Every player here is somebody's kid. That decides how I talk to them, where I train them, what I record and who else is in the room. This is the whole policy, on one page, so you can read it before you sign up rather than find out afterwards.
Last updated 24 August 2026 · Reviewed annually
If you are worried about a child right now
Do not read the rest of this page first. If a child is in immediate danger, call 000.
If it is not an emergency but you are worried, the numbers are in where to take a concern further down, and none of them run through me.
The commitment
Children and young people have the right to be safe, and to be listened to when they say they are not. At Liddicoat Basketball their safety comes ahead of results, ahead of reputation and ahead of revenue. That is easy to write and the rest of this page is what it actually looks like in practice.
Every child is welcome here regardless of background, culture, ability, faith, gender or sexuality. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children are supported to feel proud of who they are. Children with disability, children from culturally and linguistically diverse families, and LGBTQ+ young people get the same coaching and the same care as everybody else. If your child needs something adjusted for them to take part properly, tell me and I will adjust it.
This policy is written to line up with Victoria's 11 Child Safe Standards, which have been law since July 2022 and are regulated by the Social Services Regulator.
Working with Children Checks
I hold a current Victorian Working with Children Check.
Any other adult involved in the business holds their own current Check. Nobody works with players without one.
If a Check is ever suspended or revoked, that person stops all contact with players immediately.
You are welcome to ask to see it. Nobody should be offended by that question and I am not.
A Check is a screening tool, not a guarantee. It tells you somebody has no relevant record. It does not tell you how they behave. The rules below are the part that actually does the work.
Communication, which is the rule that matters most
This is the single most important thing on the page.
I never message a player one to one. Not once, not for any reason.
Every conversation with your child happens in a group chat that you are in.
No private direct messages, on any platform.
No contact through personal social media accounts, Snapchat, Instagram, gaming platforms or anything similar.
No phone calls or video calls with a player unless a parent is present.
No email directly to a child. Email goes to you.
If a player ever messages me privately, I do not answer it privately. I move it into the group chat and I tell you it happened.
This costs me nothing and it removes the private channel entirely. If any coach your child ever has wants a one to one line to them that you cannot see, that is worth a question.
The monthly in person session
Full Court includes one session a month on court. Here is how that runs.
It happens at a public venue, normally Oakleigh Recreation Centre, on the main stadium floor where other people are around.
Never in a closed room, never behind a locked door, never in a private home, never in a car.
You are welcome to stay and watch, and I would rather you did. Parents are never asked to wait outside.
If you cannot stay, the session still runs in open view of other adults, in a public venue during normal operating hours, and never in a closed or private space.
I do not transport players. Getting to and from the venue is a parent's job, always.
I do not enter change rooms or toilets while children are using them.
Physical contact
Most of what I do is online, so this comes up rarely. When it does, the rules are simple.
Contact is only ever for coaching, safety or first aid. Never anything else.
I explain what I am about to do and why, before I do it, and the player can say no.
It happens in open view, never out of sight of other people.
I would rather demonstrate a movement than move a child's body into position, and that is what I do almost every time.
No contact that could be read as affectionate, rough or intimate. No wrestling, no tickling, no lap sitting, no massage.
Video, clips and photos
Sending clips is a core part of how the coaching works, so this needs to be tight.
You film your child, or their club does. I do not film children myself.
Clips are used to give your child feedback and for nothing else.
Nothing is posted publicly, used in advertising or put on social media without separate written permission from you for that specific clip. Permission can be withdrawn any time and the clip comes down.
No filming or photography in change rooms, toilets or anywhere children are changing. Ever, by anyone.
Clips are stored securely, not on a shared or family device, and deleted within three months of you cancelling or sooner if you ask.
If your child does not want to be filmed, that is the end of it. The plan works without it.
The full detail on storage and deletion is in the privacy policy.
Your child gets a say
Kids who believe they are allowed to speak up are safer than kids who do not, so this is said out loud rather than assumed.
Players are told, in words they understand, that they can stop a drill, say no to something, or say they are uncomfortable, and that nothing bad happens to them for it.
"Push through it" is not how I coach pain, fear or discomfort.
If a player tells me something is wrong, I take it seriously the first time. They should not have to say it twice.
They are told that they can talk to a parent about anything that happens here, and that I would never ask them to keep something from you.
I will never ask a child to keep a secret from their parents. Any adult who does is telling you something about themselves.
What I do if a child tells me something
If a player discloses something to me, whether it happened here, at their club, at school or at home, this is what happens.
I listen. I do not interrogate them, and I do not go looking for evidence.
I do not investigate. That is not my job, I am not trained for it, and doing it badly can wreck a real investigation later.
I do not promise to keep it secret, because that is a promise I am not allowed to keep. I tell them honestly that I have to tell somebody whose job it is to help.
I write down what was said, in their words, as soon as I can afterwards.
I report it to the right authority, and I do that whether or not I am certain, because certainty is not the test.
I tell you, unless telling you would put the child at more risk, which is the one situation where the authorities are told first.
Under Victorian law any adult who forms a reasonable belief that a sexual offence has been committed against a child under 16 must report it to police. That is a criminal obligation, it applies to me personally, and it does not require proof. I would report on a reasonable belief, and I would rather be wrong and embarrassed than right and silent.
Where to take a concern, including one about me
Read this bit properly.
You do not have to come to me first, and you should not feel you have to. If your concern is about me, coming to me first is exactly the wrong move. Every door below is independent of this business and none of them need my permission.
Immediate danger: call 000.
Victoria Police, not urgent:131 444.
Child Protection Crisis Line:13 12 78, 24 hours.
Crime Stoppers, anonymous:1800 333 000.
Social Services Regulator, which regulates the Child Safe Standards in Victoria: 1300 310 778 or contact@ssr.vic.gov.au.
Basketball Australia Integrity Unit: integrity@australia.basketball. They also run STOPline, an independent hotline that accepts anonymous reports.
Sport Integrity Australia:1300 027 232, or the Safe Sport line on 1800 161 361.
If you would rather tell me, you can, at admin@liddicoatbasketball.com.au or 0422 082 792. I will take it seriously, I will write it down, and I will report it on if it needs reporting. But the list above exists so that you never need me in order to be heard.
If a concern is raised about me
I stop coaching the child concerned immediately, without argument and without asking you to justify it.
I cooperate fully with police, child protection or the regulator, and I do not contact anyone involved to discuss it.
I do not run my own investigation and I do not try to talk anybody out of reporting.
Your subscription is cancelled and the unused portion refunded, with no conversation about retention.
Anyone else who works here
This is one coach and it is likely to stay that way. If that ever changes, anybody who comes near a player is recruited on the same terms: a current Working with Children Check verified before they start, references checked, this policy read and signed, and the same communication rules applied to them from day one.
Nobody gets a private channel to your child because they are a friend of mine, a family member, or good at basketball.
Reviewing this policy
This policy is reviewed at least once a year, and straight away after any incident or any change in how the coaching runs. The date at the top is real, not decorative, and if it starts looking old then hold me to it.
If you think something here is weak or missing, tell me. I would genuinely rather hear it.
Ask me anything on this page
If something here does not sit right with you, I would rather have that conversation than not.
