Child Safety

Kikoff runs football programs for children and young people. Their safety and wellbeing is our first responsibility — ahead of results, revenue and convenience.

We commit to:

• Zero tolerance of child abuse and harm. All allegations and safety concerns are taken seriously, recorded and acted on.
• Listening to children. Children and young people are told how to raise a concern, and are taken seriously when they do.
• Safe recruitment. Everyone working with children at Kikoff holds a valid Working with Children Check and is screened before they start.
• Clear expectations. All staff, coaches, referees and volunteers work to a written Code of Conduct for working with children.
• Accountability. Concerns are escalated, recorded, and reported to the relevant authority when required.

This policy applies to every Kikoff centre, every employee, contractor, coach, referee and volunteer, and to every program we run.

We align our approach to the National Principles for Child Safe Organisations and, in New South Wales, to the NSW Child Safe Standards overseen by the Office of the Children's Guardian.

The National Principles for Child Safe Organisations were endorsed by all Australian governments in 2019 and give organisations a common framework for keeping children safe. They are published by the National Office for Child Safety.

How we apply them:

1. Child safety is embedded in leadership, governance and culture. Centre managers are accountable for child safety at their venue, not just for operations.
2. Children and young people are informed about their rights and taken seriously. We tell children how to speak up and who to speak to.
3. Families and communities are informed and involved. Parents and carers can see this policy and know how to raise a concern.
4. Equity is upheld and diverse needs are respected. Programs are accessible, and we adjust for children with disability, cultural and language needs.
5. People working with children are suitable and supported. Screening, induction and supervision apply to everyone in a child-related role.
6. Complaints and concerns are taken seriously. We have a child-focused complaints process and we use it.
7. Staff are equipped with knowledge, skills and awareness. Child safety training is part of onboarding and is refreshed.
8. Physical and online environments minimise harm. Venue layout, supervision ratios and our communication rules are designed with this in mind.
9. Implementation is regularly reviewed and improved. We review this policy and our incident records.
10. Policies and procedures document how we are child safe. This manual is that documentation.

Kikoff centres in New South Wales operate under the NSW Child Safe Standards, which are overseen by the NSW Office of the Children's Guardian. The NSW Standards mirror the National Principles.

Official NSW resources:

• NSW Office of the Children's Guardian — Child Safe Scheme, Child Safe Standards, Working with Children Check and the Reportable Conduct Scheme.
• NSW ECEC child safe resources — practical child safe material for organisations working with children.

We do not reproduce government material here. Where a requirement changes, the official source above is authoritative and this chapter is updated to match.

As Kikoff expands beyond New South Wales, equivalent state schemes will be added as separate chapters rather than assuming the NSW position applies nationally.

This Code applies to everyone working with children at Kikoff — employees, coaches, referees, contractors and volunteers.

You must:

• Treat every child with respect, and model the behaviour you expect from them.
• Stay within sight of others when working with a child. Avoid being alone with a child where you cannot be observed.
• Use positive coaching language. Correct behaviour, not the person.
• Respect physical boundaries. Physical contact should be limited to what is necessary to coach a skill, attend to an injury or prevent harm — and should be visible, brief and appropriate to the child's age.
• Report any concern about a child's safety immediately, including concerns about another adult's behaviour.
• Follow the venue's supervision, sign-in and collection procedures.

You must not:

• Use physical punishment, or any discipline that humiliates, frightens or isolates a child.
• Use language that is aggressive, sexualised, discriminatory or demeaning.
• Develop a personal relationship with a child outside the program, or contact a child privately (including by phone, direct message or social media).
• Photograph or film children except with the venue's permission and the parent's consent, using Kikoff equipment or accounts.
• Give a child a lift, gift or special treatment outside the program.
• Attend a session under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

Breaching this Code may result in disciplinary action up to and including dismissal, and may be reported to the relevant authority.

If a child is in immediate danger, call 000.

You do not need to be certain before you speak up. If something does not feel right, tell us.

At the venue. Speak to any Kikoff staff member or ask for the centre manager. They will record what you tell them and escalate it.

In writing. Email the centre using the contact details on your venue's page and mark it "child safety". Concerns raised in writing are treated the same way as those raised in person.

Outside Kikoff. You can always contact an external authority directly, and you do not need our permission to do so:

• Emergency: 000
• NSW Child Protection Helpline: 132 111 (24 hours)
• NSW Office of the Children's Guardian: ocg.nsw.gov.au

We will not treat anyone unfavourably for raising a concern in good faith.

Photography and video.

• Images of children are only taken on Kikoff equipment or accounts, with the venue's permission.
• Parents and carers are asked for consent, and consent can be withdrawn at any time.
• Images are not published with a child's full name, team details or any information that would let a stranger identify or locate them.
• Personal phones are not used to photograph children at a Kikoff program.

Online communication.

• Communication with a child about a program goes through their parent or carer, or through an official Kikoff channel.
• Staff do not contact children privately — no personal direct messages, private social accounts or personal phone contact.
• Team communication happens in group channels visible to parents and to more than one adult.

Parents can ask us at any time to remove an image of their child.

Kikoff links to official sources rather than reproducing them, so you are always reading the current version.

National

• National Office for Child Safety — National Principles for Child Safe Organisations.

New South Wales

• NSW Office of the Children's Guardian — Child Safe Standards, Child Safe Scheme, Working with Children Check and the Reportable Conduct Scheme.
• NSW ECEC child safe resources — practical child safe resources.

Urgent

• Emergency — 000
• NSW Child Protection Helpline — 132 111 (24 hours)