For any queries please contact:
Child Safety Officer - Carolyn Walkley
0433 224 493
2024 Child Safety Declaration
Child safety and wellbeing is a key priority of the Kew Rovers Football Club and we hereby declare our commitment to creating an environment that is safe and welcoming for all children and young people to participate in Australian Football.
To achieve this, our Club is committed to implementing the Victorian Child Safe Standards through our Commitment Statement on Child Safety, the Club’s Child Safety & Wellbeing Policy, Code of Conduct, Complaints and Reporting Procedure policies. These policies and procedures when applied in practise at our Club will help meet the requirements of the Victorian Child Safe Standards and will:
- Establish a culturally safe environment in which diverse and unique identities and experiences of Aboriginal children and young people are respected
- Embed child safety and wellbeing in organisational leadership, governance and culture
- Empower children and young people so they know their rights, participate in decisions affecting them and are taken seriously
- Inform and engage families in respect to child safety and wellbeing
- Ensure that equity and diversity is upheld through our policies and practices
- Engage volunteers and officials to ensure that they are suitable to work with children and young people
- Respond to complaints and concerns promptly, thoroughly and with a child focused approach
- Educate staff, game day personnel and volunteers to provide them with knowledge and skills how to create a safe and welcoming environment for children and young people at our Club
- Understand and mitigate the risks to children and young people in physical and online environments
- Review and improve our child safe policies, procedures and practices regularly
- Role model behaviour and actions documented in policies, procedures and practices guiding how our Club is safe for Children and Young People
Our Club has zero tolerance to any form of child abuse or harm and will act quickly and in the best interest of the child or young person should an allegation of harm or abuse occur.
To meet the above expectations, our Club will:
Commit to:
• Discuss and sign this declaration as a committee to formally endorse our commitment
• Promote this declaration and our commitment to creating a safe and welcoming environment for all children and young people through our Club network (Club notice board, social media pages, email and newsletter correspondence)
• Appoint a child safeguarding officer and promote their details to families/members/volunteers
Implement:
• Regular discussion occurs at Club meetings to action the Child Safe Standards
Learn and embed a culture of child safety in our Club through:
• Discussion with children, young people and their families – everyone can “have a say”
• Education through awareness workshops and safeguarding resources
• Regular review of safeguarding policies and procedures with our Club committee
KEW ROVERS JUNIOR FOOTBALL CLUB
Child Safe Code of Conduct
This Code of Conduct outlines appropriate standards of behaviour by adults towards children.
The Code of Conduct aims to protect children and reduce any opportunities for abuse or harm to occur. It also
helps staff and volunteers by providing them with guidance on how to best support children and how to avoid or better manage difficult situations.
This Code of Conduct applies to all people involved in KRFC’s activities, including coaches, officials, volunteers, and parents.
All KRFC staff and volunteers are responsible for promoting the safety and wellbeing of children and young people by:
• Adhering to our Child Safe Policy, this Code of Conduct and other KRFC policies
• Taking all reasonable steps to protect children from abuse
• Treating everyone with respect, including listening to and valuing their ideas and opinions
• Welcoming all children and their families and carers and being inclusive
• Respecting cultural, religious, and political differences and acting in a culturally sensitive way,
particularly when interacting with children who are Aboriginal or otherwise culturally or linguistically
diverse and those with a disability
• Modelling appropriate adult behaviour
• Listening to children and responding to them appropriately
• Reporting and acting on any breaches of this Code of Conduct, complaints or concerns appropriately
and treat them seriously and with respect.
• Complying with our guidelines on physical contact with children
• Working with children in an open and transparent way – other adults should always know about the
work you are doing with children
• Respecting the privacy of children and their families, and only disclosing information to people who
have a need to know.
KRFC staff and volunteers MUST NOT:
• Seek to use children in any way to meet the needs of adults
• Ignore or disregard any concerns, suspicions or disclosures of child abuse
• Use prejudice, oppressive behaviour or language with children
• Discriminate on the basis of age, gender, race, culture, vulnerability or sexuality
• Initiate unnecessary physical contact with children or do things of a personal nature that children can
do for themselves, such as toileting or changing clothes
• Enter a room, toilet or space alone with children and young people whereby you will be conducting
things of a personal nature, such as toileting or changing clothes
• Develop ‘special’ relationships with specific children or show favouritism through the provision of gifts
or inappropriate attention
• Exchange personal contact details such as phone number, social networking site or email addresses
with children
• Have unauthorised contact with children and young people online or by phone.
By observing these standards, you acknowledge your responsibility to immediately report any breach of this code to the President and CSO of KRFC.
This Code of Conduct will be reviewed by KRFC annually.
I have read this Code of Conduct and agree to abide by it at all times.
Name:__________________________________ Signature:___________________________________
Role:___________________________________ Date________________________________________