Policy and Procedures
ViewConcussion can occur anytime while participating in any recreational and sport activity. This is reason, it is important for parents, coaches and volunteered staff to be informed about concussions and what to do when it occurs.
What is a concussion?
A head injury that which is followed by a temporary unconsciousness caused by a blow to the head.
Below are information about concussions provided by the Coaching Association of Canada.
Concussion Recognition
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What is Sport Equity?
'Sport Equity is about fairness in sport, equality of access recognizing inequalities and taking steps to address them. It is about changing the culture and structures of sport to ensure that it becomes equally accessible to all members of society, whatever their age, ability, gender, race, ethnicity, sexuality or social economic status.' - Lancashire Sport Partnership
Dare to Love Sports Club is committed to creating sport programs that is accessible to all members of the community while working to increase the participation and involvement in sport and physical activity from under-represented individuals, groups and communities, especially women and girls, ethnics minority groups and people with disabilities by:
- Developing a community that values equality and the full involvement of all in sports and physical activity.
- Creating an environment where all have equal opportunities ti engage in sports, whether as participants, competitors, volunteers, officials, or administrators.
- Overcoming potential barriers for those who are under-represented as participants in the community.
- Responding to the needs, capabilities and preferences of all by providing appropriate levels of challenge in our delivery of quality sport and physical activities.
As an organization, Dare to Love Sports Club strives to provide you with the best possible service. This means we always welcome your suggestions and comments. They help us improve how we deliver our services and programs to our community.
While we make every effort to ensure exceptional service delivery, sometimes mistakes are made. We acknowledge your right to complain and have your concern investigated. We aim to learn from our mistakes, and our complaints policy is an important part of our continuous improvement. You may wish to make a complaint if you feel, for example:
- You are not comfortable with our services
- You are being treated infairly
- Your rights have not been respected
- That there is a better way for us to deliver our services
It is important for you to know that we have a process to follow if you need to make a formal complaint. A formal Complaint can be made before, during, or even after receiving our services.
We encourage you to follow the steps below to let us know your concerns, so we can formally attend and come up with a proper solution to your problem.
Step 1 - Making a complaint:
Express your concern and what you are feeling to the staff-member with whom you have a complaint. Either through phone, in person or in letter (email); whichever you feel most comfortable with.
The staff-member will, at their earliest opportunity, discuss the concern with you and see if there is a way ti address the problem.
But if you feel that you are:
- Uncomfortable or unable to speak directly to the staff-member about your concerns, or
- Concerned that the situation hasn't improved after being discussed
then, you may take the next step and talk to the staff-member's direct supervisor (in most cases, a Manager).
Step 2 - Contacting the Direct Supervisor:
Each staff-member at our organization reports directly to someone who supervises him/her. (It is your choice whether you will want to let the staff-member know that you will be contacting the person who supervises him/her to make a complaint). You can express your complaint via phone or in writing (email).
When expressing your concern, please indicate:
- Your name
- Contact number
- Address
- Individual/team involved
- Summary of complaint
- What action you have already made to resolve the problem
- Explanation of how you would like to see your complaint resolved
The supervising person will consider all information about the situation and will respond to your concerns at their earliest opportunity. He/she may arrange a meeting with you and if necessary, you and the staff-member, to try to resolve the matter by coming to some agreement. It may be possible to bring a person you trust with you to a meeting.
If the supervising person is not the Manager, the Manager will be involved in helping resolve the issue. All efforts will be made at this level to ensure that the issue or problem is resolved. However, if you're unable to resolve the matter or reach to some agreement, the Executive Director of Dare to Love Sports Club will be notified.
Step 3 - Speaking with the Executive Director:
If you still feel that your complaint have not been resolved after step 1 and/or step 2, you may direct your concerns to the Executive Director. The Executive Director is responsible for managing all operations of the organization. At this level, you must express your concerns in written form (email) again indicating:
- Your name
- Contact number
- Address
- Individual/team involved
- Summary of complaint
- What action you have already made to resolve the problem
- Explanation of how you would like to see your complaint resolved
The Executive Director will then speak to the Manager to find out more about the matter and what steps have been taken to resolve the problem. The Executive Director will call you, and in some cases, you may be invited to a meeting.
At Dare to Love Sports Club, safety is a priority and we are committed to providing a safe and fun environment to all participants, coaches, staff and volunteers.
All volunteers, coaches and staff members who are working with kids are required to complete a Police Vulnerable Sector Check - this search is intended for persons employed/are volunteers in a position of trust with vulnerable individuals (example: Youth and Senior Services, Teachers, Adoption, Parents, Nursing, PSW) - Peel Region Police
Forms are available at the Regional Police Headquarters of where you reside in. You must attend in person and produce two pieces of valid government issued identification, one with a photo.
As indicated by the Peel Region Police, this search may include:
- Criminal convictions from CPIC and/or local databases and Summary convictions for five years when identified
- Findings of Guilt under the Youth Criminal and Warrants, Judicial Orders, Peace Bonds, Probation and Prohibition Orders
- Absolute and Conditional Discharge
- Non-conviction information if it meets the Exceptional Disclosure Assessment
- Record suspensions authorized for release by the Minister of Public Safety
- Non-Criminally Responsible by Reason of Mental Disorder
To ensure quality service delivery, it is vital that our coaches, volunteers and staff are well-trained, well-prepared and well-educated. Quality coaching is an essential element for a positive experience for young people. As noted by the Department of Sport and Recreation - Quality coaching Junior Sport policy in Western Australia, 'When Coaches plan and provide sessions based on a good understanding of how young people learn and how skills are best developed, young people have the best chance of:
- enjoying their sport;
- becoming competent in skills and strategies,
- building a good knowledge of the rules, etiquette and traditions of the sport; and
- being enthusiastic about life-time sport.
Above all, it is important that young people learn that sport is fun and safe."
All staff-members of Dare to Love Sports Club, in partnership with Canada Basketball, are coaches who are properly trained through the National Coaching Certification Program (NCCP) FUNdamental Coach Workshops and are provided with supporting resources for quality service delivery. Coaches are also required to take and complete a Standard First Aid and CPR course. Moreover, as a reflection of our organization's values and virtues:
DARE - discipline | attitude | respect | effort
LOVE - listen | obey | volunteer - everyday
Our coaches work to build young people's social skills such as getting along with team members and managing the cooperative and competitive requirements of sport as indicated in the handbook of Quality coaching Junior sport policy, Department of Sport and Recreation in Western Australia, by:
- Encouraging pro-social behaviours, such as cooperation, responsibility, and self-control.
- Discouraging antisocial behaviours, such as cheating and aggression.
- Leading by example (eg. acknowledging opponents' good efforts).