Reporting safeguarding concerns

Child abuse is generally considered as any act that endangers a child’s physical or emotional health or development. Abuse can happen in person or online and may take many forms.

Forms of child abuse include:

• Physical abuse – non-accidental or reckless physical contact, such as hitting, kicking, punching or throwing objects.
• Sexual abuse – activity or contact without consent, including inappropriate touching, comments, exposure or encouraging a child to view or engage in sexual activity.
• Emotional abuse – behaviour that demeans, manipulates, or controls a child, resulting in significant harm or trauma.
• Neglect – failing to provide a child with basic needs like food, shelter, medical care, supervision or protection from harm.
• Abuse of power – when a person in a position of authority (such as a coach or manager) misuses their role to exploit, control or manipulate.
• Grooming – building a relationship of trust with a child (or their parent) to prepare them for future sexual abuse, which may involve secrecy, gifts or special attention.
• Family and domestic violence – violent, controlling or abusive behaviour in the home, including children witnessing or being affected by such acts.

In addition to child abuse, you can also report on breaches of safeguarding policy which requires all Australian Tennis Organisations to:

• report any concerns or allegations relating to harm of children.
• follow strict screening and recruitment processes, such as requiring valid Working with Children Checks (WWCC). 

Historical abuse refers to abuse that happened to someone who is now an adult while they were still a child (under the age of 18) and may not have been disclosed for years.

If you have experienced historical abuse, we encourage you to contact us for a confidential discussion about options for managing your case. We understand that reflecting on your experiences may bring up difficult memories and emotions and that recalling what happened can be challenging.

Support is available to you and we encourage you to speak to us to find out more.

You might receive a notice of child abuse through:

• a child or young person disclosing abuse
• a report from someone else who knows about the abuse
• observing signs or indicators of abuse.

You are not required to prove abuse has occurred or conduct your own investigation.

If a child raises a concern of abuse to you that relates to them or to another child, it is important that you: 

Do

• believe them
• be calm and supportive
• reassure them that what has occurred is not their fault
• promptly and accurately record the discussion in writing. 

Don't

• promise secrecy
• challenge or undermine them
• push them to give details of the alleged abuse
• investigate the matter by contacting the alleged offender.  

To formally report child abuse, notify the appropriate authority:

• Your club’s Member Protection Information Officer (MPIO) or another trusted official
• Tennis Australia’s Integrity and Compliance Unit (TAICU) at [email protected] or online form
• Call the whistle-blower service, STOPLINE, on 1800 11 SAFE (1800 117 233) to report anonymously.

If you're reporting online abuse, ensure to capture and save evidence, such as screenshots.

Once a report is made, the MPIO will assess immediate risks to the child and take precautionary steps, such as:

• implementing interim measures to ensure their safety and that of other children.
• considering appropriate support services for the child, their family and the alleged offender.
• implementing measures to protect all parties from potential victimisation and gossip.

Three different investigations could be undertaken to examine allegations:

• Internal investigation
  Conducted by Tennis Australia to assess breaches of policies has occurred.

• External investigation
  Referral to external agencies such as child protection services or the police.

• Independent investigation
  Engaging an independent body if circumstances are of a particularly sensitive nature.

Regardless of the findings of external investigations, Tennis Australia will:

• assess the situation and take appropriate action, which may include disciplinary measures, policy updates or further training.
• ensure ongoing support and counselling for the child and their family. 

Being a part of the tennis community means being bound by the Tennis Australia Member Protection Policy and Safeguarding Children Code of Conduct. This flowchart sets out the actions to follow in reporting any information of a child being harmed or who may be at risk of being harmed.

The flowchart is available in English, Arabic, Punjabi, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese and Vietnamese:

Get more support using these free services available across Australia.