Safe Sport

OVERVIEW

Ringette Nova Scotia is committed to creating a safe and inclusive environment for athletes, coaches, officials, volunteers and all other Ringette participants - an environment in which they will be free from abuse, harassment, bullying and discrimination.

Ringette Nova Scotia is committed to being a leader in the development and implementation of safe sport policies and initiatives. Ringette Nova Scotia, our member Associations and all other participants are required to follow these commitments to help ensure that Ringette is truly a safe sport.

Ringette NS Statement on Safe Sport

(Approved by the Membership at the July 2024 AGM)

Going forward, all adult participants over the age of 18 are required to complete safe sport training and screening in accordance with RNS policy. This includes all head coaches, assistant coaches, team managers, officials, board members, employees and all other volunteers. To monitor compliance, RNS is introducing mandatory coach, volunteer and staff registration to RAMP. Through RAMP, all adult participants in our sport must confirm they have completed safe sport training and have current criminal record and child abuse registry checks.

Anyone who has not will not be able to volunteer in any capacity with Ringette NS.

Further details, resources and a step-by-step guide are included in the Safe Sport & Mandatory Registration for All RNS Volunteers:

RAMP Registration Guide for Coaches, Officials and Volunteers

SAFE SPORT INQUIRIES

If you or someone you know has not felt safe while participating in ringette or ringette related activities, and would like to report a serious incident to Ringette Nova Scotia, please contact Stacey Sloan, Executive Director, at 902-425-5450 ext. 335 or by email at execdirector@ringette.ns.ca.

THE ABUSE FREE SPORTS HELPLINE

The Abuse Free Sport Helpline is a national toll-free helpline offering assistance to victims or witnesses of harassment, abuse or discrimination in sport. The Abuse Free Sport Helpline is offered in partnership by the Sport Dispute Resolution Centre of Canada (SDRCC) and the Canadian Centre for Mental Health in Sport (CCMHS). A CCMHS team of practitioners with expertise in counselling, psychology and sport act as helpline operators.

The Abuse-Free Sport Helpline is free and available to all Canadians at all levels of sport.

If you have questions about maltreatment or discrimination in sport, professionally-trained operators will:

Listen and provide support;
Advise you on the reporting process;
Refer you to the relevant reporting mechanism for your individual situation; and
Provide other relevant resources.

The Helpline is anonymous, confidential, and bilingual. It is open 7 days a week, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m (Eastern time) by telephone, text, live chat or email in both official languages.

Visit: https://abuse-free-sport.ca/helpline
Email: info@abuse-free-sport.ca
Call or text: 1-888-83SPORT (1-888-837-7678)

The Canadian Sport Helpline is funded by Government of Canada.

THE RESPONSIBLE COACHING MOVEMENT

The Responsible Coaching Movement (RCM) is a system-wide movement that is being led and coordinated by the Coaching Association of Canada and the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport. The Responsible Coaching Movement is a call to action for all Parents, Club Associations, Sports Organizations and Coaches to implement realistic change to ensure the health and safety of athletes is maintained on and off the ice, field or pool.

Ringette NS took the RCM Pledge and you can too! TAKE THE PLEDGE

RCM Pillar One: The Rule of Two

The first pillar of the Responsible Coaching Movement is the Rule of Two.

A safe sport environment ensures all coaches, staff, volunteers and administrators apply the Rule of Two. The purpose of the Rule of Two is to protect all parties (especially minors) in potentially vulnerable situations by ensuring that more than one adult is present during interactions between a coach and participants. When following the Rule of Two, all interactions and communications between a coach and participants take place in open, observable, and justifiable settings. Two responsible adults (coaches, parents, or screened volunteers) must be present with a participant at all times.

Rule of Two Infographic

The Rule of Two must be followed whether interactions tale place in-person or virtually.

Applying the Rule of Two in a Virtual Setting Infographic

Take the Understanding the Rule of Two eLearning Module.

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Safe Sport

OVERVIEW

SAFE SPORT INQUIRIES

THE ABUSE FREE SPORTS HELPLINE

THE RESPONSIBLE COACHING MOVEMENT

RCM Pillar One: The Rule of Two