Helping to keep you safe while making sure that baseball and softball are great fun
a young person’s guide
(PARENTS! Go to the bottom of the page for information for you...)
As a baseball or softball player and a member of a club or team, we hope that you get enjoyment from playing and make lots of good friends in the process.
Before, during and after training, games or competitions, no one should ever make you feel unhappy or uncomfortable -- not other players, people watching or the coaches.
SOMETHING IS WRONG IF SOMEONE:
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Constantly teases you, shouts at you or calls you names.
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Threatens, kicks or punches you.
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Touches you or does anything that makes you feel uncomfortable.
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Makes suggestive remarks or tries to pressurise you into sexual activity.
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Damages or steals your belongings.
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Does anything that makes you feel lonely, upset, worried, unsafe, hurt or embarrassed.
At your club, there should be someone called a Welfare Officer or Child Protection Officer whose role is to look after you and make sure you are safe. You should ensure that you know who this person is.
WHAT TO DO IF YOU ARE WORRIED OR UPSET ABOUT SOMETHING THAT IS HAPPENING
If you are ever unhappy or uncomfortable about anything that happens to you, you should tell your parents or you can tell the Welfare Officer/Child Protection Officer about it and they will try to help. If the child protection officer is not available then you should tell an adult who you trust, or ask one of your friends to speak to an adult for you if you don’t want to do it yourself.
Try to remember when the things that made you unhappy happened by writing down the date, time and place, as well as what made you unhappy. If someone else saw what happened, write that down too.
There are other people who can help you, the following have free 24hour helplines
NSPCC - 0808 8005000
Childline – 0800 1111
REMEMBER – don’t keep quiet if you are unhappy. Tell someone about it and make sure that baseball and softball remain great fun – always.
STAYING SAFE
There are things you can do to stay safe:
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Always tell someone you trust straight away if there is anything that worries you.
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Avoid being alone with just one other person.
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If your parents can’t take you to training or competition, travel with a friend and try to avoid travelling in someone else’s car on your own. Always ensure your parents know who you are travelling with.
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Avoid going into someone else’s home on your own.
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Make sure you are able to make a phone call. Carry a phone card or spare change or make sure you have enough credit on your phone.
BSUK CONTACT DETAILS
Child Welfare Lead Officer:
Jenny Fromer Telephone: 020 7453 7056
HELPFUL LINKS
FOR PARENTS:
Creating a fun and safe environment for your child is important to us. To aid you in selecting a club for your child, we have written an advice note detailing the things you should look out for in a club, from a Child Welfare Policy and Welfare Officer through to qualified coaches.
It is important that parents understand the vetting process that BSUK applies to those who work with children and young people. Here you will find both a description of the CRB vetting process and information on the new Vetting and Barring Scheme which will come into effect in 2010.
For those of you who wish to help and assist your child's club by volunteering, here is a guide to volunteering.
The Government has also produced a leaflet, Safe in Sport.
Click here for BaseballSoftballUK's policy on photography and video images of young people.
Click here for BaseballSoftballUK's Child Protection Policy.
