Child safe environments in sport
What sport club committees need to do.
Serious allegations
Those working in sports clubs may come across children being abused or who disclose their abuse to them. This abuse may be occurring within or outside of sport.
Anyone who suspects, on reasonable grounds, that a child or young person is at risk of significant harm should contact without delay: Community Services
Phone: 132 111 (24 hours) www.community.nsw.gov.au
1. Meet your legal requirements
Working With Children Check (WWCC)
In NSW, if you employ people to work with children (including volunteers) you have a legal obligation to help keep those children safe from physical, sexual or emotional abuse.
The WWCC assists with this, by helping employers choose the right people for child-related work.
It’s the law - all organisations in NSW must comply with the WWCC, including sporting organisations.
Visit the NSW Commission for Children and Young People website to learn more about this responsibility, register as an employer, conduct checks and access forms.
2. Good structures and practices
Put good child protection structures and practices in place at your club:
- Contact your affiliate body - Most sports at national, state and association level have child protection policies. Look into what’s already in place in your sport and adopt it at your club.
- Review risks - Take steps to identify and reduce child protection risks. Use the Commission for Children and Young People’s risk finder tool
- Child protection officer - Appoint a child protection officer to help manage child protection at your club. Read more »
- Policy and procedures - Establish a child protection policy, codes of conduct and a clear procedure for managing allegations. Read more »
- Communicate - Regularly tell members about your club’s child protection expectations, policies and procedures via your website, meetings, newsletters and other channels.
- Train- Train key members - including your child protection officer, coaches and committee - on child protection issues and management. Read more »
3. Manage allegations
With good structures and practices in place (e.g. a clear allegations procedure and trained staff), your club will be in a good position to deal with allegations effectively. Read more »
Serious allegations
Those working in sports clubs may come across children being abused or who disclose their abuse to them. This abuse may be occurring within or outside of sport. Anyone who suspects, on reasonable grounds, that a child or young person is at risk of significant harm should contact Community Services without delay:
- Community Services
Phone: 132 111 (24 hours)
www.community.nsw.gov.au
