Once staff, coaches and volunteers are safely recruited, appropriately trained and when adequate supervision is in place, club personnel should work together to provide a safe and fun environment. The Club Welfare Officer should use the Club Action Plan to ensure best practice is maintained.

Some useful ways of implementing this includes hosting parents’ information sessions, coaches’ briefings (especially at the start of the season), social medial posts in relation to where to find safeguarding information, reports to Youth Coordinator and club management Committee and providing links to online training for all throughout the season.

One important step in ensuring best practice is to communicate with the Age-Grade Players. This will allow the club to evaluate the activities that are in place at each level; if adults are happy with the programme of activities but the players are not engaging with them, the rugby club will not meet their needs, which leads to potential dropout of Age-Grade players and unsustainable youth rugby.

The provincial Spirit of Rugy Officer has a host of resources that will assist the club in implementing best practices in specific safeguarding matters that relate to Age-Grade Player Welfare; you can contact the Spirit of Rugby Officer in your area for additional assistance for our policies on supervision, travel, anti-bullying, etc. 

The Safeguarding Team can be contacted at safeguarding@irfu.ie at any time.

The way we work with Age-Grade Players, how we behave around them and our attitudes towards them will contribute to the way young people feel about themselves. It is important that they, and their guardians, feel that their rugby experience is a fun and safe one.

An important step in ensuring this player-centred environment is the selection of appropriate adults to work with young people. Appropriate vetting checks, codes of conduct and training should be part of this process before being appointed to a team or role within the age-grade section. Vetting checks must be completed where necessary, in line with relevant legislation. This can be completed through Rugby Connect – tap here to login

If you need assistance with vetting you should contact your Club Welfare Officer who will work with the Provincial Spirit of Rugby Officer to complete an appropriate recruitment process. 

E-vetting is in operation. However, there is paperwork to be completed prior to processing your online application, so that the CWO can verify your ID documentation and signature. The vet will only be processed by the IRFU on completion of the ID check and verification by the CWO, so the paperwork is a necessary part of the process and may delay your application if not signed and uploaded.

Parents who give lifts to rugby events come under the ‘occasional’ usage term and do not need to be vetted; likewise ‘appointed referees’ who do not work with the same teams on a regular basis. These volunteers should complete the DOI for occasional work through Rugby Connect. 

Appropriate training for those working with young people in sport is directed by Sport Ireland and Sport Northern Ireland and should be sport related. While staff, coaches and volunteers may have completed safeguarding training in another sphere it will be necessary to also complete specific modules of Sport Ireland safeguarding training as advised by the Spirit of Rugby Officer and/or in accordance with the IRFU training guidance.

Training

The IRFU expects those involved with Age-grade rugby to be aware of components of the safeguarding policy and have knowledge of how to raise a concern in relation to risk of harm. Coaches and volunteers are not expected to be experts in identifying abuse, but rather to know how to respond to a concern.

As such, coaches and volunteers with age grade teams must complete online introductory training and should attend a CHild Welfare Officer briefing to meet minimum standards. They should also attend face-to-face training within a reasonable timescale of undertaking coaching qualifications.

This link will direct you to training courses for your area, https://educationstore.irfu.ie/catalog?pagename=IRFU-SP-SG.

The Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) provides rugby activities to young people through participation in 197 affiliated clubs and 4 Branches and through national programmes and events, including representative panels, mini and youth coaching and competitions, squad camps and participation programmes in schools and related youth events.

The IRFU is committed to the enjoyment of rugby by young people. It values and encourages the participation of parents, coaches and volunteers in rugby for participants under 18-years of age. The policy of the IRFU regarding safeguarding children is to respect the dignity and rights of Age Grade Players. 

The IRFU will strive throughout its organisation and spheres of influence to promote, create and maintain safe environments for Age Grade Players. It will endeavour to maintain the key values of Respect, Inclusivity, Integrity, Excellence and Fun. A detailed safeguarding policy can be found here o our website, https://www.irishrugby.ie/participation/spirit-rugby/safeguarding and the Sports Councils’ Code of Ethics/Safeguarding Guidance should be used where the IRFU has not published specific guidelines, in particular with regard to the principles to safeguard children from harm, https://www.sportireland.ie/ethics/safeguarding-guidance-for-children-and-young-people-in-sport

The IRFU carried out a risk assessment for any potential harm to a child while involved in rugby. These risks were categorised under the following headings Recruitment, Club and Coaching Practices, Reporting, Complaints, Facilities, Communication and General Risk of Harm.  The assessment reviewed the areas of potential risk of harm, the likelihood of the risk occurring, and gives the required policy, guidance and document links required to manage these risks. The written risk assessment and the procedures for managing these risks is available on request.

