Grievance and disciplinary policy

Complaints and Disputes

The Club will record and quickly respond to all concerns, allegations or reports of malpractice or abuse relating to the welfare of children or vulnerable adults per the Club’s and England Athletics’s safeguarding policy and procedures.

The Club’s Welfare Officer shall be the lead Officer for all Members in the event of safeguarding concerns.

The Club will handle any misconduct complaints (improper or unprofessional conduct) regarding the behaviour of Members or Officers according to its discipline and appeals process. You must submit complaints in writing to the Secretary or, if the complaint concerns the Secretary, to the Welfare Officer.

Unless exceptional circumstances apply, the Secretary will hear complaints within fourteen days of receiving a complaint. If you have sufficiently evidenced the complaint, the Secretary will appoint three Club Members (with no direct or indirect interest/involvement) to sit on a disciplinary panel. Subject to rule 3 below, a decision of the disciplinary panel shall be final and conclusive.

The Secretary must receive any appeals within seven days of receiving the written decision, and if appropriate, the Club will follow the appeals process.

Any complaints of serious misconduct (including, without limitation, theft, doping violations, fraud, physical violence, safeguarding policy breaches, serious breach of applicable health and safety, gambling and/or ticketing regulations or any act or omission of the Member or Officer which in the opinion of England Athletics, acting reasonably, brings or is likely to bring the sport of athletics into disrepute) regarding the behaviour of Members or Officers shall be reported and dealt with by England Athletics per its Disciplinary Procedures.

If a dispute arises between any Members or Officers of the Club about the validity or propriety of anything done by any Member or Officer under these Rules and the dispute cannot be resolved by agreement, the parties to the dispute must first try in good faith to settle the dispute by mediation before resorting to litigation.