GOVERNMENT 'SHOULD THINK AGAIN'

By Keith Bennett, Lincolnshire County Welfare Officer

I am responding to your article ‘Checks and Balances’ in your Blog of the 15th September 2009. I am in some sympathy with your views concerning parents giving lifts to children and the procedures involved in getting CRB checks. On the other hand, your comments related to showering with ‘youngsters’, and the transportation of children, are something that the Safeguarding ECB Welfare Policy regards as ‘Poor Practice’. The ECB guidelines which have been adopted by all Lincolnshire Focus and Affiliated clubs, state:

Poor Practice means you (Staff and volunteer) must never:

· Take or drop off a child at an event

· Take children to your home or transport them by car, where they will be alone with you

· Shower with a child

The above guidelines apply to adult players, club coaches and team manager when dealing with young players. I support these ECB guidelines which are designed protect young players and to also protect adults working with young players.

I have recently just advised all coaches and team managers of the Lincolnshire County under 19 squads to avoid transporting young players to, or from, matches on their own. I am aware that this action is forcing parents to transport their children to, and from, matches and coaching sessions and recognise and sympathise with your concerns about the new Independent Safeguarding Authority demands that have been criticised and made much of by the media.
I hope that your article and those expressed in the media will bring the government to reconsider their definition of the parents who transport children to games as being in need of CRB checks.
If they are forced to be CRB checked, then there will be inevitable pressure on coaches/ team managers/ adult players to transport youngsters to and from matches. This will place them in a difficult position – to follow the ECB guidelines or risk taking responsibility for children alone.
In my club, we make it clear to parents that it is their responsibility to transport their children to and from cricket events, not adult club officials, coaches or team managers.

I have been responsible for six years in promoting welfare policies for the protection of both young players and adult club members who are engaged in playing cricket in a safe environment. I only wish that my role was not necessary in cricket, but unfortunately there is sufficient evidence of crimes against children and litigation against adults involved in work with children that makes my role, unfortunately, a necessary requirement in a sporting culture.