SSPSK Coach's Code of Conduct

You hold a position of trust. A child, a parent, a school and the law all treat you as an adult with authority over a child: under the Children Act, 2022, anyone under 18 is a child, and every adult with care of a child has a duty to protect them. This Code is not a suspicion of you. It protects the child from any adult, and it protects you from any accusation. The boundary is for both of you.

It sits beside the SSPSK Safeguarding Policy, which every coach must also follow, and it is what the Safe Stacks programme teaches.

• Every SSPSK coach, from Level 1, including a coach covering another coach's club.
• At every school club, competition, training day and SSPSK event, while travelling to and from them, and online whenever you are in contact with children, parents or schools as an SSPSK coach.
• You must complete Safe Stacks before you coach at any school, as the Safeguarding Policy requires.
• Where a school's own rules are stricter, follow the school's rules as well.

The six commitments in this part are the ones Safe Stacks teaches, module by module. They are not negotiable, and a breach of any of them is treated as a safeguarding matter.

• I will follow the Rule of Two: I will never be alone with a child where I cannot be seen. Another adult or another child will be able to see us.
• I will run my club in an open space, with doors open, and not in a closed room.
• I will not coach a child at their home or mine, or give private coaching outside the club, unless the child's parent, the school and SSPSK have agreed in writing.
• I will not help a child in a toilet or changing room. That is for the school's staff.

• I will keep physical contact to what a reasonable parent would be comfortable watching: a high-five, a hand on the shoulder to demonstrate a movement, with the child's permission.
• I will never hug for long, lift a child without consent, touch a child to correct posture without asking, or use physical punishment of any kind.

• I will not message a child privately, accept their number or social media request, or send them photos of myself.
• I will not put a child in a group chat, even an official one.
• I will communicate with parents, or through a channel the school can see.

• I will give small rewards to the whole group, never a secret gift to one child.
• I will not pay a child's fee without telling the school, or give a child a lift home alone.

• I will not take, share or post a photo or video of a child unless I have all three: written parental consent for that use, the school's permission, and SSPSK's approval for the specific use.
• Before any photo is shared, I will apply the three-photo test: is the face visible, is the school identifiable, could a stranger find the child?
• Photos of children appear only on SSPSK's official channels, never on my personal accounts.
• I will collect only a child's name, the parent's name and phone number, an emergency contact and a medical note relevant to stacking, and nothing else. I will keep my club register secure and share it with no one outside the school and SSPSK.

• I will write down what I see, in plain words, and pass it to the SSPSK Safeguarding Focal Point the same day. I will not investigate, and I will not confront anyone I am worried about.
• If a child tells me something, I will Listen, Reassure, Report: I will not promise secrecy, and I will say "I believe you", "You did the right thing telling me" and "I need to tell someone who can help."
• I will report another adult, including another coach, whom I see break this Code.
• The Focal Point is Gilbert Kipkemoi Kiprop; contact details are being confirmed by SSPSK. If I cannot reach them, I will call Childline Kenya on 116, and if a child is in immediate danger, the police on 999 or 112, then keep trying the Focal Point.

The commitments in this part are about how I behave, how I keep records and how I represent SSPSK.

• I will treat every child equally, whatever their sex, ethnic group, religion, disability, background or ability, and I will make room in the club for children with disabilities.
• I will never shout at, mock, humiliate or threaten a child, give them a hurtful nickname, or let other children do so.
• I will praise effort and improvement, not only speed, and I will not single out a child for punishment in front of others.

• I will never coach, or attend a club, competition or event, under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
• I will not smoke, vape or drink alcohol at any club, competition or event, or in front of children.
• I will arrive on time, dressed appropriately for a school [SSPSK to say whether coaches wear an SSPSK kit], and use my phone during a club only for club business or an emergency.

• I will scan the school's QR code only when I am at the club, on arrival and again on leaving. I will never scan for another person, scan when I am not at the club, or photograph or share the QR poster.
• A session counts only if it lasts at least 30 minutes and is validated. I will claim only sessions that took place.
• If I cannot attend, I will tell SSPSK in advance. I will cover another coach's club only with the association's approval.
• Anything I record about a child or a club will be true, factual and in plain words.

• I will be paid only through SSPSK's recorded payments, and I will never collect fees, cash or payments from a school, parent or child for SSPSK.
• I will not sell anything to children or parents, or ask them for money, gifts or favours.
• I will tell SSPSK about any conflict of interest, such as a private coaching business, a relative at a school I coach, or a gift offered to me, and accept SSPSK's decision on it.

• I will follow each school's rules and its own safeguarding procedures, and work alongside the school's seconded teacher, who stays responsible for the learners at all times.
• I will be courteous to school staff and parents. If I disagree with a school or a parent, I will raise it with SSPSK rather than argue it out at the club.
• I will respect the pilot's conditions, including no club activity in Term 3.

• Before each session I will check that the space is clear and safe and the stacks are clean and in good order.
• I will know the school's first-aid arrangements and emergency procedure, and follow the medical note on each child's consent form, such as an allergy.
• I will never give a child medicine. If a child is hurt or unwell, I will tell the school at once, and I will tell SSPSK the same day.

• I will compete and coach honestly: I will report true times and results and teach children to win and lose with grace.
• Children travel to a competition or event only with their parent's written consent and the school's agreement, and under the supervision of school staff or parents [SSPSK to set the number of adults for each group of children]. I will never transport a child alone.
• The rules in Part 1 apply just as much away from school: the Rule of Two, no private channels and no photos without consent.

• I will not speak to the media, or post or comment publicly, on SSPSK's behalf unless SSPSK has asked me to.
• I will not post about a child, a school or a safeguarding concern on any personal account, and I will not criticise children, parents or schools in public.
• I will keep my personal social media private from the children I coach.

• I will keep my SSPSK platform sign-in to myself: one person, one account. Every action is recorded against my name.
• I will keep confidential anything I learn about a child, a family or a school through my coaching, and I will follow the Data Protection Act, 2019 in how I handle it.

Report it. A breach of this Code is reported to the Focal Point, by the coach themselves, another coach, a school or a parent.

A safeguarding concern comes first. Where a breach puts a child at risk, SSPSK may suspend a coach from coaching at once while it looks into the matter, and the Focal Point may inform the school, the child's parents, the Children's Office or the police. A possible crime is always passed to the police.

A fair process. The coach is told what the concern is and is given the chance to respond before any decision [SSPSK to set who decides, and within how long]. Depending on what happened, the outcome may be guidance, further training (for example, repeating a Safe Stacks module), a written warning, suspension, or the withdrawal of the coach's certification and membership number. A coach may appeal a decision [SSPSK to set to whom, and within how long].

No coach will be penalised for a concern raised in good faith, even if it turns out to be unfounded. Knowingly making a false report about someone is itself a breach of this Code.

The SSPSK Board reviews this Code every year, together with the Safeguarding Policy, or sooner if Kenyan law changes or a concern shows it needs to change.