England Golf has adopted the SafeGolf policy with the primary aim of ensuring that there is a safe and positive environment for everyone involved in the game of golf.

All golf clubs affiliated with England Golf are required without exception to adhere to the SafeGolf policy. A key feature of the policy is that each golf club must follow an accreditation process that culminates in the award of an accreditation certificate.

One component of the accreditation process is the need to communicate the SafeGolf policy to the Club's members. The purpose of this message is to provide the relevant information.

The steps taken by the Club include the following:

Appoint a Club Welfare Officer (CWO)

In summary, the CWO is the club contact to whom concerns and matters of a safeguarding nature should be referred. In a case involving immediate risk of safety or medical welfare the emergency services should be called.

After due consideration it was agreed that the Club should have two CWO appointments, and these are Peter Harrington and Sheena Harrington.

CWOs are required to have a DBS clearance certificate approved by England Golf and these have been received.

CWOs are required to have attended two online workshops; namely 'Safeguarding and Protecting Children' and 'Time to Listen'. This action has been completed.

Adopt Policies and Procedures

On 13th April 2021 the Club's Main Committee formally adopted two policy documents. England Golf provided templates to be used and the Club's policies are personalised versions of the templates. England Golf has seen and approved the Club's two policy documents. All the Club's members are required to adhere to the policies and procedures that are laid out in these documents. It is important to recognise that the scope of the policies and procedures applies to all individuals at the golf facility at Richmond Park and not just the Club's members. Looking more closely at the policies we see:

(i) the RPGC Adult Safeguarding Policy. This policy sets out the patterns of behaviour that might give rise to an indication of a safeguarding issue and the policy identifies the appropriate course of action to be taken. View Policy...

(ii) the RPGC Children and Young People Safeguarding Policy and Procedures. The arrangements at the Park do not support the Club having a junior section. From time to time the Club has had a few junior members. Without the framework of an orderly junior section the Club has maintained a policy of ensuring that juniors play with and stay with a parent or guardian at all times. We know that aside from our Club's members there are many juniors that attend the Park and they can be seen on the courses, on the driving range, and at the Clubhouse. By virtue of the adoption of the Policy it is necessary to emphasise that in conjunction with Glendale Golf the Club now has an overriding general duty of reasonable care for all juniors in attendance at the Park. View Policy...

Communications

In addition to the issue of an information message to the Club's members, one of the Club's notice boards at the Park contains copies of the two Policies and Procedures documents and these may be referred to if a safeguarding matter should arise. The notice board also contains a statement of the CWO Roles and Responsibilities, and finally, for identification purposes the notice board displays photographs of Peter Harrington and Sheena Harrington.

Further information may be obtained from Peter Harrington. Email: Secretary@Richmondparkgolfclub.org.uk

Regards

Peter Harrington
30 September 2021