Important Documents – Army Gliding Club (Anglia)

ARMY GLIDING CLUB (Anglia)

SAFEGUARDING & CHILD PROTECTION POLICY

This policy complies with relevant rules as directed by the

Wattisham Flying Station Commander, the MOD, the Army Gliding Club and the BGA

Amendment: 001 – dated 1 August 2024

Reference:

This document sets out the Safeguarding and Child Protection policy and expectations of parents/carers and young people attending The Army Gliding Club (Anglia) – AGC(A): the ‘Club’), at Wattisham airfield or other club flying locations. For the sake of brevity, the term “Safeguarding” will be used interchangeably throughout this document and covers both child protection (for those under 18 years old) and vulnerable adults. Similarly, “child or young person” covers those under 18 or vulnerable adults who may fly with us from time to time as part of an organised charitable group, e.g., Help for Heroes.

1. The Army Gliding Club (Anglia) (the ‘Club’) wants parents/carers to be fully aware of the limited supervision the Club can provide for those in their care, especially when they are not involved in flying activities.

2. Although we do not want to put unnecessary restrictions in the way of any young person keen to participate in gliding, we consider it essential that parents/carers clearly understand what they can and cannot expect the Club to do towards looking after their child whilst on the military airfield and in our premises.

3. To this end, we ask each parent/carer to read and sign a copy of this Club direction. If you have any questions, they must be addressed through the Chairperson or Safeguarding Officer before their child can attend activities.

Children under the age of eighteen

4. Children under 18 are only allowed on the military airfield and premises if they are in the care and supervision of a parent/carer or an adult nominated and agreed by the parent/carer.

5. The designated adult must be on-site throughout the day and will be expected to participate actively in this supervision. Parents/carers are welcome to operate a rota whereby one designated adult supervises several children. The designated adult must be confirmed to the Duty Instructor and noted on the flying allocation whiteboard (mobile tower) at the beginning of each day. If any member is concerned about a young person’s safety or behaviour, they should inform the designated adult. It is imperative that the designated adult has the contact details of the parent(s)/carer(s) and is also aware of any medical issues that might arise (nut allergy, Type 1 diabetes, asthma, etc.). The designated adult must not leave until all young people under their care have been collected.

6. All children must have read and signed a copy of the Code of Conduct.

What parents can expect the Club to do?

7. The Club sees flight safety as its highest priority and will do all it can to ensure everyone is safe whilst involved in flying activities on the ground and in the air. This starts when a young person applies to join the Club or joins as part of a family membership. The club Secretary will provide a briefing that sets out the roles and responsibilities of the young person, parent/carer, and the Club. They will also point out essential safety information, safety on the airfield and other immediate hazards.

8. Further briefings are given as an integral part of learning to fly a glider, and air and ground safety tuition continues well past the first solo stage. Once the young person goes onto the airfield to fly, their flying and safe conduct are the instructors’ concerns. The safety aspects of flying are structured and are the responsibility of the Chief Flying Instructor (CFI), who devolves safety through all the instructors under them. The Club does not have the facility to directly supervise young people (under 18 years old) when they are not flying or given specific ground-handling training. Supervision at all other times is the responsibility of the parent/carer or the designated adult nominated by them.

Parents must be aware.

9. Any young person joining the Club enters a multi-age club, not a youth club, and all members of any age come and go when they please and with no formality (apart from authorised or escorted access at the main gate). For young people, this means that unlike going to school, where the educational setting takes on some parental/carer responsibility for part of the day or a Scout camp where Leaders do the same thing 24 hours a day, coming to the Club is different. No one at AGC(A) checks that a young person has arrived and/or accepts a degree of responsibility for them.

10. Our instructors are volunteers and give their time to instruct for free. Pupils, therefore, will regularly train with several instructors different from the same instructor. As a result, our club gliding instruction is not considered a regulated activity, so the Club does not generally carry out DBS checks for its instructors. However, the Club will provide recognised NSPCC training, free of charge, to all full-category instructors, many of whom already hold basic or enhanced DBS certificates.

What the Club cannot do

11. The Club does not attempt to provide supervision for young people other than directly associated with our flying activities.

12. Young people are not allowed to stay overnight at the Club unless a parent/carer or an adult nominated by the parent/carer is present and the Chairperson and Committee have authorised an overnight event.

