“Commit to Kids” Policy on Child Protection
Wallace Minor Soccer Club is committed to ensuring all children are protected and safe. We are committed to building supportive relationships with children while maintaining appropriate boundaries. The safety, rights and well-being of children participating in our programs is a top priority.
1. Treating Children with Dignity and Maintaining Boundaries
All personnel must:
(a) Treat all children with respect and dignity; and
(b) Establish, respect, and maintain appropriate boundaries with all children and families involved in club-sanctioned activities or programs.
All interactions with the player(s) should be:
(a) Directly related to your duties and designed to develop the child’s soccer skills; and (b) Be known to and, where applicable, approved by the club and the parents/guardians of the child.
Examples of unacceptable behavior toward a child include: embarrassing, shaming, blaming, humiliating, putting them down, etc. If at any time you are in doubt about the appropriateness of your own behavior or the behavior of others, you should discuss it with the Club.
2. General Rules of Behavior
Club personnel must not:
(a) Engage in any sort of physical contact with a child that may make the child or a reasonable observer feel uncomfortable, or that may be seen by a reasonable observer to be violating reasonable boundaries;
(b) Engage in any communication with a child within or outside of duties with the child, that may make the child uncomfortable or that may be seen by a reasonable observer to be violating reasonable boundaries;
(c) Engage in any behavior that goes against (or appears to go against) the Club’s mandate, policies, or Code of Conduct to Protect Children, regardless of whether or not they are serving the organization at that moment;
(d) Conduct their own investigation into allegations or suspicions of potentially illegal or inappropriate behavior – it is a club personnel’s duty to report/notify the Club, Child Welfare Agency, or law enforcement, and not to investigate.
3. What constitutes Inappropriate Behavior
Inappropriate behavior includes:
(a) Inappropriate Communication. Communication with a child or his/her family outside of the context of duties for the Club, regardless of who initiated the exchange. For example: Personal phone calls not tied to duties with the child, Electronic communications (email, text message, instant message, online chats, social networking including “friending”, etc.) not tied to duties with the child, Personal letters not tied to duties with the child, and Excessive communications (online or offline).
(b) Inappropriate Contact. Spending unauthorized time with a child outside of designated duties with the Club.
(c) Favoritism. Singling out a child or certain children and providing special privileges and attention (e.g. paying extra attention to, giving or sending personalized gifts, or allowing privileges that are excessive, unwarranted or inappropriate).
(d) Taking Personal Photos/Videos. Using a personal cell phone, camera or video to take pictures of a child, or allowing any other person to do so, as well as uploading or copying any pictures you may have taken of a child to the Internet or any personal storage device. Pictures taken as part of your job duties are acceptable, however, the pictures are to remain with the Club and not be used by you in a personal capacity.
(e) Inappropriate Jokes or Material. Telling sexual jokes to a child, or making comments to a child that is or is in any way suggestive, explicit or personal, or showing a child material that is sexual in nature, including, signs, cartoons, graphic novels, calendars, literature, photographs, screen savers, or displaying such material in plain view of a child, or making such material available to a child.
(f) Other. Intimidating or threatening a child, or making fun of a child
Inappropriate behavior will not be tolerated, especially as it relates to the well-being of the children involved in Club activities. Whether or not a particular behavior or action constitutes inappropriate behavior will be a matter determined by the Club having regard to all of the circumstances, including past behavior, and allegations or suspicions related to such behavior.
4. Reporting Requirements
All club personnel must report suspected child sexual abuse, inappropriate behavior or incidents that they become aware of, whether the behavior or incidents were personally witnessed or not.
Where to report:
(a) All allegations or suspicions of potentially illegal behavior (for example, child sexual abuse) that a volunteer witnesses first-hand, must be promptly reported to police and/or child welfare.
(b) To ensure the protection of all children in our care, all allegations or suspicions of potentially illegal behavior that a volunteer learns of must also be promptly reported to police and/or child welfare.
(c) All allegations or suspicions of inappropriate behavior (see above examples), that a volunteer learns of or witnesses first-hand, must be reported to the Club.
Keep in mind that you may learn of potentially illegal or inappropriate behavior through the child or some other third party, or you may witness it first-hand. Examples of the type behavior you may learn of or witness and that you must report as set out above includes:
- Potentially Illegal behavior by a Club personnel.
- Potential Illegal behavior by a third party, such as a Parent, Teacher, Babysitter or Coach.
When an allegation or suspicion of potentially illegal behavior is reported, police and/or a child welfare agency will be notified. The Club will follow up internally as appropriate.
If you are not sure whether the issue you have witnessed or heard about involves potentially illegal behavior or inappropriate behavior, discuss the issue with the Club. Remember: You have an independent duty to report all suspicions of potentially illegal behavior directly to police and/or child welfare.
By becoming a club member you agree to comply with this Code of Conduct to Protect Children.