Belper LHC encourages parents/guardians and spectators to take an active interest in their child’s development within hockey and ask that they observe the following:
• Encourage your child to learn the rules and play within them.
• Discourage unfair play and arguing with officials.
• Help your child to recognise good performance, not just results.
• Never force your child to take part in sport. Remember that junior players are involved in sport for their enjoyment, not yours.
• Set a good example by recognising fair play and applauding the good performances of all.
• Never punish or belittle a child for losing or making mistakes.
• Publicly accept officials’ judgements.
• Support your child’s involvement and help them to understand that the enjoyment of sport and fair play are more important than winning.
• Use correct and proper language at all times.
• Make juniors aware of the physical fitness values of hockey and also its life long value both recreationally and in personal relationships.

Insist that your child uses protective equipment such as mouth guard and shin pads to enable them to play hockey safely.
If you have any comments or queries please contact BLHC Welfare Officer
Lizzie Lamb
Home – 01332 559314
Mobile – 07968 953968
Email – lizzie_lamb@hotmail.co.uk

Belper Ladies Hockey Club Equity Policy
Belper ladies Hockey Club exist to improve and provide sports activities for the local community. We acknowledge that the UK is socially diverse in race, culture, beliefs and religion and that no person or group of people should suffer oppression or lack of opportunity based on gender, race, disability, sexuality, age, class or geographic location. We are committed to developing equal opportunities in all areas of our work and structure and in particular will take positive action in the areas of employment and volunteering, representation, service provision and membership.
In pursuit of our aims we will –
• Ensure that we become more aware and will work to make other organisations more aware of oppression and inequality and the problems they cause, how they affect us and the implications for our work.
• Work to increase involvement with other organisations to promote equal opportunities.
• Challenge practices, legislation and institutions which seek to discriminate against or deny the rights of individuals on the grounds of race, sexuality, age, class or geographical location.
In particular we will –
• Work to ensure that all our services are provided in a way which promotes awareness of the rights and needs of people from minority groups and enables all people to have access to them.
• Work to ensure that all our committees, working parties, staffing and terms and conditions of employment and volunteering reflect a range of needs and interests of people from minority groups.

Belper Ladies Hockey Club Code of Conduct for Officials and Volunteers
The essence of good ethical conduct and practice is summarised below.
All volunteers must –
• Consider the safety and well being of participants before the development of performance
• Develop an appropriate working relationship with performers, based on mutual trust and respect.
• Make sure that all activities are appropriate to the age, ability and experience of those taking part.
• Promote the positive aspects of the sport
Display consistently high standards of behaviour and appearance.
• Be aware of and follow all the guidelines laid down by the national governing body and the Club.
• Hold the appropriate, valid qualifications and insurance cover.
• Never exert undue influence over performers to obtain personal benefit or reward.
• Never condone rule violations, rough play or the use of prohibited substances.

Belper Ladies Hockey Club Player Code of Conduct
The aim of Belper Ladies Hockey Club is to promote healthy participation in sport. It is hoped that everyone will play to the best of their ability and that the teams will be successful. However, we believe that it is important to enjoy sport and to play fairly rather than “win at all cost”. The following Code of Conduct has been written to uphold the aims and objectives of Belper Ladies HC and is there to protect players, umpires, officials, spectators and parents. The Code of Conduct is applicable to all aspects of hockey regardless of whether it is in league matches, friendly matches, competitions or training sessions, home or away. The Club believes that it is important that all Club members, coaches, volunteers, parents of juniors, friends and visitors should, at all times, show respect, adhere to the Codes of Conduct and be encouraged to share any concerns or complains about any aspect of the Club with the coaches or committee members. Individuals are responsible for their own actions.
During and after matches players should –
• Compete for enjoyment.
• Show team spirit and sporting behaviour.
• Play within the rules of the game at all times.
• Respect colleagues, opponents, coaches and the decisions of officials.
• Keep to timing for training and competitions or inform their team captain or manager if they are going to be late.
• Wear suitable kit for training and matches and use appropriate safety equipment.
• Pay fees for matches and training promptly.
• No smoking on the astro pitch
• No dogs are to be taken on to the astro pitch
• Junior members are not allowed to smoke on Club premises or whilst representing the Club at away fixtures or competitions.
• Junior members are not allowed to consume alcohol or non-prescription drugs whilst on Club premises or whilst representing the Club at away fixtures or competitions

Belper Ladies Hockey Club safeguarding and Protecting Young People in Hockey
Belper Ladies Hockey Club adopts England Hockey’s Safeguarding and protecting Young People in Hockey Policy and works in accordance with the following statement:
Belper Ladies Hockey Club is committed to creating and maintaining a safe and positive environment for all young people involved in hockey. It accepts its responsibility to help safeguard the welfare of all young people and protect them from poor practice, abuse and bullying.
Each individual and organisation within the Hockey Family has a role and responsibility to help ensure the safety and welfare of young people. The Hockey Family is defined below.
Belper Ladies Hockey Club, as a provider of opportunities for young people in hockey, accepts that we are required to fulfil our duty of care. That means that we must do everything that can be reasonably expected of us to help safeguard and protect young people from any reasonably foreseeable harm.

