Our Policies

Like any club, we have policies in place to keep everyone safe, on and off the water.

Our Code of Conduct

Members

• The safety and welfare of self and others is to be the prime consideration of every member.
• Respect all members regardless of age, gender, sexual orientation, cultural background, religion, political persuasion or ability.
• Take care of all property belonging to the club or club members.
• Treat other club members with respect at all times.
• Control tempers and avoid behaviour which may affect or upset others.
• Co-operate with, and follow the directions given by, your coach or club officials.

Coaches, Leaders and Helpers

• Follow the British Canoeing Code of Ethics and club policies and procedures.
• Consider the wellbeing and safety of paddlers before the development of performance.
• Develop an appropriate working relationship with paddlers, based on mutual trust and respect.
• Be positive, approachable and focused on building paddlers confidence and ability.
• Make sure all activities are appropriate to the age, ability and experience of those taking part.
• Display consistently high standards of personal behaviour and appearance.
• Hold the appropriate, up-to-date qualifications and insurance.
• Encourage paddlers to value their performance and not just results.
• Never condone the use of prohibited substances.

Parents/Guardians

• Support your child’s involvement and help them to enjoy Paddlesport.
• You are expected to accompany your child/young person (12-17) on club trips on the water until the Chairman, in consultation with the coach, agrees that your child is physically able and mature enough to go on trips on his or her own.
• Parents or guardians are expected to stay at pool sessions, even if they are not participating on the water. 
• As a parent or guardian you must co-operate with, and listen to, coaches or club officials.
• Please inform the coach or trip leader at each session or outing of any special requirements your child/young person may have.
• Please provide the Club (Head Coach, Welfare Officer or Chair) with written details of any relevant medical conditions that coaches or trip leaders need to know about.
• Help your child to recognise good performance, not just results.
• Display consistently high standards of personal behaviour
• Don’t force your child to take part in sport.
• Violation of the club code of conduct may result in suspension and /or expulsion from the club.

Safety on river trips

Paddling can be a risky sport so, while we try to make all our trips and events as fun as possible, safety always has to come first. While you’re out on the river with us, you’ll have our coaches and trip leaders to guide you but here are some tips to keep yourself, and everyone around you, safe:

• Make sure you’re wearing the right safety equipment and that it fits properly. We always wear buoyancy aids when on the water, and we wear helmets for all whitewater and some flatwater trips.  If you’re unsure, ask a coach or trip leader to help you fit your buoyancy aid and helmet.
• If you have your own boat and kit, it’s important to maintain it properly.
• If you notice any defective equipment, please report it to a coach, trip leader or committee member. We don’t want any kit to break when you or the next person uses it.
• If you need to carry medication with you on the water, make sure this is in a water-tight bag and let the coach or trip leader know that you have it with you. 
• Slipways and towpaths can be busy places, used by walkers, runners, cyclists and boaters as well as paddlers. Try to keep yourself and your boat and kit off paths and only move onto slipways when you’re ready to launch.
• There are lots of ropes and kit involved in kayaking, so keep your kit together and ropes stowed safely. 
• On canals and rivers there are many other things that you could slip or trip over, such as mooring rings, slippery rocks and bank defences. Keep an eye out for trip hazards and warn others if you see something dangerous.

Our coaches and trip leaders decide who can paddle on each of our trips. They base these decisions on factors including paddling ability, any medical conditions and whether you have appropriate clothing and equipment for the trip.  This is to keep you, and everyone paddling with you, safe. Our coaches are qualified emergency first aiders and our coaches and trip leaders carry 1st Aid kits on all trips. 

When out on the water, all of our paddlers must follow the instructions of the coach or trip leader. They will be making decisions for everyone's safety.

Safeguarding and other key policies

We follow the  British Canoeing Safeguarding Policy which can be found here.

We also actively support the British Canoeing anti-bullying policy

Our coaches follow the British Canoeing Code of Ethics which can be found here

Complaints & Grievances

If you experience a problem with any other club member, we would hope that you are able to resolve it between yourselves, but this may not be easy to do. If you can't resolve it and feel it should be reported , where possible, please let the coach who has led the activity know of the issue as soon as possible. The coaches and committee members are often available before or after club activities. If you are still concerned/unhappy, or the issue relates to a coach, please talk to the Chairman. 

If it is a safeguarding issue and relates to age, gender, sexual orientation, gender identification, cultural background, religion, political persuasion or ability then please raise it with the Chairman or Welfare Officer who will work together to resolve any problem that has arisen.

Equal Access

The club prides itself on helping everybody regardless of age, disability, gender, race or sexuality to fully participate. Where a person feels that they are prevented from accessing the club on grounds of feel they have been harassed on grounds of age, gender, sexual orientation, gender identification, cultural background, religion, political persuasion or ability then please raise it with the Chairman or Welfare Officer who will work together to resolve any problem that has arisen. The complaints procedure outlined above should then be used.

Governance

The club is affiliated to Canoe England/ British Canoeing and we operate according to their guidelines, as detailed on this page.

The club is run on your behalf by a committee according to our club constitution. Our committee normally meets between 2 and  4 times a year to manage the running of the club. I there is an issue relating to the running of the club that you feel needs to be addressed, you can contact a member of the committee at any time.

We normally hold our AGM in mid-April, when we review how things have gone over the previous year, and look back at the trips we’ve run with photos and videos. We also elect our committee members for the next year and discuss any major issues relating to the running of the club. If you have anything you want to add to the AGM agenda, please contact the club Secretary. If you are unable to attend in person to discuss an issue, please contact our chairman by the 1st April so that your views can be included in the discussion.

We welcome new ideas, so please let a member of the committee know if you have any comments or ideas on how the club is run. You could also stand for election to the committee (fresh eyes are always welcome, so don't worry if you’re a new member).

Communication

We do our best to keep our members informed of events, notices and other information of interest. In order to keep club running costs to a minimum, we generally use the methods below. If you do not have access to the internet please talk to one of our committee and we will do our best to accommodate your needs.

Email

We use emails to let people know about trip and events, but also to update you, for example, on any changes of plan before a trip. Please let us know of any change to your e-mail address or any other contact details by updating your membership form.

Website 

Our web address is www.croydonactivepaddlers.org, where you will find the majority of information relating to how the club runs, useful links and information..

Facebook

We have an invitation only group on Facebook which offers members the chance to chat, arrange non-club activities, ask questions & share information/pictures/videos as well as providing reminders of club events. You can join by clicking this link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/23167988907/