Welfare policy

Club Welfare Officers

Liz Wilson & Keith Morgan are our club's welfare officers & should be the first point of contact for any welfare or safeguarding concerns. Both Liz & Keith have completed enhanced Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) checks. If Liz or Keith cannot be contacted then any other committee member should be informed.

As a member of the Association of Running Clubs (ARC), Ashbourne Running Club has implemented the ARC Welfare Policy. The Club Committee and all members must comply with this policy relevant to their role and membership. The policy can be found here.

Role of the Welfare Officer

First point of contact for Club Members for Welfare and Adult & Child (ie anyone under the age of 18 years) Safeguarding concerns
To manage and report Welfare and Safeguarding concerns following ARC policy and procedures
Contact point for ARC regarding Welfare and Safeguarding

Club Policy/Code of Conduct

All members to adopt the principle that everybody within the Club (particularly those under age 18) should be secure and protected from abuse, maltreatment, discrimination or misconduct and to accept that each has a right to equality regardless of age, sex, race, religious or social background. The Club and its members have the responsibility to ensure that all vulnerable individuals are afforded the highest standard of care, adopting and promoting good practice for their protection. Club members to safeguard themselves from the possibility of false allegations and should conduct themselves accordingly.

As a small informal club to accept that members have varying aspirations/reasons for membership. Whilst members should be supported/encouraged to achieve ambitions they should never be pressurised to perform at a level at which they are personally uncomfortable.

Read the Code of Conduct for more details

Members must:

Consistently display high standards of personal behaviour.
Remember that someone else might misinterpret their actions, no matter how well intentioned.
Report any accidental injury, distress, misunderstanding or misinterpretation to a Committee member.
Members should not personally advise potential/or existing members re Health issues (ie suitability to run with medical condition) – we are not qualified to deliver such advice - individuals to be encouraged to direct such enquiries to their Medical Practitioner. (Recommendation to be included in Membership Application form.)
Report any suspicions of misconduct by others to a Welfare Officer or if preferred, another member of the club committee.
Avoid transporting a child alone in your car.
Not spend time alone with a child unless clearly in the view of others.
Adopt safe training activities appropriate to the age and capacity of the individual/ child.
At the outset to clarify with the child (and/or parents depending upon age) exactly what they expect from the Club and what is expected of them.Photographs, videos or other images not to be taken of children without the consent of the child/parents.