RKC Guardians

The RKC Dojo subscribes to and fully endorses, The Guardian's Safeguarding program. This program is to ensure the safety and safeguarding of all our dojo members. Briefly, "Safety" protects against environmental hazards, while "safeguarding" addressed issues like harrassment, grooming, bullying, etc. More details can be found on our website.

The following is an extract from The Guardian website (www.theguardian.co.za):

Understanding Safety vs Safeguarding:

Safety protects against environmental factors through compliance with regulations like the Occupational Health and Safety Act and security measures.

Safeguarding prevents toxic relationships within organizations, addressing:

• Sexual Harassment

• Grooming

• Bullying

• Harassment

• Inappropriate online relationships

• Assault

• Sexual assault

Organizations working with vulnerable persons, especially children, must take proactive safeguarding measures. The Guardian’s developed principle of “The Four and Six” provides the foundation for effective proactive safeguarding.

What is The Four & Six Principle?

South Africa has arguably one of the best Constitutions in the world and our re-active safeguarding legislation is quite strong. Proactively however, our legislation is sorely lacking. South Africa doesn’t have much legislation that forces organisations (schools, sports clubs, churches, restaurants, hotels etc) who engage with children and vulnerable persons (see below) to be proactive. An interesting observation is that countries who have strong proactive legislation have significantly lower crimes against children.

Vulnerable Demographics

Although children are statistically the most at risk demographic, it is important to bear in mind that there are other demographics who are at risk when organisations don’t implement proactive safeguarding measures. Those demographics include, but are not limited to women, mentally challenged persons, physically disabled persons, pre-peeking athletes, high performance athletes, elderly persons, minorities, those that identify as part of LGBTQIAP+ communities and others.

Safeguarding is such a big subject and to assist Designated Safeguarding Officers (DSO’s) with the implementation of their basic safeguarding structures into their schools and sports clubs, and really any organisation that may engage with children, The Guardian have developed THE FOUR & SIX PRINCIPLE. It is the absolute minimum of best international safeguarding practices that every organisation that engages with any type of vulnerable person should adopt.

The Four & Six in Sport

There are FOUR things that every sports club must ensure, in accordance with the SASCOC policy have been addressed, and the SIX are the six things that every coach, mentor, technical official, volunteer, administrator, medical staff, chaperone, physio etc. must do.

1. Safeguarding Policy and Procedure Manual

Every club must have safeguarding Policies and Procedures. These are the rules of engagement when it comes to safeguarding within all sports clubs whilst training or competing and when on tour. Most of South Africa’s Sporting Federations, in alignment with SASCOC’s Safeguarding Policy, would have developed their own Safeguarding Policy and Procedure Manual and this can generally be adopted by the club. It is vitally important because it ensures that all staff or volunteers are aware of what their responsibilities are regarding Safeguarding.

2. Appoint, train, empower, and develop your club's DSO

All sports clubs must ensure that they have appointed and trained a Designated Safeguarding Officer (DSO). This DSO must be empowered to manage all aspects of the club’s safeguarding, both reactively and proactively. They must also be supported and empowered by the club’s committee in terms of safeguarding decisions that need to be made for all facets of the club; including but not limited to, training, competing, socialising, or touring.

3. Anonymous Reporting

No safeguarding plan is complete without giving all club members and visitors the ability to report anonymously on challenges they may face. This does not remove existing reporting structures but rather adds to and assists the safeguarding framework that is implemented. Studies from all over the world show that anonymous reporting, if implemented correctly, assists the clubs safeguarding efforts tremendously. Some of the reports that are reported more regularly are bullying, inappropriate online and real-world relationships between coaches and athletes, grooming and influenced team selection. This is also a powerful weapon in any DSO’s arsenal when it comes to safeguarding as it tends to ensure that any person who wants to engage with athletes for inappropriate reasons such as grooming tend to be deterred by the fact that their advances can be reported anonymously.

4. Communication

For some, the communication element of the FOUR is considered the least important, however, getting this wrong makes almost all other safeguarding efforts ineffective. It is one thing to have a strong Safeguarding Policies or a functional DSO, or even an Anonymous Reporting App, but unless all club members and visitors know how to access the solutions available, it really all comes to naught. A DSO must make use of all communication strategies as often as possible. Whether that is scheduling trainings for athletes or driving social media awareness campaign or putting up posters around the club informing members what the policies are and who the DSO is and how to report anonymously the efforts of the club will be quite ineffective. Communication is vital to ensuring effective safeguarding strategies.

The Six for Sport

Every person who assists the club in any way, either as a volunteer or as an employee must ensure that they have completed the following six things:

1. Sexual Offences Register Clearances (SOR)

They must be cleared, in accordance with The Sexual Offences Amendment Act and SASCOC’s Safeguarding Policy, against the Sexual Offenders Register.

2. Child Protection Register Clearances (CPR)

They must be cleared, in accordance with the Children’s Act and SASCOC’s Safeguarding Policy, against the Child Protection Register.

3. Criminal Check

They must be cleared of having any previous convictions in accordance with the SASCOC’s Safeguarding Policy. The merits of this clearance must be considered when learning about a potential criminal conviction.

4. Sign Declaration of Good Standing (DOGS)

They must sign a Declaration of Good Standing, stating that they have never been asked to leave any previous place where they were working or volunteering under any suspicious circumstances or behaviour involving a child.

5. Sign the Sports Code of Ethics

They must sign to say that they accept that they will behave at all times in alignment with the ethical standard expected of a coach.

6. Safeguarding Awareness Certificate (SAC)

Understanding the basics of safeguarding is important for all persons who may work or volunteer in all sports clubs. This basic course should be done annually by all persons who assist the club in any way.

Extracted from:

https://www.theguardian.co.za/

https://www.theguardian.co.za/four-and-six/