Jersey Small-Bore Shooting Association (JSSA)
Code of Conduct and Complaints policy

Codes of Conduct - Coaches

Essentially, they set out rules which we follow to ensure the safety and security of everyone involved with the Association. The essence of good ethical conduct and practice is summarised below.

All volunteers will:

• The JSSA regard the safeguarding of all juniors and any adults at risk as an absolute priority.
• Consider the well-being and safety of participants before the development of performance
• Develop an appropriate working relationship with participants, based on mutual trust and respect
• Make sure all activities are appropriate to the age, ability and experience of those taking part
• Promote the positive aspects of Shooting (e.g. fair play)
• Display consistently high standards of behaviour and appearance
• Follow all guidelines laid down by the Club and the JSSA.
• Hold appropriate valid qualifications and insurance cover
• Never exert undue influence over performers to obtain personal benefit or reward
• Never condone rule violations, rough play or the use of prohibited substances, coaches would be expected to report such violations.
• Encourage participants to value their performances and not just results
• Encourage and guide participants to accept responsibility for their own performance and behaviour.
• Strictly maintain appropriate boundaries between friendship and intimacy with a coach or technical official.“Sports coaches are in a position of trust” referenced in the Jersey Sexual Offences Law.

Codes of Conduct - Shooters

As a responsible shooter you will:

• Respect the rights, dignity and worth of every shooter, coach, technical official and others involved in shooting and treat everyone equally.
• Uphold the same values of sportsmanship and courtesy while on the range as you would in your outside life when off the range.
• Cooperate fully with others involved in the sport such as coaches, technical officials, team managers, doctors, physiotherapists, sport scientists and representatives of the governing body in your own best interests and that of other shooters.
• Consistently promote positive aspects of the sport such as fair play and never condone rule violations or the use of prohibited substances.
• Anticipate and be responsible for your own needs. This might include being organised, having the appropriate equipment and being on time.
• Inform your coach of any other coaching that you are seeking or receiving pertaining to shooting.
• Show appropriate courtesy towards coaches and officials involved in your personal development as a shooter and in running the club.

As a responsible shooter, when participating in or attending any shooting activities, including training/coaching sessions and competition events you will:

• Act with dignity and display courtesy and good manners towards others.
• Avoid swearing and abusive language and irresponsible behaviour including behaviour that is dangerous to yourself or others, acts of violence, bullying, harassment and physical and sexual abuse.
• Challenge inappropriate behaviour and language by others and report the inappropriate behaviour to club officials.
• Never engage in any inappropriate or illegal behaviour.
• Avoid destructive behaviour and leave shooting venues as you find them.
• Do not carry or consume alcohol and/or illegal substances while engaged in shooting or at shooting venues.
• Do not carry any items that could be dangerous to yourself or others excluding shooting equipment used during your shooting activity.

In addition, shooters, especially young athletes and vulnerable adults, should follow these guidelines on safe participation in athletics:

• Notify a responsible adult if you must go somewhere (why, where and when you will return).
• Do not respond if someone seeks private information unrelated to shooting such as personal information, home life information.
• Strictly maintain appropriate boundaries between friendship with a coach or technical official.
• Never accept lifts in cars or invitations into homes on your own without the prior knowledge and consent of your parent/carer.
• Use safe transport or travel arrangements.
• Report any accidental injury, distress, misunderstanding or misinterpretation to your parents/carers and club welfare officer as soon as possible.
• Report any suspected misconduct by coaches or other people involved in shooting to the club welfare officer as soon as possible.

General Information For Young Shooters

Our coaches will work to help you make the most of your potential, whatever your starting point. Each week we will try to cover skills which are relevant to your development. This is to ensure you have a balance of abilities and don`'`t just become strong in one area.

In the early stages of you will develop fundamental skills associated with shooting events. You will learn these techniques to achieve the best performance possible. This knowledge will help you at the next stage of your development as you focus on a specific area of competition.

Code of Conduct for Children and Young People

The Essentials

• Keep yourself safe by listening to your coach or trainer, behaving responsibly and speak out when something isn`'`t right.
• When you are with us, stay in the places where you`'`re supposed to, don`'`t wander off or leave without telling a member of the club.
• Take care of our equipment and premises as if they were your own.
• Make it to practise sessions on time and if you are running late, let a member of the club know.
• Bring the right kit to practise and wear appropriate kit for the weather.
• Do Not smoke or consume alcohol on our premises or during practices, competitions, or when representing us.

Behavior

• Respect and celebrate difference in your club or activity and do not discriminate against anyone else on the grounds of gender, race or sexual orientation or ability.
• Report any incidents of bullying, including homophobia and transphobia to a member of the club, even if you`'`re just a witness.
• Treat young people with respect and appreciate that everyone has different levels of skill and talent.
• Make your club a welcoming and friendly place to be.
• Support and encourage your teammates. Tell them when they`'`ve done well and be there for them when they are struggling.
• Respect the club volunteers, and the volunteers and young shooters from other clubs and teams.
• Be a good sport, celebrate when we win and be gracious when we lose.
• Play by the rules and have fun.
• Follow the safety rules of the club.
• Get involved in club or activity decisions, it`'`s your sport too.

