A ‘policy’ is a set of principles or rules that guide an organisation towards its overarching goals. They are generally endorsed by the committee or board and published somewhere that everyone can find them such as a dedicated ‘Policies’ section of the organisation website.
Change is often more achievable and lasting if it’s backed up by policy. This is because having a policy can help you:
- Communicate a consistent message about UV protection.
- Plan and agree on a direction for change that aligns with the organisation’s values and priorities.
- Set specific goals and support members as they make the change.
- Help deal with any negative feedback.
Club governance was considered a key enabler of this program as evaluation findings revealed that change is more likely to be achieved if it is a club directive. (Healthy Sporting Environments evaluation)
A UV Protection Policy is most effective when it has the support of the committee, and is regularly reviewed. When establishing what needs to be included in a UV Protection policy some key areas to consider are:
- Rationale
- Objectives
- Implementation
- Monitoring and Evaluation
- Links to other Policies
- Responsible Officer
Other important points to consider when developing a UV Protection Policy include:
- Why – What is it that you want for your organisation? This may include:
- Supporting health and wellbeing of members
- Improving/maintaining your reputation in the community
- Providing a safe environment that reduces risk of illness and disease
- Meeting community expectations about providing a safe environment
- What - What will you be changing? Consider:
- Changes to the organisation that will minimise risk of UV exposure
- Encouraging members to protect themselves from UV exposure
- Focusing on junior members
- Supporting local suppliers of shade and sun protection
- How – What changes will you put in place to achieve your goals? This may include:
-Scheduling of sports outside of UV risk times
- Providing and encouraging shade and sunscreen
- Providing and encouraging clothing protection
- Deliver education of UV protection to members
- Actively promote sun protection times and UV protection strategies
- Support and endorsement
-This is not always easy and requires a willingness to listen and possibly compromise.
- Consider providing your committee with some background information for discussion on UV protection and its influence on health and wellbeing.
- Ensure that the committee and members understand how a UV Protection Policy supports the organisation’s overarching goals.
- Document how this UV Protection Policy relates to or supports other established policies, such as those on heat management, risk management, smoking, responsible alcohol consumption or inclusiveness.
- Promotion of the policy – How will you communicate your UV Protection Policy to members, supporters and visitors? Some of the ways to promote your new policy could be to:
- Display it around the organisation
- Distribute it with membership or enrolment forms
- Add it in your organisation’s handbook
- Write an article about it in your newsletter or website/social media page
- Distribute it at functions or meetings
- Email a copy to every member, with some background on why it was created.
NOTE: To aid in implementing sustainable UV protection strategies attempt to align UV Protection policy with existing State Sporting Associations, Regional Sport Assemblies and club policies.
For more information on how to develop and implement a policy, click on this link.