CHILD SAFETY

Softball Victoria is a child safe sport that is committed to providing a fun, inclusive and safe environment to participate and view softball in Victoria.

All key stakeholders of softball are responsible for ensuring that children are protected and furthermore empowered within the sport at all levels.

If you even have a concern regarding the welfare or safety of a child, please contact Softball Victoria State Operations Manager Cheryl Waye on (03) 9957 7966 or email confidentially to cheryl.waye@softball.org.au 

Resources

VicSport

VicSport are leaders in this space and have an outstanding suite of resources for associations and clubs to access that will help. Click on the link below for more information!

https://vicsport.com.au/child-safe-standards

Play by the Rules

PLAY BY THE RULES is an interactive education and information website on discrimination, harassment and child protection in sport. Over the years, as more agencies have seen the need to promote Play by the Rules, they have joined as partners and helped by contributing funds, content and in-kind support.

Play by the Rules provides information, resources, tools and free online training to increase the capacity and capability of administrators, coaches, officials, players and spectators to assist them in preventing and dealing with discrimination, harassment, child safety and integrity issues in sport.

Softball Victoria’s Statement on Child Safety

Softball Victoria is a Child Safe Child Friendly Organisation and as such we have a zero tolerance of child abuse. Our sport promotes the safety of all children and we are inclusive of children from culturally and linguistically diverse background, children with a disability and we promote the cultural safety of Aboriginal children and young people.

Our commitment is reflected in the Child Safe Standards which under Victorian law we adhere to, to ensure that all children are safe and happy in our sport.

Member Protection Policy

Softball Victoria’s Member Protection Policy is in place to provide guidance to all softball participants, including instances of child safe breaches. To access contact details for Softball Victoria Member Protection Information Officers (MPIO) please scroll to the end of the document

Member Protection Policy – Softball Victoria

Changes to Working with Children Act

The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse made several recommendations aimed at strengthening the protection children receive.

When did the changes come into effect?

1 August 2017

Why were the changes made?

The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse made several recommendations aimed at strengthening the protection children receive. This included the development of the Child Safe Standards here in Victoria which came into effect on 1 January 2017.

What are the changes?

1. Expand the definition of ‘direct contact’ in the Act. The definition of direct contact now includes oral, written or electronic communication as well as face-to-face and physical contact.
2. Remove references to ‘supervision’ from the Act. This means that even if a person’s contact with children as part of their child related work is supervised by another person, they will still need to apply for a Working With Children Check (Check).
3. Create a new occupational category of ‘child-related work’, known as kinship care. Family members or other persons of significance caring for a child placed by Child Protection under the Children, Youth and Families Act 2005 are required to obtain a Check.
4. Ensure that non-conviction charges (charges that have been finally dealt with other than by a conviction or finding of guilt) for serious sexual, violent or drug offences are considered as part of Check assessments and re-assessments.
5. Enable the Secretary to the Department of Justice and Regulation to compel the production of certain information for the purpose of compliance monitoring.

There have been a number of other miscellaneous changes made to the Act and further information will be made available once the impact of those are better understood.

Softball Victoria expects that each club and association make a copy of the Guidelines available for your club website and also communicate the changes to your members, ensuring that those who are required to obtain a Check do so.

CLICK HERE to visit the Victorian Government’s Working With Children Check website.

Child Safe Standards

It takes many components to build an organisation with a culture of child safety. The Standards should act as a starting point from which your organisation can take action. The Child Safe Standards incorporate:

1. Strategies to embed an organisational culture of child safety, including through effective leadership arrangements
2. A child safe policy or statement of commitment to child safety
3. A code of conduct that establishes clear expectations for appropriate behaviour with children
4. Screening, supervision, training and other human resources practices that reduce the risk of child abuse by new and existing personnel
5. Processes for responding to and reporting suspected child abuse
6. Strategies to identify and reduce or remove risks of child abuse
7. Strategies to promote the participation and empowerment of children

For more information on Child Safe Standards click here.