1. Scope

1.1 This policy applies to conduct connected with [CLUB NAME]'s training, competition, changing areas, travel, camps, social activities and team communication, including relevant digital groups and accounts.

1.2 The policy applies to athletes, coaches, staff, volunteers and other adults involved in club activity. Concerns are addressed through the response procedure whether behaviour occurs in person, online or across both settings.

Adaptation note: The field findings connect harm across physical and digital settings and describe the influence of adults as well as peers. See Section 4.8 and [HU], Sections 9, 11.2 and 12.

2. Definitions

2.1 Bullying involves harmful behaviour in a relationship of unequal power, repeated or likely to be repeated. This policy also addresses single harmful incidents and other safeguarding concerns. Support does not depend on proving repetition. Conduct covered includes:

• Physical intimidation or deliberate harm outside the rules of play.
• Demeaning nicknames, humiliation, discriminatory treatment or personal attacks after mistakes.
• Deliberate social exclusion and degrading or coerced initiation practices.
• Unwanted sexual behaviour, contact or comments.
• Repeated offensive, threatening or demeaning messages.
• Spreading false or private information about a member.
• Excluding a member from essential team communication without a reason permitted under clause 3.
• Impersonating a member or publishing personal information such as their address, school or routine location without permission.
• Sharing images without the required permission, including altered images used to humiliate someone.
• Organising or joining coordinated hostile communication directed at a member.

2.2 Conduct falls within this policy whether or not a platform treats it as a violation of its own rules. A disagreement or sporting selection decision is not automatically bullying. Concerns are considered through their context, any pattern, the power relationship, the person's account and other relevant information.

Adaptation note: Distinguish recognising harmful conduct from determining a formal finding. Do not require another incident before responding to a serious concern. See Section 6.8.2; [HU], Sections 9.2 to 9.7; [G3].

3. Team groups and membership

3.1 Every official team group has a named adult administrator approved by the club and recorded at [WHERE RECORDED]. Essential information about training, fixtures, selection and travel is available through [OFFICIAL INFORMATION ROUTE].

3.2 Current squad members have access to essential team information. Removal from an official communication group is permitted only where:

• The member has left the squad or club.
• The member, or their guardian where appropriate, has asked to be removed and an alternative information route is agreed.
• Removal is a documented, proportionate safety measure or an outcome under the club's approved disciplinary procedure, with reasons, review arrangements and continued access to necessary information recorded.

3.3 The responsible person explains the removal and the alternative information route to the member. For a member under 18, guardian involvement follows the safeguarding procedure, taking account of the young person's age, circumstances and any risk from disclosure.

3.4 A member or guardian may ask [REVIEW ROLE, NOT IMPLICATED IN THE CONCERN] to review a removal. The review follows [PROCEDURE] within [LOCAL TIMESCALE], with a written explanation of the outcome appropriate to the recipient.

3.5 Members must not use a parallel group to deliberately exclude or target someone or withhold essential team information. Raising a concern must not lead to retaliatory loss of communication or participation.

Adaptation note: Social and digital exclusion are important fieldwork findings, not evidence that digital exclusion is the most frequent behaviour. Governance of club communication does not depend on a platform offering a dedicated exclusion category. See Sections 4.8, 5 and 6.8.6.

4. Contact between coaches and athletes

4.1 Routine club communication with athletes under 18 uses [APPROVED CLUB CHANNELS] and the club's agreed arrangements for adult oversight. Coaches do not require young athletes to use a private social account to receive essential club information.

4.2 Where individual contact is necessary, use the approved safeguarding arrangements for accountability and recording. Confidential welfare or safeguarding concerns are not discussed in team groups. Involve an appropriate second adult or guardian where the procedure requires and it is safe to do so. If guardian involvement could increase risk, obtain safeguarding advice before making contact.

4.3 The club provides a way to receive information and seek help without requiring a member under 18 to share a personal phone number with an individual coach. Athletes are told how to contact the safeguarding lead and the independent alternative.

