Code of conduct

CHILD SAFETY AND WELFARE POLICY 

The Spartans Soccer Club & Academy is committed to ensuring the safety and well-being of all children and young people registered with the Club and participating in its programs. The Club is dedicated to providing a secure environment for all its members. It supports the best practices policies and procedures outlined in the Canadian Soccer Association's Guide to Safety and the CMSA RULES & REGULATIONS. 

The Club endorses and adopts the Child Safety and Welfare Policy to uphold the safety and welfare of its members. This policy is based on four key principles: 

1. The welfare of all children is of utmost importance. 

2. All children and young people have the right to be protected from physical, sexual, or emotional harm and neglect or bullying, regardless of their age, gender, disability, culture, language, racial origin, religious beliefs or sexual orientation. 

3. Any suspicions or allegations of abuse will be taken seriously and dealt with promptly. If a child is found to be in immediate danger, the police and child protection social worker should be contacted immediately. 

4. Club members, volunteers, and staff must work together with the Club and local government organizations to uphold child safety and welfare.

 In addition to adopting the policies and codes of conduct of the Canadian Soccer Association and the CMSA, the Club acknowledges its responsibility to safeguard the welfare of all children and young people by protecting them from harm and neglect. This policy applies to everyone involved with the Club, including volunteers, players, coaches, officials, and medical staff.

CODE OF CONDUCT TO PROTECT CHILDREN

The Code of Conduct to Protect Children is a crucial part of the Commit to Kids: Sports Edition program, which is designed to prevent child sexual abuse. Its main goal is to ensure the safety of children who participate in CMSA organizations and clubs. The Code of Conduct sets clear boundaries for all Team Officials, Managers, Coaches, and Volunteers who interact with children, helps individuals recognize concerning behaviour, and outlines the steps they should take to address such behaviour. 

INTRODUCTION 

Spartans Soccer Club & Academy has developed a Child Protection Code of Conduct to guide our employees and volunteers in their interactions with children. Our daily programs prioritize the safety, rights, and well-being of the children we serve. We strive to build supportive relationships with children while maintaining appropriate boundaries. The Spartans Soccer Club & Academy is committed to ensuring that all children are protected and safe. The Code of Conduct to Protect Children is a crucial component of creating safe environments for children. The safety, rights, and well-being of children participating in CMSA programs are a top priority in our daily operations. 

SCOPE 

For these purposes, and in keeping with the Government of Canada, “minor child” is defined as a person under the age of 18, and all SPARTANS SOCCER CLUB & ACADEMY youth (child, minor, minor child) referenced documents are to be interpreted as about youth under the age of 18. 

Treating Children with Dignity and Maintaining Boundaries 

All employees/volunteers must: 

● Treat all children with respect and dignity. 

● Establish, respect, and maintain appropriate boundaries with all children and families involved in activities or programs delivered by the organization.  

We each must monitor our behaviour towards children, and pay close attention to the behaviour of our peers to ensure that behaviour is appropriate and respectful, and will be perceived as such by others. 

All interactions and activities with children should be: 

● Known to, and approved by, a supervisor/designated person and/or the parents of the child. 

● Tied to your duties. 

● Designed to meet the child’s needs, not our own needs.

Always consider the child’s reaction to any activities, conversations, behaviour or other interactions. 

If at any time you are in doubt about the appropriateness of your behaviour or the behaviour of others, you should discuss it with the Executive Director of the Club. 

General Rules of Behaviour: 

● Always adhere to the “Rule of Two”. This means that any one-on-one interaction between a ‘Person in Authority’ and an athlete must take place within the presence of another ‘Person in Authority’, except for medical emergencies. ‘Person in Authority’ is defined as an NCCP-trained or certified coach, a screened volunteer, or another adult. 

 ● For Competitive programs, the ‘Person in Authority’ is an NCCP-trained or certified coach

 ● Our Recreational program will require further investigation as we currently do not have NCCP-trained or certified recreational coaches. 

Employees/volunteers of the organization must not: 

● 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. 

● Engage in any communication with a child within or outside of job/volunteer duties, that may make the child uncomfortable or that may be seen by a reasonable observer to be violating reasonable boundaries. 

● Engage in any behaviour that goes against (or appears to go against) the organization’s mandate, policies, or Code of Conduct to Protect Children, regardless of whether or not they are serving the organization at that moment. 

● Conduct their investigation into allegations or suspicions of potentially illegal or inappropriate behaviour – an employee/volunteer must report the matter to his/her supervisor/designated person or Child Welfare Agency, not to investigate. 

What Constitutes Inappropriate Behaviour? 

Inappropriate behaviour includes: 

1. Inappropriate Communication. Communication with a child or his/her family outside of a work/volunteer context, regardless of who initiated the exchange. For example: 

● Personal phone calls or letters 

● Electronic communications (email, text message, instant message, online chats, social networking (including “friending”), etc.) 

