As you are already aware, from 1 January 2017, the Child Safe Standards apply to all sporting organisations that operate and provide sporting services to children within Victoria. It is therefore a legal requirement for Glen Iris Junior Football Club to be compliant with the Child Safety Standards.
Child Safe Standards aim to promote the safety of children, prevent child abuse and ensure organisations have effective processes in place to respond to and report all allegations of child abuse. They provide a minimum standard of child safety across all organisations and highlight that we all have a role to play to keep children safe from abuse.
To embed child safety in the everyday thinking and practices of our club:
- GIJFC and its Executive have endorsed and released a Commitment Statement.
- GIJFC is committed to promoting and protecting the safety and well-being of children and young people in our care. We seek to promote and protect the rights of all children in our care and prevent abuse from occurring by fostering a child safe culture. GIJFC will present environments and experiences that always consider and put measures in place to ensure the safety of children.
- GIJFC is committed to promoting and protecting the safety and well-being of children and young people in our care. We seek to promote and protect the rights of all children in our care and prevent abuse from occurring by fostering a child safe culture. GIJFC will present environments and experiences that always consider and put measures in place to ensure the safety of children.
- GIJFC has Child Safety Officers (‘CSO’) who are the initial point of contact for any reported concern of Child Safety. All GIJFC members are encouraged to be aware of our CSO, with particular emphasis on children being made aware of who they can speak to if they are feeling unsafe.
- GIJFC ensures that officials and volunteers, being
- All Executive Committee member’s i.e. President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, as well as Canteen Manager / Supervisor;
- Child Safety Officers;
- Coaches;
- Team Managers;
- Club Trainers;
- Any adult attending an overnight trip with a junior team; and
- Other members of the junior club who are involved in regular contact with children under 18 years of age and that are not directly supervised by a person who has completed a WWCC.
- have a current Working with Children Check (‘WWCC’), and
- are aware of the expectation to adhere to the Behaviour Guidelines when working with children.
- GIJFC run information sessions/training programs for all officials and volunteers to help equip them with the right information and highlight club expectations concerning Child Safe Standards. All officials and volunteers receive a separate email from the club providing pertinent information.
- GIJFC complies with the Reporting Procedure requirements.
- GIJFC is keen to promote the involvement and participation of children in developing and maintaining a child safe environment. To provide children an opportunity to express their views on child safety we have created a new email address: childsafety@gijfc.com. We also intend to run a sausage sizzle and other events to engage our children in this conversation.
What can GIJFC families do?
We strongly encourage all GIJFC parents to have a conversation with their children about child abuse and the GIJFC’s commitment to provide a Child Safe environment. Viewing Play by the Rules – a short, interactive, free online module may be a useful tool.
If you are a parent volunteering at the club, please ensure you obtain a WWCC ASAP and align it to GIJFC.
GIJFC has a webpage that includes all of the key information pertaining to Child Safe Standards, including some Frequently Asked Questions. So please take the time to familiarise yourselves with Child Safe Standards and understand the obligations we all have as a GIJFC community.
Please do not hesitate to get in touch with me or any of our Child Safety Officers if you have any questions or concerns about Child Safe Standards or would like to discuss any aspect further.
| Child Safety Officer Name | Phone Number | Email address |
| Anna Hart | 0407 299 521 | childsafety@gijfc.com |
| Anne Reeves | 0409 120 167 | |
| Jyothi Chaganti | 0412 377 875 | |
| Drew Robinson | 0409 544 182 |
We look forward to collaborating with GIJFC officials, volunteers and families to ensure a safe, welcoming and inclusive environment at our club.
