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Club Policies

Contents

ELR Constitution - Overall governing document of the Club.

Policies on this page (see below):
Code of Conduct
Social Media Policies
Sanctions and Appeals
Privacy and Photographic Policies

Health and safety
All members should familiarise themselves with the club's health & safety guidelines:
Health and Safety Policy
Risk assessment for formal club training activities (club runs and track sessions)

Other policies
Inclusion Policy
Membership Policy
Finance Policy
Club Awards Policy

The Club's Welfare Officer - Alice Barrett

I am Alice and am ELR's appointed Welfare Officer.

My role is to ensure that we continue to provide a welcoming, safe and equal environment for all members. If for any reason you feel that this is not being achieved for any member of the club then I will be the point of contact.

Everyone has the right to enjoy their experience with ELR and if that is not the case for any reason then please reach out. All incidents will be dealt with promptly and in confidence.

If you have any questions or would like to have a chat please email welfare@eastlondonrunners.org.uk


Assistant Welfare Officer - Michael Wilson

Michael Wilson is the club's Assistant Welfare Officer, as England Athletics recommend that clubs have both male and female welfare officers. Feel free to contact either Alice or Michael about any welfare issue.

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East London Runners - Code of Conduct

As an England Athletics Accredited Club, it is imperative that all athletes, coaches, volunteers and officials read and abide by all appropriate codes of conduct. If you feel in any way that others within the club are not following these codes of conduct then contact the Club Secretary as soon as possible.

See below and further details can be read on the EnglandAthletics Website at - www.englandathletics.org/athletics-clubs/i-help-to-run-a-club/welfare-everyones-responsibility/welfare-everyones-responsibility

Code of Conduct

East London Runners Code of Conduct

As a responsible athlete you will -

Respect the rights, dignity and worth of every athlete, coach, technical official and others involved in athletics and treat everyone equally.

Uphold the same values of sportsmanship off the field as you do when engaged in athletics.

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 the best interests of yourself and other athletes.

Consistently promote positive aspects of the sport such as fair play and never condone rule violations or the use of prohibited or age-inappropriate substances.

Anticipate and be responsible for your own needs including being organised, having the appropriate equipment and being on time.

Inform your coach of any other coaching that you are seeking or receiving.

Always thank the coaches and officials who enable you to participate in athletics.

As a responsible Athlete, when participating in or attending any athletics 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.
Never engage in any inappropriate or illegal behaviour.
Avoid destructive behaviour and leave athletics venues as you find them
Not carry or consume alcohol to excess and/or illegal substances.
Avoid carrying any items that could be dangerous to yourself or others excluding athletics equipment used in the course of your athletics activity.

Anti Doping Code of Conduct

Membership of East London Runners/England Athletics assumes that you will comply with the UK Athletics Anti-Doping Guidelines, see below. Whilst most testing is carried out on International Athletes, you should be aware that by taking part in any event run under UK Athletics rules you are consenting to be available for testing.


Anti-Doping Guidelines. - www.britishathletics.org.uk/anti-doping/#

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Code of Conduct - Social Media

East London Runners respects all our members' rights to a private life. However, the Club must also ensure that confidentiality and its reputation are protected at all times.

Club Members must not:

1. Make any communication through social media that brings the club into disrepute, for example by:
a) making defamatory comments about individuals or other organisations or groups;
b) posting images that are inappropriate or links to inappropriate content; or
c) being seen to support (for example by liking on Facebook or retweeting on Twitter) a comment or post that would fall into any of the above categories.

2. Deliberately and repeatedly post messages on club social media groups that contravene the club's social media moderation policy (see below).

3. Breach confidentiality, for example by:
a) giving away information about an individual (such as a fellow volunteer or athlete) or organisation; or
b) revealing information held by the club where there would be reasonable expectation of confidentiality.

4. Breach copyright, for example by:
a) using someone else's images or written content without permission; or
b) failing to give acknowledgement where permission has been given to reproduce something.

5. Do anything that could be considered discriminatory against, or bullying or harassment of, any individual, for example by:
a) making offensive or derogatory comments relating to sex, gender reassignment, race (including nationality), disability, sexual orientation, religion or belief or age;
b) using social media to bully another individual; or
c) posting images that are discriminatory or offensive.

