Child Safe Environments are more than just police checks.
The Children’s Protection Act 1993 requires that sport and recreation organisations that provide any services for children, must establish and maintain a child safe environment and ensure appropriate reporting of child abuse and neglect.
Tennis SA is committed to supporting Affiliated Tennis Clubs to recognise the importance of building a positive culture that can have an impact on the safety and wellbeing of all members.
On behalf of all affiliated clubs, associations and other bodies, Tennis SA has lodged a compliance statement and, as such, we will regularly deliver information regarding the obligations of a child safe environment to ensure children’s safety remains a key priority.
To ensure that Affiliated Tennis Clubs are meeting the obligations of affiliates under this compliance statement they must undertake the following steps:
1. Ensure that every coach, office bearer or person that is appointed to work with children has a current criminal history assessment or child-related employment screening that shows no evidence of previous violations. Tennis SA requires that all affiliates maintain a database of every person appointed to work with children including the following data:
• Full Name
• Position/Role
• Reference number of the criminal history assessment or child-related employment screening
• Expiry date of the criminal history assessment or child-related employment screening
• Note is the criminal history assessment or child-related employment screening is accepted or declined
2. Have a risk management plan addressing the safety of children with respect to other people within the organisation. The Office for Recreation and Sport (ORS) has a guide for organisations to the risk management process, legal concepts, issues to be aware of and a collection of resources to assist organisations with managing risk. The guide can be found on their website – ors.sa.gov.au
3. Have a child safe policy or a member protection policy which addresses the child safe obligations including guidelines and procedures that support the policy and codes of conduct with respect to children. Tennis Australia has a Member Protection policy which affiliated organisations must adopt through the affiliation agreement. The Member Protection policy can be found at http://www.tennis.com.au/about-tennis-australia/reports-and-policies/policies
4. Provide clear recruitment procedures for staff and volunteers (e.g. referee checks, qualification checks if applicable, etc.)
5. Provide staff and volunteers with information or training around child safe environments and provide support in their roles. Tennis SA strongly recommend all affiliates have a child safe officer to assist with educating members about child safe environments. They should promote the policy and develop procedures for their organisations to promote child safety. Child safe officer training is available through ORS. Training is conducted over three days and held at various locations around Adelaide and regional areas.
6. Encourage the participation of children in decision making (e.g. let them have a say or provide feedback).
7. Ensure that all staff and volunteers are aware of their mandated notification obligations. If they suspect on reasonable grounds that a child/young person has been, or is being, abused and/or neglected and the suspicion is formed in the course of the person’s work (whether paid or voluntary) or in carrying out official duties, they are legal obligated to notify Families SA via the Child Abuse Report Line (CARL) 13 14 78.
We hope this information clarifies and provides an appetite for our affiliated clubs to develop greater awareness around your requirements for child safe environments.
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