Adaptation note: Routine communications and confidential disclosure need different arrangements. A group-only communication rule must not force a child to disclose publicly or to an adult implicated in the concern. See Section 6.8.4; Annex A6; [G1, G2].

5. Choosing the applications the club requires

5.1 Before requiring use of an application, [NAMED ROLE] checks its current terms for the relevant user role and age, including any applicable guardian-managed participation arrangements. Record the source, date, proposed use and account type at [WHERE RECORDED].

5.2 Where a member is not eligible, cannot access the product or needs another route, the club provides an appropriate alternative. No member is disadvantaged for receiving essential team information through that route.

5.3 Marketing a product for sport is not treated as proof that it meets the club's safeguarding needs. The club checks privacy, communication, administration, reporting and evidence-handling arrangements relevant to its intended use.

Adaptation note: Distinguish a child's participation, an account holder's eligibility and an administrator's age requirement. The recorded audit conditions do not establish that every product has the same age rule or protective defaults. See Sections 3.2 to 3.5 and Annex A4.

6. Official club channels

6.1 Every public or semi-public club channel has a named moderator, a deputy and a route for concerns, recorded at [WHERE RECORDED].

6.2 The moderator responds to a reported concern within [LOCAL RESPONSE TARGET], explains what happens next and refers safeguarding issues through clause 8. Urgent protection is not delayed by the response target.

6.3 As a club publication rule, a member under 18 is not identified by full name and image together in an open channel. Publications must also follow clause 7 and the club's privacy and safeguarding arrangements; omitting a full name does not by itself make a child unidentifiable.

6.4 Comments on posts featuring members under 18 are limited or disabled where appropriate and available. The named role checks the actual account settings and moderation arrangements before publication.

Adaptation note: Controls differ by platform and account. Human moderation and a clear route for concerns remain necessary even where automated tools are offered. See Annex A1 and Section 6.8.

7. Filming, footage and images

7.1 Filming and photography for club purposes follow [CLUB IMAGE AND PERMISSION PROCEDURE]. Obtain the required permissions, explain the intended use and respect the young person's wishes. Record permission and withdrawal arrangements; do not assume permission for one use covers public reuse.

7.2 Match and training footage has a named responsible person, an approved storage location, authorised access and a retention arrangement recorded at [WHERE RECORDED].

7.3 As a club publication rule, clips of identifiable members under 18 are not posted to open social accounts. Filming is prohibited in changing and other private areas. Members must not record or share material to humiliate, threaten or pressure another person.

7.4 Members and guardians are told where authorised club footage is stored, who can access it and how to raise a concern. Suspected misuse is referred under clause 8; necessary evidence is handled under clause 9.

Adaptation note: Footage can cause harm through recording, access or later sharing, whether or not the recording product has a social feature. Confirm image permissions and local requirements before adoption. See Section 6.8; [G4, G6].

8. Reporting inside the club

8.1 [NAMED PERSON, ROLE, CONTACT DETAILS] is the designated safeguarding contact. [DEPUTY, CONTACT DETAILS] covers absence. If either is implicated, unable to act independently or does not respond within the stated time, use [INDEPENDENT ALTERNATIVE AND EXTERNAL ROUTE]. Act sooner when safety requires.

8.2 An athlete, parent, teammate or other person may raise a concern verbally or in writing using [ACCESSIBLE OPTIONS]. No prior confrontation, screenshot or platform report is required. Explain who receives concerns, the limits of confidentiality and what happens next.

8.3 The receiving adult checks immediate safety needs promptly and uses Annex A6. They make a factual note, pass it securely to the responsible safeguarding person and confirm who has accepted responsibility. The club acknowledges the concern within [LOCAL TARGET] and agrees a safe method and time for updates. Immediate danger is referred without waiting for an acknowledgement or a completed form.

