Appropriate Behaviour and Boundaries

In this lesson you will learn what it means to be in a position of trust. Coaches, captains, team managers, officials and many volunteers hold authority over junior players and others. That authority brings responsibility. People in a position of trust must never use it to gain influence, favours or inappropriate relationships, and the law makes it an offence for a sports coach in a position of trust to engage in sexual activity with a sixteen or seventeen year old in their care. Treat everyone fairly, avoid favouritism, keep relationships professional and remember that a junior's welfare always comes before results. Being trusted is a privilege that must be earned and protected.

• Authority brings responsibility
• Never use your role for personal advantage
• The law protects 16 and 17 year olds in a coach's care
• Welfare always comes before results

In this lesson you will learn how to communicate safely. Use official club channels and group messages for team arrangements, and include parents or carers when contacting under-18s. Avoid private one-to-one messaging with juniors, and do not add junior players as friends or followers on your personal social media accounts. Keep all messages professional in tone and content, and never send anything you would not be happy for a parent or the welfare lead to read. Avoid late-night messages. If a young person contacts you privately about something personal, respond briefly, keep a record and inform the welfare lead. Clear, transparent communication protects everyone.

• Use official channels and group messages
• Include parents when contacting under-18s
• No private messaging or social media friendships with juniors
• Keep every message professional

In this lesson you will look at physical contact in a cricket setting. Coaching sometimes calls for contact, such as adjusting a grip or guiding a bowling action, and first aid may require it too. Contact should only happen when it is necessary, in response to the player's needs, in an open place, and with the player's understanding. Explain what you are going to do and ask first. Demonstration is often a better alternative. Physical contact must never be intrusive, never be for the adult's benefit and never be secret. If a player seems uncomfortable, stop. If contact happens accidentally or is misunderstood, tell the welfare lead and record it.

• Contact only when necessary and in the open
• Explain and ask before any contact
• Demonstrate instead where possible
• Stop if a player seems uncomfortable
• Record and report any misunderstanding

In this lesson you will learn about safe supervision. Junior sessions should have enough adults for the age and number of players, and ECB guidance recommends at least two adults present so that no one is left alone with a child. Avoid situations where you are unobserved with a junior, such as in an empty pavilion or a parked car. If a one-to-one situation cannot be avoided, for example waiting for a late parent, stay in a visible place, tell another adult and let the parent know. Keep a register of who attends and who collects each child. Check the WFA policy and ECB guidance for the specific supervision ratios that apply to your activity.

• At least two adults with junior groups
• Avoid being unobserved with a junior
• Stay visible if one-to-one is unavoidable
• Keep registers of attendance and collection

In this lesson you will learn how to manage changing rooms safely. Changing rooms are a common place for privacy and dignity to be compromised, especially where juniors and adults share facilities, as often happens in a family league. Adults should not change or shower at the same time as junior players, and where facilities are shared, arrange separate times or areas. Mobile phones and cameras must never be used in changing rooms. Supervising adults should normally be of the same sex as the group and should only enter when necessary, ideally in pairs. Juniors should be encouraged to arrive ready to play where facilities are limited. Check the WFA policy for local arrangements.

• Adults and juniors do not change at the same time
• No phones or cameras in changing rooms
• Supervise in pairs and only when needed
• Encourage juniors to arrive changed

In this lesson you will consider travel and trips. Parents and carers are responsible for arranging their child's transport to and from cricket, and any lift arrangements made by the club should be agreed with parents in advance. Avoid driving a single junior alone where possible. If it cannot be avoided, get the parent's consent, sit the child in the back and tell another adult your route and timings. Drivers must be properly licensed and insured, and vehicles roadworthy. Away trips, tournaments and overnight stays need planning, consent forms, medical information, appropriate supervision and accommodation arrangements, following ECB guidance and the WFA policy.

• Parents are responsible for arranging transport
• Avoid lone lifts with a junior
• Licensed, insured drivers and roadworthy vehicles
• Trips need consent, medical details and supervision

In this lesson you will learn how to handle photographs and video. Pictures of matches and celebrations are part of club life, but images of juniors must be handled with care. Obtain consent from parents or carers before taking and publishing images of under-18s, and respect anyone who opts out. Players should be appropriately dressed and images should focus on the cricket. Avoid publishing a junior's full name alongside their photograph, and never share details that could identify where they live or go to school. Store images securely on club systems rather than personal devices. Report any concern about inappropriate filming to the welfare lead immediately.

• Get parental consent for images of under-18s
• Respect opt-outs
• No full names with junior photos
• Store images on club systems
• Report inappropriate filming at once

In this lesson you will bring everything together. Clear boundaries protect juniors and adults at risk, but they also protect volunteers from misunderstandings and false allegations, and they protect the reputation of the league. If you see a colleague cross a boundary, raise it, either with them directly if you feel able or with the welfare lead. If you make a mistake yourself, such as an accidental one-to-one situation, be open about it and record it. Good intentions are not enough on their own. Following the WFA code of conduct consistently, even when it feels inconvenient, is what makes the Winn Family T-20 League a place where families feel confident to play.

• Boundaries protect participants and volunteers
• Raise concerns about colleagues' conduct
• Be open about your own mistakes
• Follow the code of conduct consistently