Definitions
Hockey Family – All individuals, clubs, associations and other organisations involved in any capacity in the game of hockey and whether or not members of England Hockey. For the avoidance of doubt, this includes all players and anyone working within hockey (in paid or voluntary capacity and whether as an employee or on a self-employed or other work basis) including all coaches, umpires, referees and other officials.

Obligations under this policy:
Everyone within Belper Ladies Hockey Club must act in accordance with:
• The general principles set out in this policy; and
• The principles set out in the particular policies below, together with the supporting good practice document:
1 – The recruitment of persons working with young people
2 – The use of CRB checks in recruitment and employment
3 – Anti-bullying
4 – Taking and use of photographic and recorded images of young people

Affiliation to England Hockey will evidence agreement of these obligations by the Club and membership of Belper Ladies Hockey Club will evidence agreement by the Hockey Family.
Belper Ladies Hockey Club has, in addition, adopted and implemented its own Safeguarding and Protecting Young People (or child protection) policy.
Everyone within Belper Ladies Hockey Club must also;
+Abide by England Hockey’s Code of Ethics which specifies conduct in relation to the safeguarding of young people within hockey among other issues.
+Follow England Hockey reporting procedures where there are concerns relating to the safety or welfare of young people.
For clarity, policies, procedures and good practice relating to the safeguarding of young people in hockey need to be applied both in relation to activities for young people specifically and for where young people may be involved in the adult game. For example, where players or umpires under 18 years of age are incorporated into adult team hockey.

England Hockey’s Role:
As the national governing body, England Hockey will publicise and promote within hockey its safeguarding Young People Policy, Procedures and Good Practice Guidance. It will also support its affiliated clubs and associations in adopting and implementing their own policies by producing template policies and procedures and through access to appropriate training and educational opportunities. England Hockey is committed to ensuring that concerns relating to the safety and welfare of young people in hockey are taken seriously and acted upon swiftly and appropriately. To achieve this, England Hockey has developed procedures for reporting concerns. England Hockey recognises the roles and responsibilities of the statutory agencies in safeguarding young people and the responsibilities and expertise of the relevant agencies in determining whether young people have, or may have been, abused or otherwise harmed. England Hockey is committed to complying with the procedures of the Local Safeguarding Children Boards (LSCB’s). Accordingly, England Hockey will work co-operatively with the relevant statutory agencies on matters relating to safeguarding young people and where England Hockey receives report of a concern, it will refer the matter to the relevant statutory agency where appropriate. England Hockey is also committed, where appropriate, to directly challenging conduct within hockey that is, or may be, harmful to young people. It may therefore, instigate proceedings under its own Safeguarding and Protecting Young People Complaints and Disciplinary Regulations where concerns or complaints are raised (by sources internal or external to hockey) relating to the safety and welfare of young people. England Hockey will take action against any person or organisation within its jurisdiction whose conduct is found to have harmed a young person in hockey or whose conduct (within or outside hockey) poses a risk or may pose a risk of harm to young people in hockey. England Hockey may also refer matters back to a club for resolution at club level where appropriate.

Belper Ladies Hockey Club will follow England Hockey’s reporting procedures and will make all their members aware that they are subject to the above regulations if there is a breach of policy.

General Safeguarding and Protecting Young People Principles:
• The safety and welfare of young people is paramount.
• All young people, regardless of age, ability, sex, race, religion or belief, ethnic origin, social status or sexual orientation have the right to be protected from harm.
• The rights, dignity and worth of all young people should always be respected.
• Belper Ladies Hockey Club wishes to promote a telling culture. Everyone within hockey must therefore report all concerns in accordance with England Hockey’s reporting procedures.
• It is the responsibility of child protection experts to determine whether or not abuse has taken place but it is everyone’s responsibility in hockey to report concerns.
• The roles and responsibilities of the statutory agencies in safeguarding young people must be recognised and the procedures of the local Safeguarding Children Boards must be complied with.
• Any policy or procedure is only as effective as the ability and skill of those who operate it.
• Belper Ladies Hockey Club is committed to encouraging, and everyone within hockey must recognise and regard as essential, the effective and safe recruitment of all individuals working with young people in hockey.
• All those working in hockey, in paid or voluntary capacity, must abide by England Hockey’s Code of Ethics.

Guidance and Legislation:
The practices and procedures within this policy and documentation are based on the principles contained within UK and international legislation and Government guidance and have been designed to complement Local safeguarding Children Boards procedures and take the following into consideration –

• The Children Acts of 1989 and 2004
• The Protection of Children Act 1999
• The Police Act 1997
• The Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 2000
• Criminal Justices and Court Services Act 2000
• The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child
• Human Rights Act 1998
• The Data Protection Act 1998
• ”Caring for the young and vulnerable” Home office guidance for preventing the abuse of trust 1999.
• What to do if you are worried a child is being abused DOH 2006
• Working Together to Safeguard Children 2006, HM Government
• The Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006

Local Safeguarding Children Boards (LSCB) are the key statutory mechanism for agreeing how the relevant organisations in each local area will co-operate to safeguard and promote the welfare of children in the locality. The core membership of LSCBs is set out in the Children Act 2004 and includes local authorities, health bodies, the police and others. The objective of LSCBs is to co-ordinate and to ensure the effectiveness of their member agencies in safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. They also provide education and training opportunities at local level.