The Club Code of Conduct defines the behaviour expected of coaches, players, parents and volunteers. All players and parents shall sign an agreement at the time of their registration with the club setting out this behaviour in detail. The following lists illustrate conduct that is inconsistent with the Club’s values and the responsibilities associated with the privilege of being a member of the OFVC and the possible consequences that may be applied in case of infraction. The following lists are not all-inclusive but are presented to illustrate a sampling of unacceptable behaviour and possible consequences:

Section A: Sample Behaviour and Possible Consequences

Minor (single or first offense)

Sample infractions

Sample consequences

Unwelcome jokes, innuendo or teasing about a person's body, looks, race, sexual orientation
Disturbance or disruption
Inappropriate language
Late for curfew
Late or absent from a scheduled team activity without coach’s approval
Leaving hotel or tournament facility without notifying coach or team manager/designated parent chaperone
Unsportsmanlike conduct
Failing to follow dress code at events
Disparaging comments about coaches, parents, referees or other players

All

Formal verbal apology – witnessed
Formal written apology – hand-delivered
Other sanctions as may be considered appropriate to the offence

Players

Earlier curfew
Verbal or written reprimand
Removal of privileges, including playing time
Suspension from certain team activities for the remainder of the event

Parents

Removal from practice or tournament

Coaches

Verbal or written reprimand

Major

Sample infractions

Sample consequences

Multiple minor infractions
Verbally abusive, disrespectful, offensive, racist or sexist behaviour
Unwelcome jokes, innuendo or insults about a person's body, looks, race, sexual orientation
Condescending, patronizing, threatening or punishing actions which undermine self-esteem
Pranks, jokes or other activity that cause awkwardness or embarrassment, or endangers the safety (physical and emotional) of others
Physical aggression, such as shoving and poking, throwing things, slapping, choking, punching and kicking, beating, stabbing, pulling hair, scratching, biting, scraping, and pinching
Any behaviour deemed to be morally injurious to the culture and climate and reputation of the Ottawa Fusion Volleyball Club and/or its members (players, parents, coaches, team representatives and Board members).

All

Other sanctions as may be considered appropriate to the offence including suspension from future OFVC activities

Players

Removal of privileges, including playing time
Confinement to hotel for a prescribed period of time

Parents

Removal from all subsequent practices or tournaments
Involvement of police or other community services as may be required for appropriate disciplinary measures.

Coaches

Supervision at team events (Board discretion)
Loss of coaching privileges
Involvement of police or other community services as may be required for appropriate disciplinary measures.

Zero Tolerance

Sample infractions

Sample consequences

Unwanted or unnecessary physical contact including touching, patting, pinching
Unwanted conduct, comments, gestures or invitations of a sexual nature which are likely to cause offence or humiliation, or which might on reasonable grounds be perceived as placing a condition of a sexual nature on any opportunity for training or advancement
Verbally abusive, offensive, racist or sexist behaviour
Condescending, patronizing, threatening or punishing actions which undermine self-esteem
Sexual assault or physical assault
Possessing or drinking alcoholic beverages under the legal age of consumption in Ontario while participating in a team or club event
Purchasing/providing alcoholic beverages for athletes under the legal age
Possessing or smoking tobacco products under the legal age of 18
Possessing or taking illegal, banned, or unprescribed drugs
Behaviour that threatens the health or physical or psychological safety of others.
Breaking the law as defined by the municipality, province, state, country where an event is taking place
Use of performance enhancing substances
Any behaviour deemed to be morally injurious to the culture and climate and reputation of the Ottawa Fusion Volleyball Club and/or its members (players, parents, coaches, team representatives and Board members).

Player

Sent home from event
Dismissal from Club (without refund of fees)

Other sanctions as may be considered appropriate to the offence, including dismissal from the Club without refund of fees.

Parents

Removal from all subsequent practices or tournaments
Involvement of police or other community services as may be required for appropriate disciplinary measures.

Coaches

Supervision at team events (Board discretion)
Loss of coaching privileges
Involvement of police or other community services as may be required for appropriate disciplinary measures.

SECTION B: Definitions

Definitions

Incident: An incident is a one-time infraction or event that occurs during a club-sanctioned event (practice, tournament, training, team travel, team activities). This includes but is not limited to Code of Conduct infractions, injuries at practice or tournament, a single instance of bullying or harassment.

Issues: Issues fall into two categories:

Repeated Code of Conduct infractions – persistent attitude, attendance, behaviour problems, repeated bullying/harassment
Disagreements, problems or altercations between Club members (coaches, parents, athletes) – concerns over coaching style, philosophy, playing time, etc.

