Creating a safer club made child's play

Community sporting clubs are learning how to create a child safe and friendly environment through training workshops conducted as part of the Safe Clubs 4 Kids initiative.

01 October 2008

Safe Clubs 4 Kids is a pilot project that has seen the Department of Sport and Recreation (DSR), Western Australian Sports Federation (WASF), Surf Lifesaving WA and WA Police work in partnership to develop and deliver a training package to clubs on the important matter of child protection.

The project has been based on Surf Life Saving's existing Nipper Safe program and made applicable to all sports.

Football West, Netball WA and WA Football Commission are all involved in the Safe Clubs 4 Kids pilot project, which consists of two stages.

The first stage involves people in each sport trained up to deliver the Safe Clubs 4 Kids training workshop to clubs. The second stage involves these trained presenters delivering the training to clubs.

DSR Director General Ron Alexander said the aim of the project was to increase awareness of child protection and reinforce that it was everyone's responsibility to keep children safe.

"Participation in sport and recreation is an important and beneficial part of childhood, and the sport and recreation industry has an ethical obligation to provide a safe environment for children, " Mr Alexander said.

"DSR, WASF, Surf Life Saving WA and the WA Police are committed to minimising the risk to children in the community and providing programs and services that contribute to the development of safer environments for our children."

WASF CEO Rob Thompson said most people who volunteered to work with children did so to help them reach their potential.

"These people make a positive contribution in the lives of children in the community and should be recognised and valued for their work," Mr Thompson said.

"Safe Clubs 4 Kids is a proactive approach. It offers sporting clubs the tools and resources needed to provide safe environments for their members. The partnership of agencies involved in this pilot is a major strength of the project."