Code of Conduct to Protect Children

Halifax Hotspurs Soccer Club (HHSC) has developed this Code of Conduct to Protect Children because we are committed to ensuring all children are protected and safe. A Code of Conduct to Protect Children 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. We nurture supportive and inclusive relationships with children while balancing and encouraging appropriate boundaries.

The intent of this policy is to guide our coaches, staff and volunteers in their interactions and development of healthy relationships with the children involved in the activities or programs delivered by our organization and to model appropriate boundaries for children.

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 HHSC youth (child, minor, minor child) referenced documents are to be interpreted as pertaining to youth under the age of 18.

Treating Children with Dignity and Maintaining Boundaries

All coaches, staff and 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.

It is important that we each monitor our own 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 own behaviour or the behaviour of others, you should discuss it with the President 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’, with the exception of medical emergencies. ‘Person in Authority’ is defined as an NCCP- trained or certified coach, a screened volunteer, or another adult.

We are working towards meeting the gold standard for the Rule of Two, ensuring that the ‘Person of Authority’ is always an NCCP-Trained and Certified coach.

Coaches, Staff and Volunteers of the organisation 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 organisation’s mandate, policies, or Code of Conduct to Protect Children, regardless of whether or not they are serving the organisation at that moment.

• Conduct their own investigation into allegations or suspicions of potentially illegal or inappropriate behaviour – it is an employee/volunteer’s duty to report the matter to his/her supervisor/designated person or Child Welfare Agency, not to investigate.

What Constitutes Inappropriate Behaviour?

Inappropriate behaviour includes:

Inappropriate Communication.

Communication with a child or his/her family outside of an employee/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)

Inappropriate Contact.

Spending unauthorized time with a child or the child’s family outside of designated work times and employment/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.

Favouritism.

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

Taking Personal Photos/Videos.

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.

All parent and guardians are requested to sign a media release form where photos and videos of players may be utilised on the Club’s social media pages and/or website and approved in advance.

Inappropriate behaviour also includes:

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

• Showing a child material that is sexual in nature, 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.

• Intimidating or threatening a child.

• Making fun of a child (shaming, embarrassing, humiliating, criticising, or blaming).

• Whether or not a particular behaviour or action constitutes inappropriate behaviour will be a matter determined by the organisation 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 President 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/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 polices.

Travel Guidelines

• A ‘Person in Authority’ may not be alone in a car with a player 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 a player unless the ‘Person in Authority’ is the players parent or guardian.

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

• Interactions between a `Person in Authority’ and an individual player 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 a player prior to or following a game or practice, unless the `Person in Authority’ is the players parent or guardian. If the player is the first player to arrive, the players parent / guardian should remain until another player, or ‘Person in Authority’ arrives. Similarly, if a player 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 player) to stay until all the players have been picked up. If an adult is not available, then another player should be present in order to avoid the ‘Person in Authority’ being alone with a single player.

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

Gender Identity

For teams consisting of players 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 players 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 polices.