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Coaches of Canada Requires Police Checks for New Applications |
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OTTAWA, Ontario – July 19, 2006 Coaches of Canada—the governing body in Canada that is responsible for advancing the profession of coaching and to safeguard the integrity of the profession in efforts to protect the public’s interest—has implemented a new policy requiring a police check as part of its membership application process.
As of July 1, 2006 all new applications for membership to Coaches of Canada must be accompanied by a valid police check of no more than three years old and a letter of recommendation confirming full-time employment as a coach and a statement as to the applicant’s character.
“The Membership Committee, which has been in place since December 2004 has been discussing instituting tighter controls to the application process since early this year,” said Gail Donohue, ChPC, chair of the Membership Committee of Coaches of Canada. “The police check is just one new item that now must accompany each application. It is the committee’s responsibility to ensure the review process of each applicant is fair and equitable.”
The Membership Committee is composed of members of the Board of Directors and individuals from the membership at large. Applications are reviewed on a monthly basis, against an established set of criteria and approved individually by a majority vote.
“These new measures provide additional safeguards to ensure we continue our mandate of advancing the profession of coaching and protecting public safety and interest,” said Ron Brown, ChPC, president of Coaches of Canada. “It is not our intent to put up roadblocks to anyone who practices or wants to practice the profession of coaching, but we do want to have effective policies in place to provide adequate checks-and-balances ensuring the right people are representing the profession and that each member knows what is expected of them and what behaviours are not acceptable.”
To qualify for membership, a coach must achieve specific levels of both education and certification, bring a minimum of two years full-time coaching experience and abide by a code of ethical conduct. A university degree is required for membership. The organization does have an existing “grandfather” clause that expires in 2012. Until then, applicants who do not hold a university degree can request to have experience be considered in lieu of the degree requirement—ten years full-time experience plus international level coaching experience or five years full-time experience if the applicant is in process of obtaining a higher level of certification (Level 4 or 5 through a National Coaching Institute (NCI)). The letter of recommendation that must also accompany the application must come from one of: the applicant’s current employer; a member in good standing with Coaches of Canada; or the applicant’s national or provincial sport organization.
Coaches of Canada, officially acknowledged by Industry Canada in November 2005 and supported by Heritage Canada through Sport Canada, is emerging as the organization whose mandate encompasses the professionalization of coaching: driven in part by the underlying need for a consistent and enforceable code of conduct and behaviours of those individuals who profess to be coaching practitioners.
About Coaches of Canada
Coaches are Canada’s most amazing public assets—they are people who shape and mold the next generation of Canadians. Coaches of Canada is the national organization representing Canada’s professional coaches—with members who represent all sports, both professional and amateur. Coaches of Canada’s mandate is to advance the profession of coaching and to advance the contribution coaches make to individuals, teams, communities and society. The organization was formerly known as the Canadian Professional Coaches Association (CPCA). Coaches of Canada connects its members; promotes the profession of coaching and value of the coach; regulates the profession of coaching and protects the public interest by way of ensuring its members obey a high standard of ethical conduct; and serves its members with access to services and benefits that aid coaches in their daily professional lives.
Media Contact:
Tricia K. Spooner
Chief Operating Officer
Tel: (613) 569-0613
Mobile: (613) 371-8590
tkspooner@coachesofcanada.com
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COACHES OF CANADA
