Welcome to Wellington RFC Minis & Juniors Section

1. Wellington Rugby Football Club acknowledges its responsibility to safeguard the welfare of all children involved in Wellington Rugby Football Club from harm.

2. Wellington Rugby Football Club confirms that it adheres to the Rugby Football Union’s Safeguarding Policy and the procedures, practices and guidelines and endorses and adopts the Policy Statement contained in that document and any successor policy.

3. A child is anyone under the age of 18 engaged in any rugby union activity. However, where a 17-year-old player is playing in the adult game it is essential that every reasonable precaution is taken to ensure the player’s safety and wellbeing are protected.

4. The key principles of the RFU Safeguarding Policy are that:

• The welfare of the child is and must always be paramount to any other considerations.
• All participants regardless of age, gender, ability, or disability, race, faith, culture, size, shape, language, or sexual identity have the right to protection from abuse or harm.
• All allegations or suspicions of abuse, neglect, harm and poor practice will be taken seriously and responded to swiftly, fairly and appropriately.
• Working in partnership with other organizations, statutory agencies, parents, carers, children and young people is essential for the welfare of children.
• Children have a right to expect support and personal and social development delivered by an appropriately recruited, vetted and managed adult in relation to their participation in rugby union, whether they are playing, volunteering or officiating in the community or professional areas of the sport.

5. Wellington Rugby Football Club recognizes that all children have the right to participate in sport in a safe, positive and enjoyable environment whilst at the same time being protected from abuse, neglect, harm and poor practice Wellington Rugby Football Club recognises that this is the responsibility of everybody involved in whatever capacity at the club.

6. Wellington Rugby Football Club will implement and comply with the RFU code of conduct and the codes of conduct for Coaches, Spectators and officials as appropriate.

7. The Club Safeguarding Officer (CSO) is Marc Acton and can be contacted via email at safeguarding@wellingtonrfc.co.uk or urgently on 07929 169828. If you witness or are aware of an incident where the welfare of a child has been put at risk you must in the first instance inform the Club Safeguarding Officer. They will then inform the Constituent Body Safeguarding Manager and RFU Safeguarding Team. If an incident involves the CSO then you should inform the Chairman of the Club and either CB Safeguarding Manager or the RFU Safeguarding Team.

8. All members of Wellington Rugby Football Club who work with children in Regulated Activity must undertake an RFU Discloser and Barring Service (DBS) check in accordance with RFU Regulation 21.

9. Wellington Rugby Football Club will ensure that all its members whether they are coaches, parents, players or officials will comply with Best Practice Guidance as issued by the RFU. In summary the following are NOT acceptable and will be treated seriously by the club and may result in disciplinary action being taken by the club or the RFU.

• Working alone with a child.
• Consuming alcohol whilst responsible for children.
• Providing alcohol to children or allowing its supply.
• Smoking in the presence of children.
• Humiliating children.
• Inappropriate or unnecessary physical contact with a child.
• Participating in or allowing contact or physical games with children
• Having an intimate or sexual relationship with any child developed as a result of being in a position of trust.
• Making sexually explicit comments or sharing sexually explicit material.
• Contacting children directly via all social media, email, text messaging, mobile phone or other source.

10. Wellington Rugby Football Club manages the changing facilities and arranges for them to be supervised by two DBS checked adults of the appropriate gender for the players using the facilities. Wellington Rugby Football Club ensures that all its coaches, parents, officials and spectators are aware that adults must not change at the same time using the same facilities as children.

11. Wellington Rugby Football Club will ensure that its coaches and team managers will receive the support and training considered appropriate to their position and role. The RFU “Managing Challenging Behaviour” Policy has been adopted and circulated amongst the club workforce both voluntary and paid.

12. Any events held on Wellington Rugby Football Club premises must comply with this policy and if appropriate a Safeguarding Plan should be discussed and circulated to those affected. Any tours overseas or domestic undertaken by Wellington Rugby Football Club must comply with the relevant RFU Regulations and Guidance relating to tours.