13. Another area of concern is transport to and from the airfield. The airfield has virtually no public transport, and although some young people who live within a few miles might cycle to the Club, most rely on their parents/carers for transport. Parental/carer transport is ideal but not always possible. Therefore, your child may get to know an adult member and be offered a lift, which may or may not be acceptable to you. The important thing you need to know is if this happens, it will be a private agreement and not an arrangement made with the Club’s agreement and/or consent.

14. If a young person has any concerns about their treatment at the Club, they must be advised to contact you immediately, or if there is a rota in place, they must speak to the designated adult, who must contact you directly. A young person with an issue or concern should also report it to the Duty Instructor, Chairperson, Safeguarding Officer or a Committee Member.

15. If any parent/carer has concerns about the information in this policy, related issues, or questions about the points raised here, please contact the Club Chairperson.

As parent/carer of ……………………………………………….. I acknowledge receipt of the above information.

Name of Parent/Carer (please print): ……………………………………………………

Signed ……………………………………………… Date……………………………..

CODE OF CONDUCT – Junior Members and their Parents/Carers

Introduction.

The Club believes that members, their guests and visitors are entitled to expect courtesy consideration and to operate within a safety culture. The development and maintenance of such a safety culture relies on everyone being able to trust one another and each person showing consideration and having a duty of care for fellow participants. To this end, the Chairperson and Club Management Committee expect specific minimum standards of behaviour from members, their guests and visitors.

This includes a responsibility for all members, their guests, and visitors to bring to the attention of any Club official any situation that is believed to constitute a hazard so that adequate mitigation can be applied or the risk of exposure to the hazard can be removed.

Please read and sign below to show that you agree to follow the Code of Conduct. The Chairperson and Committee will deal with any breaches of these or other Club rules.

2. The Code of Conduct – Juniors.

As a junior member of the Club, I will:

Learn good airmanship, gliding laws and rules, and safe behaviour around aircraft and airfields.
Contribute to the Club’s safety culture by paying attention to the activity, being considerate to others and following instructions given by instructors and other club members.
Not undertake any task or activity for which training and where appropriate authorisation has not been given.
Respect all equipment on site and operate equipment only on which training has been given and authorisation approved.
Respect all participants’ rights, dignity and worth regardless of gender, ability, cultural background, race or religion.
Help anyone, if needed.
Join in with all the activities, including being prepared to stay on-site for a reasonable duration when attending on gliding days. The duty instructor will usually stop instructing at dusk (or when everyone has flown), in which case a member flying a club 2-seater with instruction is expected to help the duty instructor and other members clean the aircraft and pack away at the end of the day. The last person flying a club single seater must ensure it is packed away (and covers put on) before they leave.
Pay any flying, training or events fees under the Club’s payment terms.
Without fear, report to an Instructor or adult member any issue that I witness or hear about that could be deemed dangerous, bad practice, or disrepute the Club.
Remember that the Club is located on an active Military Airfield, and I will ensure that I obey orders and directions by military guards or safety staff.

Junior Surname (please print)
Signed
Date

1. The Code of Conduct – Parent/Carer

As the Parent/Carer of________________________________, I will:

Support their involvement and help them to enjoy their sport.
If under 18, supervise them whilst on the airfield premises and, when necessary, arrange and agree for a nominated adult to be responsible for them in my absence, as set out in the policy above.
Encourage them to learn good airmanship, the laws and rules governing gliding, and safe behaviour around aircraft and airfields, including ground handling operations.
Encourage them to treat others how they would like to be treated.
Help them to recognise good performance, not just results.
Never force them to take part in the sport.
Set a good example by recognising fair play and applauding all the good performances.
Never punish or belittle a young person for making mistakes.
Always use correct and proper language.
Encourage and guide participants to accept responsibility for their performance and behaviour.
Liaise regularly with club officials. The primary point is the Chairperson or Secretary.
Co-operate with club officials where appropriate, especially on matters of safety.
Ensure prompt payment for their child’s flying, training or events fees under the Club’s payment terms.
Remember that the Club is located on an active Military Airfield, and I will ensure that I obey orders and directions by military guards or safety staff.

Parent/Guardian Surname (please print)
Signed
Relationship with the young person
Email
Mobile Number
Date