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.

Is child protection an issue for sport?

Sport is a particularly vulnerable area for potential child abuse because it:

• involves a large number of people under the age of 18;
• frequently involves overnight trips (e.g. training camps or competitions); and
• usually involves close relationships between adults and children, where the adults are in positions of trust and able to assert authority and power over children.

The most common characteristics of all forms of abuse against children are an abuse of power or authority, or a breach of trust.

By far the majority of staff and volunteers involved with children are encouraging, supportive, competent and ethical in their activities. However, it is recognised that some people are attracted to child-related activities and employment in order to gain access to children for ulterior purposes.

National crime statistics released in May 2003 show almost half of all cases of sexual assault reported in 2002 involved a child. In about 75 per cent of cases the victim knew their offender, however, the majority of those known offenders were not family. The report concludes that access and vulnerability are the greatest issues (rather than stranger danger) - sport provides easy and direct access to and frequently unsupervised contact with children.

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

Mandatory reporting is a legal requirement for specific persons (mandated person) to report reasonable suspicions of children being, or at risk of being, abused or neglected. It applies when that suspicion is formed during a person’s work, regardless of whether it is paid or voluntary work, or in the carrying out of official duties. A mandated reporter must report suspicions irrespective of who is implicated (e.g. colleague, friend, manager, volunteer). It has been introduced on the grounds that children require the assistance of adults to advise child protection agencies that they are in need of protection

Working with Children Checks

Fundamental to every child-safe environment is recruiting staff and volunteers who do not pose a risk to children. One way this is done is by "screening" applicants who wish to work with children. The term "screening" is used to refer to the process of conducting a criminal history check on an individual. In some states professional disciplinary records or investigative information held by police are included in the screening process.

This screening process is called a "Working with Children Check" (WWCC) and is required of people who work with children under 18 years of age in particular businesses or categories of paid or voluntary employment. The WWCC aims to prevent people with inappropriate criminal and professional disciplinary records from working with children or volunteering in children's clubs and activities