Rugby Australia is committed to ensuring the safety and wellbeing of all children and young people involved in our sport. We will do this by ensuring our policies, frameworks and procedures seek to address risks to child safety and ensure a child-safe culture.

Our policies are accessible and in a form that is easy to understand, have been informed by stakeholder consultation and are communicated to children and their families, our staff, volunteers and the public.

We will regularly review our policies, consult widely and advise our staff and volunteers of any changes.

We will ensure that child safety is embedded in our organisation's culture, reflected in our policies and procedures, and understood and practised at all levels of our sport.

We will seek to ensure that all those involved in the delivery of rugby services to children and young people understand their roles and expected standards of behaviour in relation to keeping them safe from abuse and neglect through the application of Rugby Australia’s Child Safeguarding Policy, Member Protection Policy and the Code of Conduct.

We are committed to building an environment that is both child-safe and child-friendly. All of us in the rugby community have a role to play in ensuring that we keep our sport as safe and enjoyable as possible and provide an environment in which children and young people feel respected, valued and encouraged to reach their full potential.

All rugby participants have a role to play in helping keep children and young people safe in rugby.

We take our responsibilities to deliver a rugby environment that is caring, nurturing and safe for all participants and ensure child safety is embedded in our leadership, governance and culture, seriously.

Everyone involved in our sport should be treated with respect and dignity and be free to enjoy rugby without being discriminated against, harassed, bullied or abused.

Rugby Australia‘s Child Safeguarding Policy not only documents our commitment to child safety but also:

• Recognises the unique and valuable contributions that staff, members and volunteers provide to the experiences of children and young people in rugby
• Sets out the obligations and expected standards of behaviour of all participants
• Sets out best practices for how to create child-safe environments across the game
• Outlines how best to respond to concerns of child abuse
• Equips staff, volunteers and members with the knowledge, skills and awareness to keep our children and young people safe.

We are all responsible for safeguarding the welfare and wellbeing of children and young people and ensuring an environment and culture where everyone is empowered to protect themselves and one another.