As a young Person taking part in shooting, we understand you have a right to:

• Enjoy the time you spend with us and know that you are safe.
• Be told who you can talk to if something is not right.
• Be listened to.
• Be involved and contribute towards decisions within the club.
• Be respected by us and other team members and be treated fairly.
• Feel welcomed, valued and not judged based on your race, gender, sexuality or ability.
• Be encouraged and develop skills with our help.
• Be looked after if there is an accident or injury and have your parents informed if needed.

We expect all young people to follow the behaviours and requests set out in this code. If any young person behaves in a way that contradicts any of the points set out above, we`'`ll address the problem straight away with parents`'` involvement and aim to resolve the issue.

Continued issues and repeated breaches of this code may result in us regrettably asking you to leave the activity, event or club permanently, for the welfare of other young people and our volunteers. This is something we never want to do.

Complaints guide for members, shooters and parents/guardians

The JSSA is committed to ensuring everyone who participates in shooting has a safe and positive experience.

However, where a member wishes to raise a concern or complaint, this policy is intended to provide a fair and equitable process for the purpose of dealing with concerns or complaints.

If the complaint relates to child protection, it will be submitted to the Club/League Welfare Officer, or directly to the JSSA`'`s Child Protection Officer, where appropriate guidance will be given.

If the complaint relates to technical matters, it will be addressed by the JSSA Appeals Committee under its existing rules for the conduct of competitions.

All other complaints will follow the procedure set out below:

Stage 1 - An Informal Complaint

• Contact the club first to discuss your concerns with a relevant committee member or club coach. Most problems can be dealt with successfully and promptly at this stage.
• The matter will be reported to the club secretary who will record the nature of the complaint.

Stage 2 - Local Club Escalation

• To pursue a complaint at this stage you should take your complaint to the President of the club. If the President is unable to deal with the complaint straightaway, he/she will tell you what action will be taken.
• The President will tell you when and who within the club will report back to you.
• If your complaint is about a club member you can complain directly, in writing, to the secretary of the club of which you are a member.
• If the complaint is not resolved by the President within this stage, the complaint will be escalated to stage 3.

Stage 3 - A written formal complaint

• You should complain formally in writing to the club secretary, who will confirm within five working days that he/she has received your written complaint.
• The club secretary will arrange for the Club committee to conduct an investigation in an appropriate manner and issue a report to all relevant parties.

The report will include:

• Details of the incident
• The date and time the incident occurred
• Names of any witnesses or people present at the time of the incident
• Statements from any witnesses

Stage 4 - A formal JSSA investigation

• The JSSA will convene a committee of five members of the Executive, excluding any member of the Executive who is conflicted, or a member of the club who is involved in the complaint.
• One of the Executive will be appointed to chair the enquiry.
• The complainant and the respondent will have the right to give evidence in writing and both parties shall have sight of all the relevant documents.
• Following the enquiry, the committee will prepare and issue a draft report to both parties.
• The draft report will be reviewed by both parties and, after any final comments have been made, the JSSA committee will issue a final report in writing within 14 days.
• The elected General Council of the association will be the final arbiter of complaints. An appeal may be made solely on the basis that the club or the JSSA has failed to follow its own procedures.
• An appeal may not be made against the JSSA`'`s final decision.

Where a complaint has been resolved, at any stage in the complaints process, the complainant may be asked to acknowledge in writing to the club secretary that the issue is resolved. Please note that this does not preclude the right of the complainant to re-open the complaint in the future, should it become necessary.

While every effort will be made to handle members`'` complaints internally and in a confidential and independent manner, where allegations are of a serious and possibly criminal nature, the JSSA and its affiliated clubs reserve the right to refer the matter to external authorities.

Sanctions that may be applied by the club to members in breach of the Code of Conduct guidelines:

The Code of Conduct is only as effective as the disciplinary process that supports it. Where a member is found to be in breach of the Code of Conduct, the following sanctions may be applied.

Most code of conduct issues will be reviewed and resolved at the local club level by the appropriate club officials.

Sanctions that may be considered at the local club level include:

• Verbal warning
• Written warning
• Exclusion from specified number of training sessions, exclusion from club trips and/or competitions.
• Withdrawal of membership from the club.

The appropriate club official will make an initial assessment of the severity of the code of conduct breach. The corresponding level of sanction will be applied.

Be aware that once a sanction has been imposed it will be difficult to reverse at a later stage. It is recommended that a progressive scale of sanction be applied where it is feasible to do so. A verbal warning may be applied first, followed by more severe sanction if conduct does not improve.

Any sanction that is enforced must be fully documented by the club secretary.

Code of Conduct violations of a more serious nature may be referred directly to the JSSA, which may convene a Disciplinary Committee to investigate the violation and enforce a sanction up to, and including, a lifetime ban from the sport.

While every effort will be made to handle the sanctioning of members internally and in a confidential and independent manner, where Code of Conduct violations are of a serious and possibly criminal nature, the JSSA and its affiliated clubs reserve the right to refer the matter to external authorities.

Definition of `'`adult at risk`'`:

An adult at risk is any adult aged 18 or over, who has care and support needs (irrespective of whether such needs are being met); and is experiencing, or is at risk of, abuse or neglect; and is unable to protect themselves because of their care and support needs