General Policies

West Dunbartonshire Gymnastics Club fully endorses Scottish Gymnastics Equity Policy, Child Protection Policy, and Disciplinary Code of Practice and Safe Recruitment. For more information on these policies please visit the Scottish Gymnastics website online at – http://www.scottishgymnastics.org/.

First Aid and Emergency Procedures

West Dunbartonshire Gymnastics Club will ensure the safety of all its members during all training and events. In the rare occasion of an accident/injury the Club will follow the First Aid and Emergency Procedures which are set by Scottish Gymnastics. In the event of an injury we will obey the following rules

  • At least one member of staff on the premises will be qualified in first aid to the correct level (Meadow Centre/OLSP High School).
  • A first aid kit will be available at all sessions.
  • The club will keep a record (up to 3 years) of accidents/injuries of gymnasts in an accident book.

In the event of an injury at training coaches must

  • Seek first aid from centre
  • Complete an accident report form for both Meadow Centre/OLSP High School and West Dunbartonshire Gymnastics Club for own records.
  • Inform the child’s parents of any injury and action taken:
  • at the end of the session (small injuries)
  • immediately (serious injuries)
  • Access to a telephone must always be available in case emergency services are required

In event of an injury at a competition

At all competitions the organiser (Scottish Gymnastics) will ensure that first aid provision is in place in all circumstances. The club will ensure emergency contact details are taken in case of an incident taking place while attending outside events/competitions. The club will also ensure a copy of the accident report is kept in club records and copy given to the parent.

Emergency Procedures in the event of a fire

All coaches must ensure they are familiar with the emergency procedures for the venue (Meadow Centre and Our Lady and St Patrick’s High School) where training takes place and the competition venue when attending competitions. Coaches are responsible for taking a register at each event ensuring all gymnasts are accounted for in an emergency.

Behaviour during club training sessions and competitions

 West Dunbartonshire Gymnastics club, as a family and fun orientated club, expect that all our members (coaches, volunteers, gymnasts, parents etc) behave in a professional and appropriate manner at all times whilst associated with the club. This expectation is carried through all club training, any competitions / events we take part in or in any fundraising events / meetings that the club attends. Any member of our club who behaves in an inappropriate manner will be subject to the procedures below for the associated category of member:

Procedure for Inappropriate Behaviour Shown by Gymnast

  • If a coach feels a gymnast has displayed inappropriate behaviour they will be given a verbal warning. They will have two chances of a verbal warning. On the third occasion of inappropriate behaviour the gymnast will be asked to sit at the side of the session for a length of time deemed appropriate by the coach. The coach is responsible for explaining to the gymnast why they have been told to sit out.
  •  At the end of the class the appropriate coach will inform the parent as to why the gymnast was asked to sit out of the session. Parents will be given the chance to discuss their child’s behaviour with the appropriate coach and head coach.
  • The coaching team will try to resolve any difficulties by developing joint strategies with parents/guardians concerned.
  • Should the coaching team be of the opinion that there has been no improvement in a gymnast’s behaviour then this will be reported to Club committee and Safeguarding officer who will agree with the coaching team on an appropriate course of action.
  • The final decision to remove a gymnast from the club altogether can only be taken by the SO, Head Coach and Committee of the club.

Code of Conduct

The code of conduct outlines the standards and behaviours that are expected of all gymnasts, coaches and parents who are associated with the club. It has been created to ensure that everyone can experience a safe, welcoming and friendly environment.

The code of conduct should be followed by all when in the gym during weekly classes and when representing the club at external events such as competitions.

Club Members

All members should:

  • Be polite and respectful to coaches, parents and other gymnasts and respect their decisions.
  • Be well behaved at all times.
  • Be punctual in attendance to training and competitions.
  • Respect the gym equipment
  • Do not use inappropriate language.
  • Remain in the gym unless you are given permission to leave.
  • Remove all jewellery and body piercing at training and competitions.
  • Make sure all long hair is tied back.
  • Ensure coaches are aware of any injuries or allergies.
  • Wear appropriate clothing for participating.
  • Do not chew gum during sessions.
  • All mobile phones and electronic devises must be switched off during sessions.
  • Try your hardest at all times with a positive attitude.
  • Do not publicly criticise fellow gymnastics, coaches or helpers in relation to ability, ethnic background or religion – understand others right to membership.
  • Should not request to add or follow coaching staff on any form of social media.

