Policies 2 of 7

2. Child Welfare & Protection FAQs


Intro
Corinthian Hockey Club (CHC) is fully committed to safeguarding the well being of all its members. In working with young people and vulnerable adults, our first priority is their well being and safety.

CHC is committed to following Hockey Ireland’s (HI) Code of Ethics for Young People. This is a comprehensive document which can be downloaded from the HI website: Code of Ethics

CHC has a Safeguarding Statement which is physically displayed in the clubhouse. CLICK HERE to download.

Q: What is the Code of Ethics?

A: The HI Code of Ethics is a framework that Irish Clubs in hockey must follow in order to ensure hockey is safe and fun for young people and vulnerable adults.

It covers such issues as:
• Clubs' legal obligations to protect children and vulnerable adults;
• Provides Codes of Conduct and Guidelines;
• Provides general Policies and Procedures;
• Provides specific child protection procedures

With emphasis upon:
• the needs of the child/vulnerable adult
• Integrity in relationships
• Club atmosphere and ethos
• Equality and fair play.

Q: If I have a concern about a child or a vulnerable adult, what do I do?

A: If there is an immediate danger, ring the Gardaí. If not, you should immediately make contact with any of the Club's Children's Officers or the Designated Liaison Person to report your concerns. You can find the required details HERE. The DLP is then responsible for reporting any concerts to the Statutory Authorities.

Q: What should I do if I have a concern about the activities of another person within CHC?

A: If you see inappropriate behaviour off the pitch and it is safe for you to challenge the inappropriate practice, do so, politely. The welfare and safety of the child/vulnerable adult is paramount. Please then immediately report it to the Team Coach and/or Manager and also (crucially) make contact with any of the Club's Children's Officers where your concerns will be treated in confidence. Any inappropriate behaviour on the pitch should immediately be brought to the attention of the Team Coach and/or Manager and also contact any of the Club's Children's Officers to make a report.

Q: As a Parent/Guardian, what do I need to be aware of?

A: HI has a lot of support information available to parents. In addition, Parents/Guardians should make sure to attend parental meetings, be aware of what is happening in the Club in general as well as on the pitch at training and before, during and after matches.
Don't hesitate to engage pitch-side strangers in casual conversation. If they are genuine and well-intentioned, they will not mind such overtures. If not, they will probably leave immediately in which case, take a note of their car type, colour and registration number and pass it to the DLP who will follow up with An Garda Síochána.

As parents, you are our greatest resource to keep your children safe. We cannot do it without you. When signing up to your child's club membership at the start of every season, you also sign up to the Parental Code of Conduct. Do familiarise yourself with this. You should also check out and be aware of the identity and contact details of the club child protection team: CLICK HERE.

Q: As a Club Member, what do I need to be aware of?

A: As there are under 18 players in the club, some may be on your team and possibly also on the opposition team, you need to be aware of the need to behave appropriately, play within the rules of the sport and speak appropriately to them in age-appropriate terms and generally watch out for their welfare, on the pitch and off.

Q: As a Team Captain, what do I need to be aware of?

A: Find out if any of your team squad is under 18. At the start of all matches, you have a responsibility to inform both umpires and the opposing team captain that there are children on the pitch so that the game will be regulated accordingly.

Q: As a Coach/Sports Leader, what do I need to do?

A: Before you become actively involved, you must by law be vetted by the Vetting Bureau of An Garda Síochána through the HI and you must also undertake a basic 3 hour Code of Ethics Awareness Course, which is often referred to as Safeguarding 1. You must then provide the Club with a copy of the Safeguarding Certificate. You can find the Leaders Code of Conduct HERE.

Q: How do I get myself Garda Vetted?

A: Garda vetting for hockey is now an online procedure, but there are some offline elements.

1.You need to complete a hard copy of Part 1 of the Application Form called "Invitation to E vetting", which can be accessed at and downloaded from www.hockey.ie: CLICK HERE

2.Then you must gather together your original documents necessary to prove your identity to the Club's Designated Liaison Person (DLP) or one of the Children's Officers (CO) by appointment so that they can complete Part 2, examine your original documents and copy them for the Club's records (CHC is required to collect and keep this data under the Child Protection legislation). The Club DLP then lodges your completed form with Hockey Ireland who will submit it to the Garda Vetting Bureau.

