1. Child Safety Risk Assessment
November 2016

2. Step 1 – Identify the rIsks Step 2 – Analyse the risks
Overview
Step 1 – Identify the rIsks
Step 2 – Analyse the risks
Step 3 – Treat the risks
Establish a sub-committee dedicated to child safety
Consider risks and areas of vulnerability within your club re child abuse
List the areas of risk
What are the current policies for each of the risks?
What do we currently do about the risks in practice?
Can we/should we do more about the risks?
Develop a list of action items for the club to address the risks identified
Review action items and plan
Assess appropriateness of the action plan

3. Step 1 – Identify the risks
Common risk areas at sporting clubs include:
Transportation – how are children transported to, from and around your club?
Change rooms – do children use club change rooms? Are they supervised? By who?
Unsupervised contact – are children at your club regularly exposed to unsupervised contact? Is there one-on-one unsupervised contact with children? Are there any special procedures put into place in training, playing, end-of-season-trip & transport situations where team members of your club are both under & over age?
Physical contact during coaching – how is coaching undertaken at your club? Are there guidelines around physical contact?
Videoing and photographing children – is this happening at your club? Who controls the cameras that photos are taken on? Who supervises when photos of children are taken?
Human resources practices – have all our employees, volunteers, officials, etc been screened? Have they had working with children checks?

4. Step 1 – Identify the risks
Common risk areas at sporting clubs include (cont)
Overnight accommodation – do we run overnight programs? Are there chaperones on these camps? Do we get consent from parents?
Supply of performance enhancing drugs – do we have doctors/physios providing supplements? Are they supervised? Are parents aware of what is happening?
Swearing whilst coaching – are children exposed to inappropriate language?
Supply of illicit drugs – are team managers going out with players?
Electronic communication – do coaches deal directly with children on social media? Who controls the club’s official social media accounts?
Others?

5. Step 2 – Analyse the risks
What does the MPP say about the risks?
For example:
Chapter 3: Code of Conduct in MPP Handbook (pages 13-19):
See page 15 of MPP Handbook for photography of children and young people
See page 16 of MPP Handbook for change rooms
See page 17 of MPP Handbook for sleeping arrangements
Chapter 7: Screening, Recruitment and Induction (page 36)
Does our club currently comply with the MPP?
Do we need to change our practices within our club to ensure it is child safe and child friendly (see Step 3)?

6. Step 3 – Treat the risks
What specific actions should we take based on Step 2?
For example:
Send out a memo to all coaches that they are not to befriend children on Facebook
Start screening all volunteers/team managers within the club
Undertake training on appropriate physical contact for coaches
Train management on how to respond to allegation of child abuse (see Chapter 4 of MPP Toolkit)
Develop an action plan with list of items to be undertaken, by whom and when
Review and assess the action plan

7. Step 3 – Treat the risks