Changing Room Policy

INTERIM CHANGING ROOM POLICY

Introduction

Everybody Health and Leisure is committed to providing clean, safe, accessible and first-class facilities for all. This policy is to be used as an aid and guidance note to
ensure all Everybody changing provisions are safely and consistently managed for all activities and user groups.

Everybody Health & Leisure will ensure suitable signage and online information is available to support this policy via the website at www.everybody.org.uk

If you require this policy in an alternative format, please email: [email protected]

Policy Updates

This version updates the Interim Changing Room Policy 2025.2. This version includes updates and additions to definitions, adult access to changing rooms and transgender users. This policy remains interim in lieu of additional guidance.

Who Does This Policy Apply To & When?

This policy applies to all employees and customers of Everybody Health & Leisure.

Related Policies

You may want, or need, to refer to other Everybody policies and guidance including:

Admissions Policy
Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Policy
Safeguarding Policy

The following may also be useful references:

Equality & Human Rights Commission Statutory Code of Practice 2026
Gender Recognition Act (2004)
The Equality Act (2010)

Definitions

Biological Sex: The sex of a person at birth. We are legally obliged to use this
definition.

Everybody: Shortened version of Everybody Health & Leisure

Parent: For the purposes of this policy the term ‘parent’ is defined as someone over the age of sixteen or younger if the person is the biological parent of the child or children. The term also includes guardians and other responsible adults in relation to their obligations for the safe supervision of children in swimming pools.

Changing Village: A setting, rather than single sex changing rooms with open bench seating. The village includes changing cubicles of various sizes to accommodate families or single users. These cubicles offer increased privacy for visitors and allow both male and female staff access throughout the day for additional cleaning and supervision.

Sex: The Equality & Human Rights Commission defines sex as biological sex.

User: Anybody accessing an Everybody facility to take part in a chosen activity.

SEN: Children and young people with special educational needs (SEN) may need additional help and/or support.

Changing Room User Code of Conduct

Users must behave in a responsible and respectful manner while using the changing rooms.

Phones must not be used in the changing rooms for any reason. There are notices on display in changing rooms to reinforce this.

Use of Changing Provision

Users should use the following where provided:

Changing cubicles
Lockers for safe storage of personal belongings.

Inclusive changing provisions are in place to accommodate customers with any form of disability, carers, personal assistants, and customers with SEN’s. In
addition, inclusive changing areas or wet rooms are available for adults who feel uncomfortable using single-sex or village changing facilities, e.g. whilst younger
users are accessing them. Please remember, not all disabilities are visible.

We reserve the right for managers to discuss appropriate access to changing facilities where we believe that this policy is not being followed.
See Appendix 1 for available changing facilities at Everybody sites.

Use of Changing Rooms by Adults & Children Aged 8 or Above:

Adults & children aged 8 or above must use their sex specific changing rooms where a changing village isn’t available.

Use of Changing Rooms by Children Aged 7 & Under:

Children aged 7 and under may use opposite sex changing rooms if being accompanied by parent or guardian. Adults can only enter changing rooms of
their sex and not that of the child.
All children aged 7 and under must be accompanied by an adult/guardian at all times whilst using changing provisions. (Please refer to Admissions Policy for further guidance on pool access).

Learn to Swim Scheme

Parents/carers are responsible for their child prior to the commencement of their lesson and immediately on the session ending, including in the changing rooms.

Parents must not wait in changing rooms once their child has gone through into the pool hall.

All items of clothing must be stored in lockers provided and not left out in cubicles.

Site-specific risk assessments must be in place; identifying the need for enhanced patrols and supervision during learn to swim scheme operations, taking the characteristics of the building into account.

Transgender Users

Everybody recognises that national guidance potentially creates a barrier to transgender people engaging in sport and physical activity especially when trying
to use toilet or changing facilities.

We believe in access for all, and we encourage and welcome transgender people’s use of our venues and services, we are committed to supporting this and will ensure that there are suitable toilet and changing facilities available at our leisure
facilities.

To support us in providing suitable toilet and changing facilities we request that transgender users contact reception at the leisure facility prior to use to discuss
options at that facility. All Everybody leisure facilities will have identified spaces for transgender users.

Swimming Club Use

All Swim Clubs are to have their own updated risk assessments in place to safely manage the use of changing provisions pre and post activity use. All risks assessments must be inline and consistent with Swim England Changing Room Policy guidance.

Under the duty of care to safeguard children, the swimming club has a responsibility for the wellbeing of children in the changing rooms. Swim England does not advise that adults directly supervise changing facilities as it has the potential for allegations to be raised. Clubs may place an officer or appointed poolside helper on the outside of the doors in and out of the changing rooms to allow children to call for assistance if required.

Staff Access

Intermittent access throughout working hours will be required by facility staff to ensure cleaning and housekeeping practices are maintained. Where possible staff
will only access sex-specific changing rooms, there will however be occasions which will require access outside of this e.g. during emergencies or first aid
incidents. Staff will require full access to all areas during these circumstances.

Safeguarding

The Everybody Safeguarding Policy outlines procedures to ensure safeguarding and protection. It covers preventative safeguarding measures as well as instructions on
how to report concerns. The policy protects staff too, by promoting good working practices.

The policy and ‘Everybody Keep Safe’ applies to all staff, casual workers – and anyone else carrying out work on our behalf. It also covers partners, contractors
and voluntary organisations that deliver services for us. They must commit to their own safeguarding policy to reflect this document.

Monitoring & Review

This policy will be reviewed every two years as a minimum or more often in light of legal or best practice changes.