These policies are intended as a guide for dojos to accept, modify or develop specific policies for their own needs.
Primary Responsibility:
This policy is to be placed in a location within the dojo that is visible to all members and visitors
PURPOSE
The dojo is committed to the safety and wellbeing of children and the protection of children from harm during training in Aikido.
The purpose of this Risk Management Strategy is to accept the ‘duty of care of children’ under the care, responsibility and instruction of the dojo by:
identifying and assessing possible sources of harm to children;
taking steps to decrease or prevent harm from occurring;
This will create an environment that is safe for children to participate in Aikido, and assist in protecting members from any seeming loss of ‘Duty of Care’.
STUDENT REGISTER
A register of all students will be maintained which includes the following details for each student:
At least two (2) emergency contacts.
Any physical restrictions or impediments.
Any medical conditions and emergency treatment (or waiver) as outlined by parent
Details of persons authorised to collect children from the dojo.
CODE OF CONDUCT
In addition to the general Code of Conduct for training at the dojo, the following will be adhered to specifically when training with children during either dedicated childrens classes or as part of standard classes.
This code impacts on Instructors, students and parents of child students and is to be brought to the attention of all members and parents of child students for their compliance.
Upon joining the dojo, a medical questionnaire for child students is to be completed (by parents) to ensure that medical & physical issues which may impact upon a safe training environment are known to the Instructor(s).
Irrespective of parental permission at the time of joining the dojo, to ensure permission is still valid, all children are to be delivered in person to the dojo by an adult or be in possession of an authorising note. A child without either of these is not to be allowed onto the mats.
Children are not to leave the dojo unless in the company of a parent (or authorised person) or without a written note from a parent.
Parents will advise the instructor if their child is leaving class early to ensure that the instructor can account for the location of all children under their supervision.
All Instructors are subject to the State regulatory requirements for working with young people (e.g. in Qld the Commission for Children and Young People and Child Guardian Blue Card vetting process)
All Instructors should hold a current first aid qualification.
The Instructor will ensure that a sensible child student to Instructor ratio is maintained. Where there are concerns regarding the ability of the Instructor to safely supervise the number of students, the Instructor will advise the head dojo instructor or Management Committee who will make arrangements for additional Instructors or class options.
Any physical contact with children is to be:
- appropriate to the situation;
- started only after all safety considerations have been explored and met; and
- necessary and appropriate for the person’s skill development.
Martial arts training requires actions which, from time to time, are calculated risks in a controlled environment. Instructors will maintain an attitude which demonstrates that their position is one of trust and may require individual support and encouragement beyond that of an adult student. All actions within training
Instructors will provide increased vigilance in specifically monitoring children in regards to safe breakfalls and the application of any Aikido techniques which place stress on joints. It is noted that the techniques of Nikkyo and Sankyo are NOT to be applied on children under 16 years.
Aikido training incorporates weapons training as a tool for reinforcing the fundamental principles of Aikido and extending the techniques of the body. Children will not undertake weapons training unless:
- They have demonstrated some basic ability in Aikido principles and techniques.
- They have demonstrated a level of maturity and self control
- Have had safety principles explained to them
- Are under continual supervision by a person of responsibility as deemed appropriate by the Instructor
Injuries are to be reported in accordance with the Griffith Aikido procedures ensuring that such incident is brought to the attention of the management committee.
REPORTING BEHAVIOUR
Concerns regarding the behaviour of any persons towards children, or regarding any breaches of this risk management strategy, is to be immediately brought to the attention of the Instructor.
The Instructor then has the responsibility of undertaking any immediate steps available to resolve the issue, and advising head dojo instructor or a Member of the Management Committee.
This does not remove the option of members to report the matter directly to the head dojo instructor or Management Committee however the Instructor should be keep advised of any incident during a class under his/her supervision.
This also does not remove the option to report the matter to the state Police Service where considered appropriate, however it is preferred that matters are first addressed internally.
Primary Responsibility:
The head dojo instructor or management committee has primary responsibility for the implementation of this policy.
Policy:
Children should only visit the toilet in the company of a parent or another appropriate child.
Procedure:
[1] The instructor in charge of a class or activity is responsible to ensure that children do not visit the toilet alone.
[2] Where possible, all children under the age of twelve years old should be accompanied to the toilet by a parent, or with several other children. If this isn’t possible, a child should have their parent’s consent or advise the instructor, and be accompanied by at least one other child of the same gender, over the age of twelve.
