The Linton Chess Club is committed to providing a safe and welcoming environment for all players, including juniors and vulnerable adults, to enjoy chess. All club members are responsible for adhering to the policies outlined below and for maintaining high standards of courtesy, sportsmanship and conduct. Should they see or suspect inappropriate behaviour of any sort they should report it to the club’s safeguarding lead.
The Linton club has a number of club officers with enhanced DBS certification (six as of June 2025). They are all experienced players and most of them have coached junior players and organised competitions over many years. For the purposes of this policy they are safeguarding officials when at the club.
The highest safeguarding priority is to ensure that no child or vulnerable adult comes to any harm at the club. Harm includes deliberate abuse, bullying, neglect and inappropriate or offensive comments and may be intentional or unintentional. Anyone suffering abuse, or anyone seeing or suspecting abuse should report it to one of the safeguarding officials present or to the club duty officer on the night who will discuss it with the parties concerned and open an investigation if necessary. All instances will be noted in the safeguarding folder. If the incident is deemed to be a potential safeguarding issue an investigation will be opened and a standard ECF report form will be completed. The club’s safeguarding lead will decide on what action to take which, in more serious cases and in all cases of alleged physical or sexual abuse, may involve notifying social services or the police. In the event of such a serious allegation the member would normally be suspended whilst the external investigation is conducted. Any disciplinary processes resulting from a safeguarding allegation will be in accordance with the club constitution.
Junior players will be registered on arrival at the club and on leaving. Juniors under 14 should be accompanied to the club by their parents or a responsible adult designated by them, and they should be collected on departure. Parents should remain on site if the children are under 14, certainly until the children are settled and confident within the club. All parents should provide emergency contact phone and email addresses for use should a child suffer an accident or become distressed for any reason.
Junior players may be selected for an away match when they are sufficiently mature and experienced. Ideally they would be taken there and back by their parents. Apart from safeguarding considerations it enables the junior to be taken home at the end of their game rather than having to wait for the entire team to finish. If a junior player travels to the match with a team member parental approval should be given in advance by email. Wherever possible there should be more people in the car (adults or juniors) than just the driver and a junior passenger. After the match the junior should be transported home.
Photographs of children can only be taken with parental permission and used in accordance with their wishes. This is usually to celebrate their success with the photograph accompanying a post on the club website.
This policy shall be posted on the Linton Chess Club website and will be drawn to the attention of all parents whose children join Linton Chess Club.
The club’s safeguarding officer is Paul Kemp, paulkemp64@gmail.com, or phone 01223 872081.
Last reviewed June 2025