1 Policy statement
1.1 Scope
This policy applies to participating Staff (including volunteers), young cricketers and parents for the MCCF. The procedures in this policy may be adapted as necessary.
1.2 Publication
This policy is provided to participating teams at the MCCF 2025.
1.3 Policy aims
Through the operation of this policy, we aim to:
1.3.1 Protect the health and safety of all Young Cricketers at MCCF Cricket Festivals;
1.3.2 Ensure the MCCF Staff and the participating/accompanying staff know how to
respond if a cricketer and or member of Staff goes missing.
2 Responsibility
2.1 In practice, all members of MCCF and participating teams’ staff contribute to the safety of cricketers at the Festival by participating teams providing appropriate supervision in accordance with the direction of the MCCF Management Team. They are under a general duty of care to supervise cricketers to the standard of a prudent and careful parent. Any member of MCCF or participating/accompanying team staff who notices a pupil is missing, or sees a pupil in a place where the cricketer should not be, has a duty to inform the relevant chaperone without delay.
3 Procedure for a Cricketer missing during the day
3.1 If a member of the Team staff notices that a cricketer is missing from his/her team, or a sporting activity, during the day the adult responsible should:
– ask other pupils in the team if they know where the cricketer might be
– contact Festival Organiser/Security/Participating Team Staff and the accompanying
parents/guardians who may be staying locally.
3.2 As part of the initial search process the cricketer’s fellow team members and friends will be asked if they have any knowledge of the missing cricketer’s whereabouts.
3.3 If the cricketer is found on site or in the vicinity, the MCCF and Team staff will make a concerted effort to persuade the pupil to return to his team. If the cricketer refuses to do so, staff members at the scene will attempt to continue to monitor the cricketer’s whereabouts. Team Staff should consider contacting parents in such circumstances.
3.4 If the cricketer is not found after the initial search, the accompanying team staff will contact the pupil’s parents at this point and the situation must be reported to the MCCF along with the relevant details. If the parents are abroad there ‘may’ need to be a delay in contacting them but the accompanying team manager/administrator should have a contact for a guardian. All decisions on contacting parents should be made by the Team Staff and their appropriate Safeguarding & Welfare Officer.
3.5 If the initial search is unsuccessful, the Team Staff will contact the police after consultation with the parents (where appropriate) and provide the police with the information, as well as any further information reasonably requested by the police.
4 Procedure for a cricketer missing after playing hours (game time) or during the
night
4.1 When a member of the accompanying team staff discovers that a cricketer is missing after playing hours (Game Time) or during the night, he/she will:
– check with other team members (if awake) and ask them if they have any knowledge of the missing cricketer’s whereabouts
– conduct an initial search of the Boarding House and immediate surrounds of the House
– contact the MCCF Staff to inform him/her that the cricketer is missing
– all decisions on contact with parents should be made by the identified Team Staff.
– contact other team’s staff within their Boarding House to conduct an initial search of the Boarding House and School site.
– The Team Staff will contact the police after consultation with the parents (where possible / appropriate) and provide the police with the information listed in Section 5.
5 Information to be provided to the Police
5.1 When the Team Staff contacts the police during the day or night, the following information should be provided:
– the cricketer’s name
– the cricketer’s age
– an up to date photograph if possible
– the cricketer’s height, physical description and any physical peculiarities
– any disability, learning difficulty or special educational needs that the cricketer may have
– the cricketer’s home address and telephone number
– a description of the clothing the cricketer is thought to be wearing
– any relevant comments made by the cricketer such as “I’m going to run away to Brighton”.
5.2 The information will then be passed to the various police stations through police
channels.
6 Review
6.1 This policy shall be reviewed by the acting MCCF Welfare Office and updated as necessary. In undertaking the review the MCCF will take into account any incidents in the Missing Pupil Log that indicate that there may be a problem with supervision, cricketer support or security at the MCCF/School and any issues raised by individual members of staff, parents and cricketers.
7 Missing Pupil Records
7.1 The festival organiser must keep a full written record of any incident of a missing cricketer including:
– the cricketer’s name
– relevant dates and times (e.g. when it was first noticed that the cricketer was missing)
– the action taken to find the cricketer
– whether the police or Social Services were involved
– outcome or resolution of the incident
– any reasons given by the cricketer for being missing
– any concerns or complaints about the handling of the incident
-a record of the staff involved.
7.2 A full written record of the incident will be kept on the team’s file.