How To Resolve Issues or Disputes

Swim England Friends are volunteers who are available to give impartial assistance and guidance to Swim England members or their parents on matters involving the Swim England Judicial Regulations, Club Constitution / Rules and the Swim England Code of Ethics and accompanying Codes of Conduct.

Our Swim England Friends have a wealth of experience in the world of aquatics and a knowledge of the regulations, constitution and judicial procedures.

They also have in-depth knowledge of swimming clubs and how issues such as yours may have been resolved in the past.

Swim England Friends are not just there for one-off advice.  You can keep going back to your contact in the case of an ongoing dispute.

Swim England Friends are assigned on a case-by-case basis.

If you have an issue that you are not sure how to resolve, please contact signposting@swimming.org and we can put you in touch with someone appropriate to your dispute.

We require all affiliated clubs and organisations with members under 18 to appoint a Welfare Officer.

The Welfare Officer is responsible for ensuring their club or organisation is adopting and implementing WavePower, the Swim England Child Safeguarding Policy and Procedures.

The Welfare Officer is also the first point of contact for children and adults who have a child welfare concern. They can provide advice and guidance and may also refer the matter to a County or Regional Welfare Officer, the Swim England Safeguarding Team or one of a number of other statutory agencies including the police.

Swimline

We also have a child protection helpline called Swimline. Callers to Swimline can leave their name, contact details and a description of their concerns, and will the be contacted by our Safeguarding Team within 48 hours. There is also the opportunity to transfer to the NSPCC Child Protection Helpine if urgent assistance is required to protect a child.

You can call SwimLine on 0808 100 4001.

In an emergency, when you believe a child may have been harmed or be at immediate risk of harm and you are unable to contact the Welfare Officer or the Swim England Safeguarding Team, you should without delay refer the concern to your local Police Child Protection Team, MASH or Children’s Social Care so any necessary actions can be taken by those professionals to safeguard the child.

You do not have to decide whether your concern or incident is, or is not, child abuse or a failure to safeguard a child. You do have to refer a concern to the appropriate agency so they can make that decision.

The first step for any coaching concerns with your club is to arrange a time to speak directly to the coach, or the head of the coaching staff.

If you have tried resolving your issue at club level and are still in dispute, you can raise the issue with Swim England by emailing signposting@swimming.org.

Your query will then be referred to an England Talent Team Leader for your sport, who will provide expertise and advice.

Our Coaches Referral Protocol outlines the steps we will take when a concern is raised with regards to coaching techniques.

If you have a question about coaching disputes or wish to raise the issue with us, please contact signposting@swimming.org putting as much detail as possible about your dispute.

A person wishing to make a Complaint must have been a Swim England member at the time of the event(s) complained about, or have been attempting to obtain membership.

Parents or guardians can submit a Complaint Form on behalf of a Swim England Member under the age of 18.

If you remain dissatisfied with the outcome of an internal club process there is an option to raise a formal complaint with Swim England over a dispute at your club or breach of Code of Conduct.

This decision should be taken after full discussion with a Swim England friend. The formal complaint form can be requested by emailing judicial@swimming.org.

There is a charge of £100 for registering a formal complaint with us.

If you or your child have a medical condition or concern that is affecting your or their ability to take part in aquatics, we recommend you first make all attempts to discuss this with your coaches at your club.

If there are concerns over whether it is safe for you or your child to be participating in aquatics sessions, Swim England affiliated clubs can receive advice under the Medical Protocol.

Our Medical Protocol Terms of Reference outlines the process we will take if a written reference is received.

• Complaints absorb a great deal of time.
• The fee is a contribution to the costs of processing your complaint.
• If your complaint is upheld the fee may be returned.
• If your complaint is unsuccessful, the fee may be retained.

Your club will have a written constitution (a set of rules). These are likely to be on the club web site, on a noticeboard, or in the joiner’s handbook.

First of all, check the rules to see whether or if the club has broken (or not followed) it’s own rules.

Do your best to follow the club’s complaint procedure – i.e. to write to the chairman, or the secretary, and clearly make your case.

Contact the Swim England Office of Judicial Administration.

You will be provided with the opportunity to be put in contact with a Swim England Friend.

Click or tap on the image below to download a PDF copy of a flowchart outlining the stages of our judicial process.

Written Reasons

Appeal Committee Decision:

• Sue Arrowsmith (Appellant) -v- Chris Bostock (Respondent) - 2019
• Offence Type: Misconduct
• The Appeal Committees: Gemma White QC (Chair); I. Wilson; M. Abrams
• Sanction: Warning
• Suspension: None
• Fine: None

Following the above decision click here for a response by the Swim England Board.