Safeguarding is a primary concern for everyone involved with the National Academy – following the right policies and procedures is paramount to ensure that all players are provided with a safe environment throughout their tennis journeys. This page provides information for players, parents, coaches and everyone involved with the running of the academy.
Academy Welfare Officer – Mat Hulbert
Mat has been involved with Safeguarding as part of his role at Tennis Scotland for the past 15 years. He has been involved at every level working with clubs to help them meet minimum standards as well as working with coaches, players and parents. He is also a Safeguarding tutor and deliver training for Tennis Scotland, LTA and Local Authorities. Mat is also an Accredited+ Level 5 Coach and is a tutor for the delivery of Level 1 and Level 2 Coaching qualification courses. Mat can be contacted on 0131 444 1984 / 0794 9500458 or on email matthew.hulbert@tennisscotland.org
In the role of National Academy Welfare Officer, Mat will work closely with Dollar Academy and the Scottish Institute of Sport to ensure the safety of all players at the Academy. Parents, players and coaches should feel free to contact Mat if they have any questions about safeguarding.
What to do if you have a concern
If something happens to you or you see something happening to someone else that gives you cause for concern please report it as soon as possible using the online form – it is very simple and just asks who-what-where-when. If you are not sure – please speak to someone, this could be a parent, teacher at school, or coach. You can also contact Mat Hulbert at Tennis Scotland on 0131 444 1984 / 0794 9500458 or the LTA Safeguarding Team on 0208 487 7000.
In an emergency and/or if you are concerned that someone is at immediate risk of harm, please call the police without delay on 999.
Policies and Procedures
The National Academy has the following policies and procedures in place:
LTA Safeguarding
The LTA Safeguarding webpage has a wealth of information as well as FAQs for parents. There is also a separate section for Parents in Tennis which includes information on the LTA support programme.
Dollar Academy - Safeguarding
Dollare Academy provides schooling and boarding for players at the National Academy. As would be expected from an Educational Establishment Dollar Academy operates with the highest levels of safeguarding provision. Please visit the Dollar Academy website for further information on safeguarding including policies and procedures.
Further safeguarding & well-being information
Citizens Advice Bureau - Advice for Scotland
Children 1st – Safeguarding in Sport
- Tennis Scotland works very closely with Children 1st, they have an excellent website full of advice and resources – they can be contacted on 0141 419 1156
respectme
- respectme, Scotland’s anti-bullying service, was launched in March 2007. The service is fully funded by the Scottish Government and is managed by the Scottish Association for Mental Health in partnership with LGBT Youth Scotland. Their website contains a lot of valuable information and resources - visit respectme.org.uk for further information
Online safety
The internet is a fantastic place for us all to learn, create and have fun, but they may occasionally give rise to a variety of sometimes challenging issues. These might include cyberbullying, pressure to take part in sexting, encouragement to self-harm, viewing pornography, along with various others. But there are positive things you can do to equip yourself and your child, and support them in resolving any issue they may face. There are many resources on the web to help you negotiate your way through this subject – here are a few sites.