ANTI-BULLYING POLICY

1. Participants; Coaches; Volunteers and Officials

This policy provides information on Brentwood Netball Club’s Bullying and Harassment Policy. It explains the aims, objectives and how it intends to achieve them. The policy also sets out the process to follow when dealing with complaints of bullying or harassment.

Brentwood Netball Club is committed to providing an environment which promotes good working relationships between service users, volunteers, and members of staff. All employees and volunteers should be able to come to work or play sport without being intimidated, harassed or bullied. Brentwood Netball Club will not tolerate any such behaviour on the part of their employees or volunteers and will challenge bullying and harassment to create an environment where everyone is made to feel safe and able to enjoy their sport.

Brentwood Netball Club will address and endeavour to eliminate harassment and bullying by:-

  • Promoting a positive working and sporting environment where all members,
    staff, and volunteers are treated with dignity and respect.
  • Ensure that allegations of harassment and bullying are fully investigated.
  • Use the Brentwood Netball Club and England Netball codes of conduct and
    Disciplinary Regulations where appropriate.
  • Provide access to confidential support and where necessary counselling
    services.

2. Definition of Bullying & Harassment

There are many definitions of harassment or bullying. For practical purposes harassment and bullying involves something that is unwelcome, unwanted and causes detrimental effect.

Harassment: Is unwanted conduct with the purpose or effect of violating a person's dignity or creating an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment for that individual. Harassment has a legal definition under the Equality Act 2010 when this unwanted conduct is related to a relevant protected characteristic.

Harassment can take many forms. For example, abusive language, name calling, offensive screen savers, jokes, offensive emails, texts, cruel or offensive postings on social media sites. It can also include spoken or written words. The conduct is unwanted in the sense of unwelcomed or uninvited, even if the victim has not expressly communicated to the harasser that they object to the behaviour. A serious one-off incident, for example forwarding a pornographic email, can be classed as harassment.

Bullying: Can be defined as unwelcome, malicious, insulting, offensive or intimidating behaviour or treatment by one individual, or groups which may be persistent or an isolated incident. Bullying can involve misuse or abuse of power or a group may bully an individual.

Direct Discrimination: This occurs when a person directly discriminates against another person because of a 'protected characteristic, where they treat them less favourably than they treat or would treat others. It is direct discrimination when the person who engages in less favourable treatment is influenced at least in part (consciously or subconsciously), by the protected characteristic (for example, a person's sex, race or disability).

Victimisation: Victimisation has a specific meaning under the Equality Act 2010. It is subjecting someone to less favourable treatment because they have made a complaint of discrimination, lodged a grievance, supporting a colleagues' grievance or bringing a tribunal claim alleging discrimination or harassment.

3. Participants; Coaches; Volunteers and Officials

Every allegation of bullying or harassment WILL be investigated by Brentwood Netball Club and responded to appropriately. Those responsible for providing netball opportunities and environments are responsible for providing a safe and inclusive environment where bullying
behaviours will not be tolerated.

All Coaches, Volunteers and Officials will initially investigate and respond appropriately. However, in some situations, the Brentwood Netball Club member may refer and report the case to the Brentwood Netball Club CSO, who may in serious cases involve England Netball or other specialist organisations

4. Parents & Carers

All parents and carers should be provided with a copy of the Codes of Conduct and be aware of what the expectations are on them, what they can expect from the club, and be aware of what the local procedures are for handling allegations of bullying or harassment.

When a concern has been raised about a young person, the person should be made aware of the concern and be given the opportunity to discuss it. The parents of both the person against whom a complaint is made and those of the person who has suffered as a consequence of the behaviour, should be consulted on action to be taken and be part of any agreement to be put in place to tackle the issue. Parental consent will be needed for any
acceptable behaviour contract or agreement which is designed to change behaviours and they may need to be asked to enter into such agreements themselves.

Parents should be provided with support and information on how to deal with their child being bullied or doing the bullying, including who they can talk to in the club and referral to support services outside the netball environment.

5. Young People

Young people need to know who to talk to about any concerns and should feel confident that they will be listened to and action taken. Speaking out can be a brave step to take, and it is crucial that once this step has been taken the response to it does not put that person off opening up more about what they are experiencing.

Young people need to be told what will happen if they raise a concern and supported through the process. They should be assured of a safe environment in which to carry on playing their netball and not be made to feel that they cannot take part in the sport.

Clubs which have put in place a mentoring scheme, which gives the young persona known contact which can support them when they are feeling unsure or upset. Parents and the club should make sure you know who this is.

Young people should also be provided with referrals to support lines and other sources of external help, but the club also needs to keep involved and keep the young person informed and comfortable with the way in which an issue is being dealt with. The voice of the young person must be heard and listened to, whilst objective investigation is made and acceptable agreements for any change in behaviour made.

6.Support & Resources

National Bullying Helpline
http://www.nationalbullyinghelpline.co.uk
Telephone: 0845 22 55 787

Anti-Bullying Alliance
http://www.anti-bullyingalliance.org.uk

Bullying UK
https://www.bullying.co.uk
Telephone: 0808 800 2222

Cyber Bullying
http://www.cybersmile.org

Stop Text Bullying
http://www.stoptextbully.com