School Sport Victoria Codes of Conduct - Child Safety
Published 26 January, 2026
Published 26 January, 2026
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School Sport Victoria (SSV) is a child safe organisation. These Codes of Conduct sets out the expected behaviour of adults and children and young people who are involved with SSV.
SSV is responsible for the organisation and administration of school sport for member schools at the Primary and Secondary level. SSV currently conducts Championships in a number of sports at Primary and Secondary levels.
The Codes of Conduct - Child Safety aim to protect children and reduce any opportunities for abuse or harm to occur. They should be read in conjunction with SSV Codes of Conduct - SSV events.
The Codes of Conduct apply to all people involved in SSV activities including all the SSV Advisory Committee members, SSV staff, volunteers, agents, contractors, member schools, life members, ambassadors, teachers, coaches, sporting officials, parents, spectators, administrators and all other persons who are involved in supervising school sport.
School Sport Victoria (SSV) is committed to safety, participation and empowerment of all children through participation in sport.
All of the SSV Advisory Committee members, SSV staff, volunteers, agents, contractors, member schools, life members, ambassadors, students, teachers, coaches, sporting officials, parents, spectators, administrators and all other persons who are involved in supervising school sport must abide by the Codes of Conduct - Child Safety and Codes of Conduct - SSV events, which specifies the standards of conduct required when working with children.
All SSV events will be conducted under the Codes of Conduct Child Safety and the Codes of Conduct - SSV events.
Any breaches of either Codes of Conduct policies will be dealt with under breaches and/or failure to comply sections of relevant Department policies.
All of the SSV Advisory Committee members, SSV staff, volunteers, agents, contractors, member schools, life members, ambassadors, teachers and volunteers associated with member schools, coaches, sporting officials, administrators and all other persons who are involved in supervising school sport must, if required:
a) Uphold Department's Child Safe Policies at all times.
b) Take all reasonable steps to protect children from abuse or harm.
c) Follow SSV's Child Safety Responding and Reporting Procedures if required.
d) Ensuring, as far as possible, that adults are not alone with a student. One to one interactions between an adult and a student are to be in an open space or in line of sight of another adult.
e) Report any allegations of child abuse or any child safety concerns to School Sport Victoria CEO.
f) Report any incident, disclosure or suspicion of child abuse occurs onsite at any other organisation that is required to comply with the Child Safe Standards to the Child Safety Officer of that organisation.
g) Understand and comply with all reporting or disclosure obligations (including mandatory reporting) as they relate to protecting children from harm or abuse.
h) Listen and respond to the views and concerns of students, particularly if they are telling you that they or another child has been abused or harmed or that they are worried about their safety/ the safety of another child.
i) If child abuse is suspected, act as quickly as possible to make the students safe and protected from harm.
j) Promote the cultural safety, participation and empowerment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students.
k) Promote the cultural safety, participation and empowerment of students with culturally and/or linguistically diverse backgrounds.
l) Promote the safety, participation and empowerment of LGBTIQ young people (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex, Queer and questioning).
m) Promote the safety, participation and empowerment of students with a disability.
n) Promote the safety of children who don't live at home or international students.
All of the SSV Advisory Committee members, SSV staff, volunteers, agents, contractors, member schools, life members, ambassadors, teachers and volunteers associated with member schools, coaches, sporting officials, administrators and all other persons who are involved in supervising school sport must not:
a) Ignore or disregard any concerns, suspicions or disclosures of child abuse.
b) Develop a relationship with any student that could be seen as favoritism or amount to 'grooming' behaviour (for example offering gifts or benefits).
c) Exhibit behaviour or engage in activities with students which may make a student feel uncomfortable or unsure or may be interpreted as intrusive or abusive or not justified by the educational or therapeutic purpose or the delivery of SSV events/Team Vic.
d) Ignore behaviour by other adults towards students when they appear to be over familiar or inappropriate.
e) Discuss content of an intimate nature or use sexual innuendo with students, except where it occurs relevantly in the context of a therapeutic setting or parental guidance.
f) Treat a child less favourably because of the disability, age, gender, race, culture, vulnerability, sexuality or ethnicity.
g) Communicate directly with a student through personal or private contact channels (including social media, email, instant messaging, texting etc) except where that communication is authorized and relates to and is limited to SSV events/Team Vic or where there is a safety concern or other urgent matter and where is it appropriate to do so, their parent/carer is also included in the communication.
h) Photograph or video a child in a school sport environment except in accordance with SSV Privacy Policy or where expressly required for duty of care purposes.
i) Consume alcohol or take illicit drugs under any circumstances at any school sport setting.
School Sport Victoria officers, event conveners, teachers, team coaches and managers will manage concerns about any failures to comply with the Codes by (but not limited to): Issuing warnings and reminders about the relevant behaviour expectations set out in the Codes and to ensure all parties have the opportunity for natural justice; Where it is necessary to protect students from immediate risk of child abuse or harm, explaining to the alleged perpetrator that their alleged behaviour is unacceptable under the relevant Code of Conduct and, after considering any response provided, directing that person to leave an event and/or calling police to intervene where necessary; Where an incident, suspicion or disclosure of child abuse or harm arises, responding and reporting immediately via the SSV Child Safety Responding and Reporting Obligations and Procedures.
Regardless of whether there is an alleged breach of either Codes of Conduct (Child Safety or SSV events), the SSV CEO reserves the right to restrict the person's (including a student's) further involvement in SSV events (including Team Vic) until advice about an appropriate investigation process has been able to be considered, including seeking advice from the Department of Education and Training and where appropriate, Victoria Police.
SSV Chief Executive Officer (CEO) will liaise with the provider of the Official, if it is a non-teacher (for example a State Sporting Organisation) to advise what steps have been taken under SSV Child Safety Responding and Reporting Obligations and Procedures and to seek confirmation that the organisation will inform the SSV CEO in writing of the outcome of any investigation of the incident before the person is selected by the organisation as an Official to be involved in SSV events.
Individuals who are alleged to have engaged in inappropriate behaviour may also be subject to action by their employer or relevant association or their relevant school.