Oundle RFC – Club Communication Update
Following a review of our social media policy, and in consultation with RFU safeguarding. The clubs use of WhatsApp to communicate club information will be terminated immediately.
Main reasoning is
- Safeguarding issues
- Data protection law
- Unwarranted disclosure of personal data
- Compliance with subject access requests
- Data breach potential
- Misrepresentation of club policy
WhatsApp is not suitable for professional use, particularly where this involves children. Organisations such as schools and sports clubs must safeguard the children in their care. This includes being responsible for their data.
All official communication will be via email, the club website or Spond for the M&J section.
There are two key risks to guard against:
- Abusive or inappropriate content, such as photos, videos or text which are on the site itself, or linked sites, such as adverts and blogs, and;
- Disclosing personal information about a child to people accessing the website. This could include the child’s name, address, or any information about the child’s life which could help a stranger target the child, or engage them in a conversation.
One aspect of inappropriate content is that it can be perceived as bullying. This could be material on the site which criticises or humiliates a child. It could also be information which places undue pressure on the child to participate in some aspect of a club’s activities.
There are now many ways for people to communicate online, including email, instant messaging or social networking sites.
The risks posed by such methods of communication arise from a variety of issues:
- the privacy provided
- the wide range of content that can be transmitted, including content of a violent, sexual or hateful nature
- the ease with which images can be forwarded onto others
- the difficulty in knowing truly who you are communicating with
In sport, there are additional risks: inappropriate pressure can be exerted by adults, particularly coaches, on children or inappropriate criticism of a child’s performance. An official position or role within a club, such as a coach, can carry with it a level of authority, and engender a level of trust, that facilitates the control of a child.
Against this background, the club needs to reaffirm rules covering how adults connected with the club communicate with children connected with the club.
It is therefore recommended that:
- When communicating by phone, where possible volunteers should speak to the parent of a child
- Volunteers should not communicate with individual children by text or online at any time, on any matter, unless there is an immediate risk to the welfare of that child which can be lessened by such contact
- If a club needs to communicate club-related information to children by email (such as training or match details), it should use email groups comprising email addresses given by parents.
- Volunteers shouldn't communicate by email on a one-to-one basis with a child; if replying to an email from a child the parent should be copied into the response
- Volunteers should not communicate with children through social networking sites such as Facebook. Coaches should not be “friends” with the children they coach
CHILDREN-LED MESSAGING GROUPS
Children in our club, particularly those old enough to be active on social media and online messaging apps, will set up groups where they can message each other in privacy, commonly referred to as ‘group chats’. Group chats are often set up using WhatsApp, or other social media apps such as Facebook messenger, and Instagram.
While we do not want to prohibit children communicating with their peers, it is important that clubs
educate children about how to do this safely. If anyone at Oundle has a concern or recognize miss use of these media, they should email safeguarding@oundlerfc.com
Parents, Coaches and Volunteers encourage children to never:
- Share anything online that they would not want released into the public. Once an image is put online, whether via social media posts or shared in a group chat, it is very hard to retrieve it
- Engage in abusive or bullying behaviour towards another person in or out of the group chat
- Share images of a sexual nature, whether of themselves or others
ORFC make it clear that if children are engaging in group chats while being part of the club, that these group chats are not an extension or representation of the club.
It is impossible to address every issue or cover every scenario a club or coach might encounter when communicating with children and it is appreciated that different ages will need to be treated differently. However, in all cases, the above guidelines should be considered when determining the most appropriate method of communication in any given circumstances.
If you are in doubt refer to our Social Media and Safeguarding policies on the website.
GDPR - HELP FOR TEAM COACHES AND ADMINS
Further to the issue of the Club's Privacy Policy for compliance with GDPR, Team and Age Group Coaches and Admins should note the following additional information.
Use of other third party applications by individual teams or age groups such as Facebook Groups, WhatsApp and Teamsnap, are not sanctioned by the Club and the Club has no control over nor responsibility for any personal data provided by club members to such apps. Use of such apps and their compliance with GDPR is the responsibility of those using the apps.
May Coaches and Admins will have spreadsheets or the personal details of club team members for their particular team or age group stored in their contacts list. This is permitted by GDPR provided:
The data is held on password or biometric (such as fingerprint) protected devices Where held on a PC or laptop, is held in encrypted form.
This will ensure that if the device is lost or stolen, the data is not accessible nor compromised.
How to encrypt a file in Windows https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/how-to-encrypt-a-file-1131805c-47b8-2e3e-a705-807e13c10da7#:~:text=Right%2Dclick%20(or%20press%20and,Apply%2C%20and%20then%20select%20OK
How to encrypt a file on a Mac: https://support.apple.com/kb/ph25553?locale=en_GB
Any concerns or ideas to improve communication please email: secretary@oundlerfc.com
