Office of Sport
contact_pageContact
emailSubscribe

Child safety at sport and recreation centres

The Office of Sport is committed to the safety and wellbeing of children in sport and active recreation.

Our child safety commitment

The Office of Sport is committed to:

  • Protecting children from abuse, neglect or mistreatment.
  • Safeguarding children participating in our programs and attending our facilities.
  • Listening to children, actively seeking their feedback and taking their concerns seriously.
  • Treating children fairly and with respect.
  • Managing risks to prevent harm to children.
  • Having zero tolerance for misconduct that causes, or may cause, harm to children.
  • Continually improving how we safeguard children
  • Our commitment is for all children under 18 years, from all backgrounds and of all abilities. 

Our sites are well-equipped to safely and comfortably accommodate children and young people, whether they are part of sporting teams, school excursions, or community groups.

Our child safety measures

The Office of Sport has implemented the following child safety measures:

  • All staff in child related roles at Centres have a verified Working With Children Check (WWCC).
  • The Office of Sport is a prescribed agency under the Children’s Guardian Act 2019 (NSW). Consequently, the Office of Sport is required to develop a Child Safe Action Plan (PDF, 6.21 MB). The Action Plan supports the implementation of the Child Safe Standards.
  • The Office of Sport has comprehensive internal policies and procedures to support Child Safety including:
    • Code of Ethics and Conduct
    • Reporting Concerns About Child Safety
    • The Exchange of Child Protection Information Policy & Procedure
    • Child Safe Professional Standards.
  • A Child Safe Risk Register which is actioned and reviewed in conjunction with the Centres & Venues Executive Leadership team and the Office of Sport Child Safe Steering Committee.
  • A Risk Management Plan Proforma (PDF, 1.03 MB) for our programs.
  • Further information about how we ensure child safety is prioritised and managed can be found through the following links:
  • When engaging contractors, the Office of Sport requires contractors to obtain and validate a WWCC prior to employment and provide the WWCC to the Office of Sport upon request. The Office of Sport has an internal process to record and verify the WWCC of contractors engaged in child related work. All contracted staff in child related work undertake a site induction that includes child safe principles.

Resources

To help you plan a safe and enjoyable stay, we’ve gathered a selection of helpful resources. While developed with sports groups in mind, they are equally valuable for any event involving children and young people.

Sports Integrity Australia have developed resources to ensure that organisations implement safe practices for children and young people during overnight stays, including:

A series of videos produced in partnership with NSW Office of Children’s Guardian to promote best practice when taking children and young people away on overnight camps:

For more information on Child Safety in the sporting sector, visit our Child Safe Sport page.

If you have any concerns about child safety during your stay, please speak with a staff member or submit your concern using the QR codes available at each Centre. You can also share your feedback or report any issues via our contact page. 

Your feedback helps us maintain a safe environment for all our guests.

Top of page