Child Safety
Our Commitment
Westside Gymnastics is committed to the safety and wellbeing of every child and young person who trains, competes or spends time at our club. Child safety comes first - above sporting results, reputation, or any other consideration.
We have zero tolerance for child abuse of any kind.
Our approach is guided by Victoria's 11 Child Safe Standards and set out in full in our Child Safety and Wellbeing Policy, Member Protection Policy and Code of Conduct, available on request or on our website. As a privately owned club, we also engage the Gymnastics Australia Integrity Department (GA Integrity) - who are outside our day-to-day management - so every family always has an independent contact for a concern, including any concern about the club's owner or senior staff.
What We Do to Keep Children Safe
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Screening: every coach, staff member and volunteer working with children holds a current Working with Children Check and is screened before appointment.
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Code of Conduct: everyone connected to our club (staff, volunteers, parents, spectators and gymnasts) is expected to follow our Code of Conduct, which sets out clear standards of behaviour around children.
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Training: our people receive child safety induction and ongoing training, including how to recognise and respond to signs of harm.
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Supervision: children are supervised at all times during club activities, including in changing areas, on transport, and at events.
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Listening to children: we want every gymnast to know a trusted adult they can talk to, and we regularly ask for feedback from gymnasts and families.
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Inclusion: we welcome and support children of all abilities, cultures and backgrounds, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, children from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, children with disability, and LGBTQIA+ children and families.
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Safe online and physical environments: we have clear rules for photography and video of children, social media, written communication, and use of changing and locker room facilities.
Your Rights
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Every child has the right to feel safe, be heard, and be treated with respect at our club.
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Every parent and family member has the right to know how we keep children safe and how to raise a concern.
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Anyone can raise a concern without fear of it affecting their (or their child's) place at the club.
How to Raise a Concern
If you are worried about a child's safety, or about the behaviour of anyone at our club, please tell us. You don't need to be certain - if something doesn't feel right, we want to hear about it.
If a child is in immediate danger call
Victoria Police on 000 immediately
What happens next?
We take every concern seriously, respond promptly, and keep information confidential wherever possible. We will never place a person making a complaint in an unsupervised situation with the person the complaint is about while we look into it. Where the law requires us to report a concern to Police or Child Protection, we will do so.
Where to Find Out More
Our full Child Safety and Wellbeing Policy, Member Protection Policy, Code of Conduct and complaints handling procedure are available on our website and from the Club office. If anything in this statement is unclear, please ask - we would rather explain twice than have anyone unsure of how to raise a concern