Children and young people have the right to be safe from abuse at all times, including when they are in sporting environments, and Race Officials have a role to play in their safety.

Child Safety is about keeping children and young people safe from abuse and protecting them from people who are identified as unsuitable to work with children. There is no national Child Protection law, however all states and territories have their own child protection laws to keep children safe and to protect them from abuse.

Race officials need to ensure that any event they are assisting with, the host club and class are adhering to the Child Protection Laws and requirements of the state/territory it is in. Failure to be compliant may introduce risks to the children participating and also result in punishment under the legislation.

Australian Sailing appreciates that race officials here behave with the highest degree of competence, propriety, and integrity. We acknowledge the valuable contribution made by race officials and we encourage their active participation in providing a safe environment for children. We are pleased to support them with a wealth of information that is available on our website. There are helpful online courses on Child Protection available here.

Events must take all reasonable steps to ensure that it engages suitable and appropriate race officials to work with children, especially those in positions that involve regular unsupervised contact with children. The organising authority should use a range of screening measures such as ensuring that Working with Children Checks are conducted for all race officials and volunteers who work with children, where an assessment is required by law. But keep in mind that Working with Children Check requirements vary across Australia. An organising authority could also conduct referee checks or perform other relevant background checks to assess a person’s suitability to work with children and young people.

If a criminal history report is obtained as part of their screening process, the organising authority must handle this information confidentially and in accordance with the relevant legal requirements.

The policies and procedures for handling allegations of child abuse can be read here. Allegations must be handled promptly, seriously and with a high degree of sensitivity. All race officials have a duty to report any concerns to the appropriate authorities, following the steps outlined in the Member Protection Policy. Einstien is attributed to have said "The world is a dangerous place to live; not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don't do anything about it."

We appreciate your care and efforts to uphold this sport’s core values and create a safe, fair and inclusive environment for everyone participating in sailing.

Australian Sailing’s position on child safety, related resources and links to other information can be found here.
Sport Integrity Australia has information available here.
Information for each state and territory is available here.

By Glen Stanaway https://www.sailing.org.au/about/ourstaff/