Parents - What to do now

As a parent of a player, try to encourage participation and focus on the enjoyment sport provides for your child and you. Unfortunately, you need to remember that children with disability are more vulnerable to abuse, so look for warning signs (e.g., your child suddenly doesn’t want to go to training or participate in competition, develops signs of anti-social behaviour or becomes withdrawn). It is a good idea to familiarise yourself with the club’s policies and build good rapport with the coach, officials and administrators.

If you feel your child has been discriminated against (or your child comes to you saying they feel they have been discriminated against) on the basis of disability, you could:

• Talk to your child about the matter and providing support.
• Talk to an administrator as soon as practicable at the club about your concerns (preferably putting these in writing).
• Consult the club’s Member Protection Policy for guidance and talk to your sports Member Protection Information Officer (if they have one)
• Keep an open mind about the situation – try to be objective. 
• Cooperate with any inquiry the club makes in to the matter.
• Do not victimise or harass the person the complaint has been made against – this will not help the situation.