Reviewed: February 2022
We want every person who comes to our session to have the most fun they could possibly have but from time to time, some players have more fun at the expense of other players and this limits the enjoyment those players have during our sessions. That’s why it’s so important for us to have an effective behaviour policy that helps us to manage behaviour and help players and their parents understand what is expected of them.
By attending any of our sessions, you agree to adhere to and abide by this policy and other associated policies and rules found here.
Purpose
The primary aim of A Hill Sport LTD is that every stakeholder within our community including players, parents, staff, visitors and contractors feel valued and respected and that everybody is treated fairly and with the respect. This behaviour policy is designed to assist all stakeholders to understand and implementing ways we can work together in a way that supports these aims. By promoting an environment where everyone can feel happy, have fun and feel safe and secure, we will be able to maximise the amount of fun we can have during our sessions. This policy is designed to promote positive action that will prevent players and other key stakeholders from having a negative experience as a result of the behaviour of others.
We expect every stakeholder to behave in a way that is considerate and respectful towards others by treating one another fairly and this means we must apply this behaviour policy fairly and consistently too. By doing so, we hope to encourage good behaviour whilst deterring negative or antisocial behaviour and it will help us to develop an environment of kindness and cooperation.
This policy should be applied in line with our rules which can be found here.
Responsibility
Behaviour management is the responsibility of staff and parents of children attending our session and the players themselves. A Hill Sport LTD expects parents to work with us to address any behavioural concerns relating to their children, this includes but is not limited to resolving sibling disputes, assisting us in the application of sanctions and working with their children to improve their behaviour between sessions so as to avoid any sanctions being imposed.
Players play a critical role in the management of their own behaviour and ultimately, we hold them fully responsible for their behaviour at our sessions. If negative behaviour is identified or reported, we will work with those concerned to find a resolution. If the behaviour does not improve despite our efforts, sanctions must be applied.
When negative behaviour is identified, we will act in a timely fashion to investigate the causes and circumstances in which the behaviour took place. No sanctions will be applied until such investigations are complete except for in severe circumstances.
Sanctions
Where negative behaviour is identified, we will work with those concerned to try and resolve the issues. However, in some circumstances, a resolution may not be immediately possible. In such circumstances, sanctions may be applied. Sanctions will be applied according to the scale set out below. We reserve the right to use discretion to determine what level of the sanctions should be applied at any time.
The Sanctions Scale
The Sanctions Scale is a progressive way to deal with negative behaviour. Less severe sanctions will be applied to minor ongoing negative behaviour whilst the most severe sanctions which may include barring players from future sessions will be applied to the most severe behaviours. Examples of sanctions applied can be found below.
- Less Severe
- discussing behaviour with those concerned in an attempt to achieve an immediate resolution.
- discussing behaviour with relevant people, including the parents of children at the end of the session.
- “time out” or a temporary in-session exclusion, such as not being allowed to participate in the next round of the games we are playing.
- penalties applied in game, such as losing points or forfeiture.
- Moderately Severe:
- Exclusion from the remainder of the session.
- A temporary suspension from a number of future sessions.
- Where children are left unsupervised during the session, we may need to request children be collected mid-session.
- Most Severe:
- Permanent barring from future sessions. If a player is barred, they will be sent a letter explaining why they have been barred and to what extent the bar applies.
- Permanent exclusion from any sports or activities hosted by A Hill Sport LTD.
- Reports to external agencies, including the police if criminal behaviour is suspected or witnessed; examples may include assault, theft, criminal damage, etc.
Please note: if a player is excluded, payments will continue to be due to facilitate the reservation of the player’s space on the session. However, if you would rather not pay, we would be willing to place them back on the waiting list and their place on the session offered to another player.
Safeguarding
In some circumstances, behaviour may be indicative of a concern relating to safeguarding. Safeguarding is a critical element of our organisation because we work with children and vulnerable adults. Where a safeguarding concern is present, we will investigate such concerns and, if necessary, take steps to safeguard our customers – this may include involving external agencies. Whilst negative behaviour may result from a safeguarding concern, this does not immediately excuse the behaviour in and of itself and the same scale may be applied above. Any safeguarding concerns will be dealt with in accordance with our safeguarding policy which can be found here.
Reporting negative behaviour
If you witness or experience negative behaviour from another or between players, it is helpful to us if you report it to a member of staff so that we can investigate and take relevant action. In some cases, negative behaviour may go unnoticed where it is done in a way that is subtle and not all victims of negative behaviour, such as bullying, intimidation or harassment, will be willing to report such behaviour. By reporting negative behaviour to us, it helps to protect players and give support to those demonstrating poor conduct require to resolve their behaviour; sometimes, especially with children, players may not realise the consequences or impact their behaviour has on those around them.
If you experience negative behaviour, we encourage you to report it as soon as possible to a member of staff either during our sessions, after our session, before the next session or by contacting us at any time. We take all reports seriously and will address all concerns however, in many cases, we may not be able to disclose any actions taken against those being reported to us.
Behaviour Monitoring and Confidentiality
Every regular session has a behaviour monitoring log. This allows us to keep track of poor behaviour and monitor behavioural improvements and to also record any actions that are taken in relation to behaviour management. This log allows us to retain an evidential record of misbehaviour and incidents involving other players. This log is kept confidential and will not be shared with anyone, including by data access requests. Where records of behaviour are requested as part of a data access request, we will provide behaviour and incident reports with redactions made if they involve other players, if other players are identifiable through circumstance, these reports will be withheld. To find out more about your data access rights, please read our privacy policy.
Appeals
Sometimes, we may get it wrong. If you believe we have acted unfairly or incorrectly in relation to our behaviour management policy or if you feel sanctions applied are unreasonable, we offer everyone a fair opportunity to appeal. We will consider every appeal on its own merit and reinvestigate any incidents from the evidence available, sanctions may be withdrawn at our discretion and the outcome of the appeal will be the final decision and no further appeals will be available. If a player is suspended and continues to pay their fees to reserve their place during their appeal and if their appeal is successful, fees for missed sessions will be refunded in full.
During an appeal, no new players will be invited to take part in our sessions if it would result in the session being oversubscribed should the barred player be accepted back onto the sessions should their appeal be successful. This will allow the player to rejoin the session without having to wait for another player to leave the session.
To appeal a decision, you must email andrew.hill@activefuture.info or complete the form on our Contact Us page including your name, the player’s name if different, the circumstances surrounding why sanctions we imposed and why you feel the decision was wrong. We will investigate all appeals and deliver an outcome by email or phone within 14 days of the appeal being raised.
Players have 14 days to appeal a decision.