For the RFU’s full Safeguarding Policies Visit:

Safeguarding Children’s Policy

Safeguarding Adults at Risk Policy

Date amended 12 April 2019

Wellington Rugby Football Club, policy on drugs, alcohol and smoking has been developed as part of a whole club ethos to develop healthy children with high esteem, who are able to take responsibility for their own learning and actions.

Wellington Ruby Football Club has a zero-tolerance policy on the use of illegal drugs and substances, the purchase of alcohol by under 18’s and smoking and vaping.

The definition of drugs

‘A substance people take to change the way they feel, think or behave’.

• Drugs are categorised as illegal drugs as defined by The Misuse of Drugs Act 1971.
• Synthetic and mood enhancing drugs, such as Nitrous Oxide, ‘poppers’ and other so-called legal highs or new psychoactive substances (NPS).
• Steroids and performance enhancing substances not prescribed by a medical practitioner.

1. Any person associated with WRFC who is found taking illegal drugs, synthetic drugs or steroids on WRFC premises or grounds will be: –

• Required to leave WRFC premises immediately.
• Reported to the Police.
• Encouraged to seek counselling and help with any addiction.
• Required to attend an internal WRFC disciplinary hearing which could result in them being banned from the club.

2. Any person not associated with WRFC who is found taking illegal drugs, synthetic drugs or steroids on WRFC premises or grounds will be: –

• Required to leave WRFC premises or grounds immediately.
• Reported to the Police.
• Banned from the club.

3. Any person who is found dealing illegal drugs on WRFC premises or grounds will be: –

• Required to leave the grounds immediately.
• Reported to the Police. Any evidence (e.g. cctv or phone camera footage) will be supplied to the Police.
• Banned from the club.

Sale and Consumption of Alcohol

4. The Wellington Rugby Football Club policy is not to allow any person under the age of 18 to consume alcohol on the club’s premises or grounds, even though The Licensing Act 2003, Section 149 subsection (5) does allow us to permit individuals aged 16 or 17 to consume beer, wine or cider with a table meal. (This can be reviewed on a case by case basis.)

This may apply to the U18’s (ages 16-17) may be allowed to consume a small quantity of beer, wine or cider with a post-match meal provided they are sat at a table explicitly used for the consumption of food and under the condition they are supervised by a responsible adult 18 yrs. of age or over. At no time may they leave the table in possession of alcohol. Once they have consumed their meal, beer, wine or cider their glasses will be collected by either the bar staff or the supervising adult and returned to the bar. Any under 18’s caught in possession of alcohol after this point will be deemed to have purchased or had alcohol purchased for them illegally and therefore will have breached this policy as per sections 5, 6 or 7 below and will subject to a club discipline hearing.

5. Persons under the age of 18 are not allowed to purchase alcohol on WRFC premises, under any circumstances, even if they are purchasing the alcohol for a person aged 18 or over.

6. Any person under the age of 18 found drinking alcohol on the club’s premises or grounds will have the drink confiscated and they may be asked to leave the premises or grounds immediately.

7. Any person found purchasing alcohol for, or giving alcohol to, a person under the age of 18 may be asked to leave the premises and grounds immediately.

8. Any individual, if challenged, who can’t prove that they are 18 will not be served alcohol or allowed to consume alcohol on WRFC premises or grounds. The only acceptable proof of age documents are: –

• A valid passport.
• A valid photo driving license.
• A valid proof of age scheme card that carries the PASS Hologram Logo.

Smoking of Tobacco and Vaping

9. Smoking, including all types of electronic cigarettes, is not allowed in any part of the WRFC clubhouse including the changing rooms.

10. No person under the age of 18 is allowed to smoke or use electronic cigarettes on WRFC premises or grounds (this falls in line with a person not being able to purchase tobacco or electronic cigarettes under the age of 18 as per The Children and Young Persons Order 2007).

11. WRFC Minis and Juniors coaches and officials are asked to discourage adults from smoking including the use of all types of electronic cigarettes, when watching mini and youth training sessions and matches.

Adopted In Full By Wellington Rugby Football Club October/2019