Safe Sport Commitment

General Guidelines

The following codes of conduct are for all people involved in any way with the sport of swimming, particularly those responsible for activities involving members under the age of 18 years. These codes of conduct highlight the principles and values of Swimming Australia and are the core principles of Member Welfare and Child Welfare policies. As a person involved in any way with the sport of swimming, the following standard of behaviour is expected. 

• Respect the rights, dignity and worth of others. 
• Be ethical, considerate, fair and honest in all dealings with other people and organisations.   
• Be professional in, and accept responsibility for, your actions. 
• Make a commitment to providing quality service. 
• Be aware of Swimming Australia’s standards, rules and policies. Operate within the rules and spirit of the sport, including the national and international guidelines that govern Swimming Australia. 
• Understand the possible consequences of breaching Swimming Australia Member Welfare and Child Welfare Policies. 
• Immediately report any breaches of the Swimming Australia Member Welfare and Child Welfare Policies to the appropriate authority. 
• Refrain from any form of abuse towards others. 
• Refrain from any form of harassment toward others. Refrain from any form of discrimination toward others. 
• Refrain from intimate relations with members whom they have a supervisory role or power over.Refrain from any form of victimisation toward others. 
• Provide a safe environment for the conduct of activities in accordance with any relevant Swimming Australia policy
• Show concern and caution toward others that may be sick or injuBe a positive role model. 

Swimmers

• Abide by the General Codes of Conduct
• Be a good sport
• Compete for enjoyment
• Strive for personal excellence
• Work hard for your team as well as yourself
• Treat all team mates and opponents as you enjoy being treated yourself
• Compete by the rules
• Co-operate with team members and officials
• Control your behaviour in and out of the pool
• Learn to value honest effort, skilled performance and improvement

Parents/Guardian/Carers

•    Abide by the General Codes of Conduct
•    Encourage participation by your children rather than just winning or losing. 
•    Provide a model of good sports behaviour for your child to copy
•    Be courteous in your communication with swimmers, officials, coaches and sport administrators
•    Make any new parents/carers/swimmers feel welcome on all occasions
•    Support all efforts to remove verbal and physical abuse from the sporting environment.
•    Do not interfere with the conduct of any event
•    Show appreciation and respect for all people involved in your child’s swimming. 
•    Respect the rights, dignity and worth of all participants, regardless of their gender, ability, ethnicity, cultural background or religion. 

Coaches

• Abide by the General Codes of Conduct
• Be responsible for matters concerning the coaching, training and development of members. 
• Help each person (athlete, official etc.) reach their potential – respect the talent, developmental stage and goals of each person, and compliment and encourage with positive support and feedback. 
• Be honest and do not allow your qualifications to be misrepresented. 
• Maintain a ‘duty of care’ towards others and accountability for matters relating to training and competition. 
• Maintain the required standard of accreditation and/or licensing of professional competencies. 
• Have a sound working knowledge of Swimming Australia policies, rules and coaching techniques. 
• Ensure that any physical contact with others is appropriate to the situation and necessary for the person’s skill development.
• Set a good example for your swimmers
• Encourage and create opportunities to develop individual skills
• Encourage team participation
• Ensure that the events are appropriate for the age group and the skill development level of the swimmers involved
• Teach your swimmers to be friendly towards officials and opponents, and to treat them with respect
• Discipline any swimmers whose behaviour is not acceptable and where necessary impose appropriate penalties
• Keep your own knowledge of coaching and developments of the sport up to date Share your own knowledge with others as the need arises

​Spectators

• Abide by the General Codes of Conduct
• Demonstrate appropriate social behaviour
• Remember swimmers compete for enjoyment. Don’t let your behaviour detract from their enjoyment
• Let officials conduct events without interference
• Support skilled performances and team play with generous applause
• Demonstrate respect for other competitors and their supporters
• Reject the use of violence, verbal abuse or other unsavoury behaviour.
• Respect the rights, dignity and worth of every person regardless of their gender, ability, cultural background or religion. 

Administrators/Committee Members

• Abide by the General Codes of Conduct. 
• Act in good faith and in the best interests of the sport as a whole. 
• Maintain confidentiality in regards to sensitive and /or commercial information.
• Resolve conflicts fairly and promptly through established procedures. 
• Do not allow prejudice, conflict of interest or bias to affect your objectivity.
• *This also applies to directors, officers, employees, and contractors. 

Volunteers/and or Team officials

• Abide by the General Codes of Conduct. 
• Maintain the required standard of accreditation and/or licensing of professional competencies. 
• Help each person (athlete, official etc.) reach their potential – respect the talent, developmental stage and goals of each person, and compliment and encourage with positive support and feedback. 
• Be honest and do not allow your qualifications to be misrepresented. 
• Have a sound working knowledge of Swimming Australia policies and rules. 
• Ensure that any physical contact with others is appropriate to the situation and necessary for the person’s skill development. *This also applies to team support staff (i.e. medical, physiotherapy and dietician staff). 

Any Member of Melbourne H20 Swimming Club that has a concern or complaint is required to inform the Club’s Wellbeing Officer, Rachelle Buchbinder. In the event that there is not a Wellbeing Officer, any concerns or complaints must be directed to the Club President or another Committee Member. No Member is authorised to make complaints on behalf of the Club to any third parties. Failing to adhere to this is a breach of the Club’s Code of Conduct.

Failure to follow these guidelines may result in sanctions including expulsion from Melbourne H20 Swimming Club.