Policy Development and Implementation

Sporting organisations develop policies to communicate appropriate behaviour, protect the rights of members and visitors and set expectations around standards of behaviour. To ensure your policies include the needs of people with disability you should talk to members, participants and disability advocacy groups. By taking a user-centred approach your policies will be more relevant to the needs of people with disability.

If you would like external support to develop your policies you can speak to your affiliated State Sporting Association, a Regional Sport Assembly or a State Sport & Recreation Body (such as Disability Sport and Recreation).

There are several resources which VicHealth promoted during the State Sporting Association Participation Program that are useful for policy development:


How to develop your policy

Vicsport recommends sport organisations take the following steps through the development of their guidelines and policies. Each is explored in more detail further in this document:

  • Consult widely
  • Write the policy
  • Circulate the draft policy for feedback
  • Finalise and approve the policy
  • Communicate the policy
  • Set a date for review

A clear and well-planned process will ensure that your organisation develops a thorough policy that contributes to a strong and vibrant culture at your organisation.

Policy Development Step 1: Consult widely

Engage with a broad cross-section of individuals, including people with disability, involved in your organisation. This may include committee members, volunteers, players, and parents. It may also include your local council, a disability service provider or your respective State Sporting Association. Consultation provides an opportunity for people involved in your club to become aware of the issues you are trying to address. An additional benefit of consultation is increased ownership of the policy as members feel they have contributed to positive change in the club. For policies relating to children (such as child safety and protection), it is important to also involve members aged under 18 in the consultation process.

Step 2: Write the policy

When writing a policy, you should consider:

The impact or change you want to achieve and the input and feedback you received during step 1.

How this policy may link with any policies in place or being developed by your State Sporting Association or sporting organisation. Are the key areas of the policy consistent with any existing policies? You may consider using existing policies as a template for the new policy draft.

Step 3: Circulate the draft policy for feedback

When you have finalised the policy, circulate a copy to members for feedback. Where possible, seek feedback from your State Sporting Association or other organisations. You could also consider approaching other local sport clubs, or clubs in your league or association, to find out if they have similar policies in place. Usually, sporting organisations are willing to share resources.

Step 4: Finalise and approve the policy

Collate the feedback gained through the review process and update your policy draft. Once your policy has been finalised, you will need to identify who is required to approve it (committee or members). This should be outlined in your club’s constitution. Any approval that occurs at committee or member meetings should be minuted and recorded for future reference.

Step 5: Communicate the Policy

Once approved, communicate your new policy throughout your club on an ongoing basis. You may consider doing this through:

  • Website
  • Social media channels (Facebook, Twitter, Sport/Team Apps).
  • Newsletters (hard copy and emailed).
  • Direct emails to your members.
  • Displaying throughout clubrooms.

Step 6: Set a Date for Review

Once your policy is finalised and communicated to your members, set a date for the policy to be reviewed every two years and ensure it is updated accordingly.

Policy Examples

There are many great examples of inclusion policies in Victorian sport:

Click here to access a great disability inclusion policy template from Play by the Rules.

A Disability Action Plan (DAP) is a list of actions an organisation puts together to help achieve better outcomes for people with disability in relation to the services and facilities provided by the organisation. DAPs can be as detailed as a comprehensive document or as simple as a one-page list of actions. For most sport organisations including State Sporting Associations and clubs, a DAP might be a 1-2 page document.

A DAP is a very useful tool for your organisation if you are looking to achieve any of the following outcomes:

  • Increased participation in your sport by people with disability
  • A more welcoming and inclusive culture
  • More accessible facilities
  • Compliance with the Disability Discrimination Act

You can read more about the benefits of a DAP in this guide from the Office for Disability – What is a Disability Action Plan?.

Disability Action Plan Checklist

Sport organisations should consider the following areas when developing a DAP:

Governance

  • Does your board / committee have a person with disability or someone who can advocate for people with disability?
  • Does your strategic plan reference disability, or do you have a publicly available statement of commitment to inclusion?
  • Do your codes of conduct, constitution and policies reference people with disability?
  • Has your board / committee taken part in disability awareness training?

Workforce (including volunteers)

  • Is there a diversity in your staff or volunteers, including people with disability?
  • Do you provide disability awareness training or other forms of education to staff or volunteers?
  • Do your staff or volunteers feel confident to respond to enquiries from people with disability?
  • Is your office or clubhouse accessible to people with disability?

Programs and Accessibility

  • Do you use feedback from people with disability to design or modify your programs?
  • Do you offer modified, flexible and/or social formats of your sport?
  • Can you offer variations in the cost and location of programs?
  • Do you conduct programs away from traditional venues?
  • Do you offer pathways for people with disability to support on-going participation?
  • Do you have partnerships in place to support your initiatives?

Communication

  • Does your promotional imagery reflect people with disability?
  • Is your website accessible to people with disability?
  • Do you provide communication material in a range of formats to cater for a diverse range of needs including people with intellectual disabilities, vision impairments, hearing impairments?
  • Do you document success stories and share them with your members and stakeholders?

Evaluation

  • Do you track the number people with disability who participate at your club or association?
  • Do you ask for specific feedback from people with a disability?[/collapse]

Disability Action Plan Template

Your action plan should include a list of strategic aims, actions to achieve those, resources required, the person(s) responsible and the timeline for completion. You can click here to download a template action plan (insert word document ‘Disability Action Plan for SSAPP Legacy). Your organisation might choose to publicise your action plan and include your statement of commitment to the inclusion of people with disability.[/collapse]

For more information check out: