CHILD PROTECTION POLICY 

Organisation: Woodville Association Football Club 

Type of Sport: Football 

Date of Policy Confirmation: 2021

Policy Statement 

Woodville Association Football Club is committed to providing a safe and secure environment for all children and volunteers participating in its activities. We recognise the responsibility to promote safe practice and to protect our members from harm and exploitation. 

For the purposes of this policy, a child is recognised as someone under the age of 18 years. 

Policy Principles 

In implementing this policy, we are committed to the following principles:  

• the welfare of children is the primary concern; 

• in addition, the welfare of members and volunteers is an important concern; 

• all children have the right to protection from all forms of harm; 

• child protection is everyone’s responsibility; 

• our organisation will work in partnership with children, members and volunteers to promote the welfare, health and development of children. 

Policy Objectives 

The aim of this policy is to: 

• promote the health and welfare of children by providing opportunities for them to take part in football activities safely;  

• respect and promote the rights, wishes and feelings of children;
  

• promote and implement appropriate procedures to safeguard the well-being of children and protect them from harm;
  

• recruit and support members and volunteers to adopt best practice to safeguard and protect children from harm and to reduce the risk of allegations or complaints against themselve
  

• require children, members and volunteers to adopt and abide by this Child Protection Policy and these procedures;  
  

• respond to any allegations of misconduct or harm to children in line with this Policy and these procedures, as well as implementing, where appropriate, the relevant investigative, disciplinary and appeals procedures  

• regularly monitor and evaluate the implementation of this Policy and these procedures. 

Code of Conduct 

For Players 

In addition to abiding by New Zealand Football’s Code of Conduct we ask that you: 

• Play with commitment and desire to improve. 

• Accept that you will make mistakes and learn from them. 

• Support and encourage your teammates. 

• Understand that players all have diverse levels of ability. 

• Respect coaches, referees, teammates and opponent
  

• Practice your skills in your own time. 
  

• Be committed to turning up to practices and matches (unless sickness, injury, or family commitments make this impossible). 

• Always try your best. 

On match days: 

• Turn up on time.
  

• Accept whichever position your coach puts you in.
  

• Try to apply the skills you have learned.
  

• Always seek to retain possession.
  

• Take scoring chances.
  

• Be gracious in victory and in defeat. 
  

For Coaches 

In addition to abiding by New Zealand Football’s Code of Conduct we ask that you: 

• Treat each child with respect
  

• Be relaxed, patient and friendly. 
  

• Recognise and praise effort and behaviour rather than outcomes. 

• Recognise individual differences and respect the developmental needs of the players in your care. Build the confidence of each individual player.  

• Make it safe for players to make mistakes. (These are to be learned from and players encouraged to find solutions). 

• Encourage good sporting behaviour and fair play. Be a role model for these. 

• Keep up with the laws of the game and competition regulations. 

• Familiarize yourself with appropriate age-based information. (New Zealand Football’s Whole of Football Plan). 

• Be organised and plan well. 

• When communicating with players and their families be enthusiastic, positive, honest and clear. 

• Contact parents or caregivers if there is an issue that they need to know about. Outline the issue, your response, a course of action and any support that you may require from them.
  

• Maximise opportunities to rotate players through various positions during the season. (Benefits are: a. Players are more comfortable in various positions, b. It exposes weaknesses and provides an opportunity to develop them into strengths, c. It develops different aspects of play and it is essential for developing the whole player, d. It provides more team flexibility and positional cover). 
  

For Parents, Caregivers and Supporters  

In addition to abiding by New Zealand Football’s Code of Conduct we ask that you: 

• Positively support your child. 

• Be supportive of all the players on your child’s team. 

• Respect the game and all involved in it – players, referees, coaches and other parents. 

• Be positive. Praise and encourage. Appreciate good play by both teams.
  

• Foster good sportsmanship.
  

• Teach your child to aim to win but that effort, attitude and development are more important
  

• Ensure your child is properly equipped for practices and match days. Children must have shin pads to play and wear long socks to cover their shin pads (these are provided by the club). A water bottle is important. 
  

• Be punctual. Lateness is disrespectful and lets the team down. 

• Be supportive of your child’s coach and team manager. 

• Teach your child to support their teammates by turning up for practices and matches. Attendance is expected. If your child is not able to attend, please advise their coach as soon as possible directly yourself and not through another source. 

Try not to: 

• Point out mistakes your child may have made on the field. 

• Issue instructions to your child or other players during the game or at halftime.  

• Publicly criticize coaches, referees or club officials. Please, raise issues with the person concerned out of the children’s hearing. If you are still not satisfied, please follow the Woodville AFC complaints procedure. 

 Child Protection

For All Club Members 

• Ensure that in situations where you are with an individual child that you are in full view of others at all times. 

• Ensure that another adult is present if supervising groups in the changing rooms. 

• In situations where physical contact is required (eg to treat an injury) explain to the child the reason for the contact and unless it is an emergency always ask the child for permission first
  

• Ensure that you get written permission from parents before taking a lone child in the car with you. 
  

• Never engage in rough, physical or sexually provocative games. 

• Never share a room with a child. 

• Never allow or engage in any form of inappropriate touching. 

• Never allow children to use inappropriate language unchallenged
  

• Never make sexually suggestive comments to a child, even in fun. 
  

• Never do things of a personal nature for children that they can do for themselves. 

• Never allow allegations made by a child to go unchallenged, unrecorded, or not acted upon. 

Photographs/Videos 

• The club will gain consent from families at the start of each season allowing the club to use children’s images for promotional purposes.  

• Any concerns regarding the camera and video use by spectators is to be raised with the Committee. 

Volunteer Recruitment 

• In the first instance previous coaches will be contacted to confirm if they wish to continue coaching.  Team managers are selected between the coach and the committee and will generally be a parent from that team.  

• If a non member approaches the club to volunteer in a role, if unknown to any committee members, references should be supplied and contacted.   

• All coaches are to sign the code of conduct form and agree to and pass the police vetting process.  

Complaint and Investigative Process 

The complaints procedure is: 

• Confidentiality shall be maintained throughout the process; 

• Any complaint or disciplinary matter shall be reported in writing to the club chairperson. Anonymous complaints will not be accepted; 

• The person against whom a complaint has been made shall be informed in writing by the club Committee within seven days of the complaint being laid; 

• The Committee shall investigate the matter to their satisfaction and hold a meeting to discuss outcomes. All parties will be given the opportunity to speak to the meeting if they so wish
  

• The Committee will inform all affected parties of the outcome in writing within seven days of the meeting; 
  

• All written records will be kept for a minimum of two years, at which time they shall be destroyed in confidence. 

Potential Outcomes 

Following an investigation, possible outcomes are: 

• A satisfactory mediated conclusion 

• Disciplinary action imposed for a breach of this policy 

• No action taken (due to finding no policy breach or insufficient evidence) 

• Action against the complainant due to finding a frivolous or malicious allegation 

• Referral to another agency 

Potential actions resulting from a policy breach are: 

• Written warnings 

• Suspension of a person from the club role that they hold 

• Banning of a person from club activitie
  

• A direction to complete a reasonable task (e.g. a letter of apology)
  

• Referral to an appropriate authority 
  

Policy Review 

The Child Protection Policy will be reviewed after three years. 

The policy review will be undertaken by the Woodville AFC committee or a delegated sub-committee thereof. 

Following a review, any changes will be ratified at a Woodville AFC Committee meeting.