Coaches (coaches, youth administrators, volunteers, selectors, team managers etc.) should familiarise themselves with the Code of Ethics and Good Practice for Children’s Sport and the Hockey Ireland Code, and follow procedures if they suspect or receive complaints of abuse.

Coaches should:
• Be positive during sessions and competitions, praise and encourage effort as well as results
• Put welfare of the young person first, strike a balance between this and winning / results
• Encourage fair play and treat participants equally
• Recognise developmental needs, ensuring activities are appropriate for the individual
• Plan and prepare appropriately
• Anyone working with children should do the Child Protection Awareness Course – Safeguarding 1 Code of Ethics Basic Awareness/Child Protection Workshop and hold up-to-date qualifications and be committed to the values and guidelines of Hockey Ireland
• Involve parents where possible and inform parents when problems arise
• Keep a record of attendance at training and competitions
• Keep a brief record of injury(s) and action taken
• Keep a brief record of problem/action/outcomes, if behavioural problems arise
• Report any concerns in accordance with this Code’s reporting procedures
• Encourage young people to give respect and expect respect
• Be acutely aware of the power that you as a coach develop with your players in the coaching relationships and avoid any sexual intimacy with young people that could develop as a result
• Actively discourage the use of performance enhancing drugs, the use of alcohol and tobacco and any illegal substance
• Encourage young people and other coaches to develop and maintain integrity in their relationship with others

Coaches should avoid:
• Spending excessive amounts of time with children away from others
• Taking sessions alone
• Taking children to their home
• Taking children on journeys alone in their car
• Using text/messaging as a means of communication with children (U/18)

Sports Coaches should not:
• Use any form of punishment or physical force on a child
• Exert undue influence over a participant in order to obtain personal benefit or reward
• Engage in rough physical games, sexually provocative games or allow or engage in inappropriate touching of any kind, and /or make sexually suggestive comments about, or to a child. This includes innuendo, flirting or inappropriate gestures and terms
• Take measurements or engage in certain types of fitness testing without the presence of another adult and permission of the parent(s).
• Undertake any form of therapy (hypnosis etc.) in the training of children
• Do not exploit any coaching relationship to further personal, political or business interests at the expense of the best interest of your players
• Never communicate or form a “friendship” with children online with the intent of arranging to meet in the “real world”
• Never ask anyone to keep secrets of any kind

Confidentiality should be maintained in respect of all issues and people involved in cases of abuse, welfare or bad practice. It is important that the rights of both the child and the person about whom the complaint has been made are protected. All Club Members have the right to confidentiality. Personal and/or sensitive information cannot be shared without member’s express permission.

The following points should be kept in mind:
1. A guarantee of confidentiality or undertakings regarding secrecy cannot be given, as the welfare of the child will supersede all other considerations
2. All information should be treated in a careful and sensitive manner and should be discussed only with those who need to know
3. Information should be conveyed to the Parent(s) / Guardian(s) of the child in a sensitive way
4. Giving information to others on a ‘need to know’ basis for the protection of a child is not a breach of confidentiality
5. All persons involved in a child protection process (the child, his/her parents/guardians, the alleged offender, his/her family, Coaches) should be afforded appropriate respect, fairness, support and confidentiality at all stages of the procedure.
6. Information should be stored in a secure place, with limited access only to designated people.
7. The requirements of the Data Protection laws should be adhered to.
8. Breach of confidentiality is a serious manner.

I agree to abide by the rules and procedures of Hockey Ireland set down in this document and the Guidelines and Code of Conduct for Coaches:

Name (in print): _______________________

Signature: _______________________

Date: _______________________