Code of Conduct when Interacting with Children and Young People


CLICK HERE TO VISIT OUR CONFIDENTIAL INCIDENT FORM!

Purpose 

We want children and young people at Heidelberg Junior Football Club (HJFC) to feel safe and welcome at our club and enjoy participating in footy.  

To make sure that we create this environment, HJFC’s Code of Conduct for interacting with Children & Young People (Code of Conduct CYP) requires everyone involved in footy to abide by certain behavioural standards when it comes to dealing with children & young people.  

HJFC is a safe space for all children and young people to participate in. 

This code of conduct should be read in conjunction with HJFC’s Child Safety and Wellbeing Policy and the HJFC Child Safety Reporting Procedure. 


Scope 

This code of conduct applies to all members and volunteers of the HJFC. Child safety is everyone’s responsibility and it is expected that every adult will act in a fair, encouraging and safe manner with and in the presence of children and young people at our club. 

All HJFC members and volunteers are responsible for promoting the safety and wellbeing of children and young people and should:  

  • adhere to our Child Safe Policy, this Code of Conduct and other HJFC policies (including our clubs TIGERS values);  

  • take all reasonable steps to protect children from abuse and harm;  

  • treat everyone with respect, including listening to and valuing their ideas and opinions and respond to them appropriately;   

  • welcome and inclusive all children and their families/carers including of cultural, religious and political differences and acting in a culturally sensitive way, particularly when interacting with children who identify as:  

    - Indigenous 

    - culturally or linguistically diverse

    - with a disability; and 

    - LGBTIQ+, transgender and/or non-binary 

  • model appropriate adult behaviour with and in the presence of children and young people; 

  • promote friendships and encourage children and young people to support their peers; 

  • use disciplinary strategies that are fair, respectful and appropriate to the developmental stage of the children or young people involved; 

  • ensure that any photograph, livestream or film taken of a child or young person is taken in circumstances that are directly relevant to the child’s or young person’s participation at HJFC and the child or young person is appropriately dressed and posed; 

  • report and act on any breaches of this Code of Conduct, complaints or concerns appropriately and treat them seriously and with respect;  

  • ensure physical contact with children and young people is appropriate to the delivery of footy and with permission (eg demonstrating tackles); 

  • work with children and young people in an open and transparent manner, avoiding one to one situations – other adults should always know about the work you are doing with children;  

  • respect the privacy of children and their families, and only disclose information to people who have a need to know.   

 

HJFC members and volunteers MUST NOT:  

  • engage in any form of sexual behaviour with or in the presence of children or young people; 

  • engage in any other form of behaviour that may reasonably be considered to be child abuse, including grooming a child or young person; 

  • ignore or disregard any concerns, suspicions or disclosures of child abuse or harm; 

  • initiate unnecessary physical contact with a child or young person, or do things of a personal nature for them that they can do themselves; 

  • use prejudice, oppressive behaviour or language with or in the presence children and young people;

  • discriminate on the basis of age, gender, race, culture, vulnerability or sexuality; HJFC members and volunteers;  

  • avoid one-to-one unsupervised situation with children and young people in a change room area (other than with your own child), whilst ensuring adequate supervision to keep children safe (eg standing outside entrance to change rooms); 

  • Unless by approved exception, must not take photos, videos or other recordings in change rooms – to manage this we have a ‘NO MOBILE PHONE’ policy and signage in change rooms; 

  • Pre approved exception includes recording of club song / Happy Birthday song and cameras only allowed during the singing of the song 

  • all children or young person must be appropriately dressed and posed for filming to commence; 

  • Coach / Team Manager to instruct when to record and when cameras must be put away again; 

  • 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 and young people (remember your role at HJFC– Friendly but not a Friend); 

  • have unauthorised contact with children and young people online or by phone. Contact should always be related to footy and include the team and parents/guardians (eg a group Whatsapp chat); 

  • consume alcohol, illicit drugs, tobacco or vape when working with children and young people at HJFC; 

  • transport children and young people without HJFC permission and the child/young person’s parents/guardian consent. 


By observing these standards you acknowledge your responsibility to immediately report any breach of this Code of Conduct. 

This Code of Conduct will be continually reviewed and as a minimum annually. 

February 2023

We acknowledge the Traditional Owners throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community and in particular the Wurundjeri People of the Kulin Nation which is the land in which we gather and play. We pay respect to our First Nations Peoples and their Elders past, present and emerging and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.