Onsite Club Representative (OCR)

The onsite Club representative will vary depending on the situation, but is defined as a person associated with the OFVC based on an assigned position of responsibility. This could include, but is not limited to, a Team Manager, Board Member, Coach, Assistant Coach or other assigned team leader responsible for team or club coordination.

The following examples are not an exhaustive list of examples:

Practices and during tournaments (from arrival until released by coach) - head coach (or assistant if head coach is not present)
Team travel (outside of tournament time) and team building experiences - the team manager or designated parent chaperone
Fusion Performance Program sessions – head coach, if in attendance or team manager/designated parent chaperone
Other club events (e.g. tryouts, kickoff, banquet) - any member of the board in attendance

Note: In the event that the offender is the Onsite Club Representative, this responsibility will shift to, in order: Member of the Board in attendance, head coach, team manager, other team parent in attendance.

SECTION C: Information Regarding Reporting and Resolving Incidents

Process for Reporting & Resolution

Regardless of the nature or type of incident, the process for resolution follows the same basic steps:

Reporting the incident to the team coaching staff or the Club Head Coach.
Receiving/reviewing the information by the coaching staff or the Club Head Coach who will look to guiding principles and OFVC guiding documents for guidance.
If applicable, receiving and reviewing of the information by the OFVC Board of Directors who will conduct a review of OFVC Club and larger governing body guiding documents or legislation.
Investigation
Resolution or determination of consequence or sanctions.
Follow-up with individuals involved and concerned

Responsibility to Report an Incident

The target of an infraction against the Club Code of Conduct or anyone witnessing it has a responsibility to report the infraction immediately to the Onsite Club Representative (OCR). If the target of an infraction is a player and the OCR is not the team’s head coach, he/she should be notified as well. Reporting of injuries that occur at club-sanctioned events should be handled using the same process. Discretion should be used in deciding if an incident is minor, major, or zero-tolerance using the examples provided above.

Special Note regarding Harassment/Bullying

Harassment and bullying are serious problems. They create a hostile environment, undermine self-respect and contribute to low morale, poor performance, mental health conditions, physical health problems, and high turnover. It is extremely important to report any behaviour that can be interpreted as bullying, harassment or sexual harassment immediately. These activities rarely cease without intervention. If the harassed individual is not comfortable reporting the incident to the OCR, it should be reported as soon as possible to the Club Head Coach or any other member of the Board.

SECTION D: Process for Resolving Incidents of Harassment or Bullying

Process for Resolving Incidents of Harassment or Bullying

Receive/review the information

All incidents of harassment or bullying must be reported to the Club Head Coach or a member of the OFVC Board of Directors. The Club Head Coach will conduct an initial investigation. A written record will be created for the OFVC Board of Directors. All written information will be considered by the Board as ‘Confidential’ and will be protected as such.

Investigation

All reported incidents will be further investigated by a committee (or designated board members if no committee is currently in place) led by designated members of the Board (at least 2). This committee will meet with the harassed individual to review the documented information. The Club Head Coach, or designate, will inform the harasser(s) of the complaint and the committee will conduct interviews to document their response. The committee will seek additional information from other participants as appropriate. All information received will be documented in the written record of the incident. The committee will review all information and make a recommendation to the full Board for resolution.

Resolution

In some cases, harassment is “unintentional” and can be stopped simply by informing the harasser(s) that the behaviour is offensive. Resolution in these cases can be accomplished through education. The first step will be a verbal apology from the harasser if appropriate. If not, a written apology will be obtained. Both the harassed individual and the harasser(s) will be advised that a recurrence of the behaviour will result in additional consequences. Additional consequences may be applied at the discretion of the committee based on the nature of the harassment, the degree of aggressiveness, the relationship between the harassed individual and the harasser(s). Precedents will also play a factor in their decisions. Again, all information will be documented to the written record of the incident. At the discretion of the Board, persistent incidents of harassment or bullying may lead to progressive disciplinary action and/or potential dismissal from the Club.

Follow-up

The Club President will inform the harassed individual that action has been taken to correct the situation and that they should immediately report any further incident of harassment or reprisal for reporting. They will establish a plan for follow-up and document the plan and any information from subsequent follow-up activities.

Important Information

NOTE 1: It is a serious offence to falsely accuse someone of harassment or bullying. Disciplinary action will be taken in these situations, commensurate with the offence.

NOTE 2: In particularly extreme cases where physical assault or threatened assault has occurred, safety must be of paramount importance. Sexual assault is a criminal code offence. It is defined as any unwanted act of a sexual nature imposed by one person upon another. It may be appropriate to release the alleged harasser(s) from duty pending results of an investigation in this case. It may also be necessary to contact the police.

