Safeguarding children and young people

Pony Club Australia has a zero-tolerance policy to child abuse and neglect in any form.  This Policy sets out the standards of behaviour expected of those involved in Pony Club® and the behaviours that are not acceptable (‘Prohibited Conduct’).  All levels of Pony Club are required to ensure they work to comply with the standards set in this policy.

• Safeguarding Children and Young People Policy

To promote and support a child-safe environment at our clubs it is important to know who we are employing (paid or voluntarily) in roles that work with children.  Child-related roles require the club to undertake a recruitment and screening process before the individual should be engaged to work with children.  To help you identify roles within your club which would be considered child-related take our child-related role assessment test!

Child-related role assessment test (To come)

Pony Club takes child protection seriously and ensures that the organisation recruits personnel that are suitably qualified and committed to providing professional, safe, and enjoyable programs and services to our young members to enable this recruitment and screening requirements have been developed.

Child-Related Positions – A child-related position means a position that involves or may involve contact with children, either under the position description or due to the nature of the role. Positions assessed as ‘child-related’ must be appointed using the recruitment and screening process.

Position Descriptions – Developing appropriate selection criteria for a position is a valuable first step to reducing the risk of appointing someone who poses a child safety risk.

Advertising – All positions identified as child-related will include the following statement in the position description and any advertising.

Pony Club Australia {or other Pony Club® organisation} is committed to protecting Children from harm. We require all applicants that will work with Children to undergo an extensive screening process prior to appointment.

Interviews – All applicants for child-related positions are required to attend at least one interview, preferably in person or on a videoconference.  During the interview, questions regarding the applicant’s suitability to work with Children must be included.

Working with Children Checks – Working with Children Check (WWCC) laws aim to prevent people who pose a risk from working with Children as paid employees or volunteers. WWCC laws are currently in place in all Australian states and territories.  These laws require certain individuals involved in areas such as sport and recreation to undertake a check to determine their suitability to work (in a paid or volunteer capacity) with Children. Whether a particular individual is required to undertake a check depends on the WWCC laws of the relevant state or territory.

National Criminal History Record Checks – Depending on the relevant jurisdictional legislation, a club, zone, state or national body may require the preferred candidates to have completed a ‘national criminal history record check’ (also known as a ‘police check’) where the candidate does not otherwise meet the jurisdictional threshold to apply for and obtain a WWCC.

International Criminal History Record Checks – Any applicant who has resided overseas for 12 months or more in the last ten years must obtain an international criminal check.

Monitoring compliance – Club, zone, state or national bodies will ensure that all personnel in child-related positions have a current WWCC as specified in state and territory legislation.

Reference checks – The Relevant Organisation will conduct a minimum of two reference checks for the preferred applicant to gather additional information about the applicant’s suitability to work in the role for which they have applied.

Qualification and registration checks – Educational or vocational qualifications or professional registration will be verified for the preferred applicant for the position, if applicable.

Minors – If a person under the age of 18 is appointed to a child-related position, the club, zone, state or national body must comply with the relevant WWCC legislation; undertake appropriate screening (interviews and referee checks); ensure that the individual is aware that they are bound by the Child Safeguarding Policy, Child Safe Practices and the obligations associated with working with Children; and obtain information about any pre-existing relationships, especially where the Child-applicant interacts personally with another Child participant.

In Australia, people who work or volunteer with children are screened for suitability. As part of this screening process, nominated state agencies examine an applicant’s police information including criminal charges, offences, findings of guilt and professional conduct reports across the applicant’s lifetime.

The screening process also considers the relevant state or territory legislation, which differs in terms of:

• the type of history that may prevent a person from obtaining registration or a Working with Children Card (WWCC)
• how long the registration is valid for
• who is required to be registered

Recording WWCC and Roles in Pony Club

Volunteers and employees in Pony Club who are on a committee/board or are an instructor or coach must:

• be recorded on the JustGo database in the role(s) they are undertaking.
• have a current Working with Children Check which is recorded on the JustGo database as a credential.

