Athletics Victoria (AV) is committed to providing an environment that is safe for children and that is free from harassment and abuse for all athletes, officials, coaches, volunteers and employees.
Athletics Victoria’s Member Protection Policy has been developed to assist in that regard. It also supports the development of an environment in Victoria which is conducive to the development, enjoyment and appreciation of athletics. Member protection is relevant from grassroots to international level and seeks to ensure that everyone involved in our sport is aware of his or her legal and ethical rights and responsibilities.
For a full list of Athletics Victoria policies that may be relevant, please see here.
Complaints Handling Procedure
A complaint can be about an act, behaviour, omission, situation or decision that someone thinks is unfair, unjustified, unlawful and/or a breach of the Member Protection Policy. Complaints may be:
- about an individual or group’s behaviour
- extremely serious or relatively minor
- about a single incident or a series of incidents
and the person about whom the allegation is made may admit to the allegations or emphatically deny them.
Informal Approaches
All steps listed below are described in more detail in the Member Protection Policy.
Step 1: Talk with the other person (where this is reasonable and appropriate)
As a first step you (the complainant) should try to sort out the problem with the person or people involved respondent(s) if you feel able to do so.
Step 2: Contact a club based Member Protection Information Officer (MPIO)
Talk with a club based MPIO if:
- the first step is not possible/reasonable; or
- you are not sure how to handle the problem by yourself; or
- you just want to talk confidentially about the problem with someone and obtain more information about
- what you can do; or
- the problem continues after you tried to approach the person or people involved.
Step 3: Outcomes from Initial Contact
After talking with the MPIO you may decide:
- there is no problem; the problem is minor and you do not wish to take the matter forward;
- to try and work out your own resolution (with or without a support person such as a MPIO); or
- to seek an informal mediated resolution with the help of a third person (such as a mediator);
- to seek a formal approach
Formal Approaches
All steps listed below are described in more detail in the Member Protection Policy.