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Safeguarding Statement and Child Protection Policy

  • Writer: SGSBC
    SGSBC
  • Jul 17
  • 3 min read

Version 1 Policy Document

Status: Version 1 for committee adoption and use by the South Galway Stormers Basketball Club. This document should be reviewed against current Basketball Ireland, Sport Ireland and legal requirements before adoption and during each review cycle.

  • Document owner: Club Committee / Club Children's Officer (cco.sgsbc@gmail.com) / Designated Liaison Person (dlp.sgsbc@gmail.com)

  • Version: Version 1

  • Prepared for: South Galway Stormers Basketball Club

  • Version date: 14 July 2026

  • Review cycle: Annual or sooner if Basketball Ireland/Sport Ireland guidance changes

1. Statement of Commitment

South Galway Stormers Basketball Club is committed to creating a safe, positive and child-centred basketball environment. The welfare of children and young people is paramount. The Club will follow Basketball Ireland, Sport Ireland and statutory safeguarding requirements and will respond promptly to concerns.

2. Scope

This policy applies to all children and young people participating in club activity, and to all adults acting on behalf of the Club including coaches, assistant coaches, team managers, committee members, table officials, volunteers and adult social participants where they interact with children.

3. Safeguarding Roles

  • Role: Purpose

  • Club Children's Officer cco.sgsbc@gmail.com: Acts as a resource for children and young people, supports child-centred practice and helps implement safeguarding good practice.

  • Designated Liaison Person dlp.sgsbc@gmail.com: Receives child protection concerns and reports to Tusla / An Garda Siochana where required.

  • Deputy Designated Liaison Person cco.sgsbc@gmail.com: Acts when the DLP is unavailable.

  • Basketball Ireland safeguarding contact safeguarding@ireland.basketball: National guidance and escalation where appropriate.

4. Principles

  • Children have the right to participate in sport in a safe and enjoyable environment.

  • Adults must maintain appropriate boundaries and act in the best interests of children.

  • Concerns must be taken seriously, recorded and reported through the correct process.

  • Safeguarding is a shared responsibility across the whole Club.

  • The Club will promote inclusion, respect and fair treatment for all participants.

5. Safe Recruitment and Training

Adults working regularly with children must complete the required Garda vetting, safeguarding training, registration and role approval before beginning unsupervised activity. Coaches must also meet Basketball Ireland licensing requirements where applicable.

6. Supervision of Children

Training sessions and matches should have appropriate adult supervision. The Club should avoid one-to-one unsupervised adult-child situations where possible. Attendance should be recorded for training sessions and matches where practicable.

7. Reporting a Concern

Any person who has a concern about the welfare of a child should report it promptly to the Club Designated Liaison Person (dlp.sgsbc@gmail.com) or Club Children's Officer (cco.sgsbc@gmail.com). If a child is in immediate danger, contact An Garda Siochana or emergency services immediately.

  1. Record the concern using factual notes: date, time, location, people involved, what was seen/heard/reported, and actions taken.

  2. Report to the DLP (dlp.sgsbc@gmail.com) or Deputy DLP / Club Children's Officer contact (cco.sgsbc@gmail.com), if appointed, as soon as possible.

  3. The DLP decides whether there are reasonable grounds for concern and reports to Tusla and/or An Garda Siochana where required.

  4. Where the matter concerns a club member or volunteer, the Club may also take interim safeguarding measures while preserving fairness and confidentiality.

8. Confidentiality and Records

Safeguarding information must be treated as sensitive and shared only with those who need to know. Records should be securely stored by the DLP/Committee in line with data protection requirements.

9. Communication with Children

Coaches will only have contact with underage players through approved group-level club channels. Coaches must not have any direct contact with underage players, including by private message, personal social media, phone or email.

10. Photography and Video

Images and video of children should only be captured and shared in line with the Club photography/video policy, parental consent, Basketball Ireland guidance and data protection principles.

11. Review

This policy should be reviewed annually, after any serious safeguarding incident, or whenever Basketball Ireland, Sport Ireland or statutory guidance changes.

Reference Points Used for Version 1

This Version 1 document has been prepared as a club-level document using Basketball Ireland and Sport Ireland resources as reference points. The club should adopt official Basketball Ireland documents where required and update this document whenever national guidance changes.

Committee Review Record

  • Date: Reviewed by Decision / Changes Next review

  • [Insert details]: [Insert details] [Insert details] [Insert details]

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