LONDON SPORTS AND SOCIAL CLUB – CODE OF CONDUCT

LSSC is an inclusive organisation and all members, whether vision-impaired or sighted, are considered equal members of the club. We want every member to enjoy participating in our activities and feel safe and welcome. To this end, we do not tolerate bullying, harassment or discriminatory language or behaviours of any kind, nor any other behaviours which could bring LSSC into disrepute.

Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility. If you have any safeguarding concerns, please speak to one of LSSC’s safeguarding officers. If you do not know who they are, ask a member of the committee, or send an email to Chair@LSSC.org.uk.

In participating in LSSC activities we request that you:

Act with dignity and respect towards others at all times.
Act within the law and behave responsibly when participating in LSSC activities, being mindful of your and others’ health, safety and wellbeing, never knowingly

putting yourself, or other LSSC members or the public in danger, and following any instructions given by the activity organiser.

Only participate in activities within your health and fitness capacity and, where relevant, for which you have completed the appropriate induction/training, for example, if tandem cycling, selecting the appropriate level of ride for your experience/fitness.
Wear the appropriate clothing and use the appropriate equipment for the activity you are participating in, as recommended by the activity organiser.
Arrive at LSSC activities punctually and give reasonable notice of any lateness or non-attendance.
Do not take photographs or videos of LSSC activities without seeking consent from all those who will be in the photograph and respecting requests from those who may not wish to be filmed or photographed.
Provide feedback and raise concerns about LSSC, its activities or the behaviour of other members promptly and directly with a member of the LSSC committee, so that we can address issues quickly and effectively for the benefit of all members.
Do not refer to LSSC publicly in any way that could bring the club into disrepute, including on social media. If you are unhappy with anything, please speak to an LSSC committee member.

Breaches of this code

If the LSSC committee or an activity organiser feels you have not acted within the spirit of this code, you will be informed at the earliest opportunity. If the breach is considered minor, you will be advised of ways in which you might do things differently in future. This conversation will take place in private.
LSSC reserves the right to suspend or permanently exclude you from groups or activities for persistent or serious breeches of this code of conduct or violent and abusive behaviour.

Annex A sets out how allegations of breaches of this code will be handled.

The LSSC Committee wishes to underscore that the purpose of this code of conduct is to ensure that LSSC can continue to be a place where all members feel safe and welcome and enjoy participating in our activities. Thank you for your support with this.

If you wish to make a complaint, please follow the club’s complaints policy, outlined in Anne x B.

LSSC Committee, November 2023

Annex A – How allegations of breaches of this code will be handled

Any member of the LSSC Committee receiving a complaint or other information about conduct appearing to indicate a breach of this code by an LSSC member should inform the rest of the committee in accordance with LSSC’s complaints policy (Annex B). If the complaint relates to a member of the LSSC committee, the committee member receiving the complaint should raise it directly with the committee chair. If the complaint relates to the LSSC chair, the committee member should raise it with the LSSC committee vice-chair.
The committee will decide whether the complaint of a breach of the code should be upheld and, if so, whether it can be addressed through a conversation with the member concerned, warning them of their breach of the code of conduct and advising them how they should behave differently in future.
If the complaint is considered more serious, potentially resulting in the member’s suspension or permanent exclusion from some or all of LSSC’s activities, the LSSC Committee will set up a panel to consider the complaint further. the panel should comprise three members of the Committee though, where necessary, other suitably qualified individuals may be co-opted. The LSSC committee will be mindful to avoid conflicts of interest when appointing a panel.
The panel will review the available evidence and consider whether further enquiries are necessary. If the panel considers it appropriate, it should instruct one member to seek further information from the parties involved and, where necessary, other LSSC members. Once the panel is satisfied with the quality of the evidence available, the member alleged to be in default of the code of conduct must be formally notified of the allegations in writing in an accessible format and allowed 7 days in which to provide a response.
The panel will consider the member’s response and decide what action should be taken. This could be a formal warning of a breach of the code of conduct, suspension from LSSC activities for a period or permanent exclusion from LSSC.
If the member fails to reply within seven days, the panel may proceed immediately to impose an appropriate sanction, such as suspension or permanent withdrawal of membership.

Annex B – LSSC Complaints policy

LSSC views complaints as an opportunity to learn and improve for the future, as well as a chance to put things right for the person that has made the complaint.

Our policy is:

To provide a fair complaints procedure which is clear and easy to use for anyone wishing to make a complaint
To publicise the existence of our complaints procedure so that people know how to contact us to make a complaint
To make sure everyone at LSSC knows what to do if a complaint is received
To make sure all complaints are investigated fairly and in a timely way
To make sure that complaints are, wherever possible, resolved and that relationships are repaired
To gather information which helps us to improve what we do

Definition of a Complaint

A complaint is any expression of dissatisfaction, whether justified or not, about any aspect of LSSC.