Coaches

All coaches should:

  • Abide by the Scottish Gymnastics Associations Child Protection and Equity policies and the Code of Practice for Coaches and Officials.
  • Apply the code of conduct in an equitable manner at all times.
  • Consider the well being and safety of participants before the performance at all times.
  • Endeavour to establish good communication with the club, officials and parents for the benefit of all.
  • Have an up to date disclosure or be a member of the PVG Scheme and hold valid qualifications and insurance cover.
  • Develop an appropriate working relationship with members and parents based on trust and respect.
  • Promote safe practices and training environment for participation.
  • Ensure the equipment in use meets the correct safety standard and is appropriate for the participating age group.
  • Avoid favouritism at all times.
  • Appropriate clothing must be worn for coaching and jewellery must not be worn.
  • Portray appropriate behaviour in relation to the use of appropriate language, switching off mobile phones and electronic devises.
  • Promote the positive aspects of the sport and never demean a child for poor performance or mistakes.
  • Are prohibited from sending a friend request or requesting to follow any member or their parents/ siblings on any form of social media.

Parents

All parents should:

  • Treat all coaches, parents and gymnasts with respect.
  • Pay any fees for training, competitions, and other associated fees promptly.
  • Project a positive image of the club at all times.
  • Always collect your child promptly at end of sessions.
  • Keep the club informed if your child cannot attend a session.
  • Always ensure your child is dressed appropriately for the activity.
  • Support club activities whenever possible.
  • Use correct and proper language at all times.
  • Help your child recognise good performance, not just good results.
  • Ensure your child understands and abides by the code of conduct.
  • Ensure your child attends sessions on time and only misses sessions due to understandable circumstances or events.
  • Never punish a child for poor performance or making a mistake – support your child’s involvement.
  • Should not request to add or follow coaching staff on any form of social media.
  • Prohibited from taking photography during sessions of any child unless authorised by the club, the gymnasts in the photo and their parent/ guardian.
  • Prohibited from uploading pictures onto any social media of any child with the exception of their own, unless they have consent from the child, their parent and the club.

Privacy Policy

West Dunbartonshire Gymnastics Club (WDGC) takes your privacy seriously. We are a “controller” of the personal information that you provide to us and this privacy policy sets out how, why and for how long we will use your personal data, as well as who it is shared with. It also explains your legal rights as a data subject and how to exercise them.

What we need from you

When you register as a member of WDGC or renew your membership (including if you are registering or renewing on behalf of a young person aged 18 or under), or you become a volunteer with WDGC, we will ask you for some or all of the following personal information:

  • Contact details – e.g. name, address, email address and phone number;
  • Date of birth – to calculate eligibility for events;
  • Equality information – disability (if any) and gender identity; and
  • Safety and emergency details – e.g. emergency contact information, relevant medical conditions, GP surgery details

If you do not provide us with all the personal information that we need this may affect our ability to offer you membership services and benefits or, in respect of volunteers, to allow you to volunteer.

Why we need your personal information – contractual purposes

We need to collect our members’ personal information so that we can manage your membership. We will use our members’ personal information to:

  • provide you with core member services, including voting; and
  • send you membership communications by post or email in relation to essential membership services, including but not limited to, general meeting notices, membership renewals and membership fees information.

If you do not provide us with all the personal information that we need to collect then this may affect our ability to offer the above membership services and benefits.

