Playsafe BC

Standards of Behaviour

The B.C. Universal Code of Conduct (www.viasport.ca/bc-universal-code-of-conduct) sets the standards for acceptable behaviour by all participants in all accredited sports organizations in the province. It establishes common definitions, responsibilities, and prohibited behaviours. If the Code of Conduct is breached, that means some level of maltreatment has occurred.

If you’re not sure if a behaviour crossed the line or not, you can use viaSports Flag Tool for Sport to help you assess the behaviour and get guidance on possible next steps.

Complaints

If a situation occurs where the environment you are in is not accessible, inclusive, or respects personal goals of participants and/or is not free from all forms of maltreatment, you have a right to make a complaint. Swim BC and all Swim BC member clubs are required to have policies and procedures – such as a Discipline and Complaints Policy – that can guide you towards the next steps in the process.

There are many options for addressing maltreatment, and filing a formal complaint is just one of them. You could consider these options from viaSport and from Play by the Rules:

• trying to sort the matter out yourself;
• informal discussions with the other party;
• mediation – a discussion facilitated by an expert, aimed at finding a way forward that meets the needs of all of the people involved;
• lodging a formal written complaint at the level the incident occurred;
• appealing to the next level if you believe the outcome was; biased, you have been denied natural justice or the process didn’t follow your sport’s procedures;
• referring or lodging a complaint with an external authority (e.g. police or child protection services).

You should lodge your complaint at the level at which the incident occurred – if it happened at a club, you should contact the club. Check the policies of the club to see who to contact with your complaint.

If you are concerned about complaining to a club because of potential conflict of interest, you can reach out to Swim BC.

Issues of Harassment or other such matters which run counter to maintaining a sport environment that is accessible, inclusive or respectful can be reported to Swim BC.

Swim BC members with a complaint may contact Hughanna Gaw our Member Services Manager, and/or Elmar Heger, the Executive Director.

Additional Complaint Resources:

• Making an Effective Complaint – Complaining 101
• Being Complained About – How to handle it
• Complaint Handling Guide
• Essentials of Fair Complaint Handling Webinar 
• B.C Universal Code of Conduct