5A-1 Discussion Items - Safeplay Framework for the CFC

[Veronica Hitchlock]

It won't perfectly align with whatever the final plan for Chess is, but this training and certification program already exists and might be useful?

https://www.respectgroupinc.com/respect-in-sport/

A lot of groups require youth coaches in particular to have this certificate. It's tailored to Canada so I imagine they are updating it as new guidelines are coming in.
I believe the cost is $12 for the "parent" program, and $35 ish for the "sport leader" program.

The Respect in Sport programs look good, but seem more oriented towards juniors' safety and long-term development than issues that chess organizers will realistically face. I've taken a similar course in the past through Sail Canada on long-term athlete development and I still find the sports psychology aspect useful, so encouraging parents to take it could be a good idea.

In terms of addressing issues that are more likely to arise in chess, I really like the program offered by the Women in Chess Foundation which covers:

• Understanding Trauma and Misconduct in Chess
• Sexual Misconduct Awareness and Education
• Physical and Emotional Misconduct
• Power Imbalances and Misconduct
• Safety Planning for Tournaments and Federations
• Crisis Intervention during or after Tournaments
• Advocacy Skills
• Self-care and Burnout for Advocates

They run it as a one day workshop on Zoom and are happy to arrange for dedicated sessions for federations. They've expressed that they're happy to support the CFC as much as we need to get a Safe Play Framework in place, and they're a registered not-for-profit so they only ask for whatever donation you can afford for their workshops.

I think partnering with them to organize some workshops for Canadian organizers, arbiters and other interested people would be a good way to get the tools out there to recognize, prevent and respond to Safe Play issues. We could even discuss tailoring it to include the UCCMS and the Safe Play Framework we decide to adopt.

[Aris Marghetis]

The Respect in Sport programs look good, but seem more oriented towards juniors' safety and long-term development than issues that chess organizers will realistically face. I've taken a similar course in the past through Sail Canada on long-term athlete development and I still find the sports psychology aspect useful, so encouraging parents to take it could be a good idea.

In terms of addressing issues that are more likely to arise in chess, I really like the program offered by the Women in Chess Foundation which covers:

• Understanding Trauma and Misconduct in Chess
• Sexual Misconduct Awareness and Education
• Physical and Emotional Misconduct
• Power Imbalances and Misconduct
• Safety Planning for Tournaments and Federations
• Crisis Intervention during or after Tournaments
• Advocacy Skills
• Self-care and Burnout for Advocates

They run it as a one day workshop on Zoom and are happy to arrange for dedicated sessions for federations. They've expressed that they're happy to support the CFC as much as we need to get a Safe Play Framework in place, and they're a registered not-for-profit so they only ask for whatever donation you can afford for their workshops.

I think partnering with them to organize some workshops for Canadian organizers, arbiters and other interested people would be a good way to get the tools out there to recognize, prevent and respond to Safe Play issues. We could even discuss tailoring it to include the UCCMS and the Safe Play Framework we decide to adopt.

Thank you for this thoughtful reply to Chris' ideas.

I might have missed it, but have we considered yet the program being implemented by US Chess?

[Veronica Hitchlock]

Thank you for this thoughtful reply to Chris' ideas.

I might have missed it, but have we considered yet the program being implemented by US Chess?

That's a very good point, while I've looked at the USCF Safe Play policies I haven't looked too much at the training they've implemented. It looks like they're requiring that TDs take a 90-minute online course offered by the US Centre for Safe Sport. A TD I've worked with before is on the list of Safe Sport certified TDs, so it might be worthwhile to reach out to him to see how he found it.

I don't know if that training would necessarily be accessible or as useful for Canadians, but it could be something to explore.

Earlier this evening Olga and I were actually discussing how we would want to see Safe Play issues handled at tournaments. When issues arise during tournaments there should be a system in place for reporting to an onsite Ethics/Safe Play Officer or Committee to address the issue more swiftly which means we need TDs and Arbiters who are equipped to deal with these things.

