Everyone has the right to feel safe and to participate in an accessible and inclusive sport environment free from maltreatment, regardless of age, ancestry, colour, race, citizenship, ethnic origin, place of origin, language, creed, religion, athletic potential, disability, family status, marital status, gender identity, gender expression, sex and sexual orientation.
According to the Coach Association of Canada (CAC), safe sport refers to our collective responsibility to create, foster and preserve sport environments that ensure positive, healthy and fulfilling experiences for all individuals. A safe sport environment is one in which all sport stakeholders recognize and report acts of maltreatment and prioritize the welfare, safety and rights of every person at all times.
In addition to our Member Code of Conduct, found in our Safe Sport Policy Suite, we have Safe Sport standards for coaches and officials, Equestrian NS Board and staff. Athletes and parents/guardians are encouraged to engage in safe sport training and awareness resources. For your convenience, some are listed at the bottom of this webpage.
Scotia Series has specific Safe Sport Standards that include those for the Parent/Guardian (Person Responsible) for a Junior-aged athlete who participates at a Scotia Series competition without their coach. For further details on Scotia Series-specific standards, please click here.
Safe Sport Reporting
Quality sport experiences provide countless benefits, like boosting physical and mental health, bringing people together to be part of a community, developing invaluable life skills, and much more. By maintaining secure and supportive sport environments, we can ensure that everyone enjoys the many advantages of participating. And we all have a role to play in making sport safer!
Sport Nova Scotia has provided provincial sport organizations across the province with supports meant to ensure safer and more respectful environments for all participants. If you are experiencing or have witnessed maltreatment in our sport system, there is an accessible and confidential complaint process now available to you.
Individuals are able to make complaints of maltreatment as identified in the Universal Code of Conduct to Prevent and Address Maltreatment in Sport (UCCMS). This includes complaints of physical maltreatment, neglect, psychological maltreatment, sexual maltreatment, grooming, boundary transgressions and discrimination.
Safe Sport complaints can be submitted through the Sport Nova Scotia Safe Sport Complaint Mechanism. This ensures all concerns are reviewed confidentially, and directed to the appropriate process with safeguards in place for everyone involved.
Safe Sport is about prevention, accountability, and protection, not punishment for reasonable coaching decisions, performance feedback, or everyday sport disagreements. Please be advised that administrative concerns (policies, program selection processes, etc.) should continue to be directly communicated to Equestrian Nova Scotia.
Click here to learn more about making a safe sport complaint
Resources