8.4 A platform report can proceed alongside the safeguarding response. The club does not wait for a platform decision before addressing safety. A coach does not conduct their own investigation or arrange an immediate confrontation with the person reported.

8.5 The designated safeguarding lead or independent alternative follows [LOCALLY CONFIRMED SAFEGUARDING AND EXTERNAL REFERRAL PROCEDURE]. Possible criminal conduct or serious safeguarding concerns are referred through the appropriate competent route without waiting for an internal disciplinary conclusion. The person managing the concern records the referral decision and reasons.

8.6 The case owner plans safe participation and support with the athlete, including their views on next steps. Parent or carer involvement takes account of age, consent, circumstances and safety. Obtain safeguarding advice first if contacting them could increase risk. Support the children involved separately where needed; an interim protective arrangement is not a finding of guilt.

8.7 The authorised handler follows the applicable fact-finding and decision procedure fairly, including hearing relevant accounts at the appropriate stage. Give the parties an appropriate explanation of action and their route to [REVIEW PERSON OR BODY] without disclosing others' confidential information. Do not require reconciliation or an apology as the condition of support.

8.8 Check for retaliation, including pressure concerning playing time, selection, training partners, travel or group access. Record legitimate reasons for relevant sporting decisions and review concerns about unfair treatment independently of the disputed decision where possible.

8.9 Follow up on [AGREED DATES], checking safety and participation. Record unresolved concerns, further action and the reason for closure or continued monitoring. Silence, an apology or fewer reports alone is not evidence that the concern is resolved. Use Annex A7 for the local arrangements and response record.

Adaptation note: Section 7 provides support information, not a complete local safeguarding procedure. Complete Annex A7.1 and confirm each service's remit before adoption. The response pathway is an implementation proposal supported by the sources in Section 6.8.5; it has not been evaluated as a B-FREE intervention.

9. The incident record

9.1 The authorised role records necessary facts about the concern, immediate safety needs, the athlete's wishes, actions, referrals, feedback and follow-up. Distinguish what was observed, what was reported and what remains unconfirmed. Use the restricted record in Annex A7.3 rather than a team chat or informal shared document.

9.2 Relevant existing evidence is handled only as needed through the authorised safeguarding process. Record its existence and location and follow instructions for secure preservation. Do not collect unrelated private material, circulate evidence in team or parent groups or ask athletes to obtain more harmful content. Ordinary messages and screenshots are not destroyed simply because another child appears in them. Do not ask anyone to download, copy or forward sexual images of a child; use the specialist referral guidance in Section 6.8.5.

9.3 Records and any authorised evidence are held in [APPROVED SECURE LOCATION], accessible only to [AUTHORISED ROLES]. The responsible role applies [LOCALLY CONFIRMED RETENTION AND REVIEW RULE], including any requirement to preserve material for a safeguarding referral or investigation. Record authorised sharing and disposal decisions.

Adaptation note: Limit unnecessary collection and disclosure without imposing a blanket ban on relevant evidence. Confirm storage, access, retention and referral arrangements before use. See Section 6.8.5; Annex A7.3; [G6, G8].

10. Review and adoption

10.1 This policy is reviewed every [PERIOD], after relevant learning from its use and when a material change affects a required platform or safeguarding route.

10.2 The club records the date on which named contacts, service remits and product guidance were checked. Review includes whether athletes can find help, promised updates occur, protective arrangements work and retaliation concerns receive attention. Share only appropriately aggregated learning outside the authorised case process.

10.3 Adopted by [APPROVING BODY] on [ADOPTION DATE]. Policy owner: [ROLE]. Next review: [NEXT REVIEW DATE]. The club explains the policy to athletes and adults in accessible forms and records where the current version can be found.

Adaptation note: Adoption is the beginning of implementation. Use the practical checks in Section 6.8.8 and Annex A7; do not treat a signed policy or a falling report count as evidence of effectiveness.