Spotting Awareness Week
Spotting Awareness Week is an educational child safeguarding initiative developed by our Child Safeguarding & Wellbeing team, running during week 2 of every new school term. Coaches educate their gymnasts on what spotting is, how and why coaches spot, how to decline spotting, and safety within the gym. To empower children and young people’s education and knowledge, we have developed an age-appropriate resource which we also share to parents. We encourage these conversations to continue outside of the gym and so we have family resources displayed throughout our venue for the entire week.
Child Safe Champions
Waverley Gymnastics' ongoing commitment to child wellbeing values children and young people’s voices and ensure gymnasts feel their opinions and ideas are heard and valued by the adults around them. Annually, the senior management team selects squad gymnasts who display WGC values and act as leaders within their teams to become Child Safe Champions. WGC Child Safe Champions act as gymnast representatives and provide a valuable link between gymnasts and staff. Child Safe Champions provide feedback on WGC processes, host social events for gymnasts, and promote and refer the available support pathways and persons to gymnasts.
Child Safe Family Handbook
As part of WGC's ongoing commitment to transparency and communication, WGC has established the Child Safe Family handbook as a child safeguarding and wellbeing resource for families and carers. The Handbook features an overview of WGC's work in the child safeguarding and wellbeing space, and most importantly, WGC's key contacts, reporting process, and other key contacts and resources for families.
Positive Coaching Focus Areas
Positive coaching is at the forefront of child safeguarding and wellbeing in the sport of gymnastics. WGC’s positive coaching expert and High-Performance Manager Matt Scholes developed six key positive coaching focus areas which are cycled twice per year. Whilst our coaches strive to embody all six focus areas throughout the year, these focus areas encourage and promote reflective discussion to ensure best practice