Child Safe Standard 1
Child Safe Standard 7: Staff feel equipped with the knowledge, skills and awareness to keep children safe through continual education and training
Gymnastics NSW recognises the importance of understanding how children could be at risk of harm and how staff can prevent abuse and mistreatment when they know how to identify and act. 
Guiding Principles and Key Behaviours

Child Safe Standard 7:  Staff feel equipped with the knowledge, skills and awareness to keep children safe through continual education and training. 
Article 19 of the United Nations Rights of the Child: Children have the right to be protected from being hurt and mistreated in body and mind. 
Key Behaviours: Gymnastics NSW staff and volunteers receive training and are supported to effectively implement child safety and wellbeing policies. Our staff are able to identify indicators of harm including child  abuse and harm caused by other children and young people. We support our staff in practical skills and to know how to respond to disclosures and provide safe physical and online environments. 

What we expect to hear children say: 
"Adults understand how to keep me safe."
"I understand that adults are taught how to behave around me."
"Sometimes the staff here tell me about what they have been learning and how that keeps me safe.
Ongoing Commitment

Gymnastics NSW is committed to ensuring all members in a position of power are able to identify any situation that a child may be at risk and are aware of their roles and responsibilities in preventing and reporting neglect, abuse and exploitation.

Gymnastics NSW achieves this through: 

  1. Education - Since 2018 Gymnastics NSW club management and technical members are required to update Child Safe and Wellbeing knowledge on an annual basis in order to renew their technical membership.
  2. Partnerships-  Gymnastics NSW has formed partnerships with State government and recognized leading child safe organizations to draw upon research to lead our child safe practices. In 2019 GNSW was the first sporting organization to sign a Community Partnership Agreement with Butterfly Foundationto provide education and support to our members on identifying and supporting children and young people with eating disorder and disordered eating. Since 2018 Gymnastics NSW with Gymnastics Australia has a partnership with Bravehearts to ensure all our members and families have access to Child Safety information and resources. 
  3. Partnerships – In 2019 Gymnastics NSW, in partnership with the NSW Institute of Sport and Career Confidence, provided the states high performance athletes with education and assistance in the areas of nutrition and athlete wellbeing and engagement. The program complimented the athlete wellbeing and engagement work being performed by Gymnastics Australia. 
  4. Advocacy - The Gymnastics NSW Compliance Manager sits on a number of consultation committees with Office of the Children’s Guardian, NSW Sport and Recreation, and Play by the Rules. The Gymnastics NSW Compliance Manager provides representation on various external working groups including the development of the Child Safe Principles, Guest Speaker at  NSW Government Office of Children’s Guardian Child Safe Sports Forums, Guest speaker at NSW Sport and Recreation State Sport Organisation MPIO Workshops, GA National Child Safe working group, presenter at Gymnastics NSW annual Club Conference & Coach Conference & current NSW Sport and Recreation MPIO & Child Safety Trainer. 
  5. EducationGymnastics NSW provides workshops & expert knowledge through our Compliance Manager, Education Team and Club Regional Development Team to upskill clubs, coaches and families in understanding children’s rights and how to provide physical and online environments that are free from abuse and exploitation. Some examples of this include Coaching induction training, child safe scenarios (available via the Business Hub), the Gymnastics NSW Business Hub and on a regular basis through social media.

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