Why we need your personal information – legitimate purposes

We also process our members’ and volunteers’ personal information in pursuit of our legitimate interests to:

  • promote and encourage participation in the sport of gymnastics by sending members’ communications and booking information for upcoming competitions and events. Our competitions and events may be filmed or photographed and your personal information may also be used in images captured from our competitions and events, which we use for promotional, education and development purposes;
  • provide competition in the sport of gymnastics by accepting and managing entries for our competitions and checking your personal information to ensure you are entered into the correct category;
  • develop and maintain our coaches’ and other volunteers’ qualifications, including sending email communications to volunteers to inform you of upcoming courses, renewal requirements and verify that you have completed any mandatory training and PVG / child protection requirements;
  • in respect of medical information of any kind (including mental or physical), facilitate communication with gymnasts, tailor coaching styles, provide an understanding of gymnast behaviour in certain circumstances and to be able to react appropriately in the event of medical emergencies; and
  • respond to and communicate with members/volunteers regarding your questions, comments, support needs or complaints, concerns or allegations in relation to the sport of gymnastics. We will use your personal information to investigate your complaint, suspend membership and take disciplinary action where appropriate.

In respect of volunteers, we will need to collect personal information relating to criminal convictions or alleged commission of criminal offences where you are required to complete a PVG check under the Protection of Vulnerable Groups (Scotland) Act 2007. This information will include your PVG certificate number, PVG membership number, date of issue and any relevant information in relation to your membership of the PVG Scheme.

If your PVG certificate is not clear, we will have a legitimate interest to collect references and any other applicable information to allow us to consider whether or not you can volunteer in a regulated role with children and/or vulnerable adults.

Where we process your personal information in pursuit of our legitimate interests, you have the right to object to us using your personal information for the above purposes. If you wish to object to any of the above processing, please contact us on safeguarding.wdgc@outlook.com. If we agree and comply with your objection, this may affect our ability to undertake the tasks above for the benefit of you as a member or volunteer.

Why we need your personal information – legal obligations

We are under a legal obligation to process certain personal information relating to our coaches and other volunteers for the purposes of complying with our obligations under the Protection of Vulnerable Groups (Scotland) Act 2007 to check that our coaches and other volunteers are able to undertake regulated work with children and vulnerable adults.

Other uses of your personal information

We may ask you if we can process your personal information for additional purposes. Where we do so, we will provide you with an additional privacy notice with information on how we will use your information for these additional purposes.

Who we share your personal information with

We may be required to share personal information with statutory or regulatory authorities and organisations to comply with statutory obligations. Such organisations include the Health & Safety Executive, Disclosure Scotland, and Police Scotland for the purposes of safeguarding children.

We may also share personal information with our professional and legal advisors for the purposes of taking advice.

As an affiliated club of British Gymnastics we are required to ensure that all our members and volunteers are members of British Gymnastics as a condition of affiliation. We will share your personal information with Scottish Swimming who will become a controller of your personal information when they receive it. Scottish Gymmastics privacy notice explains how they use your personal information and can be accessed here: https://www.scottishgymnastics.org/privacy

If your personal information is included in any images or videos taken by us at our competitions and events, we may share this with Scottish and/or British Gymnastics for promotional and/or journalistic purposes.

We publish the results of competitions on our website and on our poolside noticeboard. This includes competitors’ name, age and result.

In the event that we do share personal information with external third parties, we will only share such personal information strictly required for the specific purposes and take reasonable steps to ensure that recipients shall only process the disclosed personal information in accordance with those purposes.

How we protect your personal information

Your personal information is accessed by our President, Development Coordinator, Vice-President, Membership Secretary, Secretary, Treasurer, Head Coach, Coaches and others only for the purposes set out above. It is stored on web storage systems which have Privacy Shield certification, and in paper and electronic records maintained by the Membership Secretary and Development Coordinator. Electronic data is protected by password-controlled systems, and paper records are held securely away from the club premises.

How long we keep your personal information

We will only keep your personal information for as long as necessary to provide you with membership services. Unless you ask us not to, we will review and possibly delete your personal information where you have not renewed your membership with us for six years.

Your rights

You can exercise any of the following rights by writing to us at westdunbartonshiregc@gmail.com

Your rights in relation to your personal information are:

  • you have a right to request access to the personal information that we hold about you by making a “subject access request”;
  • if you believe that any of your personal information is inaccurate or incomplete, you have a right to request that we correct or complete your personal information;
  • you have a right to request that we restrict the processing of your personal information for specific purposes; and
  • if you wish us to delete your personal information, you may request that we do so.

Any requests received by WDGC will be considered under applicable data protection legislation. If you remain dissatisfied, you have a right to raise a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office at www.ico.org.uk.