KSAS-AU - Kids-Safe-at-Sport Australia

Child Protection in the Sport Environment
The Australian Sports Commission, the ASC, has conducted considerable research and development into ensuring Junior Sports Clubs "Play by the Rules" particularly with Child Protection Policies via State Government legislation and policies on inappropriate on- and off-field behaviour

Every State has Child Protection Legislation with which Junior Sports Clubs need to comply.

This legislation requires every Sports Club to have:

Every Team Manager and Coach sign a Child Protection Document

Carry out a Child Protection check on each Volunteer

A mechanism to let the parents know that the Team Manager/Coach / Volunteer has signed the form eg each Age Group Team Managers & Coaches

A Child Complaint process - a way for a parent to lodge a complaint with the Club, Local Peak Body and Australian Sports Commission

However, very few Junior Sports Clubs have the resources or skills to put in place the appropriate Child Protection Policies and Incident Response.

What tends to happen is that:-

a: Volunteers, coaches, support people etc sign the necessary forms provided but there is not a checklist to reassure parents that the necessary checks have been carried out.
b: Without a process for complaints in place, issues which may arise are not able to be handled appropriately by the Clubs.

Hence OIC Members have developed: -

Junior Sports Information System (JSIS) to enable parents to assist their Junior Sport's Club to comply with the Child Protection Legislation and with the "Play by the Rules" incident reporting. Parents and children can also look at local sites for general local information re team schedules, grounds, player game records etc Soocer U7s 2005

Kids Safe-at-Sport Network (KSAS-Au) to provide a
Child Protection Compliance Service and a Child Complaint Monitoring Process for Junior Sporting Clubs Players' Parents

These web sites will also provide multiple web advertising opportunities for Local Businesses to fund the on-going upkeep of the Local Sport team websites. Additionally there will be opportunities for local IT businesses to be involved in the process of setting up and maintaining sites particularly with Internet marketing stratergies. It is anticipated that the Junior Sports Clubs will be trained to maintain their own site.

We look forward to working with you on this vital community issue and assisting small business and Junior Sports Clubs to participate in and benefit from the Local Information Economy.

All initial calls or emails to the Hon Sec please

Contact Details
Paul JENKINS	{61}(2) 9953-7412
Chair	paul.jenkins@ksas-au.net
Stephen GOULD	{61}(0)416-009-468
Hon Sec	stephen.gould@ksas-au.net
Adelle WHITE	PO Box 517 Sydney 2089
Co-ordinator	adelle.white@ksas-au.net

Australian Sports Commission Australian Sports Commission logo

Child Protection in Sport (summary)

Children have a fundamental right to be safe from any form of abuse while involved in sport or associated activities. This is a legal requirement as well as a moral obligation. Child protection requires a commitment from all levels in sport to ensure sporting environments are safe for all children. This includes an awareness of the requirements and risks, a commitment to practices that minimise the risks, and the ability to appropriately respond to incidents of child abuse.
Research indicates, and high profile cases have highlighted, the need for a comprehensive and consistent approach to child protection.

What is child protection?
Child protection involves legislation, policies and practices to keep children safe from harm, to protect them from people who are unsuitable to supervise or work with children and to ensure that a child�s wellbeing and best interests are paramount considerations.

Legal requirements
Two aspects of child protection legislation that are most relevant to the sport industry are reporting and screening processes

Mandatory Reporting
Working with Children Checks

Play-by-the-Rules
Example: "Responding to Complaints or Incidents of Concern"
'Play by the Rules' provides information and online learning about how to prevent and deal with discrimination, harassment and child abuse for the sport and recreation industry.

Play by the Rules is a partnership between the Australian Sports Commission and all State/Territory sport and recreation and anti-discrimination agencies to help clubs provide a fair and safe environment.