Thirty-six local cricket coaches, drawn from the Kiddy Cricket Programme, the Grassroots Programme and the Department of Physical Education and Sports, have been trained in the basics of Child Protection and are certified to move on to the soon to be introduced foundation course.{{more}}

This, after attending a one-day workshop, which was a joint effort by the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) last Friday at the President’s Suite at the Arnos Vale Playing Field.

Among the topics covered by the workshop facilitators Denise Harold and Sandra Augustus were ‘Spotting Child Abuse;’ ‘The Do’s and Dont’s of coaching children;’ ‘Helping a child disclose child abuse;’ as well as ‘The forms of child abuse.’

Both presenters impressed on the coaches that they are responsible for the well-being of their charges who are between the ages of six and 18 years.

Kellisha Ashton, a coach who benefitted from the workshop, in expressing the outcome of the workshop said: “It was beneficial to me, even though I did not agree with some of the areas dealt with.”

There were varying interpretations on the definition of a child, with some participants disagreeing that a child is anyone who is yet to attain his or her 18th birthday.

Meanwhile, Territorial Development officer (TDO) for the Windward Islands, Vincentian Irvine Warrican, in evaluating the workshop, told SEARCHLIGHT: “It was a timely exercise in light of what we are hearing from other countries where coaches have been charged for molestation and other forms of abuse… The workshop was beneficial to the coaches and it serves to protect them and the children they coach.”

“This workshop is the basis for further courses as the WICB has joined with UTECH and is moving towards ensuring that certification of cricket coaches is done with greater accreditation,” Warrican said.

The TDO further pointed out: “We hope to have more such workshops to involve other coaches in the very near future.”

The Child Protection Initiative is guided by the international standards and policies outlined in the 1989 Convention on the Rights of the Child, which is observed in over 200 countries.

The Child Protection Certificate is one of the three platform areas for certification of cricket coaches in the region.

The others are the First Aid Certificate and Police Report/Clearance. (RT)