ELGA child protection policy

Millions of children are involved with sport, at all levels of participation and competition, and in all sorts of situations. Sport has a responsibility to ensure their welfare and safety against harm, and golf is taking this responsibility very seriously.

Child Protection Policy

ELGA is a member of the Children in Golf Strategy Group (CiG), which consists of members from the golfing bodies across Great Britain and Ireland , and has been set up to help golf respond to the issue of child protection as a sport.

CiG has produced a Resource Pack to provide golf clubs and others involved in junior golf with good practice examples to adopt or adapt in order to help safeguard the welfare of children playing golf. The pack is a guidance document, giving comprehensive advice to coaches, volunteers and administrators on issues such as:

• what to do if you are concerned about a child
• what to do if you are concerned about an adult's behaviour
• how to transport children
• recruiting volunteers and staff to work with children

and much more and contains sample forms, codes of conduct and other resources.

The CiG Resource Pack is available by visiting the CiG website at www.childreningolf.org.uk

If you require any further advice regarding child protection, please contact the ELGA Lead Child Protection Officer: Kirstie Jennings.

Advice and Support for Clubs and Volunteers

ELGA has appointed Kirstie Jennings, the National Girls’ Development Officer as the Lead Child Protection Officer for the Association. If you have any queries or would like to discuss any issue related to child protection, please contact her via e mail, or by telephoning 01295 254190.

In many cases, a child will choose to reveal an unhappy situation at home to a volunteer or coach in golf. As a trusted adult friend, the coach/volunteer is often the most easily identifiable person for a child to turn to. You may wish to seek support in these cases and the NSPCC Helpline can provide sensible advice and support, even if you do not wish to reveal your own or the name of the child concerned.

NSPCC Child Protection Helpline: 0808 800 5000 website

If you have any concerns about the welfare of a child in golf, however great or small, or concerns regarding the behaviour or practice of a coach or organiser, please contact Kirstie Jennings on 01295 254 190.

Child Protection Resources

In order to assist clubs and county associations with the implementation of their child protection policy, several sample forms are available from ELGA:

• Parental Consent/ Medical Information Form
• Parental Consent for use of photographic images
• Allegation/Concern Recording Form

Please contact the ELGA Office to obtain these forms or request them here.

The NSPCC have a Child Protection In Sport Unit which aims to help sports address the needs they have in relation to child protection. Their website has some helpful resources to download and advice on a variety of issues.