Safe Sport Resources
Code of Conduct
Swim Ontario’s Comprehensive Code of Conduct and Ethics Procedure
Brock Niagara Aquatics strives to provide a safe enjoyable learning environment for all; that is respect for the rights of others.
Athletes
- Have fun, and allow others to have fun and learn as well.
- Respect others. Treat other participants as you would like to be treated yourself. Verbal abuse, teasing, bullying, physical contact intended to harm or intimidate, and similar actions are not acceptable.
- Be polite. Use your manners. Foul language is not acceptable.
- Listen and follow directions. How else will you learn?
- Arrive on time, prepared to participate in all activities. Attendance is taken daily. You are expected to report to your coach on deck or other pre-assigned meeting place.
- Take care of your facility and equipment. We are guests in the facilities we use! Help set up and tidy up the pool in addition to any equipment used. Dangerous or improper use of equipment is not acceptable.
- Be responsible. Be mindful of your role as a model for your teammates, your friends, and others within the community.
Parents
As a parent member of Brock Niagara Aquatics, your role is:
- To practice teamwork with all parents, swimmers, and coaches by supporting the values of discipline, loyalty, and commitment.
- To not coach or instruct the team or any swimmer at a practice or a competition or otherwise interfere with the coaching staff.
- To demonstrate good sportsmanship at all times by conducting myself in a manner that earns the respect of my child, other swimmers, parents, officials, and coaches. Name-calling, use of abusive language or gestures, and criticism of others are not sportsmanlike behaviours.
- To enjoy involvement with the team by supporting the swimmers, coaches and other parents through positive communication and actions.
Concerns, Issues, and Resolution
Communicate any problems and potential issues to either your group coach or team administration as necessary; contact brockswimming@brocku.ca or Peter Bradstreet at pbradstreet@brocku.ca or 905‑688‑5550 x3244. Any such concerns or issues brought forward will be kept in confidence.
We will attempt to address all concerns or issues internally when possible, with the aim of reaching a satisfactory resolution.
Issues will be dealt with on an individual basis. Our aim is to address concerns as quickly as possible, with an expectation that negative behaviours will be changed immediately. Often a cautionary word from a coach will elicit improved behaviour.
Staff will contact parents as necessary to discuss any negative behaviours or disciplinary actions to be taken.
Issues that are deemed beyond the scope of internal resolution may be covered through Brock University’s Respectful Learning Environment Policy or the Sexual Assault and Harassment Policy.
Sports organizations are empowered to determine their own rules for membership and to discipline team members as found necessary. Team members may be suspended or removed from the program if found in violation of the Code of Ethics. Parents will be held responsible for any monetary costs for damages, competition fees, travel costs, or similar expenses incurred by the club on your behalf. If misconduct occurs while travelling with the team staff, it may be necessary to have team members returned home immediately at the family’s expense.
Athlete Protection
This policy applies to all adults—including coaches, officials, and parents—authorized to have regular contact with or authority over minor athletes; an Applicable Adult is not a minor athlete’s legal guardian.
One-on-one interactions
One-on-one interactions between a minor athlete and an Applicable Adult must occur at an observable and interruptible distance from another adult, unless meeting with Health Care Professional (see below) or under emergency circumstances.
Meetings between a minor athlete and an Applicable Adult may only occur if another adult is present and where interactions can be easily observed and at an interruptible distance from another adult, except under emergency circumstances.
If a one-on-one meeting is required, the entranceway to the meeting space must remain unlocked and open. If available, it must occur in a space that has windows with curtains open. Meetings must not be conducted in an Applicable Adult or athlete’s hotel room or other overnight lodging location during team travel.
If a Mental Health Care Professional and/or Health Care Provider must meet with a minor athlete in conjunction with participation, including at practice or competition sites, a closed-door meeting may be permitted to protect patient privacy.
Social media and electronic communications
All electronic communication from Applicable Adults to minor athletes must be for the purpose of communicating information about team activities or issues, and must be professional in nature.
Absent emergency circumstances, if an Applicable Adult with authority over minor athletes needs to communicate directly with a minor athlete via electronic communications (including social media), the minor athlete’s legal guardian must be copied. If a minor athlete communicates to the Applicable Adult (with authority over the minor athlete) privately first, said Applicable Adult must copy the minor athlete’s legal guardian, or to another appropriate adult, on any electronic communication response to the minor athlete.
When an Applicable Adult with authority over minor athletes communicates electronically to the entire team, said Applicable Adult must copy another adult.
Legal guardians may request in writing that their minor athlete not be contacted through any form of electronic communication by Swim Club or by an Applicable Adult subject to this Policy.
Electronic communications must only be sent between the hours of 5 am and 8 pm, unless emergency circumstances exist, or during competition travel.
Applicable Adults with authority over minor athletes are not permitted to maintain private social media connections with unrelated minor athletes; and such Applicable Adults are not permitted to accept new personal page requests on social media platforms from minor athletes, unless it is done through the Applicable Adult’s fan page, or the contact is deemed as celebrity contact as opposed to regular contact. Existing social media connections with minor athletes must be discontinued. Minor athletes may “follow” Swim Club and/or Sport Governing Body official public-facing pages.
Applicable Adults with authority over minor athletes must not send private/instant/direct messages to a minor athlete through social media platforms.
Prohibited communication between an Applicable Adult and a minor athlete includes sexually explicit language/imagery/sexually oriented conversation; discussion concerning drug or alcohol use (unless regarding its prohibition); or a request for an athlete to keep a secret.
Travel
During team travel, when doing room checks two-deep leadership (two Applicable Adults should be present) and observable and interruptible environments must be maintained.
When only one Applicable Adult and one minor athlete travel to a competition, the minor athlete’s legal guardian must provide written permission in advance for each competition for the minor athlete to travel alone with said Applicable Adult.
Unrelated Applicable Adults must not share a hotel room, other sleeping arrangement or overnight lodging location alone with a minor athlete.
Locker rooms and changing areas
No deck changing; the designated locker room or changing area must be used when an athlete or Applicable Adult changes, in whole or in part, into or out of a swimsuit when wearing just one suit.
Use of any audio/video recording capabilities of any devices—including cell phones, voice recorders, cameras—in locker rooms/changing areas, or similar spaces by a minor athlete or an Applicable Adult is prohibited.
An unrelated Applicable Adult must not expose his or her breasts, buttocks, groin or genitals to a minor athlete under any circumstance. An unrelated Applicable Adult must not request an unrelated minor athlete to expose the minor athlete’s breasts, buttocks, groin or genitals to the unrelated Applicable Adult under any circumstance.
Every effort must be made to recognize when a minor athlete goes to the locker room or changing area during practice and competition, and, if the minor athlete does not return in a timely fashion, to check on the minor athlete’s whereabouts.
Massages and rubdowns/athlete training modalities
Any athletic training modality (massage, etc.) performed on an athlete must be conducted in an open and interruptible location and must be performed by a suitably certified professional.