I really like that the Women in Chess Foundation training would be able to provide concrete examples in the chess context, which I think would help make people feel more comfortable dealing with Safe Play Issues drawing on training that's more chess-specific rather than more general norms in sport. Even though the WICF training is longer, I think that gives more opportunities to really engage and go more in-depth on each issue.

I think it would also instill more confidence in women looking to enter chess to know that there are tournament staff that have that more enhanced training, especially coming from the Women in Chess Foundation.

[Vladimir Drkulec]

What I saw from U.S. Chess a few months ago was a document that did not define its terms, which could be a big problem when you try to enforce it. They may have come up with new and better guidelines in the meantime. FIDE is also coming up with its own framework and when they do, I am sure we will be looking at adopting it as well. I think we start with UCCMS and work our way forward from there.

[Aris Marghetis]

That's a very good point, while I've looked at the USCF Safe Play policies I haven't looked too much at the training they've implemented. It looks like they're requiring that TDs take a 90-minute online course offered by the US Centre for Safe Sport. A TD I've worked with before is on the list of Safe Sport certified TDs, so it might be worthwhile to reach out to him to see how he found it.

I don't know if that training would necessarily be accessible or as useful for Canadians, but it could be something to explore.

Earlier this evening Olga and I were actually discussing how we would want to see Safe Play issues handled at tournaments. When issues arise during tournaments there should be a system in place for reporting to an onsite Ethics/Safe Play Officer or Committee to address the issue more swiftly which means we need TDs and Arbiters who are equipped to deal with these things.

I really like that the Women in Chess Foundation training would be able to provide concrete examples in the chess context, which I think would help make people feel more comfortable dealing with Safe Play Issues drawing on training that's more chess-specific rather than more general norms in sport. Even though the WICF training is longer, I think that gives more opportunities to really engage and go more in-depth on each issue.

I think it would also instill more confidence in women looking to enter chess to know that there are tournament staff that have that more enhanced training, especially coming from the Women in Chess Foundation.

The US Chess Safe Play program seems well planned, legally thorough, etc. and is being mandated. As a US Chess Senior TD, I have to take it, refreshers, etc.

Veronica, if you are interested, I can try to connect you with someone in US Chess.

arismarghetis at rogers dot com

[Veronica Hitchlock]

What I saw from U.S. Chess a few months ago was a document that did not define its terms, which could be a big problem when you try to enforce it. They may have come up with new and better guidelines in the meantime. FIDE is also coming up with its own framework and when they do, I am sure we will be looking at adopting it as well. I think we start with UCCMS and work our way forward from there.

The USCF did a big update to their Safe Play policies in January which seemed to be a major improvement.

A big issue I've seen raised about the UCCMS is that there's a lot of investment in high performance level, but not so much at the community level which makes up 99% of players for federations like Hockey Canada. I think that some form of mandated training like the USCF is implementing would be a good idea and we should definitely look into their program more deeply.

[Vladimir Drkulec]

I think we want to start with UCMMS because it is a made in Canada solution. The Canadian Olympic Committee makes resources available including legal advisors for federations to implement this framework. At some point it may become mandatory to maintain our status with the COC and the Canadian government if it is not already. Veronica has uncovered some resources which we should look closely at. FIDE will also have its own framework in place likely soon. I would look at the USCF program as a fifth or sixth step particularly when there are Canadian resources of a similar nature which we have access to.

This will be an item for discussion in a June quarterly meeting likely and will come to a vote in the AGM on the first step which is UCMMS.

Step one : Adopt UCMMS
Step one B: Customize UCMMS for chess.
Step two: Women in Chess Foundation program maybe.
Step three: Other Canadian based programs possibly.
Step four: FIDE program maybe depending on when it rolls out.

This is a major undertaking and we need to get something accomplished in this area. Lets set a timeline of five to six months to get step one in place and aim for more steps to be completed over the next year or so. With Olga and Veronica spearheading this, I am sure we will be able to get something done.