Welcome to the Nottingham Portland Swimming Club. We hope your child(ren) will enjoy the experience of being a Club member including the training, competitions and social interaction with all our members.

An assessment of your child(ren) has already been carried out to place them in the appropriate training lane and competition level. This letter is aimed at giving information that may be of assistance to you as new members. Please do ask me, the Club Membership Officer, or any committee member or coach if you have other questions not covered in this letter.

Firstly, who runs the Club? A full list of Club officers, committee members and coaches can be found on the noticeboard (on the right as you enter the pool) and website. Below is a list of some of those officers for your information.

• Chairman: Paul Toplass – [email protected]
• Secretary: Angela Yeomans – [email protected]
• Membership Officer: Paul Yeomans – [email protected]
• Welfare Officer: Hayley Williams/Stephanie Palmer – [email protected]
• Head Coach: Lucy Toplass – [email protected]

We are a Swim21 Club and follow the guidance in Wavepower for child safeguarding, the ASA Code of Ethics and Codes of Conduct. While we hope your child will be happy and content at the Club, sometimes questions, concerns or issues may arise.

If you have a question regarding coaching you should in the first instance approach your child’s coach. Do so at a time convenient to you both and please do not go on poolside and interrupt training sessions. The coaches will be happy to arrange a time before or after training to discuss any training issues.

If you have a question or concern regarding child welfare, the Club Welfare Officer should be informed. Alternatively, there is a dedicated helpline for anyone wishing to raise a safeguarding or welfare concern directly to the Swim England, called Swimline – telephone number 0808 100 4001. Details can also be found on the Club noticeboard.

Our Club is committed to providing good child safeguarding practice for all our young members and we have adopted the Swim England Safeguarding Policy – Wavepower, a copy of which is held by our Welfare Officer or can be viewed and downloaded from www.swimming.org. Section 6 gives information and guidance to parents. Our Club is one where we accept that good safeguarding and fair play is paramount for all our young members.

If at any time you are unable to stay during training, please ensure that you (or another designated adult) arrive before the end of the training session to take responsibility for your child(ren). Please come into the pool area and wait in the spectator gallery at Portland Leisure Centre or in the seating area/corridor at the University Pool, so we know swimmers have been safely collected.

We recognize that, on occasion, parents may be unavoidably delayed, therefore please advise your child(ren) to stay with a trusted adult in the Club until you arrive. If not possible, they should notify a member of the Centre staff or Reception. They should not go outside the building.

The Nottingham Portland Swimming Club is always looking for parental help. You may offer to help or a member of the committee may approach you to see if you are able to assist. We are a voluntarily run Club and appreciate all the help parents can give us, however small.

Lastly, we have a parent’s code of conduct, which goes alongside similar codes for the coaches, officers and swimmers. Both parents should read and sign the parent’s code of conduct and countersign that of your child/children, where possible.

We hope you and your child/children enjoy being a member of the Nottingham Portland Swimming Club.

Useful websites for parents, children and young people:

1. Kidscape – have a helpline and downloadable leaflets on what to do if your child is being bullied. The ASA have formed a relationship with Kidscape and can when required refer swimmers who have been bullied to attend the WIZ course in London. www.Kidscape.org.uk
2. NSPCC – Help for adults: worried about a child? Call the NSPCC Child Protection Helpline on 0808 800 5000.
3. Childline – Help for children and teenagers. Need advice or just want to talk? Call ChildLine 0800 1111. Calls are free and confidential.
4. Child Protection in Sport Unit (CPSU) – Call 0116 234 7278. CPSU have useful downloadable documents at www.cpsu.org.uk including:

• Club safety list for parents
• Protecting your child by listening
• How you can help make sport safe