1. Can we do a single annual medical / photo parent / guardian consent form to cover all our club training sessions and home events (such as junior GPs) or should we do separate consent forms for each specific event?
Yes, one form is sufficient as long as the environment is the same, i.e. if its for all training and domestic matches. However if you decided to travel and stay overnight you would design an additional form to include extra requirements that might be necessary to know.
2. How long do we need to retain the paper copies for after an event and where should we store them?
Volleyball England have a Data Retention Policy which outlines that member records should be held on to for 6 years. We would advise that you make the records electronic to prevent storage requirements. It will also assist sharing the data when proportionate.
3. Can we do an annual single consent form to cover for juniors and adults?
You may want to differentiate the form for junior playing in adult teams so that the parent / guardian is clear on what they are consenting or you could have an additional question in your single generic form to include this.
4. What is best practice to cover individual trips to matches with adults driving?
5. What is best practice to cover overnight events (such as an outdoor volleyball tournament)?
Yes I would request additional consent from the parent / guardian for over-night stays. As each case is different i.e., some events may include camping while others include a hotel. The CPSU have a good guidance document about this. Day trip guidance can also be found here.
6. We have juniors (U18s) with parents in the club, should we still get them to complete consent forms?
Yes you are best to keep the same process for all.
7. We don't have a safeguarding policy in place, do you have a template?
Volleyball England have created two policy template (Safeguarding and Protecting Children Policy & Safeguarding Adults Policy) which you can download from the Club Hub.
8. Who can I contact for local support?
Sport England have launched a new Sport Welfare Officer Network who are based at their Active Partnership, they will providing support to Volleyball England and our clubs to promote good practice and safe sport for children, young people, and adults on a local level. You can find more information about the network here and you can find the contact details of the Sport Welfare Officer in your local area here.
9. Do both CWOs need to have completed both adult and child safeguarding courses? Or can one have completed child safeguarding and one adult safeguarding?
No, they don't, this will depend on how you split the responsbilities between individuals in the club. You willl need to make sure sure that one individual has completed child safeguarding and the other adult safeguarding if you are splittng the role.
10. Is it just the CWOs required to complete the safeguarding or are coaches required to have completed the courses too?
No, all coaches are required to have a valid Safeguarding and Protecting Children certificate or Safeguarding Adults in Physical Activity and Sport certifciate. This is then needs to be renewed every 3 years. This will be required when a coach is completing their Coach Award Course. More information can be found on our Training and Certification webpage.
