Game and Conduct Management
Effective Conduct Management
Unfortunately, there are times in all sports where behavioral expectations are not met. In the grand scope, these instances are few and far between. However when improper behaviour issues arise the situation must be managed in an appropriate manner that respects the rights of all parties.
Hockey Alberta has created a guide to managing conduct for its members which provides a step by step process on how to effectively manage concerns that are brought forward..
RESPONSIBILITIES
It is the role of the local minor hockey association or club team to manage conduct related concerns as outlined in Hockey Alberta’s Conduct Management Guide. Hockey Alberta provides guidance to the local association on managing situations however will not act in any capacity in the process. Hockey Alberta’s role is only to review the process to ensure it meets standard expectations and will only review the process used once it has been completed.
EXPECTATIONS
It is Hockey Alberta’s expectation that should a concern be brought forth to the local minor hockey association or club team it will be managed in a manner consistent with the principles outlined in Hockey Alberta’s Conduct Management Guide. The key expectations include:
- All concerns brought forth must be acknowledged by the local minor hockey association or club team.
- Should the organization feel that there is some base to the concern, the concern must be investigated by a party independent of the incident.
- Once all the information has been collected through the investigation, a neutral party determines if there has been a violation of a rule or policy.
- Should the party determine a violation has occurred, the accused must be notified of the accusation(s) against him/her and has the right to address the accusation(s) prior to any guilt being determined.
- Finally, should the accused be found in the violation of a rule or policy, the accused has the right to appeal to a neutral party.
It is also Hockey Alberta’s expectation that members of a local minor hockey association or club team understand the organization’s policies regarding appropriate behaviour in the organization, the processes that are used to manage concerns, and should a member the be involved in a conduct-related matter that they participate in the process as outlined, including respecting timeliness.
Process for Managing Concerns
The Team Level
The first step in any concern management process is to address at the team level and it should be done in a timely and respectful manner. Respectful means showing respect when approaching a person regarding a concern and respecting the processes outlined to bring forth concerns, such as using a team liaison and/or a 24-hour rule. Timely means it is brought forth in a time frame that allows the proper management of the concern.
The Local Minor Hockey Association Level
Should you not feel the concern was managed appropriately at the Team level, the next step is to bring it to your organization’s attention through their processes. These processes can vary depending on the size and structure of your local association and can have additional steps within the process so please ensure you are familiar with your organization’s processes. Hockey Alberta expects that all concerns brought forward to an association be managed in an appropriate manner as outlined by Hockey Alberta’s conduct management process.
Hockey Alberta Level
Should a person feel their concern was not managed appropriately by the association the final step would be for Hockey Alberta to review the matter. Hockey Alberta only reviews the process/procedures used to manage the situation not the outcome of the process. A review of the process is not an appeal to Hockey Alberta and the onus is on the person bringing forth the concern to identify where s/he believes the process was not managed appropriately.
