Disciplinary and Appeals Procedure

The Club should ensure that it has adequate disciplinary, complaints and appeals procedures in place. It is important to note that the investigation of suspected child abuse is the responsibility of the statutory authorities will not be undertaken by the Children’s Officer or other club Volunteers/Officials. The standard reporting procedure outlined in the Statutory Authorities guidelines should be followed by the club and adhered to by its members.

Complaints/Disciplinary Procedures

Dealing with a Complaint

All complaints should be submitted in writing either to the Chairperson or the Designated Officer (in the instance of a child protection issue).

If the complaint is submitted at Club Level it is the responsibility of the Club to deal with the complaint.

If the complaint is submitted at County Board Level the County Board must take responsibility to deal with the complaint.

If, in the opinion of the Chairperson/Designated Officer, there are grounds for concern, the Statutory Authorities should be contacted.

Disciplinary Committee

Kilcoo GAC: Disciplinary Committee will consist of:

(a)The Chairperson (Who shall be Chair)

(b)The Secretary (Who shall be Secretary)

(c) The Youth Officer

(d) The Child Protection Officer

The committee will be made aware of the issue of confidentiality.

Role of the Disciplinary Committee

• It is the responsibility of the Disciplinary Committee to resolve problems relating to the conduct of the members of Kilcoo GAC
• A complaint of any incident of suspected misconduct, including bullying will be dealt with by the Disciplinary Committee.

Disciplinary Procedures

1. The Disciplinary Committee will inform the individual with details of the complaint made against him/her and afford him/her the opportunity of providing a response either verbally or in writing.

2. The Disciplinary Committee will meet with all parties involved, affording each party the same rights and opportunities.

3. The Disciplinary Committee will provide a written report outlining the following:

· the procedure followed

· the findings

· the conclusions and

· any disciplinary actions to be taken.

4. All parties will receive a copy of this report and a copy of the report will be kept on record.

5. The Disciplinary Committee will, as soon as possible, inform the Executive Committee of the progress and conclusions of the disciplinary process.

Sanctions

Where it has been established that an incident of misconduct has taken place, the Disciplinary Committee will notify the member of any sanction being imposed. The notification will be made in writing, setting out the reasons for the sanction. If the member is under 18 years of age, correspondence will be addressed to the parents/guardians.

Appeals Process

If the member against whom the complaint was made is unhappy with the decision of the Disciplinary Committee he/she will have the right to appeal the decision to an Appeals Committee (independent of the Disciplinary Committee).

Kilcoo GAC Appeals Committee will consist of:

(a) The Deputy Chairman (Who Shall be Chair)

(b) The Assistant Secretary (Who Shall be Secretary)

(c) The Assistant Treasurer

(d) The Development and Integrations Officer

Any appeal should be made in writing within 7 days after issue of the decision of the Disciplinary Committee. The Chairperson of the Appeals Committee should be a member of the Executive Committee.

The Appeals Committee have the power to confirm, set aside or change any sanction imposed by the Disciplinary Committee.

Procedure:

• A code of conduct reflecting a child centred ethos is in operation; this code has been disseminated thought the club and is applied to all Youth Coaches.
• The Club Executive Committee deals with all disciplinary problems. Clearly defined procedures are in place to resolve problems relating to the conduct of its members. This includes bullying.
• The Executive Committee will initiate establish a standing sub-committee to conduct an investigation following a compliant into any incident of suspect misconduct that does no relate to child abuse. The sub-committee will report back to the Executive Committee of progress of the disciplinary procedures.
• Written confidential records of all complaints are safely and confidentially kept and club procedures are defined for the possession of such records in event of the election of new officers.
• The sub-committee will furnish the individual details of the complaint being made against him/her and afford him/her the opportunity of providing a response either verbally or in writing.
• Where it is established that an incident of misconduct has taken place the sub-committee will notify the member of any sanction being imposed. The notification should be made in writing, setting out the reasons for the sanction. If the member is under 18 years of age, correspondence will be address to the parents/guardian.
• If the member against who the complaint has been made is unhappy with the decision of the disciplinary committee s/he should have the right to appeal the decisions to the Executive Committee. Any appeal must be in writing and must be received by the Secretary at the latest three days after the appeal.
• The Executive Committee will have the power to conform, set aside or change any sanction imposed by the disciplinary committee.
• If any party is not satisfied with the outcome the matter can be referred to the Derry County Board. However efforts to resolve the issue will be exhausted before the Governing body is engaged in attempts to resolve the matter.

This document represents the working disciplinary procedures of Kilcoo GAC.

Signed________________________________

Chairman

Signed_______________________________

Secretary