Strengthening Child Safety Across WGJFC Clubs

Creating safe, inclusive environments for children in community sport requires more than policy, it demands strong leadership and education at ground level. Recognising the vital role that team managers play in shaping club culture, GippSport’s Club Support Team partnered with local Australian Rules football leagues to deliver targeted Child Safety Training across the Gippsland region.

Delivered as part of the WGJFC Team Manager Information Session, the initiative focused on equipping volunteers with the knowledge, confidence, and practical tools needed to uphold child safety standards within their clubs. By engaging directly with those who work closely with players and families, the training strengthened day-to-day practices and ensured child safety is consistently understood, recognised, and actioned across all teams.

The Challenge: Turning Policy into Practice

Community sporting clubs play a critical role in the development and wellbeing of young people, but they also face increasing expectations around child safety, governance, and compliance. While policies and frameworks such as the Child Safe Standards provide clear guidelines, translating these into everyday practice can be challenging for volunteer-run organisations.

Team managers are at the frontline of junior sport, acting as key points of contact between players, parents, coaches, and committees. Despite this, many have limited formal training in recognising and responding to child safety concerns. This creates a gap between policy and practice, where risks, particularly subtle or emerging concerns, may go unnoticed or unaddressed.

There is also a growing need to broaden understanding of what constitutes harm. Child safety extends beyond overt abuse and includes behaviours such as social exclusion, neglect, peer-to-peer issues, and early warning signs of grooming. Without targeted education, these behaviours can be misunderstood or minimised.

For leagues like the WGJFC, ensuring consistency across multiple clubs adds another layer of complexity. Building a shared understanding of child safety expectations and responsibilities across all volunteers is essential to creating a unified and effective safeguarding culture.

The Approach: Supporting Team Managers on the Ground

GippSport’s Club Support Team designed and delivered an interactive Child Safety Training session tailored specifically for team managers within the WGJFC. Embedding the session into the league’s pre-season Team Manager Information Session ensured strong attendance and immediate relevance for volunteers preparing for the upcoming season.

The training focused on both knowledge and practical application. Key areas included the Child Safe Standards, the rights of children, and the responsibilities of adults within a sporting environment. Importantly, the session went beyond theory, using real-world scenarios to support participants in identifying, responding to, and escalating potential concerns.

A strong emphasis was placed on recognising less obvious forms of harm, such as social exclusion, neglect, and early grooming behaviours. By exploring these “grey areas,” the training encouraged participants to think critically about their role in creating a safe and inclusive environment.

The delivery style prioritised engagement and discussion. Participants were encouraged to ask questions, share experiences, and reflect on scenarios they may encounter throughout the season. This collaborative approach helped build confidence and reinforced the idea that child safety is a shared responsibility across all levels of the club.

To complement the training, each club received fence signage promoting GippSport’s “Let Us Play” campaign. These materials serve as ongoing reminders for parents and spectators to foster positive sideline behaviour and support children’s enjoyment of sport.

The Impact: Greater Confidence and Safer Club Environments

The training session engaged more than 25 team managers representing six clubs within the WGJFC, creating an immediate and practical impact across the competition. Participants left with clear strategies they could apply in their roles, including how to recognise, respond to, and escalate child safety concerns.

Participants left the session with an improved understanding of child safety principles, as well as practical strategies to apply in their roles. Increased awareness of less visible forms of harm has empowered team managers to be more proactive in identifying and addressing potential issues.

Importantly, the training contributed to a shift in mindset from viewing child safety as a compliance requirement to embedding it within everyday club culture. Team managers are now reinforcing expectations with coaches, players, and parents, supporting more consistent and proactive approaches to behaviour and safety across teams.

The initiative has also strengthened relationships between GippSport, the WGJFC, and local clubs, with strong engagement leading to the delivery of an additional session in Traralgon to expand reach across the region.

By improving knowledge, confidence, and consistency across multiple clubs, this work is helping to create safer, more inclusive environments for young people participating in sport, where concerns are identified earlier and addressed with greater confidence and clarity.

What We Learned

This initiative highlighted the value of delivering targeted, role-specific training to volunteers who are directly involved in the day-to-day operation of junior sport. By focusing on team managers, GippSport was able to address a critical gap between policy and practice and ensure that those most closely connected to players felt equipped to act.

The success of the session reinforced the importance of interactive, discussion-based learning, particularly when addressing complex and sensitive topics such as child safety. Participants were more engaged and receptive when given the opportunity to explore real-life scenarios and ask questions in a supportive environment.

The strong response also demonstrated a clear demand for ongoing education in this space, particularly around recognising and responding to less obvious forms of harm.

What’s Next

Building on the success of this initiative, GippSport will continue delivering Child Safety Training across the Gippsland region, with additional sessions planned to expand reach beyond team managers to include coaches, committee members, and other volunteers.

This broader approach will support a more consistent and embedded understanding of child safety across all levels of club operations. By strengthening partnerships with local leagues and sporting bodies, GippSport is contributing to a coordinated, region-wide approach to safeguarding children in sport.

Through ongoing education, resource development, and community engagement, GippSport is helping to ensure that every child can participate in sport in an environment that is safe, inclusive, and supportive.

If your club or league is looking to strengthen child safety practices, GippSport’s Club Support Team can work with you to deliver tailored training and support. Get in touch to start the conversation.

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