I confirm I am 18 years of age or over to make my own account/ enrol in classes/events. Otherwise my parent/ guardian must do this for me.

Section 1: Laws and Governance
Our child welfare and protection policy is based on a legal framework provided primarily by the Child Care Act 1991 and the Children First Act 2015. The policy and practice that applies in this area is outlined in this Guidance. There are a number of key principles of child protection and welfare that inform both Government policy and best practice for those dealing with children. These are:

The safety and welfare of children is everyones responsibility
The best interests of the child should be paramount
The overall aim in all dealings with children and their families is to intervene proportionately to support families to keep children safe from harm
Interventions by the State should build on existing strengths and protective factors in the family
Early intervention is key to getting better outcomes. Where it is necessary for the State to intervene to keep children safe, the minimum intervention necessary should be used Children should only be separated from parents/guardians when alternative means of protecting them have been exhausted
Children have a right to be heard, listened to and taken seriously. Taking account of their age and understanding, they should be consulted and involved in all matters and decisions that may affect their lives
Parents/guardians have a right to respect, and should be consulted and involved in matters that concern their family
A proper balance must be struck between protecting children and respecting the rights and needs of parents/guardians and families.
Where there is conflict, the childrens welfare must come first
Child protection is a multi-agency, multidisciplinary activity. Agencies and professionals must work together in the interests of children

Section 2: Loughrea Gymnastics Goal
Loughrea Gymnastics is committed to teaching gymnastics in a safe and fun environment.
The wellbeing of our athletes comes first.
CCTV: We have cameras operating in the gym covering most of the usable gym space. This is for general liability & security concerns but also to aid in the safeguarding of our gymnasts.


Section 3: Who to Contact
The Role of childrens Officers: The appointment of childrens Officers in sports clubs/organisations is an essential element in the creation of a quality atmosphere. They act as a resource with regard to childrens issue

The childrens Officer for Loughrea Gymnastics is Patricia Holten.

In summary:

childrens Officers should review current policies in relation to young people, check that all activities are safe and fun, and inform adults of how to deal with any concerns that may arise in relation to the protection of young people.
Club childrens Officers should be child centred in focus and have as the primary aim the establishment of a child centred ethos within the club. S/he is the link between the children and the adults in the club.
S/he also takes responsibility for monitoring and reporting to the Club Management on how club policy impacts on young people and Sports Leaders.
The childrens Officer should be a member of or have access to, the Club Management and should be introduced to the young people in an appropriate forum. The childrens Officer should have the following role:

To promote awareness of the code within the club, among young members and their parents/guardians. This could be achieved by:- the production / distribution of information leaflets, the establishment of childrens/age-group specific notice boards, communications to parents regarding who the childrens officer is.
To influence policy and practice within the club in order to prioritise childrens needs
To ensure that children know how to make concerns known to appropriate adults or agencies.
To encourage the appropriate involvement of parents/guardians in the club activities
To act as an advisory resource to coaches on best practice in childrens sport
To report regularly to the Club Management Committee
To ensure that the children have a voice in the running of their club and ensure that there are steps young people can take to express concerns about their sports activities / experiences.
Establish communication with other branches of the club, e.g. facilitate parents information sessions / deal with coaches and management.
Ensure that the club rules include:
Complaints and disciplinary proceedures
an anti-bullying policy
supervision and recruitment of coaches

Loughrea Gymnastics requires all coaches employed to be Garda Vetted through the National Vetting Bureau the policy on vetting requires re-vetting at least every 4 years and will be organised by the Manager.

Section 5: Awareness
The prevention and detection of child abuse depends on the collaborative effort of everyone concerned.The following factors are central to effective child protection in sport:

Awareness of the behavioral and physical indicators of various forms of abuse
Knowledge of the appropriate response and action to be taken where abuse is revealed or suspected
Vigilance, and avoidance of all situations conducive to risk
Open, trusting and co-operative relationships within the club/organisation, and with parents/guardians and others concerned with childrens progress or welfare
Willingness to co-operate with the Statutory Authorities
You should always inform the childrens Officer of the Club or Tusla when you have reasonable grounds for concern that a child may have been, is being, or is at risk of being abused or neglected. If you ignore what may be symptoms of abuse, it could result in ongoing harm to the child. It is not necessary for you to prove that abuse has occurred to report a concern to the childrens Officer of the Club or Tusla. All that is required is that you have reasonable grounds for concern. It is the role of the childrens Officer of the Club or Tusla to assess concerns that are reported to it. If you report a concern, you can be assured that your information will be carefully considered with any other information available and a child protection assessment will be carried out where sufficient risk is identified. Reasonable grounds for a child protection or welfare concern include:

Evidence, for example an injury or behaviour, that is consistent with abuse and is unlikely to have been caused in any other way
Any concern about possible sexual abuse
Consistent signs that a child is suffering from emotional or physical neglect
A child saying or indicating by other means that he or she has been abused
Admission or indication by an adult or a child of an alleged abuse they committed
An account from a person who saw the child being abused
The guiding principles on reporting child abuse or neglect may be summarised as follows:
The safety and well-being of the child must take priority over concerns about adults against whom an allegation may be made
Reports of concerns should be made without delay to the childrens Officer of the Club or Tusla
Purpose of this Complaints Procedure

To provide a fair, consistent and equitable mechanism for processing complaints against coaches.
To do so in a manner that affords all concerned full rights in accordance with natural justice.
To outline the procedures, which should be followed by all Management , coaches, parents and students and/or their representatives in the event of complaints being made against coaches
8.1.1 Forward
Sports organisations like ours, our coaches and others involved in providing activities for children and young people are increasingly using the internet and social media to promote sport and communicate with them. These forms of digital media and communication can provide great benefits. However, they can also pose potential safeguarding risks to children and young people. Communicating with children and young people online can have great benefits for an organisation, from encouraging a team ethos, to gaining new club members. Unfortunately, having negative experiences online can affect a young persons enjoyment of sport as well as their performance. Its important that organisations like ours have appropriate safeguards in place to protect children from potential risks whilst in our care or communicating with them online.

