Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council members have voiced concerns about changing room policies for children at Ballymoney’s Joey Dunlop Leisure Centre
At a Leisure and Development Committee on Tuesday, April 16, DUP Alderman John McAuley requested that council officers “provide members with the background, rationale and legalities in relation to the Child Admission Policy for Swimming, which appears to have changed recently”.
The centre’s new policy states that only children aged seven and under can change in male/female changing rooms with their parent/guardian and, once a child turns eight years old, they must change in the appropriate male/female changing rooms.
“I’m sure many of us were contacted recently about the changes at the Joey Dunlop Centre,” Alderman McAuley said. “And I’m presuming it’s right across the board. I’m not aware of this coming through the chamber, so I’m just looking for an update the background, the rationale and, more importantly, the legalities of it.
“We just have to look at it to see the problems it’s going to cause people, and I have an example of a single mother with three children who, due to these new regulations, is not going to be able to take her children swimming for four years because she doesn’t have support.
“Because of the age of her children, she would need another two adults with her. It also states that only children under seven can change in the male or female changing rooms with their parent or guardian.
“That means once the reach eight they’re on their own, and I don’t have to go into the details on some of the unsavoury people this opens up opportunities to.
“As a parent I can assure anyone within council and leisure centres that, when my wee boy turns eight soon, he will not be going into a changing room on his own because he’s not ready.
DUP Alderman John McAuley
“I acknowledge there has to be a cut off point, no doubt about it, but it’s not eight. So we need to look at this, and if our facilities are not up to the needs and this is the law, we need to look at the facilities because either the policy or our facilities are not fit for purpose.
“I don’t think this came through the chamber, and it’s another example of important decisions being made without elected representatives knowing, but guess who takes the flak.”
An officer clarified the policy was not new, and had been in place for almost thirty years.
“So it isn’t that you haven’t seen it coming through the chamber,” the officer added. “Or somebody has taken a decision you weren’t aware of. This has been in position since the early 90s, so nothing new about this.
“What happened was that two families came into the centre and the adult-to-child ratio wasn’t sufficient, they were made aware, and a staff member decided to put up the existing guidelines around the policy on social media.
“That was perhaps not the most sensible thing to do, but that’s why many of you have been contacted. Anybody that uses the centre on a regular basis is well aware of this policy and it’s on all the changing room doors.
“Eight years is currently the age limit [for unaccompanied changing], based on Chartered Institute for Management of Sport and Physical Activity guidance an NSPCC guidance.”
Alderman McAuley proposed that officers returned “proposals, including costings, for ensuring our facilities are fit for purpose for this policy, as in changing villages” at the next Leisure and Development Committee meeting.
“It’s our responsibility to ensure the safety of children,” Alderman McAuley concluded. “And if that means upgrading our facilities, that’s what we have to do. But it has to be done as a matter of urgency.”