NOTE 3: It is important to note that some of these behaviours when directed towards a child or youth, constitute abuse under child protection legislation. In cases of abuse, the duty to report is enhanced.

SECTION E: Process Chart for Resolving Minor Incidents, Major Incidents and Incidents where there is zero tolerance for that type of behaviour (other than harassment/bullying)

Process for Resolving Incidents (other than harassment/bullying):

	Minor Incident	Major Incident	Zero-tolerance Incident
Receive/review the information	Information is received and reviewed by the OCR. Written record is created.	Information is received and reviewed by the OCR. Written record is created and Club Head Coach is notified.	Information is received and reviewed by the OCR. Written record is created and immediately submitted to the Club Head Coach and the OFVC Board of Directors (email)
Investigation	OCR will seek information to verify the infraction from other participants as appropriate. For infractions by parent or coach, the information will be shared with the Club Head Coach who may seek additional information.	OCR will seek information to verify the infraction from other participants as appropriate. Information will be shared with Club Head Coach who may seek additional information.	OCR will seek information to verify the infraction from other participants as appropriate. Information will be shared with Club Head Coach who may seek additional information.
Resolution	For athlete infractions, the team head coach will determine and communicate appropriate consequences. For all other infractions (parent, coach, etc), the Board will determine and communicate appropriate consequences. Information will be included in the written record of the incident.	For athlete infractions, the team head coach will determine and communicate appropriate consequences. The Club Head Coach may refer the matter to the Board of Directors who may impose further consequences. For all other infractions (parent, coach, etc), the Board will determine and communicate appropriate consequences. Information will be included in the written record of the incident.	For athlete infractions, the team head coach may impose immediate consequences and will recommend further consequences to the Board. The Club Head Coach will refer the matter to the Board of Directors who will decide on further consequences. For all other infractions (parent, coach, etc.), the Board will determine and communicate appropriate consequences. Information will be included in the written record of the incident.
Follow-up	On a monthly basis, incidents for a team are consolidated by the Team Manager and submitted to the Club Head Coach for review.	Club Head Coach will verify that all requirements have been met and report to the Board.	Club Head Coach will verify that all requirements have been met and report to the Board.

SECTION F: Process for Repeated infractions and other issues

Process for Reporting and Resolving Issues

Reporting an Issue

Repeated Code of Conduct infractions: Incident reporting (as described above) should uncover instances of repetitive Code of Conduct infractions. Repeated incidents of Code of Conduct infractions will be handled as major incidents (see above). Any repetition of a zero-tolerance incident must be immediately brought to the attention of the Club Head Coach.

Other issues (Disagreements, problems or altercations between Club members): There are a variety of circumstances under which these other issues may arise but a few guidelines apply to all:

Any type of physical altercation constitutes a major incident of behaviour contrary to the Code of Conduct and will be dealt with as such.
Coaches are not to be approached at practice or tournaments to discuss coaching philosophy, playing time, specifics about an athlete’s performance, etc. If parents or players wish to raise any of these issues with a coach, they need to set up a time to speak privately with the coach. The Club Head Coach is available to participate in these meetings if either of the parties desires.
24-48 hour rule: Before raising a complaint/issue with another player, coach, parent or the Club Head Coach, members are asked to take 24-48 hours to reflect on the situation and then put their complaint/issue in writing to the other party. Team Managers should be copied on the written complaint.

Process for Resolution

In general, the parties involved should make all attempts to resolve the issue at the team level. Allowing issues to remain unresolved will only create more serious problems within the team environment. The Team Manager should be informed of the issue and may be called upon to help mediate a solution.

The process below is only needed if issues cannot be resolved at the team-level.

Receive/review the information: If it is determined that the issues cannot be resolved at the team level, the Club Head Coach should be informed.

Investigation: The Club Head Coach, supported by the Board, will interview the parties involved and attempt to mediate a solution. If a mediated solution cannot be achieved, the Board, upon review of all information, will impose a solution.

Resolution: The solution will be communicated to all parties

Follow-up: Implementation will be monitored by the Board. Additional action may be taken in the event that the issue persists.

Note: The OFVC Board of Directors may consult any and all policies, guiding sport principles, legislation and codes in its determination of appropriate consequences. The OFVC Board of Directors is understood to be taking into consideration the current and future climate and culture of the OFVC as espoused in the OFVC Mission, Vision and Values documents in its final determination and decisions on matters where it is aware of behaviour contrary to the OFVC Code of Conduct and other guiding documents.