Introduction
The aim of this policy is to ensure the Health & Safety of all members of Gloucester All Blues RFC (GABRFC). The GABRFC Junior Academy Section have a policy of 'Expectations of Behaviour Guidelines' which provides guidance to coaches, parents, teachers, and players which sets out the requirement to comply with this policy and any directions or requirements published by the Senior Section.

Aim
The aim of this document is to prevent accidents and provide adequate control measures to prevent ill health to all members of GABRFC. All members of GABRFC are to comply with the measures set out within this document. To further enhance that policy the Junior Academy Section will adhere to the additional measures set out in this policy.

To ensure the implementation and successful management of this document together with all identified control measures, the management board has been appointed to undertake the daily management of this policy.

Junior Academy Section of Gloucester All Blues RFC
The Junior Academy Section of GABRFC are responsible for producing documentation dealing with all aspects of safeguarding, welfare, bullying and Equity Policies which are specific to young persons. This is further enhanced with their own 'Expectations of Behaviour Guidelines'.

All members of the Junior Academy Section of GABRFC, are to comply with all control measures contained within these documents and to comply with any appropriate part of the Senior Section Policy or directive when visiting the clubhouse.

New Members
All members of the club management board are to ensure that all new members are welcomed to the club and provided with an overview of all the current policies and procedures which are currently in place including a club welcome pack for players.

The Adult Registrar is to explain the RugbyFirst registration system, currently employed by the Rugby Football Union and the Senior Section of GABRFC. It is essential that the new player completes and returns to the Adult Registrar at the earliest opportunity all documentation associated with player registration. This includes the registration form, together with any other required paperwork. All forms must be completed in legible handwriting and signed by the player as indicated on individual forms. Without this documentation it is impossible for a player to be registered and participation in any games.

Younger players will not be permitted to play in positions if their age prohibits this under current RFU regulations.

First Aid and Accident Reporting
The Senior Section will ensure that provision is made for the players and coaches to have access to emergency first aid kits when either training or on match days.

The Senior Section encourages both coaches and administrative staff to attend appropriate first aid courses to provide emergency treatment. For home match day's additional cover if required is to be arranged with either a holder of an HSE Approved First Aid at Work qualification or a similarly qualified individual e.g. Doctor. The level of First Aid cover required is to be based on the guidelines set out in the HSE publication "A Safety Guide for Public Events". In all cases where an injury occurs, advice must be sought from qualified first aiders. When the first aider believes that the extent of the injury is beyond their level of competence the emergency services are to be contacted.

All injuries are to be notified to the GABRFC Honorary Secretary in order that action to record the injury can be taken. A review of the accident book is to be undertaken quarterly by the committee of the Senior Section so that any trends or recurring injuries may be identified and investigated. If the injury to a player meets the conditions set out by the RFU as a reportable Injury then the Injury Report Form must also be completed by the Honorary Secretary and forwarded to the RFU.

A Reportable Injury is defined as an injury which:
- Results in a player being admitted to a hospital (this does not include attendance at an Accident and Emergency Department).
- A player dies during or within 6 hours of a game or training session finishing.
- In the event of an injury occurring which meets the above definition the Honorary Secretary is to be contacted immediately. The Honorary Secretary is to instigate the Reportable Injury Event Protocol. A copy of this protocol is held by the Honorary Secretary.

All injuries or accidents which are not deemed to fall under the category of a reportable injury are to be recorded by coaches on the IRB Medical Occurrence Form (copies are held with the club 1st team manager) and submitted to the GABRFC Safeguarding Officer. All Accident/Injury Reports are to be reviewed by the Club management board to identify any trends or poor coaching practices.

Advice from medical professionals should be taken before playing, especially before returning to training and matches following an injury.

When attending away fixtures it is the responsibility of the hosting team to provide if they deem necessary any additional first aid cover. Coaches of the Senior Section will ensure that their players have access to our first aid kits. Any injuries received at away fixtures are to be notified to the Honorary Secretary.

Any items, which are used from a first aid kit, are to be replaced at the earliest opportunity, which is overseen by the Honorary Secretary.