● Excessive communications (online or offline) 

2. Inappropriate Contact. I am spending unauthorized time with a child or the child’s family outside of designated work times and volunteer activities. You must report all contact with a child or the child’s family outside of designated work times and activities BEFORE the contact occurs to the designated person within your organization. 

3. Favouritism. Singling out a child or certain children and providing special privileges and attention and for example, paying a lot of attention to, giving or sending personalized gifts, or allowing privileges that are excessive, unwarranted or inappropriate. 

4. Taking Personal Photos/Videos and 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 (when known to your supervisor) are acceptable, however, the pictures are to remain with the organization and not be used by you in a personal capacity. 

Inappropriate behaviour also includes: 

5. Telling sexual jokes or making comments to a child that are in any way suggestive, explicit or personal. 

6. Showing a child material that is sexual, including, signs, cartoons, graphic novels, calendars, literature, photographs, screensavers, or displaying such material in plain view of a child, or making such material available to a child. 

7. Intimidating or threatening a child. 

8. Making fun of a child (shaming, embarrassing, humiliating, criticizing, or blaming).

 Whether or not a particular behaviour or action constitutes inappropriate behaviour will be a matter determined by the organization having regard to all of the circumstances, including past behaviour, and allegations or suspicions related to such behaviour. 

Reporting Requirements 

If you are not sure whether the issue you have witnessed or heard about involves potentially illegal behaviour or inappropriate behaviour, discuss the issue with the Executive Director. who will support you through the process? 

Remember: You have an independent duty to report all suspicions of potentially illegal behaviour directly to police and/or child welfare. All employees and volunteers must report suspected child sexual abuse, inappropriate behaviour or incidents that they become aware of, whether the behaviour or incidents were personally witnessed or not. 

Follow up on 

Reporting When an allegation or suspicion of potentially illegal behaviour is reported, police and/or a child welfare agency will be notified. The organization will follow up internally as appropriate. 

When an allegation or suspicion of inappropriate behaviour is made, the organization will follow up on the matter to gather information about what happened and determine what, if any, formal or other disciplinary action is required. In the case of inappropriate behaviour, if: 

● Multiple behaviours were reported; 

● Inappropriate behaviour is recurring, or; 

● The reported behaviour is of serious concern; 

● The organization may refer the matter to a child welfare agency or police. 

Discipline 

If an employee/volunteer fails to abide by this policy and its associated guidelines, the individual will be disciplined as per the Club’s Discipline Policy. Guidelines Travel 

● A ‘Person in Authority’ may not be alone in a car with an athlete unless the ‘Person in Authority’ is the athlete’s parent or guardian.

● A ‘Person in Authority’ may not share a room or be alone in a hotel room with an athlete unless the ‘Person in Authority’ is the athlete’s parent or guardian.

● Room or bed checks during overnight stays must be done by two ‘Persons in Authority’ Locker Room / Changing Area / Meeting Room 

● Interactions between a `Person in Authority’ and an individual athlete should not occur in any room where there is a reasonable expectation of privacy such as the locker room, meeting room, washroom, or changing area. A second `Person in Authority’ should be present for all necessary interactions in any such room. 

● If `Persons in Authority’ are not present in the locker room or changing area, or if they are not permitted to be present, they should still be available outside the locker room or changing area and be able to enter the room or area if required. 

Training / Competition Environment.

● A `Person in Authority’ should never be alone with an athlete before or following a game or practice, unless the `Person in Authority’ is the athlete’s parent or guardian. If the athlete is the first athlete to arrive, the athlete’s parent/ guardian should remain until another athlete or ‘Person in Authority’ arrives. Similarly, if an athlete would potentially be alone with a ‘Person in Authority’ following a game or practice, the ‘Person in Authority’ should ask another ‘Person in Authority (or a parent or guardian of another athlete) to stay until all the athletes have been picked up. If an adult is not available then another athlete should be present to avoid the ‘Person in Authority’ being alone with a single athlete. 

● ‘Persons in Authority’ giving instructions, demonstrating skills, or facilitating drills or lessons to an individual athlete should always be doing so within earshot and eyesight of another ‘Person in Authority’. 

Gender Identity 

For teams consisting of athletes of just one gender identity, a ‘Person in Authority’ of the same gender identity should be available to participate or attend every interaction For teams consisting of athletes of more than one gender identity (e.g., co-ed teams), a ‘Person in Authority’ of each gender identity should be available to participate or attend every interaction the organization may refer the matter to a child welfare agency or police.

STAFF CODE OF CONDUCT TO PROTECT CHILDREN IN SPORTS

The Spartans Soccer Club is implementing the following Child Protection Code of Conduct to guide our employees and volunteers in their interactions with children. The safety, rights and well-being of children we serve at the core of our daily programs. We nurture supportive relationships with children while balancing and encouraging appropriate boundaries. 

