Preamble

The NLBA recognizes the role coaches play in developing athletes through sports. Athletes view their coaches as role models and persons in authority (PIAs). This view creates an imbalance of power and the potential for abusive situations (physical, sexual and grooming behaviour) to occur.  The NLBA believes it is vital that all persons in positions of authority in the NLBA be held to a high standard of conduct. The NLBA will establish and maintain systems to prevent abuse and respond to conduct that poses risk to our athletes. It is hoped that by identifying the behaviours that violate boundaries and the expectations of conduct, the risk of abuse to the athlete is reduced

Definitions

An Athlete refers to any NLBA member under the age of 18. Athlete include but is not limited to player, coach, official, or volunteer.

Persons in Authority (PIA) refers to any person who holds a position of trust or authority over an “athlete”.  PIAs include but are not limited to coaches, managers, trainers, officials, staff, administrators, club directors, and volunteers.

A child in need of protection is any athlete whose life, health or emotional well-being is endangered by the act or omission of any person.

Grooming is a slow gradual and escalating process of building comfort and trust that is often difficult to recognize. This process allows for inappropriate conduct to become normalized.

Inappropriate behaviour is defined as conduct by a PIA towards an athlete that involve any form of sexualized interaction or that constitutes a boundary violation or is associated with grooming behaviour.  

Purpose:

The purpose of this policy is:

• To protect the safety, rights and well-being of our athletes and junior coaches.
• To provide guidelines for healthy relationships between adult persons in authority and youth sport participants and young adults.
• To establish boundaries intended to protect athletes from grooming, and inappropriate, abusive, discriminatory and harassing behaviour.
• To establish boundaries for persons in authority which are required to be respected and maintained’

 

  1.0         This Code comes into effect as of September 1, 2019.

  2.0         There is no time limitation restriction in reporting a breach of this Code of Conduct as long as the parties met the definitions of PIA and Athlete at the time of the conduct in question.

  3.0         Conduct that violates this code may be subject to sanctions as outlined in the NLBA’s discipline policy. The NLBA will have the option to consult with the affected athlete and the PIA and will apply a contextual analysis taking into account the purpose and objectives of the Code.

  4.0         This code will apply to all conduct that occurs during any aspect of the NLBA’s business activities or events. The activities and events include but are not limited to the office environment, competitions, practices, training camps, try outs, travel and any meetings of the NLBA.

  5.0         The code will apply to the conduct of PIAs that may occur outside of the NLBA’s business activities, events, and meetings when such conduct adversely affects relationships within the work and sport environments at the NLBA or is detrimental to the image and reputation of the NLBA. The NLBA has the right to determine said conduct.

  6.0         The behaviour referred to in this Code of Conduct includes:

a)     One time or continuous behaviour

b)     Conduct directed at an individual or group

c)     Conduct that was without intent to abuse power or trust

d)     Conduct that was without intent to harass or discriminate

  7.0         All PIAs must comply with this Code of Conduct including the reporting requirements.

  8.0         All PIAs must treat athletes with dignity and respect.

  9.0         All PIAs must establish, respect and maintain appropriate boundaries with athletes.

10.0         Any one-on-one interaction between a PIA and an individual must take place within an earshot and a view of a second PIA.

a.     If possible one of the PIAs should be the same gender as the athlete.

b.     If a PIA is not available then another screened volunteer, parent or adult can be enlisted.

c.     An exception to this can be made during medical emergencies.

11.0         A PIA must not engage in inappropriate behaviour or grooming behaviour. Such behaviour will be assessed by considering whether the behaviour would raise concerns in the mind of a reasonable observer. It may also be assessed by determining whose needs are being met and what objective appears to be guiding the interaction.

12.0         A PIA shall not engage in the following activities considered to be Grooming Conduct:

a.     Nudity or exposure of genitals in the presence of an athlete;

b.     Sexually oriented conversation or discussion about personal sexual activities;

c.     Spending time with an individual athlete outside of team activities;

d.     Excessive gift giving to an individual athlete;

e.     Socially isolating an athlete;

f.      Restricting an athlete’s privacy;

g.     Providing drugs, alcohol or tobacco to an athlete;

h.     Becoming overly involved in an athlete’s personal life;

i.      Making sexual or discriminatory jokes or comments to an athlete;

j.       Displaying material of a sexual nature in the presence of an athlete;

k.      Mocking or threatening an athlete.

13.0         A PIA shall not engage in the following specific Physical Contact:

a.     Physical contact that does not take place in public;

b.     Physical contact that does not benefit the athlete;

c.     Lingering or repeated embraces with an athlete;

d.     Having the athlete sit on the lap of a PIA or making such a request;

e.     Cuddling or prolonged physical contact with an athlete;

f.      Butt-pats, tickling, wrestling horseplay with one or more athletes;

g.     Giving massages, piggyback rides or shoulder rides to an athlete;

h.     Continued physical contact that makes an athlete uncomfortable whether expressed or not

i.      Physical contact that an athlete has specifically requested not to occur.

14.0         A PIA shall not engage in the following activities considered to be Harassment and Discrimination:

a.     Hitting, pushing, punching, beating, biting, striking, kicking, choking, slapping, or purposely injuring an athlete;

b.     Displaying offensive materials, gestures or symbols to an athlete

c.     Negative or disparaging remarks about an athlete’s disability, ethnicity, religion, race, sexual orientation, gender, gender expression or gender identity;

d.     Withholding or reducing playing time to an athlete based on the athlete’s disability, ethnicity, religion, race, sexual orientation, gender, gender expression or gender identity

e.     Overlooking hazing or other activity that is humiliating, degrading, abusive or dangerous to an athlete.

15.0         All PIAs must comply with the following practices when communicating with athletes:

a.     Group messages, group emails or team pages are to be used as the regular method of communication between athletes and PIAs.

b.     PIAs may only send personal texts, direct messages on social media or emails to individual athletes when necessary and only for the purposes of communicating information related to team issues and activities.

c.     The content of all electronic communication between PIAs and athletes must be professional in tone and for the purposes of communicating information related to team issues or activities.

d.     All communication between PIAs and athletes must be between 7am and 11pm unless extenuating circumstances exist.

e.     No communication concerning drugs or alcohol use (except regarding its prohibition) is permitted between PIAs and athletes.

f.      No sexually explicit language or sexually oriented conversation is permitted between PIAs and athletes.

g.     PIAs are not permitted to request athletes to keep a secret for them.

h.     PIAs may not send inappropriate or sexually explicit pictures, texts or videos to athletes.

16.0         All PIAs travelling with athletes must comply with the following procedures.

a.     No PIA shall drive an athlete alone unless the PIA is the parent of that athlete.

b.     No PIA shall share a room with an athlete unless the PIA is the parent of that athlete.

c.     No PIA shall be alone in a hotel room with an athlete unless the PIA is the parent of that athlete.

17.0         All PIAs have a responsibility to report allegations or suspicions regarding inappropriate behaviours to the NLBA.

18.0         A person that learns of “a child in need of protection” must report it to Child Protection Services under the Children and Youth Care and Protection Act. This legal obligation includes situations where a person becomes aware of the sexual abuse or exploitation of an athlete at the hands of a person in charge of the child.

Persons in Authority Agreement

• I have read and agree to follow the practices as outlined in the Persons in Authority policy
• I am aware of how and how not use social media with the athletes with whom I am involved.
• I understand how and how not to communicate with athletes with whom I am involved.
• I am aware of appropriate and inappropriate behaviours as a person in authority over the athletes with whom I am involved.