SportWest, the peak industry body for sport in Western Australia has officially launched a new True Sport Child Safeguarding initiative to assist State Sporting Associations and sporting organisations across Western Australia to provide a safe environment for children and young people to play the sports they love.
With the support of the Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries, the True Sport Child Safeguarding resources have been developed to assist WA State Sporting Associations and sporting organisations in navigating and understanding child safeguarding information aligned to the National Principles for Child Safe Organisations (National Principles). They are specifically designed to align with the Western Australian sporting environment.
The National Principles aim to provide a nationally consistent approach to creating organisational cultures that foster safety and wellbeing.
SportWest Strategic Initiatives Manager, Helen Mc Shane has led the game changing initiative. “True Sport Child Safeguarding resources have been developed based on feedback from, and engagement with, the WA sports industry and contributions and support from members of the SportWest Child Safeguarding in Sport Advisory Group. Ultimately, these resources are designed to assist sporting organisations in Western Australia in commencing or continuing its journey of creating and maintaining safe environments for children and young people through the implementation of the National Principles for Child Safe Organisations. Key resources include a self-assessment and action plan, reporting flowcharts, Working with Children information and Cyber Safety information.”
SportWest have engaged with various government agencies, State Sporting Associations and stakeholders to provide a trusted source of information for sports to access information which is tailored to the West Australian sporting landscape. SportWest A/CEO, Ashleigh Apps is proud to provide the resources to the West Australian sporting community. “As the peak body for sport in Western Australia, we have a critical role in strengthening and supporting our sporting organisations and equipping them with the tools to thrive. We all have a role to play in keeping children safe. True Sport is a platform that every sport can embrace and use to help you shape the DNA of sport to one that is based on values, creating a positive and embracing culture. These resources will assist sports to navigate child safety and embed child safeguarding practices into organisational leadership, governance and culture. It will provide a central hub of trusted information for sports to utilise.”
Media Contact: SportWest: Jasmine Cappellucci, True Sport Manager on 0427 198 718 or via email jasmine@sportwest.com.au
