Safeguarding Policy

1.      Nuneaton Chess Club (hereinafter the ‘Club’) has decided to adopt a child safeguarding policy. This will apply to all members of, and visitors to, the Club when undertaking Club activities. A child in this context is deemed to be anyone under 18 years of age. The normal venue of the Club is Attleborough Liberal Club, Bull Street, Nuneaton, CV11 4JX.

2.      The club welcomes to its Monday evening sessions and events, junior players, who already play chess to a reasonable standard or at least know the basic rules of play. It also allows juniors of an appropriate level to participate in inter-club matches which are played on a Tuesday evening. Children ‘UNDER 14’ MUST be always accompanied (at same location) by their parents/carers/guardian.

3.      For children from aged 14-17, where possible, we operate to a ‘rule of three’ (ie. the supervisor will need to be accompanied by least 1 other adult, in addition to the child).

Where the ‘rule of three’ is not possible (eg. Travelling to away matches), the expectation is for parents to accompany their child, unless the parent has expressed (and the club has accepted) the details of permission, in writing beforehand (However, the overall responsibility for the child remains with the parent/carer/guardian).

4.      There is currently no formal teaching of chess within the Club. If the club, at any point, does appoint official chess teachers, they will have gained full DBS clearance.

5.      A copy of this policy will be posted on the Nuneaton Chess Club website. The purpose of this policy is to safeguard the welfare of children attending the Club by protecting them from physical, sexual, and emotional harm. We operate DBS checking for our members with supervisory roles, in accordance with the gov.uk framework.

6.      The Club has a Child Welfare Officer, whom has full DBS clearance. The current holder of the post is Philip Briggs. Any child welfare concerns or allegations, and any comments or questions regarding the policy, should be directed to him. In the event of a concern regarding the Safeguarding Officer, a member of the committee (i.e. Colin Green, Scott Middleton-Tolley, Adrian Fowkes, or Ken Wilson) should be contacted by email, by phone, or in person at the club.

7.      Any allegations or concerns will be recorded and, if necessary pursued, by the Club’s Child Welfare Officer in accordance with the English Chess Federation’s Child Welfare Policy Guidelines. Serious concerns will be reported to the appropriate authorities.

8.      Committee members and DSL’s cannot act in ‘loco parentis’ at any club session, event or match (ie. cannot accept liability for any child member). Therefore Parents/carers/guardians are ultimately responsible for their junior players and need to consider their well-being, safety, and behaviour within any arrangements.

9.      We would ask all players to sign in on entry and new members to sign up on their first visit. For Juniors; we also require the name and email address of parent/carer/guardian (additionally, a phone number is essential if the Junior, aged 14-17, is to be left without their supervision).

10.   Please make us aware of any severe allergies or medical conditions for any Junior members or vulnerable adults.

11.   We ask that parental consent is given before any photography of Juniors takes place.

12.   We make it our duty to notify Parents/carers/guardians of any gifts accepted, or received specifically between adult and junior members, and we would ask that there has been express permission given from parents/carers/guardians, if this is to happen.

13.   This policy will be reviewed from time to time in line with experience and best practice around safeguarding.