Written By: Secretary Approved By: Executive Committee Endorsed By: Executive Committee, 2019 Date for Review: September 2020 Our Vision Our vision is to provide opportunities for track and field to be enjoyed throughout the year. We believe that this is necessary for the development of future Australian world champions. Our Mission To provide opportunities for the community to enjoy the sport of track and field in a friendly atmosphere; and To provide professional assistance in coaching over the complete range of athletic events; and To encourage the community of all ages and abilities to participate for the pure enjoyment of track and field. Our strategic purpose – the promotion of Track and Field athletics The Club will offer specialised track and field coaching and expertise to everyone in the community, regardless of age, ability or gender. This Club will proactively tap into the local schools and other sporting clubs in the community to promote track and field athletics. We will aim to identify and cater to any unmet demand to offer track and field athletics as a sporting option. The Club will seek strong ties with neighbouring little athletics centres to offer track and field event coaching for their athletes. The Club will continue, through its alliance with the Western Bulldogs Community Engagement Program, promote track and field athletic development to other areas in the western suburbs. The Club will seek partnerships, grants, donors and sponsors to subsidise costs for its membership to make the sport of track and field athletics inclusive and affordable. The main objective of our MEMBER PROTECTION POLICY (policy) is to maintain responsible behaviour and the making of informed decisions by participants in this club. It outlines our commitment to a person’s right to be treated with respect and dignity, and to be safe and protected from abuse. Our policy informs everyone involved in our club of his or her legal and ethical rights and responsibilities and the standards of behaviour that are required. It also covers the care and protection of children participating in our club’s activities. Our policy applies to everyone involved in the club including committee members, administrators, coaches, officials, athletes, parents and spectators. Our policy covers unfair decisions (e.g. team selection) and actions, breaches of our code of behaviour and behaviour that occurs at practice, in the club rooms, at social events organised or sanctioned by the club (or our sport), and on away and overnight trips. It also covers private behaviour where that behaviour brings our club or sport into disrepute or there is suspicion of harm towards a child or young person. We will: Serious issues include unlawful behaviour that involves or could lead to significant harm and includes criminal behaviour (e.g. physical assault, sexual assault, child abuse) and any other issues that our state or national body request to be referred to them. Everyone associated with our club must: The Club is committed to the safety and wellbeing of all children and young people accessing our service. We support the rights of the child and will act without hesitation to ensure a child safe environment is maintained at all times. We also support the rights and wellbeing of our staff and volunteers and encourage their active participation in building and maintaining a secure environment for all participants. Our club acknowledges that our staff, members and volunteers provide a valuable contribution to the positive experiences of children involved in our sport. Our club aims to continue this and to take measures to protect the safety and welfare of children participating in our sport by: 7.1.1: Identify and Analyse Risk of Harm The Club has implemented a risk management strategy, which includes a review of existing child protection practices, to determine how child-safe and child-friendly the organisation is and to determine what additional strategies are required to minimise and prevent risk of harm to children because of the action of an employee, volunteer or another person. 7.1.2: Develop Codes of Conduct for Adults and Children The Club will ensure that it has codes of conduct that specify standards of conduct and care when dealing and interacting with children, particularly those in the organisation’s care. The organisation will also implement a code of conduct to address appropriate behaviour between children. The code(s) of conduct will set out professional boundaries, ethical behaviour and unacceptable behaviour. (See Part B) 7.1.3: Choose Suitable Employees and Volunteers The Club will ensure that the organisation takes all reasonable steps to ensure that it engages the most suitable and appropriate people to work with children (in prescribed positions). This may be achieved using a range of screening measures. Such measures will aim to minimise the likelihood of engaging (or retaining) people who are unsuitable to work with children. The Club will ensure that working with children checks/criminal history assessments are conducted for employees and volunteers working with children, where an assessment is required by law. If a criminal history report is obtained as part of their screening process, the Club will ensure that the criminal history information is dealt with in accordance with relevant state requirements. (See Part C) 7.1.4: Support, Train, Supervise and Enhance Performance The Club will ensure that volunteers and employees who work with children or their records have ongoing supervision, support and training such that their performance is developed and enhanced to promote the establishment and maintenance of a child-safe environment. 7.1.5: Empower and Promote the Participation of Children In Decision-Making And Service Development The Club will promote the involvement and participation of children and young people in developing and maintaining child-safe environments. 