All coaches and administrative staff are to be conversant with the method of calling the emergency services when required. During the current building works in the vicinity of the pitches & ca park, a clearly defined access route is to be maintained with emergency bollards to enable any emergency services vehicles attending an incident to approach as close as possible to the incident. This access route is to be communicated to all players, coaches and administrative staff of GABRFC Senior section. The provision of the access route is also to be briefed to all clubs who will be attending any arranged matches at the site.

A first aid kit is provided at the clubhouse for used in the event of an accident. If present qualified first aiders will provide assistance. If no first aiders are present then the emergency services are to be called. In cases where a first aider deems the injured person requires treatment which is outside the capabilities the emergency services are to be called immediately.

Risk Assessment
To ensure that all risks are identified full Risk Assessments will be conducted for the clubhouse and pitches to identify all hazards that could harm any players, coaches, administration staff or spectators. These assessments are to be reviewed at the commencement of each season.

If conditions require, then adjustments to the assessment are to be made at the pitch. All coaches are responsible for conducting an inspection of their individual training/match areas prior to the commencement of any session to ensure that there are no hazards present.

A risk assessment for the clubhouse will be reviewed following any structural changes or changes in procedures. All parents/guardians of the Junior Academy Section are to be informed of the content of this assessment and are to comply with any control measures implemented by the Senior Section for their safety whilst visiting the clubhouse.

Code of Conduct and Behaviour
It is important that all those who are concerned with the Senior Sections of Gloucester All Blues RFC remember that when training or playing a match, they are all ambassadors for the game of rugby and GABRFC. To promote good conduct and behaviour there are simple guidelines which should be followed by players, the administrative staff (including coaches) and spectators.

The RFU has in accordance with legal requirements produce a Safeguarding document which has been incorporated into the Junior Academy Sections Equity policy documentation. The Codes of Conduct and Expectations of Behaviour Guidelines for Players, Coaches, Parents, Teachers and Spectators are set out in the GABRFC Junior Academy Section Policy documentation. The Anti-Bullying Policy is also included in the GABRFC Junior Academy Section Equity Policy. The Junior Academy Section have a simplified version of these Codes of Conduct and Expectations of Behaviour which can be found in the GABRFC Junior Section Handbook which is available to view from the Junior Section Policies on our website. A copy will be available in the clubhouse for parents to view.

Job Descriptions
All key club officials have simple job descriptions, which defines the role and duties they undertake for the Senior Section. Not only is it important for everybody to understand their own role and responsibility, but it is also important for them to see how they fit into the whole picture - what everybody does and where jobs interact together.

Pitch Regulations
The Senior Section, Gloucester All Blues RFC Pitches are located on the sports pitches. As this area is under executive control through lease from the Local Council Authority, the Senior Section must comply with any regulations or guidance issued by the Local Council Authority.

Tour Guidelines
Any members who are planning to organise a tour for the Senior Section are to comply with the RFU Tour Guidelines, a copy of which can be obtained from the Safeguarding Officer, Junior Section or downloaded from the RFU Website.

Organisers must produce in advance of the tour all the documentation which is required by RFU Tour Guidelines. This includes the production of the Financial Planning Sheet detailing all costs of the tour including transport, accommodation insurances and any additional entertainment costs. It must also detail the required financial payments required from each participant. Details of any sponsorship or fundraising must also be included.

The Club Management Board shall be presented with all documentation prior to a tour for their consent to the tour proceeding. The final decision on the tour proceeding will be taken by the Chairperson, Vice-chairperson and Treasurer once all documentation has been presented. Any organiser who does not produce or amend as requested any part of the required documentation will not be permitted to proceed with the tour.

Club Website
GABRFC has a joint website for both the Senior and Junior Sections. It contains a variety of information, policies documents, useful forms, match reports and match photographs.

As the Junior Academy Section are required to comply with the current issued guidelines from the RFU the Junior Acadamy Section Safeguarding Officer in conjunction with the Webmaster are to ensure that all requirements are complied with and reviewed on a regular basis.

Full details of the requirements are set out within the Junior Aacdemy Section Equity Policy documentation.