Please also see the Guidelines given by England Athletics at
https://www.englandathletics.org/resources/view/club-guidance-for-social-media/

Social Media Moderation Policy

The club has several social media groups for club members - the club's main Facebook group, various Facebook sub-groups (such as ELR Swimmers), and various WhatsApp groups - which are an important way for members to communicate with each other about club activities and related topics. To ensure that such groups are inclusive to all members, regardless of political opinion, background, or other characteristics, the club has a strict moderation policy, detailed below. Any post or comment on a club group that contravenes this policy is liable to be deleted by a moderator. While occasional breaches will not be treated as a conduct matter, repeated and deliberate violation of this policy may be treated as such.

The following types of content are prohibited on club social media groups:

1. Political content, for example:
a) Opinion on politicians, political organisations, movements, or campaign groups.
b) Opinion on policy made by national or local government, athletic governing bodies, or other regulatory or administrative bodies.
c) Campaigns to change such policy. For example, petitions, calls to write to your MP, etc.
d) Campaigns to governmental or administrative decision-makers concerning the implementation of such policy.

2. Religious material.

3. Promotion of products, services, or members' own business interests.


The following exceptions are allowed:

1. Matters on which the club has made a policy statement. For example, the club has a policy to support gender equality in cross-country distances, so posts supporting that cause are allowed. However, the frequency of such posts should be in moderation, and content should be constructive rather than disparaging or unconstructively critical.

2. Promotion of products and services approved in advance by the club committee.

3. Fundraising for charities that may be political or religious, provided the charity is registered with the UK Charity Commission and the fundraising involves a running-related activity.


Moderation procedure:

1. Content may be flagged for moderation by any member. For Facebook groups, we recommend the use of the Facebook 'report' function; however, content may be reported to a moderator or other committee member by any means.

2. Moderation decisions are to be made impartially, on the content of the message alone. In particular, the identity of the author, or whether the post was flagged by a member or noticed by a moderator directly, must have no bearing on the decision.

3. Moderation decisions should be made by a minimum of two moderators. In exceptional cases, where content clearly violates the policy and/or code of conduct, a post may be deleted by a single moderator if they cannot contact another moderator in a timely manner. Any such cases should be discussed with other moderators as soon as possible afterwards.

4. If moderators decide that a post or comment is in breach of the policy and should be deleted, the author should be contacted promptly to explain why, referring to this policy.

5. The club's main Facebook group should have a minimum of four admins/moderators, who should be current committee members.

6. Other groups that use the ELR name or relate to club activities, on Facebook, WhatsApp or other platforms, should have a minimum of three admins/moderators, at least two of whom should be current committee members.

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Sanctions and Appeals

Any complaints regarding the behaviour of members and breaches of the code of conduct should be submitted in the first instance to any of the following committee members: Chair, Vice-Chair, Club Secretary and/or Welfare officer - all contact details are listed on the ELR website.

This sub-Committee group will be responsible for investigating, deciding and taking appropriate action following the complaint. The sub-committee may call upon other Committee members to advise as it sees fit. The most likely actions are:
(i) A verbal warning
(ii) A written warning
(iii) A period of suspension from participating in ELR activities.
(iv) Termination of membership of ELR.

In cases where a matter is deemed to be of significant concern or complexity, the sub-committee may request that the case is discussed by the full Committee in the form of a disciplinary hearing.

Where the Committee decides to hold a disciplinary hearing, they will invite both the complainant and the subject of the complaint to make representations - whether written or oral - to the Committee at the hearing. The invitation shall be made at least one calendar month prior to the date of the hearing.

Following the hearing and the receipt of submissions, the Committee shall decide whether or not to take any disciplinary action in relation to the subject of the complaint and will communicate the outcomes to both parties within 14 days of the hearing.

The subject of the complaint may appeal to the Committee in respect of any disciplinary action taken within three calendar months of the decision being made and shall have the right to request that the matter is reheard by three arbitrators. The arbitrators shall each be first claim, paid up members (for at least one year) who are not officials on the Committee nor were officials on the Committee on the date that the disciplinary hearing took place. The arbitrators shall be chosen as follows: (i) one by the Committee (ii) one by the appellant, and (iii) one selected by the first two arbitrators.

