s role is to:

  • champion good practice in promoting how to keep children safe

  • review this document regularly

  • ensure that we take appropriate action in the event of incidents or concerns in our relationships with children, and

  • ensure that we keep secure, confidential, detailed and accurate records of all such incidents or concerns.

The present Club Welfare Officer underwent a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check in January 2017.

Training

In October 2017 our present Club Welfare Officer undertook a training course, approved by British Cycling, designed to enable him to:

  • recognise, identify and respond to signs of abuse, neglect and other safeguarding concerns relating to children, and

  • help us to develop a positive culture and exemplary practice in keeping children safe.

Ride leaders

Ride leaders:

  • are encouraged to carry a mobile phone on all rides

  • can access the membership database by smart phone to view members’ emergency contact details and any medical information that they have listed, and

  • must pass to the Club Welfare Officer a written record of any injury or accident that occurs, together with details of any first aid treatment given.

First aid

We ask all members when they join the club or renew their membership if they have medical training or an up-to date first aid qualification.

We circulate the names of such people among ride leaders at least once a year.

We encourage members to attend a half-day first aid course delivered by the Red Cross at the club’s expense. 15 ride leaders and others who ride with us very regularly attended such a course in April 2017.

We distribute a durable membership card on which members can write emergency contact details and medical information.

Good practice and poor practice

The principles outlined in British Cycling’s policy documents (above) include, but are not limited to, the following.

Good practice

Ensure that everyone’s experience of cycling is fun and enjoyable; promote fairness, confront and deal with bullying and never condone violations of byelaws or technical regulations or the use of prohibited substances.

Ensure that all cyclists are able to participate in an environment that is free from harassment, intimidation, victimisation, bullying and abuse.

Maintain a safe and appropriate relationship with children.

Avoid unnecessary physical contact with children. Touching can be appropriate as long as:

  • it is neither intrusive nor disturbing

  • takes place in in an open environment

  • the reason for it has been explained, and

  • the child has given their permission.

Poor practice

Avoid spending excessive amounts of time alone with one child away from the others.

Avoid riding one-to-one with a child in unobserved situations.

Never engage in rough, physical or sexually provocative games, including horseplay.

Never allow or engage in any form of inappropriate touching.

Never allow children to use inappropriate language unchallenged.

Never make sexually suggestive comments to a child, even in fun.

Never allow allegations made by a child to go unchallenged, unrecorded or not acted upon.

Never do things of a personal nature for children that they can do for themselves.

Never condone bullying, rule violations or the use of prohibited substances.

Photos and videos

Placing photos and videos on websites or social media poses direct and indirect risks to children. We intend to comply as much as possible with NSPCC’s guidance on photography and sharing images, with particular regard to the following.

Members must not publish any photos or videos of a child on our website or social media pages without the permission of the child and the written permission of their parent or guardian.

We will make every effort to limit photos and videos taken, or published on our website or social media pages, of children to images which involve:

  • racing

  • prize presentations, or

  • formal club on-the-bike activities.

If a child or parent asks us to, we will always remove photos or videos from our website, providing we agree that it is reasonable for us to do so.

Reporting

If you have concerns about the behaviour of an adult towards a child, please contact our Club Welfare Officer or General Secretary.

If someone suggests that they are concerned about your behaviour to a child, you must inform our Club Welfare Officer or General Secretary.

Review

The committee will review these guidelines at least than once every three years , or:

  • following changes in relevant legislation and/or government guidance

  • as required by the Local Safeguarding Children Board, UK Sport, Home Country Sports Councils or British Cycling, or

  • as a result of any other significant change or event.

The committee last reviewed these guidelines in July 2018.

Any questions? Just contact our Club Welfare Officer graham.w@macclesfieldwheelers.org.uk.