Safeguarding

We advise that parents in the first instance are responsible for transporting their children to or from tennis venues. We believe it is reasonable for the club and its coaches to place responsibility on parents for ensuring appropriate transport arrangements are made.

Parents may choose to make private arrangements with another adult for them to transport their child. In this situation, the club has no responsibility for the transportation.

In situations where the club is arranging the children’s transport to away matches, it has a duty of care to those players and to safeguard both the driver and the players. We recommend that those making such arrangements follow the below guidance:

Parents should be informed of the club representative who will be transporting their child, the reasons why and how long the journey will take.

The parents must complete and sign a consent form (Contact our CHILD PROTECTION & WELFARE OFFICER, Nadia Conway   Email:  Nadiaconway74@gmail.com) confirming they are happy for the transportation to take place and the driver should have a copy of this with them on the journey in case of emergencies.

• There should be a minimum of two adults in the car.
• Children should be seated in the back of the vehicle at all times.
• If the children are a mixture of female and male, where possible the two adults should also be male and female.
• There should be an agreed procedure in place in the event of a breakdown/emergency.
• The driver must have a valid UK driving licence, correct insurance, MOT certificate and comply with laws on the use of seatbelts and restraints.
• It is recommended the club representative undertaking the driving obtain an Enhanced DBS check.
• If the club representative does the driving more than 3 times a month with children, or if the trip involves an overnight stay, there is a legal requirement for them to have an Enhanced and Barred List DBS check.