Safeguarding & child protection

Last updated: 16 June 2026

Scope of this statement

This statement describes how the RinkTracker platformis built to support safeguarding. It is not a substitute for an academy's own safeguarding and child-protection policy. Each academy remains responsible for its own policy, procedures and trained people.

Junior hockey means under-18, and safeguarding comes first

The players on the platform are children. Safeguarding is therefore foundational to how the product is designed, not an add-on. Every decision about what data to collect and who can see it is made with the welfare of the child in mind.

Data-minimisation for children

We follow a data-minimisationapproach. The platform is designed to hold only the information an academy needs to support a player's development — for example skill assessments, attendance and coaching notes — and to avoid collecting more about a child than is necessary.

The child-scoped parent/guardian portal

Parents and guardians get a limited, child-scopedportal. A guardian can see their own child's development and complete clearly labelled family actions, but cannot edit coach-owned assessments or see another player's records. Access is consented: it is enabled by the academy once the appropriate parental consent is in place.

Body-composition data is coach-only

Some data is treated as especially sensitive for young athletes. Body-composition data, such as body-fat measurements, is coach-only. It is stripped from the parent/guardian portal and is never shown to parents. This is a deliberate design choice to protect children and to keep this kind of data within the small group of staff who genuinely need it.

Role-based access

The platform uses role-based accessso that only appropriate staff can see a child's data, and each role sees only what it needs. This limits the spread of children's information and supports the principle that data should be available on a need-to-know basis.

Tenant isolation between academies

Each academy's data is kept separate through tenant isolation. One academy cannot see another academy's players, staff or records. This keeps every child's information within their own academy.

Academies remain responsible for their own safeguarding

The platform supports good safeguarding practice, but it does not replace it. Academies remain responsible for their own safeguarding policies, for carrying out DBS checks on staff and volunteers, and for appointing and supporting a designated safeguarding lead. Academies must ensure that the people they invite to the platform are appropriate to have access.

Alignment with UK safeguarding principles

The platform is designed to be in keeping, in spirit, with the ICO's Age Appropriate Design Code (the Children's Code) and with established UK safeguarding principles for children in sport. For general guidance on child protection in sport, the NSPCC Child Protection in Sport Unit is a helpful resource: https://thecpsu.org.uk/.

Concerns

If you have an immediate concern about a child's safety, contact your academy's designated safeguarding lead or the relevant authorities directly. For questions about how the platform handles children's data, contact us at dpo@rinktracker.com.