Child Safe Code of Conduct
This Code of Conduct outlines appropriate standards of behaviour by adults towards children.
The Code of Conduct aims to protect children and reduce any opportunities for abuse or harm to occur. It also helps members by providing them with guidance on how to best support children and how to avoid or better manage difficult situations. This Code of Conduct applies to all adult members and their guests when at the Club or participating in Club organised activities. It is particularly relevant to adult members who are instructing children.
All our adult members and their adult guests are responsible for promoting the safety and wellbeing of children and young people by:
- Adhering to our Child Safe Policy, this Code of Conduct and other CCSC policies
- Modelling appropriate adult behaviour
- Taking all reasonable steps to protect children from abuse
- Treating everyone with respect, including listening to and valuing their ideas and opinions
- Welcoming all children and their families and carers and being inclusive
- Promoting the cultural safety, participation and empowerment of children with culturally and/or linguistically diverse backgrounds;
- Promoting the cultural safety, participation and empowerment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children;
- Promoting the safety, participation and empowerment of children with a disability
- Listening and responding to the views and concerns of children, particularly if they are telling you that they or another child has been abused or that they are worried about their safety/the safety of another child;
- Reporting any allegations of child abuse or other child safety concerns to the Child Safety Officer;
- Only making physical contact with children with their permission and to directly aid with instruction;
- Working with children in an open and transparent way – other adults should always know about the work you are doing with children
- Respecting the privacy of children and their families, and only disclosing information to people who have a need to know; and
- If child abuse is suspected, ensuring as quickly as possible that the children affected are safe and protected from harm
Adult Club members and their adult guests MUST NOT:
- Seek to engage with children in any way that is intended to meet their needs at the expense of the needs of the children they seek to engage with
- Ignore or disregard any concerns, suspicions or disclosures of child abuse
- Use prejudice, oppressive behaviour or language with children
- Engage in rough physical games
- Discriminate on the basis of age, gender, race, culture, vulnerability or sexuality
- Initiate unnecessary physical contact with children or do things of a personal nature that children can do for themselves,
- Develop ‘special’ relationships with specific children or show favouritism through the provision of gifts or inappropriate attention
- Communicate directly with a child through personal or private contact channels (including by social media, email, instant messaging, texting etc) except where that communication is reasonable and, in all circumstances, related to club activities or where there is a safety concern or other urgent matter; and
- Photograph or video a child at the club unless they have the permission of their parent and/or carer.
By observing these standards you acknowledge your responsibility to immediately report any breach of this code to CCSC’s Child Safety Officer.
This Code of Conduct will be reviewed by CCSC bi-annually. The next review date is April 2027.
