Code of Conduct
NSW Athletics believes that young people involved in sport have a right to participate in a safe and supportive environment.
Over-zealous parents and adults, and ill-tempered, disrespectful athletes, sometimes need to be reminded of appropriate standards of behaviour for Athletics.
Athletics is a community activity, which utilises athletics to help foster the development of Australia’s children, and as such, endorses and applies the following Codes of Conduct – version 2008 (lansw.com.au)
The privilege of membership with the Little Athletics NSW may be withdrawn where it is determined that a person’s conduct is inconsistent with the mission of LANSW and in clear breach of the Codes of Conduct.
Behavioural Guidelines
These Behavioural Guidelines aim to give everyone a guide to what is expected of them if they are part of Little Athletics, be it participating, volunteering or standing on the sideline cheering for their child, relative or friend. The guidelines set down what is an acceptable standard of conduct and behaviour and reflect the principles upon which Little Athletics is based.
Acceptance of, and compliance with these guidelines will ensure that Little Athletes will develop good sporting behaviours and be an enjoyable sporting experience, encouraging them to remain involved in sport or otherwise be active throughout their lives.
We ask everyone to take the time to read the guidelines and make a personal commitment to always behaving in accordance with the principles contained therein. Behavioural Guidelines
Mosman Athletics 3 Step Behaviour Resolution
With these Guidelines and Code of Conduct in mind, Mosman Little Athletics Club has a 3-step process when dealing with disruptive athletes:
- In the case of a minor first offence – a warning will be given.
- 2nd offence or more serious breach – miss an event (20-minute time-out sitting with a Committee member – Safety Officers, Head Coach and President will be advised)
- 3rd offence or more serious breach – parents will be requested to keep athlete at home for the next training night, or in more serious cases of bullying and/or disruptive behaviour, asked to leave the club permanently.
Child Protection
Mosman Athletics takes child protection very seriously.
We adhere to Little Athletics Australia National Child Protection Policy and have introduced further measures within the club, to ensure the safety of our athletes’ welfare. This includes a Safety Officer (wearing a pink safety vest) to monitor the running of all events on the field and to ensure athletes are safe at all times.
Mosman Athletics has also introduced an online Child Protection course for all coaches and committee members to complete prior to the start of season. We encourage all volunteers to take the free online course to raise awareness of your rights and responsibilities under child protection laws.
We have a Working with Children Check Policy, making it a requirement that anyone in child-related roles working or volunteering with children under 18 years obtain a Working with Children Certificate and provide this with a valid WWCC Number.
If you witness any incident of abuse of an athlete / child (abuse can be physical, verbal, implied bullying via social media etc.) during our training sessions or at competitions with other clubs regardless of who is involved i.e. another athlete, coach, parent, volunteer, spectator etc., please report the incident immediately to our Safety Officer or person in charge and provide as much information as possible of the incident. Our Safety Officer and Club President will then take the appropriate action and report back to you on the outcome.
Photography Guidelines
Mosman Athletics may capture photos or videos of athletes during training, events, and competitions for use on our website, member newsletter, official social media channels (Facebook and Instagram), and in the annual Awards Night slideshow. This aligns with the Little Athletics NSW Guidelines for Taking and Using Images of Children, which guide parents, guardians, and others on the appropriate and safe photographing of athletes.
Parents and guardians who do not consent to their child being photographed or filmed by Mosman Athletics must complete the Photography Opt-Out Form. Age Managers will be notified of all non-consent requests to help support these preferences. Every effort will be made to exclude non-consenting athletes from club-related media and promotional material.
To support the privacy and safety protection of child(ren) participating in our programs, we request that parents, caregivers, athletes, coaches, volunteers and other members adhere to these guidelines as well to avoid unauthorised public display and inappropriate use of images of children.