Our Purpose
The Western Bulldogs, including the Western Bulldogs Community Foundation (the “Club”), are committed to child safety and have a zero-tolerance approach to any form of child abuse.
We want children and young people connected with our Club to feel respected and empowered to reach their full potential. Consistent with our Club purpose of creating memories that connect and inspire our people & community, we are committed to providing an environment where all children and young people are safe within our care and experience a sense of pride, belonging, connectedness and enjoyment as a result of their connection with our Club.
The Club engages with children and young people (under 18 years) through a wide variety of sporting, engagement, educational and community activities, events, services and programs. This Commitment to Child Safety applies to any program or activity authorised by the Club in which children or young people participate.
Our Commitment
We are committed to preventing child abuse and identifying risks early and removing and reducing these risks.
As part of our protection of the children & young people that are associated with our Club, we are committed to adhering to the Victorian Child Safety Standards. As part of this commitment, we will continue to work with our partners and community to improve the safety and wellbeing of all children and young people within our sphere of influence.
We will do our upmost to protect children & young people in our care from all forms of abuse or harm and create and maintain a child safe culture that is clearly understood, communicated, supported and enacted.
We commit to considering and respecting the diversity of children and young people’s circumstances and backgrounds including the needs of:
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander children and young people; and/or
- Children and young people from cultural linguistic and religious backgrounds; and/or
- Children and young People with a disability; and/or
- Children and young people with diverse sexuality and/or genders.
Our Responsibilities
Together with our Board, players, contractors and volunteers (“officials”), we will foster and maintain a safe and inclusive culture for children and young people by:
- ensuring that child safety is reflected in our Children & Young People Code of Conduct, Child Safety Policy and broader People policies which are communicated regularly and accessible to our people;
- regularly reviewing said policies and communicating any changes to our people;
- developing and maintaining robust human resources and recruitment practices to ensure the safety of our children & young people;
- training and educating our officials on how to keep children and young people safe and how to identify abuse or harm risks;
- communicating our reporting procedures to all children, young people and officials;
- advocating for and empowering children and young people to guide aspects of our engagement, activities, events and programming;
- actively seeking feedback from the children and young people and their families/guardians;
- rigorously applying and following reporting procedures including robust investigations regarding all allegations & safety concerns;
- empowering our children & young people to act and respond if they feel unsafe or concerned about their wellbeing; and
- contacting relevant authorities when we are concerned about a child or young person’s safety
We look forward to working with fans, members, industry leaders, local organisations, other Club stakeholders and the community to continue to promote child safety and wellbeing and empower young people.
Further Information
You can view the Club’s Child Safety & Wellbeing Policy here.
If you have any questions or concerns about this Commitment, please contact the Club’s Child Safety Officer on the following details:
Sally Zacharewicz - People Manager & Child Safety Officer
1300 46 36 47
If you believe a child is at immediate risk of abuse phone 000.
Resources
WESTERN BULLDOGS CHILD SAFETY INCIDENT REPORT FORM
View AFL Child Safety Reporting Portal
