Shipston Tennis Club is committed to providing a safe, friendly and welcoming environment for everyone who plays, coaches, volunteers or supports tennis at the club. We believe that all children, young people and adults at risk have the right to enjoy tennis free from fear, harm and intimidation. Bullying of any kind is unacceptable at our club and will always be taken seriously.
This policy sits alongside our Safeguarding Policy and follows the guidance of the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA). It explains what bullying is, how we work to prevent it, and how we respond when it happens.
What we mean by bullying
Bullying is behaviour that is usually repeated over time and that deliberately hurts another person or group, either physically or emotionally. It often involves an imbalance of power, where the person being bullied finds it difficult to defend themselves.
Bullying can take many forms, including:
- Physical: hitting, kicking, pushing, pinching or any use of violence
- Verbal: name calling, insults, sarcasm, spreading rumours, teasing or persistent mocking
- Emotional: excluding someone, tormenting, humiliating or deliberately ignoring them
- Racist, sexist, homophobic, transphobic or disablist: comments, taunts, gestures or jokes that target a person’s identity
- Sexual: unwanted physical contact or comments of a sexual nature
- Online (cyberbullying): sending hurtful messages, or posting abusive or embarrassing comments, photos or videos on social media, messaging apps or gaming platforms
Bullying can happen in person or online, and it can involve children, young people or adults. Everyone at the club shares the responsibility for stopping it.
Our commitment
Shipston Tennis Club will:
- recognise its duty of care and its responsibility to safeguard all members from harm
- make clear that bullying will never be tolerated or excused
- promote this policy alongside our Safeguarding Policy and Codes of Conduct
- take all reports of bullying seriously and investigate them promptly and fairly
- support anyone who has experienced bullying
- work with those who have shown bullying behaviour to help them change it
- keep appropriate records of any incidents and review how we responded
What we expect from everyone at the club
Every member, player, parent, carer, coach, volunteer and official is expected to:
- treat others with respect, fairness and kindness
- speak out and report bullying if they see it or become aware of it, rather than staying silent
- value the differences between people and treat everyone as equal
- follow the club’s Codes of Conduct, both on court and off court
- understand that doing nothing when they witness bullying allows it to continue
Supporting children and adults at risk
We want everyone at the club to feel confident that they will be listened to. To support this we will:
- make sure members know who they can talk to, starting with the club Welfare Officer
- create an open and approachable atmosphere where people feel able to raise a concern
- take every report seriously and listen carefully to everyone involved
- remove barriers that might make it harder for someone to speak out, including those linked to a disability or impairment
- make sure people know about the helplines listed below
- support anyone affected so they can continue to enjoy their tennis in safety
Supporting parents and carers
Where a concern involves a child, we will:
- make parents and carers aware of this policy and how the club responds to bullying
- discuss any incident with the child’s parents or carers
- agree together on the action to be taken, both for the child who has been bullied and the child who has bullied
- share information and advice on coping with bullying, including details of other organisations that can help
Reporting a concern
If you or someone you know is being bullied, please tell someone. The first point of contact is the club Welfare Officer:
Welfare Officer: Tom Hancock
Email: [email protected]
In an emergency, or if someone is in immediate danger, call the police on 999.
You can also contact any of the following:
- LTA Safe and Inclusive Tennis Team: 020 8487 7000 or [email protected]. You can also submit a report using the Report a Concern form on the LTA website.
- NSPCC Helpline: 0808 800 5000
- Childline: 0800 1111 or childline.org.uk
- Anti-Bullying Alliance: anti-bullyingalliance.org.uk
- Kidscape: kidscape.org.uk