The organisers of the Marlow Regatta believe that the welfare and wellbeing of all children is paramount. All, regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, religion or ability, have equal rights to safety and protection. All suspicions, concerns and allegations of harm will be taken seriously and responded to swiftly and appropriately.
Welfare officers/coordinators for the competition will be appointed annually and will act as the point of contact for any concerns or allegations. The Welfare Officers for the event will be appointed and they can be contacted on the day by radio or phone via any Race Official stationed around the course and boating areas. They will determine appropriate action to be taken, and should any incident warrant such action, will be responsible for reporting to the police and the British Rowing Child Protection Officer.
The crew contact details entered on the British Rowing Entry will be used to contact the adult responsible for any junior reportedly involved in an incident. It is therefore incumbent upon the person entering the crew to ensure that a usable contact number is included in the entry. No individual contact details for juniors will be held by the committee.
Adults with responsibility for children entered in the event are expected to ensure that boating conditions are suitable. Adults – coaches and parents – are also reminded of the need for suitable clothing for the event, given that there is the possibility of a long wait before the start; crew coaches are further reminded that in rough conditions, it is they who must make the assessment of whether their crew can safely boat and race in the conditions.
In the event that a participant goes missing for a period exceeding 30 minutes, the Welfare Officer should be contacted and they will contact the police if this has not already been done.
Where staff and volunteers have unsupervised contact with children at the competition, the Committee should insist that they have a current CRB check. If any volunteers working on the competition’s behalf do have supervisory roles over children or are working unsupervised in the changing rooms when junior crews are present, they must be vetted. Also whenever possible, volunteers and staff should work in pairs.
Photography is a difficult issue for rowing events. The Marlow Regatta Committee has considered the advice given in SPCG10 and brief volunteers on how to respond to any inappropriate photography they may witness.
All competitors in the regatta may be photographed by amateurs or professionals who sell their photographs, and these photographs may be used for identification or publicity purposes. Marlow Regatta cannot prevent this, as the banks and area surrounding the course are open to the public.
Photography also includes video and live streaming. Anyone who doesn't wish to have images of them or their children used by the regatta should please let us know.
Welfare Officers and Coordinators are:
Charles Hill 07780 456976
Sharon Ferriter 07790 176731
Organising Committee of the Marlow Regatta.
