Was that behaviour in your child’s sport acceptable?
If your child participates in organized sport, you may have come across a situation that’s uncomfortable, or even completely inappropriate. We would all like for children’s sport to be free of abuse, discrimination, and bullying, but unfortunately, safe sport is not always guaranteed for kids.
The good news is there are things you can do and tools you can use to help keep your children safe. One notable example for parents and caregivers is from PlaySafe BC. PlaySafe BC is a program designed to help build trust and confidence in sport through education and awareness of safe sport practices. And they’ve recently created a very helpful online tool called the Flag Tool for Sport.
Try this online and anonymous tool
The online tool is available to everyone and is designed to help you find out if a behaviour crossed the line. What’s great about the tool is that once you have your answer, it then helps you take action by providing you with guidance on how to respond. Everything is all done anonymously—no complaint will be filed, no information will be collected, and nothing will be tracked other than the number of people who use the tool.
The Flag System uses six criteria to assess a behaviour, and four flag colours to describe whether the behaviour is acceptable or not and how serious it may be. It then provides guidance on how to respond to everyone involved by providing access to more information, links, and resources.
To try it for yourself, and to learn more about the resources available for help should you need it, visit the Flag Tool for Sport here.
