Member Protection

Netball WA adopts the Netball Australia Member Protection Policy. Netball WA recommends that Associations and Clubs familiarise themselves with this policy, as this will greatly assist in the area of Member Protection.

The MPP covers specific things such as discrimination, victimisation, child protection, and taking images of children.

Netball WA and all of its affiliated members are bound by this policy. 

The Netball Australia National Codes of Behaviour outlines the expected behaviour of all its members, including a general code of behaviour as well as specific codes of behaviour for particular roles, such as coaches and spectators.

Clubs and Associations should have their own codes of behaviour in place, but this document applies when others do not.

Any breach of the National Codes of Behaviour is to be dealt with by policies that are at the level at which the breach occurred.

Please Note: This policy is currently being updated by Netball Australia. Once updated it can be found on Netball Australia’s Website via the link below.

The Netball Australia Junior Netball Policy is designed to assist clubs in running safe, fair, and inclusive netball competitions. 

Please Note: This Guideline is currently being updated by Netball Australia. Once updated it can be found on Netball Australia’s website via the link below.

Netball WA is committed to educating our Clubs and Associations to ensure they have the knowledge and tools necessary to appropriately screen their members and ensure they get the right people for their organisation.

Following guidelines, such as Netball WA's Member Screening Guidelines, to screen volunteers is vital to ensure your organisation is taking appropriate steps to keep children and members safe. An important part of this process is to frequently state your organisation’s commitment to member protection and child safeguarding. 

While Netball WA recommends the following document as a guideline for best practice screening of all volunteers, please refer to the Working With Children’s legislation and the Netball Australia Safeguarding Children and young people policy INT004.

Please refer to Netball WA Member Screening Guidelines NWA – GUI –19

Member Protection Information Officers (MPIOs) are an integral part of all levels of Australia sport, especially grassroots sport. MPIOs are there to listen to issues raised by members of any sport before triaging and referring them to the right place to find a resolution. The MPIO is responsible for providing information about a person's rights, responsibilities and options to an individual making a complaint or raising a concern, as well as information support during the process. MPIOs do not provide advice but provide options and information.
 
MPIOs don’t handle complaints or investigate grievances, and they don’t mediate between members or stakeholders. They’re also separate from the relevant Integrity Manager or the person(s) in authority regarding complaints, disputes, and resolutions in your sport. MPIOs are an impartial party who are there to help guide people in the right direction.

Play by the Rules has a free online course that is the first step to becoming a certified MPIO. You can access this online course here.

Netball WA has its own MPIOs that you can contact if you want any information on complaint procedures.

If you believe a complaint has not been properly resolved, or there is evidence that the process was not followed, the complaint may be escalated to Netball WA once the relevant Club or Association complaints process has been fully followed.

Netball WA will only intervene in complaints involving serious criminal conduct or child abuse. 

NWA-GUI-42 Complaint Pathway for Associations and Clubs guide supports the management of complaints within your Association or Club, ensuring they are addressed under the appropriate policies, frameworks, or legislation. If you believe a complaint has not been properly resolved, or there is evidence that the process was not followed, you have the right to escalate the matter in line with your Association or Club’s policy. For further information, please refer to the NWA-GUI-41 Complaints Framework.

Netball WA and Netball Australia are committed to maintaining a safe, fair, and inclusive environment. NWA-GUI-41 Complaints Framework outlines the types of complaints that may occur within the sport and the key policies that guide how they are managed. From serious criminal matters to club-level concerns, each category is supported by clear procedures to ensure all issues are addressed appropriately.   

NWA-GUI-41 Complaints Framework houses important information on:
Complaint Categories and Policy Guide, 
Determining the Appropriate Complaint Pathway 
Netball WA Complaint Management Process. 

Play by the Rules is an online resource to assist Associations and Clubs with any issues they may face. It provides guidelines to assist in planning for Administrators, Coaches, Officials and Parents. The website also includes components covering Managing Risks, Complaints and Protection Laws, in addition to online training.
Play by the Rules provides a number of resources and templates that Clubs and Association can use to enhance their existing policies and procedures.

The Australian Sports Commission has a number of resources to help sporting organisations develop, implement, and maintain robust systems of governance.

One of these resources is the Sport Governance Principles, which seek to support those who govern sport to perform at a high standard as we look to modernise and continually embed good governance in sport in Australia.

The principles outline steps your organisation can take to improve its governance in both theory and in practice.

They are aimed at a fairly high level of organisation, but the principles apply at any size of sporting club.