8.1.2 Potential risks to young people
Due to social medias 24 hour nature, its much easier for young people to be subjected to or become involved in negative behaviour and it may be more difficult to get away from. Additional risks include:
cyberbullying or berating by peers and people they consider friends in sport this can include negative comments or reactions to their performance or achievement
being encouraged to create or share inappropriate or harmful material of themselves or others, including sexting (sexual images or video)
making themselves identifiable by posting personal details on social media such as where they attend school or their home address
encouragement to take part in violent behaviour or harmful trends
communicating with people they dont know, including potentially dangerous individuals
communicating directly with staff or other adults in an inappropriate way
risks of online grooming
8.1.3 How to minimise the risks
Organisations should put practices in place to ensure young people are kept safe online. As an organisation we aim to:
be open and transparent in all communications, whether online or by traditional means
make sure our use of social media as an organisation is in line with our aims and values
ensure staff and volunteers who manage the organisations online presence have appropriate training on the types of technology, sites and applications young people use
address the safeguards that affect young people with clear guidelines for them to follow, as well as informing them of who they can contact and including online behaviour into our codes of conduct
equip young people with knowledge about the risks to them and how to deal with and report any concerns
develop guidance and advice for staff and volunteers that include guidance on how to behave online when representing the organisation and how to respond to inappropriate behaviour
think about how social media is used in our organisation both during activities or events and outside of normal office hours and make sure that its reflected in our policy and procedures

Section 9: Mandated Persons
9.1.1 About this section
The Children First Act 2015 places a legal obligation on certain people, many of whom are professionals, to report child protection concerns at or above a defined threshold to Tusla, Child and Family Agency. These mandated persons must also assist Tusla, on request, in its assessment of child protection concerns about children who have been the subject of a mandated report.

9.1.2 Who are Mandated Persons
Mandated persons are people who have contact with children and/or families and who, because of their qualifications, training and/or employment role, are in a key position to help protect children from harm.

9.1.3 Legal Obligations of Mandated Persons
Mandated persons have two main legal obligations under the Children First Act 2015. These are:

To report the harm of children above a defined threshold to Tusla;
To assist Tusla, if requested, in assessing a concern which has been the subject of a mandated report.

Fees for classes/activities such as monthly fees and fees for camps and events etc are often non refundable, please see Auto-Pay agreement for more info on this and our class drop notice periods etc.

I/we hereby state that I/ my child / my dependant is in good health to participate in classes, camps, events etc and have no medical conditions injuries etc that would inhibit or make the participation in the sport of gymnastics dangerous.

1.(b) If you are unsure if you/ your child/ your dependant/ the participant is in good health to participate please consult with a doctor.

2. I/we understand that there are inherent risks involved in gymnastics classes, camps, events etc that could result in but not limited too- bodily injury, paralysis or death.

3. Dress Code
Clothing should not be too loose as to pose a risk to getting caught in the apparatus eg bars or the coaches when spotting skills. Clothing must also be tight or tucked in securely to avoid it falling down during skills that go upside down eg handstands, If hair is long it must be tied up. No jewellery may be worn , exception- small stud earrings. No bracelets , wristbands, ankle bands, necklaces , rings etc may be worn. Shoes must be removed prior to class, socks may be worn the majority of the time however they may be required to be removed when practicing certain skills eg on beam for example.

4. Photo/Video Release.
I hereby grant to Loughrea Gymnastics, its owners, employees, and volunteers the right to photograph me/my dependents and use the photo or other digital reproduction of him/her/they for publication to social media, for marketing purposes, print electronic or otherwise.

I understand if I wish to opt out of public photos I must do this in the opt out of public photos tab.

5. Behaviour
(a) Disruptive or rude behaviour by your child in our classes will not be tolerated. In the event of such behaviour efforts will be made to address this with the parent and child however if many efforts to do so fail your child will be removed from the gym and will be prohibited from returning until such behaviour is rectified. Your child may be permanently removed from the gym after 1 instance of bad behaviour if the instance in particularly bad or violent in nature.
(b) Aggressive or rude behaviour of any kind from parents/guardians will not be tolerated. We are always willing to discuss things with you and can set up a meeting if needed. Shouting/confronting members of staff will result in immediate removal from the gym without refund and your child being dropped from all classes without the ability to return in the future.
Bad mouthing or gossiping regarding anything to do with the gym eg coaches, classes, other kids, parents etc will not be tolerated and is cause for removal of you and your kids from the gym without refund.
If you want to discuss anything with us that is no problem however gossiping or bad mouthing the gym or anything related to the gym is not constructive and will not be tolerated.

6.Losses
I agree that any losses or damages incurred at the gym or in association with attendance to Loughrea Gymnastics classes events etc are solely my responsibility whether they be financial, loss of property, damage to property etc.

7.Parent Viewing
Parent viewing of classes is only permitted in the reception area on screen and parents are not permitted to enter the gym area.