ACC Coach of Record

ACC Coach Education Requirements

ACC Code of Professional Conduct

Swim Alberta Policies

Alberta Coaches Council: Membership Policy

In order to be coaching on the pool deck in Alberta, whether during workout or at competitions, all swimming coaches must be registered members of the Alberta Coaches Council.  ACC registration is valid from 1 September to 31 August of each swimming season.

Membership Requirements 

All swimming coaches in Alberta must:

• Be a member of the Alberta Coaches Council (ACC) and Swimming Canada (SNC) and the Canadian Swim Coaches & Teachers Association.  This is completed through the Swimming Canada on line registration web site.
• Have successfully completed a minimum level of education:  Theory 1 and Technical 1 courses prior to 2003; Skills Coach course - 2003-2008; Swim 101 Course -  2009 - present; 
• Swimming Teacher certified (available to WSI for pre-competitive groups only - apply via www.nccpswimming.org );
• Provide a current Police Record Check by 1 November of each swimming season. 

CSCTA Membership: 
Swim Alberta requires all coaches working in the sport of swimming whether in an employment capacity or as a volunteer to be registered with both the ACC and the CSCTA.  As a member of the CSCTA, all coaches are bound by the Code of Ethics and Conduct of the CSCTA.  Issues and complaints for breaches of either portion of the code are to be directed to the CSCTA. 

Compliance: 
All components of memberships in the ACC will be tracked and coaches not meeting the requirements of ACC membership will be suspended as of 1 November of each swim season.  Clubs will be notified of the violation in membership and coaches will not be allowed on deck at competitions. 

Police Background Checks: 
All coaches must submit a Police Background Check as part of their membership in the ACC.  Any coach who fails the police check has the right to apply for special circumstances for membership consideration.  Special circumstances will then require the individual coach to provide the information on the conviction.  A tribunal of experts will review the case and determine the risk of the infraction.  The tribunal will then provide a recommendation to the Board of Directors of Swim Alberta for the final decision. 

Tribunal: 
A three member panel will be named each season that will review failed police checks as special circumstances.  This panel will review the conviction and if necessary meet with the coach to provide information to allow for an assessment of risk. 

Depending upon the type of conviction, the panel will have the ability to make three types of recommendations:
            Allow membership;
            Not allow membership;
            Allow membership with conditions. 

Once the recommendation is made the Swim Alberta Board of Directors will receive the information from the panel.  It will be the responsibility of the BoD to make the final ruling on the membership status. 

Coaches with failed police checks are encouraged to apply for a pardon.  Standard Rehabilitations Policies for Canada are referenced below. 

The lists below are merely an overview of infractions and not a complete list.
High risk convictions:
Sexual offences
Drug trafficking

Medium risk convictions:
DUI convictions (membership would normally come with conditions i.e.: not allowed to transport swimmers);
Forgery 

Minor risk convictions:
Destruction of property
Mischief 

Police Checks: 
Police checks are a minimal level of security currently available in Canada and in the province of Alberta.  However, a police check will only identify someone who has been convicted of a criminal act as an adult.  These checks do not protect us against all forms of foul play or unsavoury character that may be out there, but only identify known issues.  Understanding this is the first step in providing a safe environment for the youth involved in our programmes.  Parents, coaches, and clubs must be diligent on understanding their members and the individuals that are a part of our sport.  No sport system or sector of society is or will ever be 100% safe from harm. 

Swim Alberta recognises the limitations of police checks, but wish to minimise as much as possible the risks inside our sport.  As such there are several levels of members that will be required to have police checks.

Required police checks:
Coaches (as per ACC membership requirements)
Billeting families (as per Billeting Guidelines) 

Recommended:
Chaperones
Car pool parents 

Management of Police Checks 

Billeting families, car pools, and chaperones:
Clubs collecting police checks are required to have a locked file where they will store all submitted police checks.  Clubs are to retain copies of the billeting family police checks when a club is participating in billeting.  All copies of police checks are to be retained for a one (1) year period and are to be destroyed at the end of each season.  Individuals may use the same police check for multiple agencies and are not required to supply a check specifically for Swim Alberta.  Police checks are required to be current within two months of the start of the swim season, i.e.:  Police checks done for employment or other agencies may be copied and supplied to the club. 

Coaches:
Police checks are to be filed with Swim Alberta by 1 November of each season.  These records are kept in a locked file and are destroyed at the end of each swim season.  For information on failed police checks, please see the ACC Police Check Policy.