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Changing Room Access Policy

Contents:

  • Introduction
  • Purpose
  • Scope
  • Principles
  • Available Facilities
  • Access to Single-Sex Changing Facilities
  • Accessible Changing Facilities
  • Children and Young People
  • Customer Conduct
  • Concerns and Complaints
  • Staff Guidance
  • Safeguarding
  • Review

Introduction

BCS recognises that changing room provision can involve competing rights and expectations. We will seek, wherever reasonably practicable, to provide alternative and private changing options that enable all customers to access our facilities safely, respectfully and with dignity, while maintaining the privacy of others.

Purpose

The purpose of this policy is to:

  • Provide clear guidance on the use of our changing facilities.
  • Ensure the safety, dignity, privacy and wellbeing of all customers.
  • Support compliance with the Equality Act 2010 and applicable guidance.
  • Ensure staff have a consistent framework for managing enquiries and concerns.

Scope

This policy applies to:

  • Members and Pay As You Go customers.
  • Parents using changing facilities accompanying their children, or children in their care.
  • Staff, contractors and volunteers.
  • All BCS changing facilities.

Principles

BCS is committed to:

  • Treating all customers with dignity and respect.
  • Providing an inclusive environment free from discrimination, bullying and harassment.
  • Respecting the privacy of all users of changing facilities.
  • Operating facilities in a manner that supports safety and safeguarding requirements.
  • Providing reasonable alternative arrangements where appropriate and possible.

Available Facilities

BCS provides:

  • Male member changing facilities.
  • Female member changing facilities.
  • Accessible changing facilities for members.
  • Male student changing facilities.
  • Female student changing facilities.
  • Accessible changing facilities for students.

Access to Single-Sex Changing Facilities

Access to male and female changing rooms designated as single-sex facilities will be according to biological sex.

Where a customer is unable or unwilling to use the available single-sex changing room provision, staff will seek to make available an alternative accessible changing facility.

Accessible Changing Facilities

Accessible changing facilities are available primarily for:

  • Disabled customers.
  • Customers requiring additional privacy.
  • Customers attending with carers.
  • Any customer for whom use of communal facilities may present difficulties.

Where capacity allows, staff may offer these facilities to resolve concerns while ensuring fair access for disabled users.

Children and Young People

Children under the age of eight years should use changing facilities with a parent, guardian or carer, and this should be the single-sex changing room according to the biological sex of the parent, guardian or carer.

Staff should not challenge children regarding their sex or gender identity.

Safeguarding concerns should be referred to the Designated Safeguarding Lead, details of which can be found displayed around the Club.

Customer Conduct

All users of changing facilities at BCS must:

  • Respect the privacy and dignity of others.
  • Behave appropriately at all times.
  • Follow staff instructions.
  • Refrain from harassment, intimidation, abusive language or threatening behaviour.
  • Refrain from photography or video recording in changing areas.

Any breach may result in removal from the facility or suspension / cancellation of membership.

Concerns and Complaints

If a customer raises concerns regarding changing room access:

  • Staff will listen respectfully and remain neutral.
  • The matter should be referred to the Designated Safeguarding Lead where necessary.
  • Staff should seek practical solutions that protect the dignity and safety of all affected customers.
  • Complaints will be handled through the BCS complaints procedure.

Staff Guidance

Staff must:

  • Treat all individuals courteously and respectfully.
  • Avoid public discussions about a customer’s personal circumstances.
  • Escalate complex situations to management.
  • Record incidents where appropriate.
  • Follow safeguarding and equality procedures.

Safeguarding

Nothing in this policy overrides safeguarding obligations.

Where staff believe there is an immediate risk to any individual, normal safeguarding and incident management procedures shall apply.

Review

This policy will be reviewed:

  • Annually.
  • Following significant legal or regulatory developments.
  • Following any major incident relating to changing facility use.

August 2026