Below is a short guideline document to be observed by all team captains and adult team members in Open and Women's competitions.
This guidance document has been produced by the CL Child Safeguarding & Inclusion Committee for the benefit of all clubs.
This document is available to view, circulate or print here
For the purposes of this document a youth player is under 18 years of age.
The advice given is for the safeguarding of both the adult and youth players
CHANGING ROOMS:
The team captain should ensure that the club has given guidance to parents of youth players on their changing room policy. Youth players should be encouraged to arrive changed where possible and parental consent should be given if the child is to use the team dressing room. Adults should change at separate times from children and should never shower at the same time as a youth player. If a young player is uncomfortable taking part in a team talk in a changing room they should not be put under any pressure.
TRANSPORT AND TRAVEL:
Personal arrangements made between parents to transport youth players together to an adult match is best practice. Where an adult team member or captain has been asked to transport a youth player to a match it should only be done with the parent(s) consent. The adult player should not travel on his/her own with the child.
The adult player should have a point of contact for the parent(s) to update them on return times. Where possible they should avoid taking the same youth player on a regular basis.
PHONE and EMAIL COMMUNICATION:
Adult players should not make direct phone or email contact with youth players for any reason. Where a team WhatsApp group or similar exists for communicating match details, availability etc, the parent of any youth team member should be in the WhatsApp group rather than the youth player. With parental consent, or a request by a parent, a youth player can be added (as well as the parent), but adults should be aware that there are children in the group when sharing material.
SOCIAL MEDIA:
An adult player should not accept a friend request from a youth team or club member or follow them on social media platforms and should not communicate with them via personal social networking profiles, email, or chat rooms.
HEALTH AND SAFETY REGULATIONS:
Captains should familiarise themselves with the Cricket Ireland fielding, bowling and batting directives governing youth players and must strictly adhere to these regulations. A youth player should only be selected if they have the necessary technical and physical skills to play at the level required for that adult team. A youth player should never be asked to fill in at the last minute without checking their ability with a coach and receiving permission from the child’s
parent/guardian.
In accepting that a selected youth player must be able to play the physical side of the game at an adult level, captains, however, must take full responsibility for ensuring that no youth player (or indeed any player) is subjected to sledging, homophobic or racist slurs or any psychological intimidation during the match.
In selecting youth players on adult teams, clubs and captains should be aware that these young players can feel shy or isolated during the game, at teatime etc. and should be encouraged to join in. Ideally, two or three youth players should be selected on a team. Experience has shown that young players integrate better into the adult game when they are not the only youth on the team.