Safe Sport
Women's Para Hockey of Canada believes that sport should be free of harassment, abuse or discrimination of any kind. We are dedicated to working with the sport community and with our stakeholders to foster an environment that is safe, welcoming and inclusive for everyone involved in para hockey in Canada, including our athletes, coaches, officials, staff and volunteers.
The Canadian Sport Helpline
The bilingual national toll-free confidential helpline for harassment, abuse and discrimination provides a safe place for victims and witnesses of incidents of harassment, abuse and discrimination in sport to report their concerns.
The Canadian Sport Helpline will provide callers with advice on the next steps they can take, as well as direct them to the most appropriate national and local services and resources available to them, including the police, child protection services, existing provincial/territorial helplines, or any other relevant services.
It provides professional listening and referral services by phone and text at 1-888-83-SPORT (77678) and by email at info@abuse-free-sport.ca, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. ET, seven days a week.
For more information, visit www.abuse-free-sport.ca.
The Responsible Coaching Movement
The Responsible Coaching Movement (RCM) is a multi-phase system-wide movement, coordinated by the Coaching Association of Canada and the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport that has the potential to affect all sport organizations and coaches. The RCM is a call to action for organizations to implement realistic change based on their individual state of readiness. The RCM is the result of extensive ongoing consultation with the Canadian Sport Community. These consultations will guide the different phases of the RCM that will address the role coaches play with issues relating to the health and safety of athletes, both on and off the field of play.
The first phase of the RCM focuses on three keys areas: Background Screening, Ethics and Respect Training, and the Rule of Two.
Background Screening
Screening is an important part of providing a safe sporting environment and has become a common practice among sport organizations that provide programs and services to the community. WPHC is responsible to do everything reasonable to provide a safe and secure environment for participants in its programs, activities and events. Requiring that valid police record checks, and other background checks as appropriate, be submitted, as part of the screening process, is part of this duty of care.
Training
WPHC staff working directly with athletes must also take the Activity Leader/Coach Program from Respect in Sport. This online training will educate coaches and staff on the prevention of abuse, bullying and harassment. It will also build a culture of respect and enable coaches to become better role models.
RULE OF TWO
“The Rule of Two states that there will always be two screened and NCCP trained or certified coaches with an athlete, especially a minor athlete, when in a potentially vulnerable situation.” – Coaching Association of Canada.
Concussions
WPHC is committed to maintaining the health, well-being and safety of all its participants. Safety is a top priority for those participating in the sport of para hockey.
WPHC recognizes the increased awareness of concussions and their potential long‐term effects. WPHC follows the policies established by Hockey Canada to assist in proper management of those who have a concussion or are suspected of having a concussion.
The Hockey Canada Concussion Awareness app is a great tool for parents, coaches, trainers, players, administrators, and anyone interested in learning about the prevention, recognition, and response to a concussion, including responsible return-to-play protocol.