GOOD PRACTICE

In the context of your role at Elie Sports Club, the following good practice guidelines should be followed:

• Make sport fun, enjoyable and promote fair play.
• Treat all children equally, with respect, dignity and fairness.
• Involve parents, guardians and carers wherever possible.
• Build balanced relationships based on mutual trust that empower and include children in the decision-making process.
• Always work in an open environment. Avoid private or unobserved situations.
• Put the welfare of each child first before winning or achieving performance goals.
• Be an excellent role model including not smoking or drinking alcohol in the company of children.
• Give enthusiastic and constructive feedback rather than negative criticism. 
• Recognise the developmental needs and capacity of children and avoid excessive training and competition, pushing them against their will and putting undue pressure on them.

PRACTICE TO BE AVOIDED

In the context of your role at Elie Sports Club, the following practice should be avoided:

• Having ‘favourites’ – this could lead to resentment and jealousy by other children and could be misinterpreted by others.
• Spending excessive amounts of time alone with children away from others.
• Entering children’s bedrooms on trips away from home, unless in an emergency situation or in the interest of health and safety.  If it is necessary to enter rooms, alert the occupants by knocking and announcing your intention to enter. The door should remain open, if appropriate.
• Where possible, doing things of a personal nature for children that they can do for themselves.
• Making contact or holding discussions with children via social networking sites or texting.

PRACTICE NEVER TO BE SANCTIONED

In the context of your role at Elie Sports Club, the following practices will never be sanctioned:

• Engaging in sexually provocative games, including horseplay.
• Forming intimate emotional, physical or sexual relationships with children.
• Allowing or engaging in touching a child in a sexually suggestive manner.
• Allowing children to swear or use sexualised language unchallenged.
• Making sexually suggestive comments to a child, even in fun.
• Reducing a child to tears as a form of control.
• Allowing allegations made by a child to go unchallenged, unrecorded or not acted upon.
• Inviting or allowing children to stay with you at your home.
• Coaches and other leaders sharing a room alone with a child for sleeping accommodation.

All concerns about breach of this Code of Conduct will be taken seriously and responded to in line with Elie Sports Club Responding to Concerns procedure.

I have read and understood this Code of Conduct and I agree to abide by the rules and guidelines of the Club.

Name (print)   …………………..……………………….          Signed …………………………….………………

Role                 …………………………….……………….        Date     ……………………………………………