The Department of Athletics & Recreation is committed to ensuring that Safe Sport is everyone’s responsibility. Our commitment to Safe Sport includes adopting the Universal Code of Conduct to Prevent and Address Maltreatment in Sport and for our sport and recreation environment to be free from physical, sexual and psychological abuse.
Safesport (coach.ca)
Main Categories & Themes
Gryphon Athletics will continue to embed safe sport actions into daily operations. The below summarizes key areas of focus:
The department has made comprehensive additions to training and education program for all coaches, staff, students, athletes, and volunteers / affiliates within the Department of Athletics.This training includes improved on-boarding and updates to student athlete orientation, including the student-athlete handbook.Also collaborative training modules have been designed and delivered with multiple campus partners.
Coaches
- Training requirements as outlined above
- All coaches must undergo a vulnerable sector check as a condition of employment
- Updated Coaches Code of Conduct
- Required annual planning for head coaches, including an improved performance evaluation system for coaches
- Performance evaluation of part-time and volunteer coaches is in development
Student Athletes
- CCES Drug Education (True Sport Clean) - completed on annual basis
- Sexual Violence Support Module through Courslink - completed once in their varsity career
- Principles of Belonging: Anti-Opression and Anti-Racism through Courslink - completed once in their varsity career
- Concussion Education here - completed once in their varsity career
- Safe Sport through Coaches Association of Canada - completed once in their varsity career
- Training Requirements as outlined above.
- Mentor training
- Updated Student-Athlete Code of Conduct
- Improved content for student-athlete orientation
- Student-Athlete Handbook Updates
- Addition of:
- UofG policy on Non-Academic Misconduct
- UofG policy on Sexual Violence
- Safe Disclosure policy and resources
- Updated Athletics Hazing policy
- Safe Sport and Rule of 2
- Universal Code of Conduct for the Prevention of Maltreatment in Sport
- Standardization and Organization of all Athletics Policies
- Converted to standard template to ensure consistency in font, numbering, language and terminology, scope and applicability
- Distinguished policies from procedures
- Policies are now housed in central SharePoint site organized by operational unit
- Implementation of New Policies and Procedures
- Rule of 2 for coaches and student-trainers
- Student-Athlete consent process to share medical information with support team (coach, medical, AT, S&C)
- Created an Athletics policy for establishing departmental policies
- Updates and Additions to Existing Policies and Procedures
- Athletic Therapy, Medical, etc.
- Updated concussion policy and procedures to align with Rowan’s Law for Intercollegiate, Intramurals and Clubs
- Concussion working group
- Door open policy for treatment
- Integrated Support Team (IST) communication policy
- Made process more efficient for coaches and student-athletes to seek help in distress
- New, comprehensive Athletic Therapy Policy, including a new volunteer agreement.
- Comprehensive review by consultant to create more efficient, better accessibility and best practices for work between Student Wellness/HPC/Athletics and its student athletes
- Sexual Violence
- Updated procedures for referral of Sexual Violence cases, allegations, reports, concerns, etc.
- Social Media
- Updated social media policy for student athletes including expanded guidelines, examples, rules, and consequences for non-compliance
- Team Travel Policy - In progress with anticipated implementation of updated policy for fall of 2023
- Updated camps Code of Conduct for camp staff, and code of conduct also includes volunteers
- High Five certification for all camp counsellors
- Head Coaches for Sport Camps and Directors and Counsellors for Sport Camp must complete Safe Sport
- All eligible camp counsellors (over the age of 18) must be screened through Backcheck
- Added in new camp operations protocols around “hands off” policy, inclusion and a safe environment, as well as duty to report policy.
- Improved procedures in the CIT Manual
- Removed use of affiliated memberships
For a detailed report of items in all areas, please contact the Department to receive a copy of this report with specific actions items in each of the categories below.
