Junior Activities and Youth
Youth and surf lifesaving - it's more than you think
SLSA plays a key role in the community in providing a safe and supportive environment in which young people can grow and develop into young adults.
The youth of Surf Life Saving are not only the key to our future but in many cases are leading the way now. With over nearly half of our membership under the age of 18, they are critical to all aspects of surf lifesaving.
With over 50,000 members under the age of 18, SLSA offers young people a heap of different opportunities. While enjoying the beach lifestyle you:
- really give back to the community
- make lifelong friendships
- learn valuable beach and surf safety
- rescue and resuscitation skills
- develop self confidence and strong leadership attributes
SURF LIFE SAVING QLD SUNSHINE COAST BRANCH INC. CHILD AND YOUTH PROTECTION STRATEGY
Surf Life Saving Qld Sunshine Coast Branch Inc. is committed to providing a safe environment for children and youth in its care. Children and Youth are defined as those under the age of 18 years old. Surf Life Saving Qld Sunshine Coast Branch Inc. has in excess of 3600 members in this demographic.
Surf Life Saving Qld Sunshine Coast Branch Inc. has recently implemented its child and youth protection strategy in line with the SLSQ Child & Youth Risk Management Strategy which falls in line with the Commission’s Act to have a written risk management strategy in place to comply with the minimum requirements specified in the Commission for Children and Young People Amendment Regulation (No.1) 2006.
The strategy and resource is based around 8 key mandatory requirements:
Commitment
- A statement of commitment to the principles of safe and supportive service environments (mandatory requirement 1), and
- A code of conduct (mandatory requirement 2).
Capability
- Recruitment, selection, training and management strategies that encourage best practice and enhance the safety and well-being of children and young people (mandatory requirement 3).
Concerns
- Policies and procedures for handling disclosures and suspicions of harm (mandatory requirement 4)
- Policies and procedures for the occasions where there might be a breach of the organisation’s child and youth risk management strategy (mandatory requirement 5), and
- A planning process for high risk activities and special events (mandatory requirement 7).
Consistency
- Policies and procedures for compliance with Part 6 of the Commission’s Act (which regulates the blue card system) [mandatory requirement 6], and
- Strategies for communication and support for all stakeholders including children and young people (mandatory requirement 8).
Our “Statement of Commitment” is located now on all notice boards and website: www.rescuesunshinecoast.com and the resource which is a large folder of policies, procedures, guidelines forms and templates dealing with all aspects of child protection and safety will be kept in the administrators office.
It is everyone’s responsibility to keep our children safe, so if you see or hear of any suspicious activity, it must be reported. Depending on the immediacy or seriousness of any suspicious activity or act, a report can be made to the President, Director Youth Development, the Police or the Commission for Children.
For any further information, please do not hesitate to contact this office for contact details of our Youth and Membership Director.