The arbitrators shall have the power to annul the suspension, exclusion or other disciplinary action, or annul it subject to the performance of any condition which the arbitrators may think fit to impose. The arbitrators' decision shall be final.

Where the member in respect of whom the complaint is made is an official on the Committee, he or she shall not take part in any of the Committee proceedings outlined above.

Where a member is excluded, the name and address of the member shall be sent to the South of England Athletics Association for entry into their 'Suspension book'.

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Privacy Policy

East London Runners Privacy Policy

East London Runners (the Club) are committed to protecting and respecting your privacy. For any personal data you provide for the purposes of your membership, Michael Wilson is the Data Controller and is responsible for storing and otherwise processing that data in a fair, lawful, secure and transparent way.

What personal data we hold on you
You may give us information about you by filling in forms at an event or online, or by corresponding with us by phone, e-mail or otherwise. This includes information you provide when you join the Club, and register for activities and races arranged through the Club. The information you give us may include your name, gender, date of birth, address, e-mail address, phone number, and name of the EA affiliated Clubs with which you are registered (Athletics Data).

Why we need your personal data
The reason we need your Athletics Data is to be able to administer your membership, and provide the membership services you are signing up to when you register with the club. Our lawful basis for processing your personal data is that we have a contractual obligation to you as a member to provide the services you are registering for.

Reasons we need to process your data include:

For training and competition entry
- sharing personal data with club coaches or officials to administer training sessions;
- sharing personal data with club team managers to enter events;
- sharing personal data with facility providers to manage access to the track or check delivery standards; and
- sharing personal data with leagues, county associations and other competition providers for entry in events.

For funding and reporting purposes
- sharing anonymised data with a funding partner as condition of grant funding e.g. Local Authority; and
- analysing anonymised data to monitor club trends.

For membership and club management
- processing of membership forms and payments;
- sharing data with committee members to provide information about club activities, membership renewals or invitation to social events;
- promotion of club activity, through the club newsletter, press releases and social media; and
- publishing of race and competition results.

On occasion we may collect personal data from non-members, e.g. prospective members joining a club run or track session. This information will be stored for a maximum of 4 weeks and then destroyed securely. Our lawful basis for processing data is consent. Therefore, we will also need explicit consent from non-members to process this data, which we will ask for at the point of collecting it.

The club has the following social media pages: Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. All members are free to join these pages. If you join one of the Social Media pages, please note that provider of the social media platform(s) have their own privacy policies and that the club do not accept any responsibility or liability for these policies. Please check these policies before you submit any personal data on the club social media pages.

Who we share your personal data with
When you become a member of the Club, you will also automatically be registered as a member of England Athletics Limited. We will provide England Athletics Limited with your Athletics Data which they will use to enable access to the MyAthletics portal. England Athletics Limited will contact you to invite you to sign into and update your MyAthletics portal. You can set and amend your privacy settings from the MyAthletics portal. If you have any questions about the continuing privacy of your personal data when it is shared with England Athletics Limited, please contact dataprotection@englandathletics.org.

How long we hold your personal data
We will hold your personal data on file for as long as you are a member with us. Any personal data we hold on you will be securely destroyed after four years of inactivity on that member's account, in line with England Athletics Limited's retention policy. Your data is not processed for any further purposes other than those detailed in this policy.

Your rights regarding your personal data
As a data subject you may have the right at any time to request access to, rectification or erasure of your personal data; to restrict or object to certain kinds of processing of your personal data, including direct marketing; to the portability of your personal data and to complain to the UK's data protection supervisory authority, the Information Commissioner's Office about the processing of your personal data.

As a data subject you are not obliged to share your personal data with the Club. If you choose not to share your personal data with us we may not be able to register or administer your membership.

Photographic Policy

When you become a member of East London Runners, we assume that you consent to your photograph being taken at club events and competitions and that these images my be used on the club website and/or Facebook page.

If you object to a photograph that has been published on the above media, please contact us at webmaster@eastlondonrunners.org.uk and it will be removed immediately.