3.A form will then be sent to your nominated e mail address for completion by you and submission online to the Vetting Bureau within a 4 week period. This is a strict time limit after which the invitation expires and the process will have to start again from the beginning. It also incurs a further €10 administrative charge from Hockey Ireland.

4.When you have submitted that form online, the Vetting Bureau will then do a search and will disclose your Vetting Status to Hockey Ireland, who will notify the Club DLP of the result. You are informed by email that "a disclosure has been made". This means that your vetting status has been notified back to the Club. More details are available in the Support section of www.hockey.ie which has a specialised FAQ section on the Garda Vetting process: CLICK HERE.

Q: If I've already been Garda Vetted for school/Scouts/Church/GAA/martial arts, do I still need to go through the process again for hockey?

A: Yes. By law, all Garda Vetting for hockey must be done through Hockey Ireland. Vetting is (unfortunately) not transferable between different activities and associations.

Q: What if I've already been vetted by Hockey Ireland by another hockey club, do I still need to go through the process again with CHC?

A: No. What you do need to do is to download, complete and submit to the DLP in CHC a form called "Previously Vetted Form" downloadable from www.hockey.ie (CLICK HERE. This form authorises Hockey Ireland to disclose your vetting status (your data) to CHC. The DLP will then lodge this form with Hockey Ireland which will then disclose your vetting status to CHC's DLP

Q: How long does my vetting status last?

A: You need to be Garda vetted every five years.

Q: How much does it cost to get Garda Vetted?

A: Hockey Ireland charge CHC €10 per name submitted for vetting. CHC reserves the right to seek payment of this sum from each individual application at Proof of Identity stage.

Q: Can I be Garda vetted even if I'm not 18 yet?

A: Yes. Once you are 16 you can be vetted once a Parent or Guardian has completed and signed a Parental Consent Form available from www.hockey.ie (CLICK HERE .Then you need to gather your ID, meet the DLP and follow the process as explained above.

Q: Does Garda vetting cover any time I have spent living abroad?

A: No, the Gardaí can only process requests which cover addresses in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.

Q: I've only just moved to live in Ireland, what do I do about Garda Vetting?

A: You will still need to be vetted if you are taking up a Coaching/ Sports Leader role but CHC will need to be satisfied about your police record. You should discuss with the DLP which of your immigration documents the DLP will need to examine. If you are from the UK, it will be necessary for you to apply to the UK Police Authorities for a UK police clearance certificate: CLICK HERE

Q: What is involved in doing a Code of Ethics Basic Awareness (Safeguarding) Course?

A: These three hour workshops are run by Sport Ireland (formerly known as the Sports Council of Ireland) through the Local Sports Partnerships run and administered by the Local Authorities throughout the country. The Local Authority for CHC is South Dublin County Council whose website www.sdcc.ie CLICK HERE has up to date details of forthcoming courses which are generally run in the evenings during the week.

When you have completed your course, you will get a Certificate which you will need to produce to CHC's DLP so the Club can keep a copy which is a legal requirement. If there is sufficient demand, CHC may organise for one of these courses to be held up in the Club during the summer so that all is ready for the start of pre-Season training.

Q: How often does my Safeguarding training need to be up-dated?

A: The training needs to be up-dated every five years. There is an app refresher course available through Sport Ireland but you can only use this to update once, another full Safeguarding course must be done after another five years.

Q: What does the Designated Liaison Person do?

A: Designated persons are responsible for dealing with any concerns about the protection of children. The Designated Person is responsible for reporting allegations or suspicions of child abuse to Health Services Executive or Social Services (NI) and/or An Garda Siochana/PSNI.

For more Information: CLICK HERE

Q: What does the Children's Officer do?

A: The appointment of Club Children’s Officers is an essential element in the creation of a quality atmosphere for young people in any club. They act as a resource to members with regard to children’s issues and also ensure that children have a voice in the running of the club and can talk freely about their experiences.

For more Information: CLICK HERE