Our commitment to your child’s wellbeing explained:
A guide for parents.
Keeping Your Child Safe
We take seriously our responsibility to deliver a sporting environment that is caring, nurturing and safe.
We promote equity and respect diversity by:
- Actively anticipating children’s diverse circumstances and responding effectively to those with additional vulnerabilities.
- By giving all families access to information, support and complaints processes.
- Paying attention to the needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, children with disabilities and children from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.
It is the responsibility of all staff members at GeckoSports to:
- Protect children from all forms of abuse, bullying and exploitation by our people.
- Be alert to incidents of child abuse and neglect occurring outside of our clubs that may have an impact on the children we interact with.
- Create and maintain a child-safe culture that is understood, endorsed and put into action by all individuals who work for us and those who access our programs.
We expect all within our company, regardless of their role or level of responsibility, to act to keep children safe from such harm by:
- Adopting the practices and behaviour we have set as our standard when carrying out their roles.
- Reporting any abuse or neglect of which they become aware to our management and/or to external authorities responsible for child protection or to the police.
Why Your Children’s Safety is Our Priority:
We love sport! We also love your kids playing with us and want them to keep participating. Yet we realise that they have to FEEL safe to enjoy their experience and want to keep coming back.
All kids have a right to feel safe, be involved and have a voice in decisions that affect them.
Society has changed, and with it, higher standards of behaviour are now expected of all of us. Sometimes, even when we have good intentions, others’ perceptions of our behaviour differ. So we want to help you to understand how we will work with you to protect your children.
Actions We Take
Coach Screening
All coaches who represent GeckoSports undergo Working With Children registration in their state, screening interviews with GeckoSports staff, and reference checks.
Coach Training
As well as training our coaches in the sports and activities we run, we also train them in protective behaviours for children. This involves being able to identify and avoid even the smallest signs of abuse, engaging in appropriate physical contact (eg: holding hands for balance), adapting activities for children of differing physical abilities, and complaint handling.
Activity Risk Assessments
Our program content undergoes regular review to spot any potential for injury or harm to participants. We can’t eliminate all risk, bumps and bruises are sometimes a natural outcome of children playing, but we take the greatest of care to send your kids home healthy and happy!
Child Safety Guidance For Parents & Guardians
You know your children best. Also, schools now often teach their students about safety, boundaries with adults and that it’s OK to speak up if they don’t feel comfortable or safe. You can help us to reinforce the key messages we have for children about child safety in our programs, just as in life.
The three key messages we have for all participants in our program:
• Sport should be fun, safe and enjoyable.
• You should never feel uncomfortable around others in our clubs and programs, particularly adults.
• If you don’t feel safe or comfortable, it’s OK to speak up. We want you to tell an adult that you trust – whether that’s your Mum or Dad, guardian, coach or another member of your family.
We know that children are more likely to speak up if they feel valued and are listened to in an authentic and genuine way. So please help us to keep the conversations open with your kids about how they are feeling.
Some Conversation Tips To Talk About Safety With Your Kids:
It’s not always comfortable talking to kids about how they are feeling in our community or other environments. The delivery of conversations is just as important as the message or content itself. You’re more likely to engage with children about tricky topics if the conversation is calm, non-judgmental and open. That is, you’re listening carefully to them and open to hearing more – showing empathy and letting them know that they’re doing the right thing by talking.
To open up a conversation with your child about safety in our clubs and programs, the first step is choosing the right time. Sometimes, you may get more information in casual interactions, such as when driving in the car or going for a walk together. You could try using an example that you have heard of with another child, and ask whether they had seen or heard anything similar. For example, “Another parent at the club told me that they were worried about how the coach is talking to their child. Have you seen or heard anything similar?”
If You Need Help:
If you reasonably believe any child is in immediate danger of a significant nature, please call 000 to speak with the police.
If ever your child tells you that they are not happy, comfortable or safe in any of our activities, please contact us. We will make sure that any issue raised is dealt with appropriately and in line with our relevant policies.
If you are not satisfied with our response or actions, you can contact the following organisations in your state:
• NSW – Office of the Children’s Guardian (OCG): 02 8219 3600
• QLD – Queensland Family and Child Commission: 07 3900 6000
• VIC – Commission for Children and Young People (CCYP): 1300 782 978
• ACT – ACT Human Rights Commission: 02 6205 2222
• WA – Commission for Children and Young People (CCYP): 1800 072 444
