AFDA Member Protection

1
AFDA Member Protection

• Dealing with harassment and inappropriate
  behaviour

2
Harassment in Sport

• Every person playing in sport has the right to
  participate in an environment that is fun, safe
  and healthy, and to be treated with respect,
  dignity and fairness.
• Harassment denies people these rights.

3
What is Harassment?

• Harassment consists of offensive, abusive,
  belittling or threatening behaviour directed at a
  person or people because of a particular
  characteristic of that person or people
  (including the persons or peoples level of
  empowerment relative to the harasser).

4
Behaviour

• The behaviour must be unwelcome and the sort of
  behaviour a reasonable person would recognise as
  being unwelcome and likely to cause the person to
  feel offended, humiliated, intimidated or
  threatened.

5
Assessment

• Whether or not the behaviour constitutes
  harassment is to be considered from the point of
  view of the person receiving the behaviour.
• (Working definition of harassment developed by
  the
• Australian Sports Commission)

6
How is AFDA addressing harassment?

• The AFDA has a Member Protection Policy which is
  based largely on the template provided by ASC.
• The policy outlines a formal and informal
  complaints procedure.
• The AFDA now has 3 Member Protection Information
  Officers as a first point of contact for members.

7
The Role of MPIO

• LISTEN to the complainant

• INFORM the complainant with options to resolve
  the problem

The MPIO does not give advice or try to resolve
the problem.
8
Complaints Motto

• THE COMPLAINT BELONGS TO THE COMPLAINANT
• THE COMPLAINANT ALWAYS DECIDES WHAT HAPPENS NEXT

9
Complaints The internal process
10
Complaints The External Process
11
Issues that may arise in Ultimate

• Culturally linguistically diverse backgrounds
• Disability myths stereotypes
• Homophobia
• Offensive language and behaviour varying levels
  of tolerance to such behaviour

12
What forms of behaviour can harassment take?

• Jokes
• Unwanted comments on appearance/sex
  life/colour/size
• Sledging
• Shoving, hitting, threatening space invasion

• Property damage
• Practical jokes
• Excluding/non-selection
• Ignoring/rejecting
• Humiliation

13
Vicarious Liability

• Employers and officials of sports organisations
  are responsible for taking all reasonable steps
  to ensure that, as far as practicable, harassment
  does not occur in their organisation
• If an organisation has shown that they have taken
  reasonable steps, they are unlikely to be found
  vicariously liable for the behaviour of an
  individual.

14
Current Policies Codes

• Current Policies Codes
• Member Protection Policy (to be updated in line
  with October 2004 ASC amendments)
• AFDA Coaching Course Code of Ethics
• AFDA Coaching Course Code of Ethics

15
Coaches Agreement
16
Policies Codes under Development

• General Code of Behaviour
• Administrator Code of Behaviour
• Player Code of Behaviour
• Parent/Guardian Code of Behaviour
• Spectator Code of Behaviour

17
Play by the Rules
http//www.playbytherules.net.au
18
MPIO Details on ASC site
http//www.ausport.gov.au/ethics
19
MPIO Contact Details

• Belinda Kinneally
• 0411 050 825
• mpo_at_afda.com
• Ross McKerracher
• mob [phone]
• email rossmck_at_student.usyd.edu.au
• Mel Gangemi
• 0411 441 699
• email mgangemi_at_student.usyd.edu.au