10 Jul 13
Brook Cricket Club
Pirrie Hall, Haslemere Road, Brook GU8 5UJ
www.brookcricketclub.co.uk
CHILD SAFEGUARDING -
COMMUNICATIONS AND INTERACTIVE TECHNOLOGIES
E-SAFETY ACCEPTABLE USE GUIDELINES
(*The word "children" should be taken to mean all persons under the age
of 18yrs")
Definition: The meaning of the words "coaches, managers and
others" will include without limitation all those persons involved within
Brook Cricket Club who are involved in running the junior section
E-Safety Policy
E-Safety encompasses Internet technologies and electronic communications
such as mobile phones and wireless technology. It highlights the need to
educate children and young people about the benefits and risks of using new
technology and provides safeguards and awareness for users to enable them to
control their online experiences.
Brook CC is keen to promote the safe, and responsible, use of
communication and interactive communication technologies within cricket. A
blocking and banning approach, which merely limits exposure to risk, has
been considered as no longer sustainable in many schools. Instead the focus
is on empowering children with the skills and knowledge they need to use
interactive communication technologies safely and manage the risk, wherever
and whenever they go online. The following guidelines follow this
empowerment approach to ensure the message of safe and responsible use of
communication and interactive technologies is understood and guidelines are
followed within cricket.
Social networking opens up more threats to all users including:
Bullying by peers and people they consider ‘friends’
Posting personal information that can identify and locate a child
offline
Sexual grooming, luring, exploitation and abuse contact with strangers
Exposure to inappropriate and/or illegal content
Involvement in making or distributing illegal or inappropriate content
Theft of personal information
Leaving and running away from home as a result of contacts made online
In order to safeguard all children within cricket and to avoid any
misinterpretation of online activity by coaches, managers and others Brook
CC does not advocate social network contact between and children under 18.
The following of adults in cricket by children and following children by
adults on Twitter is strongly not recommended.
If a coach/manager believes this is the best way to share information
regarding the team – match times/venues etc they can set up a face book page
in the name of the team which the children can then become members. Any
photographs of the coaches will be representative of them and their phone
numbers will be included in the page (as they are in the fixture book).
1. Guidance for, coaches, managers and others in a position of
trust and responsibility in respect of children in Brook CC:
Take responsibility for their own use of communication and
interactive technologies, making sure they use new technologies safely,
responsibly and legally within the context of cricket.
No communication device or service, including interactive
communication services such as social networking may be used to bring the
club, its members or cricket into disrepute
No communication device or service, including interactive
services such as social networking may be used for inappropriate behaviour
online within the context of cricket including the bullying or harassment of
others in any form, defamation, obscene or abusive language, the uploading
of material which is libellous, defamatory, obscene, illegal, shows nudity
or is violent
Report any known misuses of communication and interactive
technologies within the context of cricket, including unacceptable
behaviour, inappropriate contact with children online and illegal content
including sexual abuse/indecent images of children, according to the
relevant club and ECB safeguarding policies and procedures
Need to be aware that any report of the misuse of communication
and interactive technologies within the context of cricket will be
investigated according to the club’s policy and procedures and may result in
the club’s sanctions being enforced. Depending upon the seriousness of the
incident legal action may be taken and where suspected criminal activity has
taken place a report will be made to the police where a club provides
network access or communication devices all members and guests will:
Protect passwords and personal network logins and log off the
network when leaving web stations/devices unattended. Where available
security settings should be set on mobile devices. Any attempts to access,
corrupt or destroy other users’ data in any way using technology is
unacceptable In addition to the above club officers and appointed volunteers
will:
2. In addition to the above all, coaches, managers and others in a
position of trust and responsibility in respect of children in Brook CC :
Take responsibility for their professional reputation in the
online environment, making sure they follow e-safety advice, adhere to
privacy and safety settings and report any concerns in accordance with club
and ECB policies and procedures
Not ask for email addresses, mobile phone numbers or social
networking profiles of junior members (less than 18 years of age) or search
for junior members on social networking services/search engines without the
prior consent of parents and in line with the club’s
Policy on the use of information including emergency situations
Members in a position of trust and/or responsibility should not
develop an online relationship with a young player with the intention of
meeting them offline to engage in sexual activity. Sexual exploitation,
including grooming a child under the age of 16 for the purpose of meeting to
engage in sexual activity, is a serious criminal Offence.
Should a young person within your club request to become a named
friend on your Social Networking Page or request that you become a named
friend on the young persons Social Networking Page you should decline if any
of the below apply:
1. You are in a position of responsibility in respect of that child.
2. You hold a position of trust and responsibility in the club.
3. Your contact with the child is through Brook CC and the
parent/guardian of the child does not give their consent to such contact.
Not view, possess, make or distribute sexual abuse/indecent
images of children. This is a serious criminal offence
Guidance to coaches who have children that are members of the Brook CC
where they coach:
The issue has been raised that parents are becoming members of social
networking sites that their children sign up to for security reasons in
order to ensure the wellbeing of their own child by being able to view their
child’s site. This will give the parent access via their child’s site to all
children listed as friends of their child. It would not be appropriate for
Brook CC to prevent a parent who is also a coach in his/her child’s club
from using this form of protection of their child’s online activities.