Our child safeguarding statement has been developed in line with requirements of the IRFU under the Children First Act 2015 and in Northern Ireland, the Club Framework for Safeguarding Standards. In addition to the procedures listed in our risk assessment, the following procedures are in place as part of the IRFU Safeguarding Policy and support our intention to safeguard children:

• Procedure for the safe recruitment and selection of workers and volunteers to work with children, https://www.irishrugby.ie/participation/spirit-rugby/safeguarding 
• Procedure for provision of and access to child safeguarding training and information, including the identification of the occurrence of harm, https://www.irishrugby.ie/participation/spirit-rugby/safeguarding 
• Procedure for the reporting of child protection and welfare concerns to Tusla (Ireland) and Gateway (Northern Ireland) through the National Safeguarding Officer and appointed Mandated Person within IRFU: Stephen Gore, 086 6087943 / stephen.gore@irfu.ie. The National Safeguarding Officer is the Relevant Person as per Children First Act. Other staff and volunteers within the organisation may hold the role and responsibility of a Mandated Person as per Schedule 2 of the Act but have not been appointed by the IRFU and/or its affiliated clubs or organisations. They are always expected to act as a Mandated Person and when making a report in their professional capacity that involves rugby should always inform the IRFU Mandated Person that such a report has been made by them.
• Procedure for the management of allegation of abuse or misconduct against workers/volunteers of a child availing of our service and can be found in the case management policy, https://www.irishrugby.ie/participation/spirit-rugby/safeguarding 
• Procedure for appointing a relevant person for the purposes of the implementation of this Child Safeguarding Statement
• Procedures to minimise risk of harm of a child have been put in place and are available in the IRFU Safeguarding Policy, https://www.irishrugby.ie/participation/spirit-rugby/safeguarding 

All procedures listed are available on the IRFU website, http://www.irishrugby.ie/safeguarding The IRFU expects those involved within club age-grade rugby to adopt and supervise the implementation of these safeguarding principles and standards. The IRFU recognises that implementation is an ongoing process. It is committed to the implementation of this Child Safeguarding Statement and accompanying safeguarding policy and procedures to keep children involved in rugby safe from harm. This will be done through the implementation of the IRFU Safeguarding Guide and safeguarding audit. 

 The Safeguarding Policy is included in IRFU HR procedures and in relevant club documentation, it is an essential condition for funding for the Club Support Scheme. Relevant staff have received a copy of the policy and signed adherence through Rugby Connect. The Child Safeguarding Statement and related safeguarding policies are available to all parents/guardians and members of the public though the IRFU website and on request.

The IRFU will work with the Branch Spirit of Rugby Officers on the Implementation of the policy and are available to assist the Club Welfare Officers and the related personnel and to deal with club queries. They can be contacted at: 

• Connacht: Laura Scuffil – laura.scuffil@connachtrugby.ie

• Leinster: Billy Phelan– billy.phelan@leinsterrugby.ie

• Munster: Emily O’Leary – emilyoleary@munsterrugby.ie

• Ulster: Kerry Spence – kerry.spence@ulsterrugby.com

Club Welfare Officers have completed relevant safeguarding training. They have been supplied with ID templates for display within the club for the purpose of raising concerns. Guidance and templates for carrying out a risk assessment and publishing the child safeguarding statement, a club action plan, an anti-bullying statement, club pavement signs and Spirit of Rugby ‘Let Them Play’ video clips have also been supplied for the purpose of implementing the IRFU safeguarding policy. They have also received training in vetting through the ‘IRFU registration system’. 

This Child Safeguarding Statement will be reviewed in August 2027, or as soon as practicable after there has been a material change in any matter to which the statement refers. For queries please contact the Relevant Person, Stephen Gore, stephen.gore@irfu.ie 

Signed:  Rachael O’Brien                           Signed: Colin McEntee

IRFU Union Committee                              Director of Rugby Development