As a coach, official or person of responsibility within your club, you should be prepared to respond to a complaint or incident of concern.Be open to feedback and suggestions about your coaching decisions or coaching style. Good communication about issues such as team selection may prevent a complaint being made against you. If players or participants come to you with a complaint about another player, coach or someone else in the club, treat their concerns seriously. Put them in touch with your club's Member Protection Information Officer or someone who has the authority to deal with the matter. Child protection is a difficult area to deal with. If you suspect that a child/young person is injured or in a harmful or unsafe environment, you have an ethical (and in some States/Territories a legal) responsibility to report this belief to the appropriate child protection authorities. You should contact your State/Territory child protection agency to clarify your reporting responsibilities or to get advice on concerns you have about a child. The following information provides a simplified outline of common steps to respond to complaints or incidents of concern. You should check and follow your club's complaint handling policies and procedures. This information is intended as a guide only and is not intended as a substitute for independent legal or professional advice.
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