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Halton Hawks FC has taken the pledge and is now a proud Champion of the Responsible Coaching Movement. By making this pledge, our sports organization is committing to implement supportive policies and processes that adhere to the Responsible Coaching Movement (RCM) to ensure the safety and protection of our athletes and coaches, and to provide our coaches with the tools and training necessary to model ethical behaviour. 

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The Responsible Coaching Movement (RCM) is a multi-phase system-wide movement, coordinated by the Coaching Association of Canada and the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport that has the potential to affect all sports organizations and coaches. The first Phase of the RCM focuses on three key areas: 

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• Rule of Two 

The Rule of Two serves to protect minor athletes in potentially vulnerable situations by ensuring that more than one adult is present. Vulnerable situations can include closed doors meetings, travel, and training environments. 

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• Background Screening 

Background screening involves using several different tools to ensure coaches meet the necessary security requirements to coach athletes. These tools include comprehensive job postings, criminal record checks, interviews, and reference checks. 

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• Respect and Ethics Training 

Increasing coaches’ ethical conduct and behaviour toward athletes requires that coaches be trained to understand what it means to act ethically. This training would include the NCCP Make Ethical Decisions module within the National Coaching Certification Program (NCCP), as well as training in abuse and harassment prevention, such as Respect in Sport, before and during their coaching career. 

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Over the next three years, with the support of the Coaching Association of Canada, Halton Hawks FC will be reviewing its current policies and procedures to ensure they align with the recommendations and guidelines of the RCM. Working closely with our members, clubs, etc., we will identify realistic ways and means to promote the Responsible Coaching Movement across our sport to enhance the safety of our athletes and the ethical conduct of our coaches.