Safe Sport
Safe Sport
The Canadian Cerebral Palsy Sports Association (Boccia Canada) has a fundamental obligation and responsibility to protect the health and well-being of the organization and its participants. We believe that athletes, coaches, sport assistants, officials, staff and volunteers have the right to participate in a safe and inclusive environment that is free from abuse, harassment, bullying and/ or discrimination. CCPSA takes any situation involving misconduct very seriously and is committed to enacting and enforcing strong, clear, and consistent policies, procedures and processes for addressing misconduct, in our commitment to safe sport.
If you find yourself in crisis based on something that is ongoing within your sport environment or has happened in the past, Boccia Canada has put steps in place to ensure your concerns are heard.
To ensure impartiality, Boccia Canada have retained (RS Legal) as an Independent Third Party and they will help you through the process of reporting on your complaint. The first step in the process is to share your concerns with them. They will ask you to complete this form. If you have questions for them before completing the complaint form, they can be reached at [email protected].
The Independent Third Party is empowered to launch appropriate policies as required based on evidence or a situation reported. Your contact with the Independent Third Party is confidential, subject to certain legal limits.
Your concerns are very important to us. We know taking this first step is hard. Thank you for taking it.
Office of the Sport Integrity Commissioner
In line with our commitment to create a safe environment for all our participants, on February 7, 2023, CCPSA signed the Office of Sport Integrity Commissioner (OSIC) Agreement and become a Program Signatory. This means that effective upon signing, any allegation of maltreatment or other prohibited behavior, as defined in the Universal Code of Conduct to Prevent and Address Maltreatment in Sport (UCCMS), against a UCCMS participant of CCPSA must be filed directly with the OSIC.
Independent Third Party (Safe Sport Officer)
CCPSA (Boccia Canada) has appointed an Independent Third Party (ITP) Safe Sport Officer who any person can contact to report misconduct under CCPSA policies.
CCPSA has contracted RS Legal for this role. They may be reached directly and independently through the email address [email protected].
Only the Independent Safe Sport Officer has access to this email account.
Reporting A Complaint
Complaints will now be filed with either Abuse-Free Sport or the Independent Third Party depending on the nature of the complaint and the jurisdiction of the respondent for CCPSA (Boccia Canada). The table below provides some detail as to which independent authority would receive the complaint. For any questions please refer our CCPSA Policy Suite, this flowchart, or to the Canadian Sport Helpline Abuse Free Sport Helpline to help guide you through this process. If you want to submit a complaint to our independent third party, please complete this form.
| What | UCCMS Participant (defined in CCPSA policies) | Individual/Other |
|---|---|---|
| Alleged UCCMS breach | Abuse-Free Sport | Independent Third Party |
| Any other misconduct allegation under CCPSA (Boccia Canada) policies | Independent Third Party | Independent Third Party |
Safe Sport Training and Screening
Training and screening are essential elements of ensuring our boccia community is safe and free of harassment and abuse for all participants.
The CCPSA (Boccia Canada) Screening Policy contains required training and screening for individuals based on the risk level associated with their role. All individuals associated with Boccia Canada in positions of trust or authority will be required to submit screening documents and/or complete training.
To complete the Training portion for those roles identified in CCPSA Screening Policy click the link below:
Abuse-Free Sport Helpline
An anonymous, confidential and independent national toll-free sport helpline has been established to offer assistance to victims or witnesses of harassment, abuse or discrimination.
Anyone with a concern should feel comfortable reaching out to this free and confidential service. Information on their services and how to contact them can be found at; abuse-free-sport.ca. The abuse free sport phone and texting line is accessible at 1-888-83-SPORT, and is monitored from 8 am to 8 pm Eastern time, 7 days a week.
The Abuse-Free Sport Helpline is run in partnership with the Sport Dispute Resolution Centre of Canada and the Canadian Centre for Mental Health in Sport, and is funded by the Government of Canada.
The Abuse-Free Sport Helpline has been created to ensure that Canadian sport participants at all levels compete in safe sport! Visit https://abuse-free-sport.ca/helpline for more information!
Additional Resources
- Abuse Free Sport
- Boccia Canada Respect in Sport for Activity Leaders
- Canadian Centre for Child Protection
- Canadian Centre for Mental Health and Sport
- Canadian Women & Sport
- Coaching Association of Canada Safe Sport Training
- Commit to Kids
- Kids Help Phone
- Respect Group
- Responsible Coaching Movement
- Safe Sport Line (MB)
- Safe Sport Tips
- Sterling Backcheck
- Universal Code of Conduct to Prevent and Address Maltreatment in Sport (UCCMS)
- Volunteer Canada Screening