[3] Children over the age of twelve must make their parent or the instructor aware of their intent, and comply with any direction to wait. The instructor will appoint a child of similar age and gender to accompany them.
[4] Any inappropriate activity in or around toilet facilities must be reported immediately to the instructor, who must assess the risk and the nature and if appropriate ensure:
a) Immediate steps are taken to reduce risk to child’s safety;
b) Notification of Police
c) Notification of head dojo instructor/Management Committee/Club President;
d) Initiation of Critical Incident Procedure and completion of Critical Incident Report Form
Primary Responsibility:
The head dojo instructor or management committee has primary responsibility for the implementation of this policy.
Policy:
Children should be changing into appropriate training garments prior to arriving at the dojo, or in an appropriate changing room.
Procedure:
[1] The instructor in charge of a class or activity is responsible to ensure that children change into training garments privately and safely.
[2] Where possible, all children should arrive at the dojo already changed into their training garments. Girls should wear a light singlet, T-shirt or similar underclothing.
[3] Where children need to change into training garments, parents should be directed to private areas whereby children can change in private and safely. If parents are temporarily unavailable, the instructor should ask an older child of the same gender to assist the child to change.
[4] Any inappropriate activity where children are changing must be reported immediately to the instructor, who must assess the risk and the nature and if appropriate ensure:
a) Immediate steps are taken to reduce risk to child’s safety;
b) Notification of Police
c) Notification of Management Committee/Club President;
d) Initiation of Critical Incident Procedure and completion of Critical Incident Report Form
Primary Responsibility:
The head dojo instructor or management committee has primary responsibility for the implementation of this policy.
Policy:
Parents must ensure that their child arrives and departs from the dojo safely. During training, it is preferable that a parent or guardian be present at all times.
Procedure:
[1] Parents are responsible to ensure that children arrive and depart from the dojo safely.
[2] Children must arrive at the dojo door with a parent or guardian.
[3] Where possible, a parent or guardian should be present while their child is training to ensure safety, assist children with changing, accompany children to the toilet if necessary, or any other reason requiring a child to leave the dojo area.
[4] A parent may leave the dojo while their child is training if they ensure the instructor is aware that they are doing so, that they are immediately contactable by mobile phone and that they return by the end of class. While this measure is in place to assist parents with managing family requirements, the preference is that a parent or guardian is present at all times.
[5] A parent leaving the dojo while their child is training should be advised that should they not return or contact the instructor within 30 minutes after the scheduled end of class, the emergency contact on the child’s membership form will be contacted. If the emergency contact is unable to be reached within the next 30 minutes, the police will be contacted regarding delivery of the child to a police station as a place of temporary custody.
[6] Any inappropriate activity where children are arriving and departing must be reported immediately to the instructor, who must assess the risk and the nature and if appropriate ensure:
a) Immediate steps are taken to reduce risk to child’s safety;
b) Notification of Police;
c) Notification of head dojo instructor or Management Committee/Club President;
d) Initiation of Critical Incident Procedure and completion of Critical Incident Report Form
Primary Responsibility:
The head dojo instructor or management committee has primary responsibility for the implementation of this policy.
Policy:
Photographs and video are sometimes taken of children for inappropriate purposes. Apparently innocent photographs or videos are still able to be used for inappropriate purposes. Any photographs or video taken inappropriately, or taken by strangers, will be reported to the instructor who will take immediate action.
Procedure:
[1] The instructor in charge of a class or activity is responsible to ensure that there are no photographs or video taken of children inappropriately.
[2] The instructor in charge of a class or activity is responsible to ensure that strangers taking photographs or video are immediately challenged and questioned to establish whether they have a relationship to the child of whom they are taking photographs or video. If they are complete strangers, they must be asked to cease their activity immediately.
[3] The instructor in charge of a class or activity is responsible to ensure that any taking of photographs or video by parents or club members is appropriate to the activity. If there is any doubt about the appropriateness of the photography or video-taking, the person taking photographs or video must be asked to cease their activity immediately, and immediately questioned to establish whether their activity is, in fact, inappropriate.
[4] Any taking of inappropriate photographs or video, or strangers taking photographs or video, must be reported immediately to the instructor, who must assess the risk and the nature and if appropriate ensure:
a) Immediate steps are taken to reduce risk to child’s safety and if required;
b) Notification of Police;
c) Notification of head dojo instructor or Management Committee/Club President;
d) Initiation of Critical Incident Procedure and completion of Critical Incident Report Form