Child Safeguarding

Child safeguarding can be defined as keeping all children safe from abuse, harm, violence or exploitation.

Having appropriate and effective measures in place means that your Club is proactively working together to ensure all children are kept safe.

Is your Club aware of Child safeguarding?

Putting that key message out there and spreading the word about keeping children safe is essential in keeping children safe.

Some examples of making sure the key message is known throughout the Club include:

• Ensuring all club members that require a WWC obtains one
• Everyone in the organisation must be made aware of the expected appropriate behaviours as well as what is unacceptable
• Make sure the avenues to discuss any concerns are made very clear and simple
• Provide information regarding access to training and education for all those involved in the Club to be educated if they suspect abuse of any kind
• Develop official policies about appropriate practices

(Sourced by DLGCI)

 More information regarding child safeguarding and what your Club can do to ensure a child safe club can be found via:

• Sport Australia: sportaus.gov.au/integrity_in_sport/child_safe_sport
• Sport Integrity Australia: sportintegrity.gov.au/what-we-do/safeguarding
• State and Territory specific Information - Play by the Rules: https://www.playbytherules.net.au/got-an-issue/community-child-safe-sport/child-safe-sport-in-each-state-or-territory
• Safe Clubs 4 Kids: dlgsc.wa.gov.au/department/publications/publication/safe-clubs-4-kids
  

Screening requirements for a safe club when engaging coaches or staff

Adhering to a screening procedure to ensure the Club recruits the right people can include, but not be limited to:

• Recruitment and selection
• Reference checks
• Criminal record checks with WA POLICE and WWC check
• Appointment and Induction
• On-going support, oversight, training and supervision

Working with Children Check

The Working with Children Check (WWC Check) is a compulsory screening check in Western Australia.

The WWC Check aims to protect children by:

• Deterring people from applying to work with children where they have a relevant charge or conviction on their criminal record that indicates they may harm a child.
• Detecting new charges and convictions of those people who hold a current WWC Card and preventing them from continuing to engage in child-related work where their criminal record and behaviour indicates they may harm a child.
• Protecting children by creating awareness that child safety is a whole of community responsibility.

What your club needs to do:

• Keep adequate records that demonstrate compliance with the WWC Act.
• Check, record and validate (using the online service on the WWC Check website) the WWC Cards of all new volunteers and periodically check and record that all current volunteers’ WWC Cards are valid, current and have not been cancelled.
• Have a plan in place to ensure volunteers engaging in child-related work renew their WWC Cards every three years, before their WWC Cards expire.
• Complete the ‘Register Card Holders’ online form on the WWC Check website to advise us when you have new volunteers who already have a WWC Card from a previous employer. Keeping this information up to date will help WWC contact you if the card holder working for you is issued with an Interim Negative Notice or Negative Notice (or of other matters if necessary).
• You should have policies and practices to ensure that any volunteer issued with an Interim Negative Notice or Negative Notice does not engage in child related work (your state sporting organisation should be able to provide guidance).

Find out more via workingwithchildren.wa.gov.au