It is the responsibility of both the individual and the Pony Club organisation to ensure:

• a valid WWCC is sighted
• the WWCC is recorded as a credential on the JustGo database
• the role(s) the individual is undertaking in the organisation are recorded on the JustGo database

What roles in Pony Club must have a WWCC?

Roles in Pony Club who must have a current Working with Children Check which is registered on the JustGo database:

• Board/Committee members
• Coach/Instructors
• Team Managers

Roles in Pony Club who should consider having a current Working with Children Check which is registered on the JustGo database:

• Any individual who holds a position of authority and works with children.
• Any individual deemed to be undertaking child-related work as defined in the Safeguarding Children and Young People Policy.

How does the WWCC work?

Working with Children Checks initially assess the suitability of an individual to work with children based on past criminal offences.  During the period the Working with Children Check is valid any criminal offences which would deem an individual not suitable to work with children will be notified to the individual’s workplace or volunteer organisation.  It is essential to understand how the Working with Children Check body understands where an individual is undertaking child-related work.  The following links will help you to understand how to notify the appropriate agency of your child-related role.

Where do I apply for a WWCC?

• Australian Capital Territory – New Application (act.gov.au)
• Queensland – Blue cards for working with children | Your rights, crime and the law | Queensland Government (www.qld.gov.au)
• New South Wales – Apply for a Working with Children Check | Service NSW
• Victoria – Working with Children Check | Victorian Government (www.vic.gov.au)
• Tasmania – Registration to work with vulnerable people (cbos.tas.gov.au)
• South Australia – Working with children checks | Department for Child Protection
• Western Australia – Working with Children Check (www.wa.gov.au)
• Northern Territory – Working with children clearance: apply and renew | NT.GOV.AU

How do I renew my WWCC?

Check the links above for information on how to renew your check.  Many states provide a portal for you to log into so you can update your details and renew online.

What obligations do I have as a WWCC holder?

WWCC cardholders will have obligations to meet which may change from state to state.  Use the links above to understand what your obligations might be.

The Child Safeguarding in Sport Induction course is for any person and any organisation that is bound by the Child Safeguarding policy. The course provides the foundation knowledge and education required to understand and implement the Child Safeguarding Policy.

All Pony Club board/committee members and coaches must have completed this course by 1 January 2025 and recorded completion by submitting a credential on JustGo.  This course is recommended for everyone in Pony Club.

• Child Safeguarding in Sport Induction Course

The Child Safe Practices have been developed to identify and prevent behaviour that may be harmful to children participating in sport. The Child Safe Practices are defined within the National Integrity Framework’s Child Safeguarding Policy.  The following ‘Do’s and Don’ts have been developed as a supplementary guide to the Child Safe Practices, to provide practical and tangible actions that can and should be followed by anyone involved in the delivery of programs, services or activities to children participating in sport

• Child Safe Practices – Do’s & Don’ts Booklet – SIA website

Participation in Pony Club should be safe, supportive and friendly for all.  Sport Integrity Australia has developed resources specifically to help riders, coaches, club administrators, officials and guardians at all levels of Pony Club to understand what safeguarding is all about.

• Safeguarding Resources – SIA website

The Child Safeguarding Club Program is a series of checklists to help your club identify activities or actions to help embed and promote child-safe practices at your club.

1. Promotion & Communication
2. Data & Record Keeping
3. Education & Training
4. Recruitment & Screening (To come)
5. Child safe online spaces (To come)
6. Risk Management (To come)
7. Responding & Reporting (To come)

Game Plan is a free online platform that allows sporting clubs of all sizes to get insights into their current capability in key areas of club administration, then supports ongoing club development with a suite of tools.  Jump into Game Plan and complete the Safeguarding Module for more information on how to create, promote and embed a child-safe environment at your club.

• Game Plan

As a person involved with Pony Club you play a crucial role in protecting children.  This flowchart will help you to understand how to respond to alleged breaches of the Child Safeguarding Policy

Responding & Reporting Flowchart