The Spartans SC is committed to ensuring all children are protected and safe. A Code of Conduct is an important part of creating safe environments for children. The safety, rights and well-being of children participating in our programs is a priority in our daily operations. The intent of the Code of Conduct is to guide our staff and volunteers in developing healthy relationships with the children involved in sport programs delivered by our organization and to model appropriate boundaries for children. 

A breach of this relationship happens through boundary violations. It is the responsibility of the adult to establish and maintain boundaries with children. The needs of the child should be above the needs of the adult. Appropriate and Inappropriate Behaviour: Individuals working or volunteering in sport are expected to model behaviour that upholds public confidence and enhances healthy relationships with children and families. 

Appropriate Behaviour: 

Respectful language, tone and attitude towards others. Respectful language, tone and attitude towards others. Communication with children (including electronic) is transparent and accountable. Adhering to the Rule of Two model for any interaction and communication. Responding to children to meet the child’s needs and not the adults. 

Inappropriate Behaviour: 

Inappropriate touching of children (e.g., massaging, stroking, caressing, roughhousing, tickling) Electronic communication with children that is personal and not directly tied to coaching duties Pictures taken with personal devices or in change rooms Humiliating or intimidating children Asking children to keep secrets Confiding or sharing overly personal information with a child Telling sexual jokes to a child, or making comments to a child that are or is in any way suggestive, explicit or personal. 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. Intimidating or threatening a child. Making fun of a child. 

Reporting and complaints: 

All staff and volunteers must report suspected child sexual abuse, inappropriate behaviour or incidents that they become aware of, whether the behaviour or incidents were personally witnessed or not. All allegations or suspicions of inappropriate behaviour (see above examples), that a staff/volunteer learns of or witnesses first-hand, must be reported to the designate for the Spartans Soccer Club & Academy.

INAPPORPIATE CONDUCT

The Spartan Soccer Club & Academy is dedicated to ensuring the safety and protection of all children who participate in our programs. As part of our commitment, we have developed a Code of Conduct to Protect Children, which plays a vital role in creating a secure environment for kids. We prioritize the well-being, safety and rights of children who engage in our programs, and we always strive to maintain supportive and inclusive relationships with them while maintaining appropriate boundaries. 

This policy is designed to guide our volunteers and employees on how to interact with children and develop healthy relationships with them, while also setting appropriate boundaries for them. We follow the definition used by the Government of Canada, which defines a "minor child" as anyone under the age of 18. Therefore, all documents referring to Spartan Soccer Club youth or children are interpreted as those under the age of 18. 

Law enforcement and legal counsel should always be consulted if child abuse is alleged or suspected. 

STEP ONE: A child discloses abuse or abuse is discovered with the adult involved in the abuse being a coach/volunteer. Document the following. 

● To whom the disclosure/discovery was made 

● Date of disclosure/discovery 

● Time of disclosure/discovery 

● Place of disclosure/discovery 

● Child(ren) involved 

● Adult(s) involved 

STEP TWO: Coach/volunteer who receives disclosure: 

● Notify law enforcement and child welfare about the incident; 

● Consults with child welfare about notifying parents; and 

● Notifies the supervisor/manager, who in turn notifies the head of the organization Document 

● Dates of notifications 

● To whom was given notifications 

STEP THREE: The head of the organization/manager suspends the coach/volunteer suspected of abuse with or without pay, with legal guidance sought out until the case is resolved. If the individual is a volunteer or unpaid staff, consider whether they should be dismissed immediately. Document 

● Paid staff/Unpaid Staff/Volunteer 

● Date of suspension/dismissal 

● Details of suspension/dismissal 

STEP FOUR: Dealing with child abuse involves the investigation by child welfare agencies and/or the police. Meanwhile, our organization will conduct an internal follow-up to critically assess the adequacy of our current policies and procedures, in consultation with the police or child welfare, and make any necessary adjustments. 

The potential outcome of the investigation may be that the coach or volunteer is found substantiated/guilty, in which case they will be dismissed from their position with legal guidance sought out before taking any action. If the investigation is inconclusive or the coach/volunteer is found not guilty, we will seek legal guidance to determine whether they should be dismissed with or without severance. 

It is important to note that criminal processes can be complex and lengthy, and a finding of not guilty may not necessarily mean that the abuse did not occur. We always recommend consulting with a lawyer to ensure appropriate action is taken. 

STEP FIVE: Document the following. 

● Outcome of the investigation 

● Results of the internal follow-up NOTE: These steps would also apply when: 

● A child discloses abuse by someone outside of the organization 

● A peer discloses on behalf of another child 

● An adult suspects a child is abused. 

