Social Media Policy

Our Commitment

Sapphire Gymnastics Club is fully committed to adopting and implementing the Scottish Gymnastics Social Media Policy & guidance in full.

We share Scottish Gymnastics’ vision of “an uplifting gymnastics experience for all”.

• Uplifting: recognising both the physical and mental health benefits of gymnastics and the enjoyment it brings.
• Experience: placing positive experiences for everyone at the heart of what we do – how we treat people, involve them, and deliver gymnastics.
• For all: ensuring gymnastics is welcoming and inclusive for everyone, no matter how they are involved.

Core Principles

At Sapphire Gymnastics Club we believe that good practice means:

• The wellbeing of children and young people is everyone’s responsibility and comes before winning or competition.
• All children, young people and adults at risk have the right to be protected from poor practice, discrimination, and abuse, regardless of age, disability, gender, race, religion or belief, or sexual orientation.
• Everyone in our club – committee members, coaches, officials, gymnasts, parents/carers, and volunteers – has a role in safeguarding and promoting positive wellbeing.
• Children and young people will be listened to, treated with respect and integrity, and supported with programmes and opportunities appropriate to their age and stage of development.
• We promote a culture where concerns can be raised openly without fear of victimisation or reprisal.

Who This Policy Applies To

This policy applies to:

• All children and young people involved with Sapphire Gymnastics Club – any person under the age of 18.
• All parents and carers with responsibility for the child.
• All staff and volunteers involved with Sapphire Gymnastics Club.

Policy Statement

We recognise that keeping children safe in sport and physical activity extends beyond the gym or changing rooms to include digital devices, online platforms and communication.

This policy provides guidance on how Sapphire Gymnastics Club approaches the use of the internet and all online platforms while providing a safe and fun environment for children to enjoy gymnastics.

This includes, but is not limited to:

• Our website.
• Social media.
• Live streaming platforms.
• Sport management apps.
• Messaging apps.

As an organisation, we commit to implementing this policy and addressing any concerns quickly and within these guidelines.

Aims

The aims of our online safety policy are:

• To protect all children involved with our organisation who make use of online technology while in our care, or while engaging with our organisation.
• To provide staff and volunteers with overarching principles that guide our approach to online safety.
• To ensure our organisation is operating in line with our values and within relevant legislation, including the Data Protection Act 2018, UK General Data Protection Regulation and Online Safety Act 2023.

Club Responsibilities – What We’ll Do

As part of our online safety policy, we will:

• Conduct risk assessments for all digital and online platforms being considered or being used by the organisation.
• Ensure that we adhere to relevant legislation and good practice guidelines when using online platforms.
• Provide relevant training to all staff on online safety, and ensure all staff or volunteers using online platforms have had training appropriate to their role.
• Monitor how staff, parents and children use our platforms both inside and outside of our setting to ensure it adheres to our policy, acceptable use statement and code of conducts.
• Regularly review existing safeguarding policies and procedures to ensure online safety is embedded throughout the organisation.
• Ensure at least two members of staff have access to our digital platforms and moderate them regularly.
• Ensure staff who moderate and use our digital platforms have appropriate safeguarding training and work closely with the safeguarding lead.
• Keep all apps and platform security up to date, use strong passwords and maintain privacy of all users.
• Effectively use security and privacy tools available on each platform.
• Have a zero-tolerance policy towards discrimination, hateful communication, cyberbullying, inappropriate, harmful or illegal content.
• Inform all staff, volunteers, parents, carers and children of who to report any online concerns to, or what to do in the event they see something that worries them online.
• Adhere to parental consents and permissions when sharing images, videos or live streaming our organisation for promotional or celebrational purposes.
• Never publish identifying information of children on publicly available online platforms, such as our website and public social media channels.
• Develop an online safety agreement for use with staff, volunteers, parents and carers and the children and young people.
• Ensure personal information gathered while using online platforms is stored securely and in line with our privacy policies.

Implementation

The policy and procedures will be widely promoted and are mandatory for everyone involved in Sapphire Gymnastics Club. Failure to comply with the policy and procedures will be addressed without delay and may ultimately result in dismissal or exclusion from the organisation and, where appropriate, referral to statutory organisations.