Therefore in such cases the coach can:
1. Have players in the club on the site/he she is accessing providing the
Brook CC under 18 year old club members on the site are listed as friends of
his/her child.
2. The coach concerned does not have direct contact with those players
through the social networking site;
3. The coach does not accept such players as friends on his/ her home
site; and
4. The coach should inform the Club Welfare Officer of this arrangement.
Coaches/managers and officials who are under 18
Brook CC recognises social networking sites can be a useful tool for
coaches, and officials within Brook CC to share information with other
coaches, managers and officials. If, however, the coach, manager or official
is under the age of 18 while they may be a colleague, the requirements of 1
and 2 above must be adhered to. However, for young people aged 16 or 17 it
is the view of Brook that to restrict the ability to share professional
information with them from other coaches, managers or officials may be
detrimental in their professional development in their role within Brook CC.
Therefore such cases if the parent of a young person in a position of
responsibility aged 16/17 and the young person themselves requests to have
contact with an adult club officer or coach for the purposes of sharing
professional information relevant to their role the club should:
1. Gain written consent of the parent/guardian and young person to have
such contact naming the individual adult and social networking site
concerned;
2. The name adult must sign an agreement to keep the contact with the
Young person to the discussion of matters relevant to the young person’s
Professional role in the club;
3. All such communications should be shared with an identified 3rd person
(E.g. the young person’s parent/guardian of CWO; and
4. If the young person or the adult is found to breach the above
agreement
action must be taken by the club to address the concern and/or the
breach referred to the CWO or the statutory agencies if appropriate.
Guidance to Brook CC members under the age of 18
1. Do not ask you club coach or manager to be your social networking site
friend-they will refuse as that would breach of good practice
2. Use the internet positively and not place yourself at risk. Have a
look at www.ceop.gov.uk for some helpful tips
3. Consider who you are inviting to be your friend and follow the good
advice for the social networking sites to ensure you are talking to the
person you believe you are talking to
4. Always remember that anything you say including photos, pictures and
video clips posted on your site may be shared with people other than those
for whom it was intended.
5. Never post or send any photographs, videos or make comments that may
be:
Hurtful, untrue and upsetting and you may regret sharing later
on; or
May be used by other people in a way you did not intend or want.
6. Do not put pictures of other club members on the site within the club
setting
as you may breach Brook CC Photography Policy. If you do wish to upload
such a picture you must get advice and consent from your parent, the other
young person and their parent and a club officer before even considering
uploading such a photo. This will not prevent you having pictures of your
cricket friends on you site taken outside of the sporting arena but it is
good advice to always ensure they and their parents are happy with any picture
you have of them on your site.
7. Always be aware that social networking sites are a method of
communication like letter writing and the spoken word. They are bound by the
same laws and rules. Such technology is instant and this allows you as the
user to react in the "heat of moment", where in the past you would have been
required to write a letter which would have taken time and allowed for you
to think again before sending. So never place a comment on the internet that
you would not put in writing or say to the individual concerned as to so may
not only breach Brook CC's policy but also the law.
Guidance to parents/guardians members and guests of Brook CC members
under the age of 18
Brook CC has produced a parent’s code of conduct which can be found on
our website. The policy states that parents are expected to:
"Respect the rights, dignity and worth of every person within the context
of cricket"
Treat everyone equally and not discriminate on the grounds of age,
gender, disability, race, ethnic origin, nationality, colour, parental or
martial status, religious belief, class or social background, sexual
preference or political belief"
Parents should be aware that posting messages, comments or any other
media on a social networking site that breaches the above requirements of a
parent at Brook CC will breach Brook CC’s Parent Code of Conduct.
If you have any concern about the use of social networking sites please
report as follows:
Any concern: County Welfare Officer, / or
Illegal sexual child abuse images should be reported to the Internet
Watch Foundation (http://www.iwf.org.uk) and to the police.
Reports about suspicious behaviour towards children and young people in
an online environment should be made to the Child Exploitation and Online
Protection Centre (www.ceop.gov.uk). Law enforcement agencies and the
service provider may need to take urgent steps to locate the child and/or
remove the content from the internet.
Where potentially illegal material including sexual abuse or indecent
images of children or activity is found or suspected on technology provided
by, or where the club has access to, the evidence should be made secure and
preserved. The police or the IWF can provide further advice on this when a
report is made. In the case of reports about suspected illegal material
including sexual abuse or indecent images of children held on personally
owned devices by members the report should include where the suspected
illegal material can be found e.g. a website address where possible.
Potentially illegal material, including sexual abuse or indecent
images, should not be circulated or distributed within the club. Those
involved in making a report should be kept to an absolute minimum.
Acknowledgements
Brook CC is very grateful for the valuable assistance of the following:
ECB Guidance on E-Safety Guidelines on Communication and Interactive
Technologies from the Club "Safe Hands" Crickets Policy for Safeguarding
Children,
The CPSU Briefing Document "Social networking service" and British
Swimming
Association (ASA) Good Practice Guidelines on the use of Social
Networking Sites by ASA Club and Club Members