Four important webinars for all athletics coaches are set to be held between February and March 2024. All webinars are free and fully online, letting you join from anywhere in the world.

Photography, Videos, and Electronic Communication with Children and Young People: February 13, 2024

Recognising Boundaries and Managing Behaviours of Children and Young People: March 6, 2024

Transporting and Travelling with Children and Young People: March 21, 2024

Understanding Grooming in Sport: April 11, 2024

Photography, Videos, and Electronic Communication with Children and Young People

Tuesday, 13 February 2024 7:30pm (AEDT)

It is important we celebrate our children and young people’s achievements and participation in sport via photos, video and online, however it is also essential we put safeguards in place to reduce the risk of harm.

At the end of this webinar, attendees will be able to:

• Explain why rules exist relating to photographing & filming children and young people

• Follow appropriate practices for photographing & filming individuals in the sporting context, including but not limited to obtaining consent from relevant parties

• Explain the requirements for parent/carer involvement when communicating directly with children and young people electronically or online

• Identify and practice acceptable social media practices involving children and young people

• Advise children and young people about what types of messages are inappropriate coming from adults

Presented by Wendy Carter (Assistant Director, Safeguarding at Sport Integrity Australia).
Wendy is currently Acting Director of Safeguarding at Sport Integrity Australia and has been working team since November 2022. Her previous roles are in sport administration, specifically as General Manager for Football Operations for 13 years at Football South Australia. Where one of many responsibilities was working with clubs and associations to ensure they were compliant with the safeguarding requirements and the state legislation. Other roles in SA Football have been heavily focused in participation for women and girls, and coaching many teams including Australian youth representative teams. Prior to working in sport, Wendy was as a school teacher and holds degrees in Education, Business Administration and AFC Coaching B-Licence.

Recognising Boundaries and Managing Behaviours of Children and Young People

Wednesday, 6 March 2024 7:30pm (AEDT)

Working with children and young people in sport can be incredibly rewarding, however it comes with its own unique challenges and responsibilities.

At the end of this webinar, attendees will be able to:

• Explain why people in positions of authority have obligations to maintain professional boundaries

• Provide examples of behaviours which cross into unprofessional conduct with children and young people

• Set clear expectations about how both children and young people and adults should behave at training and competitions

• Explain why certain forms of discipline are inappropriate for children and young people

• Discuss ways to promote respectful relationships amongst athletes and other coaches

Presented by Lisa Purves (Director, Safeguarding at Sport Integrity Australia).
Lisa joined Sport Integrity Australia in August and currently heads up the agency’s safeguarding unit. A forward-thinking, passionate leader in her field, Lisa is responsible for the development of national safeguarding policies, resources and education to build the capacity of sporting organisations and individuals to provide safe sporting environments. Previously, at the NSW Office of Children’s Guardian, Lisa was responsible for building the capability of organisations who work with children to implement the Child Safe Standards. She believes applying the child safe standards and implementing policies that keep children safe requires strong leaders with clear vision and a culture change from the whole community.

Transporting and Travelling with Children and Young People

Thursday, 21 March 2024 7:30pm (AEDT)

Families being able to rely on others to transport children to and from sport is often a necessary part of their child’s participation. It is important we consider the risk and ensure the safety of our children and young people.

At the end of this webinar, attendees will be able to:

• Explain why rules apply around transporting children and young people

• Differentiate appropriate/inappropriate ways to transport children and young people in the sporting context

• Demonstrate ways to attain consent for transporting children and young people

• Explain planning and supervision considerations for travel or overnight stays

• Differentiate appropriate and inappropriate arrangements for travel and overnight stays

Presented by Emma Gardner (Assistant Director, Safeguarding at Sport Integrity Australia).
Emma has been with Sport Integrity Australia since its inception in 2020. She has 15 years’ experience in the child protection and children’s rights sectors, including roles at Rugby Australia, the Department of Communities and Justice (NSW) and Save the Children Australia. She has coordinated programs for at-risk youth and children in settings such as immigration detention, emergency evacuation centres and communities across greater Sydney and regional NSW.

Understanding Grooming in Sport

Thursday, 11 April 2024 7:30pm (AEDT)

This webinar will take a deep dive into the types of abuse and grooming that children and young people can be subjected to in sporting environments without appropriate safeguarding.  You will learn about the telltale behaviour of potential perpetrators and the impacts of abuse on children. Included in this session will be a discussion about the dynamics, motivations, and risks of child sexual exploitation and abuse, including sexually motivated offending. Attendees will be provided with an overview of how to develop cultures and strategies that minimise the opportunities for abuse and gain an understanding of how to promote and establish a safe sporting environment for all.

Presented by Dr Karla Lopez (Forensic Psychologist).
Dr Karla Lopez has over 20 years’ experience in forensic psychology specialising in work with sex, violent and recidivist offenders. She has been involved in therapeutic, program development and community supervision roles pertaining to a range of offender groups including, youth, females, intellectually disabled and other complex, high risk adult offenders. As well as her eight and a half years within Victoria’s specialist sex offender program, she has provided assessments and expert testimony in matters involving dangerous offenders under the Serious Sex Offender (Detention and Supervision) Act 2009 (now SOA, 2018) and Registered Sex Offenders. Dr Lopez has worked closely with Victoria Police to develop their offender management framework designed to guide the risk management of sex offenders in the community. She has consulted across a number of Australian jurisdictions on matters of offender risk assessment and management which closely relate to her research interests. Dr Lopez led the research on Victoria Police’s dynamic risk assessment tool which was recently published and has now been implemented by most other Australian law enforcement agencies.