Our State association conducts Working With Children Checks on people in our sport who have (or will have) direct and unsupervised contact with children and adolescents, as per our sports policy. Two of the checks have come back positive. One of the checks relates to a State coach in an existing paid position, the other relates to a volunteer position. What do we do?

In the case of the volunteer position, advise the person you are unable to engage them in that position and find an alternative volunteer. In the case of the existing paid coach, it would depend on a number of factors, including the nature of the coach's duties, the terms of any employment agreement between you and the coach, your organisation's relevant policies and the laws of the State or Territory in which the coach is employed. You should seek legal advice before taking any further action.

Our organisation  is considering implementing a policy that requires coaches who work with children under the age of 18 to undergo a screening process, which includes a police check. What happens if a coach applying for a position, or an existing coach, refuses to consent?

Your sport organisation is entitled to enforce its policy requirements that coaches consent to a police check, as long as the policy is applied consistently and fairly - for example, all existing coaches in child-related roles should be asked to consent.

Coaches who do not want to undergo a check would not be employed in a child-related role. However, they may be able to be employed in a role that does not involve children.

What should a member of staff or a volunteer do if they think a child in their sporting organisation has been abused?

The member of staff or volunteer should follow the guidelines contained within the sport's member protection policy. They should inform the club's member protection information officer who should contact the local child protection authority or police immediately.

In the capacity of team manager, I have overheard comments relating to the inappropriate behaviour of my team's coach. Some of these concerns are quite serious (of a sexual nature); however, no one has actually made a complaint. What should I do?

The member of staff or volunteer should follow the guidelines contained within the sport's member protection policy and report the matter.

Adapted from the Australian Sports Commission - www.ausport.gov.au/ethics/hfsfaq.asp#association

What if I'm concerned about a coach's behaviour but all the other parents think he/she is great?

Check your sporting organisation's Code of Conduct to find out what is acceptable behaviour. If you feel the coach is in breach of the Code of Conduct, this should be reported to the relevant contact person within your sport and be dealt with according to your sporting organisation's policies and procedures.

Our club/association has sacked a coach for inappropriate behaviour, and he/she has applied for work in another club. Can we say anything to this club?

Generally, people should seek legal advice before passing on information about matters such as this. If you are asked to provide a reference for this person, you could consider providing feedback about your concerns. You need to be aware that the coach may have access to this feedback. It needs to be honest and ethical, and you need to be able to substantiate your claims.

If there has been a complaint and an investigation but no clear evidence one way or the other, what can we do?

• It is important to reinforce the Codes of Conduct to everyone involved with the club or association - perhaps people could be asked to sign them again - and any relevant policies.
• The club or association needs to check their authority to intervene and take action.
• It could be important to monitor the situation more closely, and possibly put some supervision in place.
• The club or association may want to check the Member Protection Policy for further strategies.