Adult Supervision of Children’s Policy

Last Updated: 14/11/22

Adult Supervision of Children’s Activities

The Avenue Lawn Tennis Squash & Fitness Club (The Club) is proud of the welcome and support given to its junior members of all ages. The club encourages all members regardless of their age to make full use of its facilities as often as possible. As part of our obligations regarding the protection of children the club sets out in this document details of adequate adult supervision of junior members provided by the club. The club will ensure that all children’s activities organised by the club will be supervised, by adults. Good practice dictates that more than one adult is present to supervise these activities. This will help to ensure the safety of the children as well as protect the adults. Where possible as a minimum one male and one female adult will supervise all club-organised activities. Adult supervisors will ensure that they are not left along with young participants. If an adult needs to talk separately to a child this must happen in an open environment, in view of others.

Leaders and adult supervisors should not be left alone with young people at the end of any activity. Start and finish times for coaching, training and/or other activities will be clearly stated. Parents are requested to collect their children as punctually as possible. If late collections occur leaders/supervisors should remain in pairs until all participants have left. It is the responsibility of parents/guardians to plan for the timely collection of young people in their charge. Consistent late collection may require alternative arrangements to be put in place.

If a parent is unavoidably delayed, they should contact the club or one of the coaches whose contact numbers will be provided to parents at the beginning of the event. If no contact is made with the club or coach, the coach or supervisor will attempt to contact the emergency contact provided. If there is no answer, any additional contact numbers on the coaching/membership database will be contacted. If still no contact is made, the coach plus another adult will wait with the child until the child has been collected by a parent or guardian.

Children attending for club organised coaching should let one of the adult supervisors know when they have arrived at the club – it is the responsibility of parents to ensure that children do this. When they are finished with their coaching session and leaving with the adult nominated to collect them, they (or the adult) should inform the supervisor they are leaving. Under no circumstances should a child leave the club premises without informing an adult supervisor.

Parents or guardians to collect children from the viewing area next to the courts at the end of their session unless agreed in writing otherwise. Significant/repeated concerns about timekeeping and non-collection will be raised to the Club Welfare Officer.

If a child suffers an injury or accident the parents/guardians will be informed, and an accident report form will be completed. Attendance records and records of any incidence or accidents that occur will be kept safely by the club.

Children must arrive at lessons appropriately dressed. If they need to change at the club, they should be supervised by their parent or guardian. The club welcomes and indeed encourages parents who wish to stay and supervise sessions (for safety and supervision, not necessarily for their ‘technical’ expertise) Parents should note that adequate adult supervision as described above is provided only at the following times:

• During your child’s allocated coaching period as part of the clubs junior coaching program
• During any of the internal juniors’ activities organised and ran by the coaching staff
• During any of the closed club tournaments run by the coaching team

We wish to make it clear that while there may be adults present on the club premises at other times the club does not regard their presence as the provision of adequate adult supervision, and it is not responsible for the safety and protection of your child outside of the specific activities listed above. While the club takes every responsible measure to ensure the safety and protection of all its members including junior members while they are on the premises such measures do not extend to the provision of adequate adult supervision other than for the activities listed above.

In that regard it is the responsibility of each parent or guardian to ensure that their child is adequately supervised at all other times when they are on the club premises. (including times when the child is receiving private coaching organised by the child’s parents)

Please see our Unsupervised Children’s Policy for more details on the supervision of children at the club when not taking part in an organised club activity.

Approval

This Adult Supervision of Children’s Activities Policy has been approved by:

The Management Committee Date: 18.11.2022

Welfare Officer: Julia Baker Date: 18.11.2022

Welfare Officer: Victoria White Date: 18.11.2022

Review

This policy will be reviewed every two years, or earlier if there is a change in national legislation and/or guidance.