Little Athletics Australia and its Centres are committed to the safety and wellbeing of all children and young people involved in Little Athletics. The National Child Protection Policy provides the Little Athletics Body and its members, guidance to ensure a safe and inclusive environment for all children in Little Athletics and to assist with the obligations under child protection laws.
Little Athletics Victoria and its affiliated Centres comply with Victorian Child Safe Legislation. The Child Safe Code of Conduct outlines appropriate standards of behaviour by adults towards children. The code aims to protect children, reducing the opportunity for abuse or harm to occur.
CODE OF CONDUCT:
The Little Athletics Victoria Code of Conduct can be found here: LAVic-Code-of-Conduct-Policy-v1.3X-August-2023.pdf
CHILD SAFE POLICY:
The Little Athletics Victoria Child Safe Policy can be found here: LAVic-Child-Safe-Policy-September-2022-v1.0-draft.pdf
Working with Children (WWC)
The WWC Check applies to adults who work with children or are engaged in volunteer roles involving children. The WWC Check applicable in Victoria is the mandatory minimum standard for a range of child-related industries. The WWC now covers all areas of administration, officiating and coaching. To ensure that Centres are protected, the following persons are required to obtain a WWC:
- Committee members / volunteers involved in communicating with athletes
- Coaches, assistant coaches and team managers
- First aid personnel
- Volunteers without children at the Centre
Parents who have a child registered at the Centre are exempt from the WWC Check unless they fall under one of the categories above.
EXTREME WEATHER POLICY:
We always aim to conduct our program for the safety and enjoyment of both athletes and volunteers. In the case of challenging weather, the following will apply:
- Wet weather: rain doesn’t usually stop Little Aths – unless it’s stormy.
- Hot weather: if the forecasted temps are high, we will either run a reduced program or cancel.
Decisions regarding changes to the program due to extreme weather will be made by the Committee and communicated via email and socials Facebook before 3pm on competition day.
The Little Athletics Victoria Extreme Weather Policy can be found here: LAVic-Extreme-Weather-Policy-2026-V1.pdf
SUN SMART POLICY:
WLAC is aware that children are especially susceptible to the sun’s rays and that skin cancer can be prevented. The following strategies have been adopted:
- Wherever possible, competition and training will be scheduled outside the hours of 11am and 3pm.
- The Centre will maximise the use of natural shade provided by trees and buildings
- Portable shade will be provided at field events
- Individuals will be encouraged to bring their own shade structures to all activities
- Athletes will be advised to use sunscreen, hats and sunglasses during competition
- SPF 30+ sunscreen will be provided by the Centre.
The Little Athletics Victoria Sun Smart Policy can be found here: Sun-Protection-Policy-08.08.2020.pdf
All Little Athletics Victoria Policies can be found here: Policies – Little Athletics Victoria