7.1.6: Report and Respond Appropriately To Suspected Abuse and Neglect The Club will ensure that volunteers and employees are able to identify and respond to children at risk of harm. The Club will make all volunteers and employees aware of their responsibilities under respective state lawsif they have suspicion on reasonable grounds that a child has been or is being abused or neglected. (See Part E) In addition to any legal obligation, if any person feels another person or organisation bound by this policy is acting inappropriately towards a child or is breaching the code’(s) of practice set out they may make an internal complaint. Please refer to our complaints procedure outlined in attachment [C1] of this policy. This will explain what to do about the behaviour and how the Club will deal with the problem. Members under the age of [16 ] must be supervised at all times by a responsible adult. Our club will provide a level of supervision adequate and relative to the members’ age, maturity, capabilities, level of experience, nature of activity and nature of venue. If a member finds a member under the age of [16] is unsupervised, they should assume responsibility for the member’s safety until the parent/guardian or supervisor can be found. Parents must turn up on time to collect their child for reasons of courtesy and safety. If it appears a member will be left alone at the end of a training session with just one child, they will ask another member to stay until the child is collected. Parents/guardians are responsible for transporting their children to and from club activities (e.g. training and competition). Where our club makes arrangements for the transportation of children (e.g. for away or over night trips), we will conduct a risk assessment that includes ensuring vehicles are adequately insured, the driver has a current and appropriate licence for the vehicle being used and appropriate safety measures are available (e.g. fitted working seatbelts)] Images of children can be used inappropriately or illegally. The club requires that members, wherever possible, obtain permission from a child’s parent/guardian before taking an image of a child that is not their own and ensure that the parent knows the way the image will be used. We also require the privacy of others to be respected and disallow the use of camera phones, videos and cameras inside changing areas, showers and toilets. If the club uses an image of a child it will avoid naming or identifying the child or it will, wherever possible, avoid using both the first name and surname. We will not display personal information such as residential address, email address or telephone numbers without gaining consent from the parent/guardian. We will not display information about hobbies, likes/dislikes, school, etc as this information can be used as grooming tools by pedophiles or other persons. We will only use appropriate images of a child, relevant to our sport and ensure that the child is suitably clothed in a manner that promotes the sport, displays its successes, etc. Our club opposes all forms of harassment, discrimination and bullying. This includes treating or proposing to treat someone less favourably because of a particular characteristic; imposing or intending to impose an unreasonable requirement, condition or practice which has an unequal or disproportionate effect on people with a particular characteristic; or any behaviour that is offensive, abusive, belittling, intimidating or threatening – whether this is face-to-face, indirectly or via communication technologies such as mobile phone and computers. Some forms of harassment, discrimination and bullying are against the law and are based on particular characteristics such as age, disability, gender, sexual orientation, pregnancy, political or religious beliefs, race, and marital status. Our club takes all claims of harassment, discrimination, bullying and cyber bullying seriously. We encourage anyone who believes they have been harassed, discriminated against or bullied to raise the issue with the club (see Responding to Complaints). Our club is welcoming and we will seek to include members from all areas of our community. 9.1 People with a disability 9. 2 People from diverse cultures 9.3 Sexual & Gender Identity 9.4 Pregnancy 10.1 Complaints Our club takes all complaints about on and off-field behaviour seriously. Our club will handle complaints based on the principles of procedural fairness (natural justice), that is: More serious complaints may be escalated to Club President or CEO Athletics Victoria. If the complaint relates to suspected child abuse, sexual assault or other criminal activity, then our club will report the behaviour to the police and/or relevant government authority. 10.2 Complaint Handling Process When a complaint is received by our club, the person receiving the complaint (e.g. President, Secretary) will: Once the complainant decides on their preferred option for resolution, the club will assist, where appropriate and necessary, with the resolution process. This may involve: In situations where a complaint is referred to Athletics Victoria and an investigation is conducted, the club will: At any stage of the process, a person can seek advice from or lodge a complaint with an anti-discrimination commission or other external agency. 10.3 Disciplinary Measures Our club will 1take disciplinary action against anyone found to have breached our policy or made false and malicious allegations. Any disciplinary measure imposed under our policy must: Possible measures that may be taken include: 10.4 Appeals The complainant or respondent can lodge one appeal against decisions of or disciplinary measures imposed by our club to Athletics Victoria. Appeals must be based on either a denial of natural justice, because of unjust or unreasonable disciplinary measure(s) being imposed, or on the grounds that the decision was not supported by the information/evidence presented and available to the decision maker/club.Member Protection Policy
1. Introduction
2. Purpose of Our Policy
3. Who Our Policy Applies To
4. Extent of Our Policy
5. Club Responsibilities
6. Individual Responsibilities
7. Protection of Children
7.1 Child Protection
7.2 Supervision
7.3 Transportation
7.4 Taking Images of Children
8. Anti-harassment, Discrimination and Bullying
9. Inclusive practices
Where possible we will include people with a disability in our teams and club. We will make reasonable adaptations (e.g. modifications to equipment and rules) to enable participation.
We will support and respect people from diverse cultures and religions to participate in our club and where possible will accommodate requests for flexibility (e.g. modifications to uniforms).
All people, regardless of their sexuality, are welcome at our club. We strive to provide a safe environment for participation and will take action over any homophobic behaviour.
Pregnant women should be aware that their own health and wellbeing, and that of their unborn children, should be of utmost importance in their decision making about the way they participate in our sport. We recommend pregnant women to consult with their medical advisers, make themselves aware of the facts about pregnancy in sport, and ensure that they make informed decisions about participation.10. Responding to Complaints