Additional Resources Canada Soccer – canadasoccer.com 

Alberta Soccer Association (ASA) – albertasoccer.com 

Coaching Association of Canada (CAC) – coach.ca 

Commit to Kids – commit2kids.ca/en/#keeping-kids-safe-in-sport 

Canadian Centre for Child Protection – protectchildren.ca

DISCRIMATION AND BULLYING

The Spartans Soccer Club and Academy provides an environment that supports participant’s physical and emotional safety (free of bullying, discrimination, etc.) The following policies and programs in place to achieve this environment: 

• Means for reporting bullying, discrimination and harassment as per CMSA policy for all participants including but not limited to players, team personnel, and referees. 
• Adheres to CMSA Code of Conduct and Ethics 
• Respect In Sport for coaches and parents 
• Making Ethical Decisions for coaches 
• Protect the Kids Policy and reporting suspected or known abuse 
• Implemented Guidelines for Interaction with Children Adolescents 
• Implemented Abuse and Safety Policy 

Reporting Child Sexual Abuse and Misconduct 

NOTE: The information provided below is intended to be a quick reference for use in a sporting environment and is not meant to be exhaustive or to replace legal advice. Consult with child welfare, law enforcement and legal counsel if child abuse is alleged or suspected. 

1.1 When a person becomes aware that a child may be or has been abused, there is a legal and ethical responsibility to take action. 

1.2 Individuals are responsible for reporting concerns, not proving abuse. 

1.3 If a person learns about past child sexual abuse that is no longer occurring, they have a legal duty to report the abuse. The offender may still have access to other children and those children may be at risk. 

Steps for Reporting Child Sexual Abuse 

a) Child discloses abuse or abuse is discovered with the adult involved in the abuse being a coach or volunteer 

b) Coach/Volunteer who receives disclosure 

i. Notifies law enforcement and/or child welfare about the incident 

ii. Consults with child welfare about notifying the parents 

iii. Notifies the supervisor/manager, who in turn notifies the head of the organization.

c) Head of the organization suspends coach/volunteer suspected of abuse without pay until case is resolved. 

i. If the individual is a volunteer or unpaid staff, consider if the individual should be dismissed from their position immediately 

d) A child welfare agency and/or police carry out investigation. Organization should conduct an internal follow up in consultation with police/child welfare and adjusts internal policies if needed. Potential outcome of investigation: 

i. Substantiated/guilty. Coach/volunteer is dismissed from his/her position 

ii. Inconclusive/not guilty. Seek legal counsel. Consider if coach/volunteer should be dismissed, with or without severance. 

iii. Criminal processes can be complex and lengthy. A finding of not guilty may not necessarily mean that the abuse did not occur. Consult with a lawyer.

e) Document the outcome of the investigation on the incident report form. Document the results of the internal follow-up. 

2.1 Many of the steps above would also apply when: 

a) A child discloses abuse by someone outside the organization 

b) A peer discloses on behalf of another child 

c) An Adult suspects a child is abused 

d) The safety of the child and other children in the organization must be ensured at all times in the process. 

2.2 Legal guidance should be sought prior to suspension or dismissal. 

If you, or a child you know needs help, the KIDS HELP PHONE (1-800-668-6868) is Canada's only national 24-hour bilingual and anonymous phone counselling, web counselling and referral service for children and youth.   

Respect in Sport Resource Line 

The Respect Resource Line provides bilingual response to calls, texts or emails by expert staff who will guide you to the necessary resources pertaining to: 

• child and youth maltreatment 
• bullying 
• hazing 
• national/provincial child and youth protection laws, and 
• organization-specific risk management and dispute resolution models. 

Confidential and Anonymous Resource

 Individuals who access the Respect Resource Line are not required to disclose their identities. In the event you are faced with a situation involving maltreatment and are unsure how to proceed, the Respect Resource Line is available 365 days per year to assist, through the below platforms: 

Inside Soccer 

Canada Soccer has an established independent whistleblower hotline, operated by a third party, which provides a secure location to lodge complaints or share information anonymously. 

Whistleblower Hotline: 1-800-661-9675 

Whistleblower e-mail: whistleblower@canadasoccer.com 

Read more about the Canada Soccer WhistleBlower program. 

SPARTANS THE RULE OF TWO

The Spartans Rule of Two Objective is to ensure all interactions and communications are opened, observable, transparent and justifiable. The purpose is to protect all participants to Spartans programs especially minors, all in potentially vulnerable situations. The Spartans should ensure that more than one adult is present at all time. The steps and Procedures of the Spartans Rules of two are as follow. 

• The Spartans Coach is never alone and out of site with the participant without another screened Coach or Team Manager.
• The Spartans allow training environment to be open to observation.
• When providing a ride to a participant, another screen adult needs to be present in the coach vehicle.
• The Spartans Consider the participants gender when selecting a coach for the team.
• All Spartans electronic messages are group messages (Never individual)

Learn more: coach.ca,responsablecoaching