Where Complaints Come From

Complaints may come from any person or organisation who has a legitimate interest in LSSC. A complaint can be received verbally, by phone, by email or in writing.

Confidentiality

All complaint information will be handled sensitively, telling only those who need to know and following any relevant data protection requirements.

Responsibility

Overall responsibility for this policy and its implementation lies with the Chairman and the Committee members.

Review

This policy is reviewed regularly and updated as required.

Complaints Procedure of LSSC

Written complaints should be sent to any member of the LSSC committee. The complaint will be passed on to the relevant members of the committee to deal with. This will generally be the Chairman and two other members of the committee as requested and agreed by the Chairman at the time of the complaint, and based on the initial knowledge of the complaint.
Verbal complaints may be made by phone or in person to any of LSSC committee members.

A written complaint can be made using the following e-mail address:

committee@LSSC.org.uk

Receiving Complaints

The person who receives a phone or in person complaint should do the following:

Write down the facts of the complaint
Take the complainant’s name, address and telephone number
Note down the relationship of the complainant to the club
Tell the complainant that we have a complaints procedure
Tell the complainant what will happen next and how long it will take
Where appropriate, ask the complainant to send a written account by post or by email so that the complaint is recorded in the complainant’s own words.

Stage One

In many cases, a complaint is best resolved by the person responsible for the issue being complained about. If the complaint has been received by that person, they may be able to resolve it swiftly and should do so if possible and appropriate. Whether or not the complaint has been resolved, the complaint information should be passed to the Chairman within one week.

On receiving the complaint, The Chairman records it in the complaints log. If it has not already been resolved, they delegate an appropriate person to investigate it and to take appropriate action.
If the complaint relates to a specific person, they should be informed and given a fair opportunity to respond.

Complaints should be acknowledged by the person handling the complaint within a week. The acknowledgement should say who is dealing with the complaint and when the person complaining can expect a reply. A copy of this complaints procedure should be attached.

Stage Two

If the complainant feels that the problem has not been satisfactorily resolved at Stage One, they can request that the complaint is reviewed at Committee level. At this stage, the complaint will be passed to the Committee and the Chairman.

The request for Committee level review should be acknowledged within a week of receiving it. The acknowledgement should say who will deal with the case and when the complainant can expect a reply.
The person who receives Stage Two complaints may investigate the facts of the case themselves or delegate a suitably senior person to do so. This may involve reviewing the paperwork of the case and speaking with the person who dealt with the complaint at Stage One.

If the complaint relates to a specific person, they should be informed and given a further opportunity to respond.

The person who dealt with the original complaint at Stage One should be kept informed of what is happening.

Ideally complainants should receive a definitive reply within four weeks. If this is not possible because for example, an investigation has not been fully completed, a progress report should be sent with an indication of when a full reply will be given. Whether the complaint is upheld or not, the reply to the complainant should describe the action taken to investigate the complaint, the conclusions from the investigation, and any action taken as a result of the complaint.

The decision taken at this stage is final, unless the Committee decides it is appropriate to seek external assistance with resolution.

Variation of the Complaints Procedure

The Committee may vary the procedure for good reason. This may be necessary to avoid a conflict of interest, for example, a complaint about the Chairman should not also have the Chairman as the person leading a Stage Two review.

Monitoring and Learning from Complaints

Complaints are reviewed annually to identify any trends which may indicate a need to take further action.

Practical Guidance for Handling Verbal Complaints

Remain calm and respectful throughout the conversation
Listen – allow the person to talk about the complaint in their own words. Sometimes a person just wants to “let off steam”
Don’t debate the facts in the first instance, especially if the person is angry
Show an interest in what is being said
Obtain details about the complaint before any personal details
Ask for clarification wherever necessary
Show that you have understood the complaint by reflecting back what you have noted down
Acknowledge the person’s feelings (even if you feel that they are being unreasonable) – you can do this without making a comment on the complaint itself or making any admission of fault on behalf of the organisation, e.g. “I understand that this situation is frustrating for you”
If you feel that an apology is deserved for something that was the responsibility of your organisation, then apologise
Ask the person what they would like done to resolve the issue
Be clear about what you can do, how long it will take and what it will involve.
Don’t promise things you can’t deliver
Give clear and valid reasons why requests cannot be met
Make sure that the person understands what they have been told
Wherever appropriate, inform the person about the available avenues of review or appeal Code