Prevention of Maltreatment

Pacific Sport Columbia Basin > Prevention of Maltreatment

https://viasport.ca/resources/safe-sport-incident-report-form/

PacificSport Columbia Basin’s commitment to Safe Sport

PacificSport Columbia Basin believes that everyone has access to Safe Sport. Athletes, coaches, officials, and volunteers have the right to participate in safe and inclusive training and competitive environments free of abuse, harassment, or discrimination.

PacificSport Columbia Basin has signed onto the Responsible Coaching movement which seeks that staff:

•Have appropriate background screening and criminal record checks
•Uphold the “rule of two”, where athlete interactions with adults are open and observable and involve other staff to be present.
•Have completed necessary training in ethics, safe sport, and/or the prevention of child abuse.

All PacificSport Columbia Basin staff have completed Commit to Kids training. All PacificSport Columbia Basin staff, volunteers, and the Board of Directors are required to undergo a Criminal Record Check (for working with children and vulnerable adults) yearly.

What is Safe Sport?

Safe sport environments are accessible, inclusive, respect their participants’ personal goals, and are free from all forms of maltreatment.

Safety, in this context, includes physical safety and psychological safety. Where either or both of those are missing, there may be maltreatment happening that needs to be addressed.

Physical safety including things like:

  • Prevention of injuries, including appropriate planning and use of equipment
  • Concussion management
  • Appropriate and progressive return to training and competition after injury

Psychological safety is “a belief that one will not be punished or humiliated for speaking up with ideas, questions, concerns, or mistakes” (Amy Edmondson, 1999). When people feel psychologically safe, they:

  • Are empowered to raise issues that may help themselves, their  team, or others improve
  • Are not harassed or bullied
  • Feel welcome in new environments and want to continue to participate
  • Consent to appropriate physical touching (such as spotting)
  • Are empowered to not attempt skills that they don’t feel capable of doing safely
  • Are aware of power dynamics and know appropriate boundaries

All provincially funded sports organizations in British Columbia have adopted the B.C. Universal Code of Conduct, which applies to all participants, which includes expectations related to appropriate and inappropriate behaviours relating to these types of safety.

How to report Maltreatment

•Any person who observes or has a suspicion of maltreatment, and/or believes that observed or suspicious behaviours are in violation of the BC UCC should be directed to the Provincial Safe Sport investigatory mechanism. Staff and clients are also encouraged to contact the Canadian Sport Helpline 1-888-83SPORT (1-888-837-7678) if they observed, and/or have a suspicion of, maltreatment during their PacificSport Columbia Basin duties.

Additional Resources

  • BC211: A comprehensive guide to services throughout BC.
  • Canadian Sport Helpline: The Canadian Sport Helpline is a national toll-free helpline offering assistance to victims or witnesses of harassment, abuse or discrimination in sport. Offered in partnership by the Sport Dispute Resolution Centre of Canada (SDRCC) and the Canadian Centre for Mental Health in Sport (CCMHS), this anonymous, confidential, independent service allows people to share and validate their concerns, obtain guidance on required next steps, and get referrals to other resources for follow up. A CCMHS team of practitioners with expertise in counselling, psychology and sport act as helpline operators.
  • Access the helpline toll free from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. (Eastern Time), seven days a week by telephone, text, live chat or email in both official languages.
  • Email: info@abuse-free-sport.ca
  • Call or text: 1-888-83SPORT (1-888-837-7678)
  • Commit to Kids: The Commit to Kids (C2K) for Coaches online training empowers coaches and other sport leaders with practical information to helpf them enhance child and youth safety in sport.
  • Foundry BC: Foundry offers young people ages 12-24 health and wellness resources, services and supports – online and through integrated service centres in communities across BC.
  • Haven Society: Haven provides drop in for anyone who thinks that they may have experienced abuse and need to talk to someone.
  • 24/7 Haven Community Crisis Line 1 888 756-0616
  • Respect in Sport: The Respect in Sport Activity Leader/Coach Program educates youth leaders, coaches, officials, and participants to recognize, understand, and respond to issues of bullying, abuse, harassment, and discrimination.
  • CAC Safe Sport Training: Creating a culture where everyone can thrive is a shared responsibility. The Safe Sport Training module developed by the Coaching Association of Canada will help anyone involved in sport identify and prevent situations of maltreatment.
  • Rule of Two: The goal of the Rule of Two is to ensure all interactions and communications are open, observable, and justifiable. Its purpose is to protect participants and coaches in potentially vulnerable situations by ensuring more than one adult is present.
  • viaSport Addressing maltreatment
  • BC Helpline for Children: A confidential toll-free phone line for children and youth wanting to talk to someone – call 310-1234 (no area code required)
  • VictimLinkBC: A toll-free, confidential, multilingual telephone and online service available across B.C. 24 hours a day, 7 days a week which provides information and referral services to all victims of crime and immediate crisis support to victims of family and sexual violence.
  • Resilience BC: Anti-Racism Network provides information about how to report incidences of racism and hate crimes if you are a victim or witness such incidences.
  • Crime Victim Services: This is a resource to call if you have any questions about whether what happened to you is considered a crime.