Parent Representative

Operating Manual

Updated: September 2023

Chris Doyle – Director of Risk Management

Table of Contents

 

1)    Introduction

2)    Job Description as per GKHA Policies & Procedures

3)    Expanded Job Description as per Director, Risk Management

4)    What to Do - 24 Hour Rule

5)    Parent Concern & Complaint Process

6)    Code of Conduct

 

 

(1)  Introduction

The Greater Kingston Hockey Association is committed to providing a positive learning environment where all individuals are treated fairly and with respect. Being a member of this association should be a positive, rewarding, and beneficial experience for all - players, coaches, parents, officials, and volunteers.

The Greater Kingston Hockey Association fully endorses the GKHA Code of Conduct – available on our website @ www.greaterkingstonhockey.com – as well as the disciplinary procedures within it.

Each GKHA Team is required to elect a Team Parent Representative. The Team Parent Representative cannot be appointed by the Coach, but is to be elected by the parents of that team. There can also be more than 1 Team Parent Representative should the team desire this, again voted upon by the parents of that team.

 

(2)  Job Description

Section 12 as per GKHA Policies & Procedures Document (Ver. Oct 5, 2022)

·         A team Parent Representative must be chosen by the Player’s parents and guardians for                 the team.

·         The Parent Rep should be in place at the initial team meeting.

·         If more than one parent shows interest in the position a simple vote will be conducted. 

·         The Parent Rep will act as a liaison between the Head Coach and the Team’s parents and guardians should an issue arise.

 

(3)  Expanded Job Description as per Director, Risk Management

·         The primary role of a Parent Representative is to act as a mediator between players & coaching staff as well as between parents & coaching staff.

·         The Parent Representative is to act in the best interest of the players and the team as a whole. Part of their role is to communicate with the coaching staff any concerns or questions brought forth by players and/or parents.

·         The Parent Representative is a communication contact to bring collective concerns to the coaching staff and in reverse to collect the opinions of the parents under the directive of the Head coach.

·         The Parent Representative will attend coach meetings with players and/or parents to act as a witness and impartial mediator. If at the discretion of the Head Coach and/or Parent Representative, it is felt that the matter cannot be resolved satisfactory to all parties at the team level, then the Parent Representative or Head Coach shall contact the Director, Risk Management. The Director, Risk Management will then discuss next steps with the GKHA Vice President. The Director, Risk Management will advise the Head Coach of the next steps that were decided upon.

·         This contact to the Director, Risk Management shall be made when the Head Coach or Parent Representative have concern that the situation may affect the unity of the team or the welfare of any one person belonging to that team. A meeting will then be set up through the Director, Risk Management with the Discipline Committee as soon as possible.

·         Once the meeting is set up, it shall be expected that the Head Coach and Parent Representative will provide the Director, Risk Management separately written details of the actions occurring to date prior to the meeting. The Director, Risk Management will forward the written details on to the Discipline Committee.

·         It is the duty of the Team Parent Representative to work closely with the coaching staff to ensure that all members (coaches, parents, players, volunteers) are being treated fairly and with respect. Specifically, you will need to...

Ø  review the GKHA Code of Conduct (available on our website at www.greaterkingstonhockey.com )

Ø  familiarize yourself with the Philosophy outlined by the coach and the Communication (24-Hour Rule) policy

Ø  be the "buffer" between the parents/players and the coaching staff. If there is an issue, parents/players are to come to you first (after waiting 24 hours) before approaching any coaching staff. If this is a minor issue, hopefully you will be able to resolve the issue on your own. If needed, you can take the issue/ concern to the coaching staff for review and discussion. 

Ø  consult with the Director, Risk Management to him/her informed about what is happening regarding team disputes and concerns and seek further direction if needed.

Ø  consider all information shared with you to be personal and confidential. Only share what you feel is critical to resolving the situation with any coaching staff.

Ø  Arrange meetings with parents and coaching staff (and possibly Director, Risk Management & GKHA VP) as needed to discuss concerns.

Ø  Do your very best at documenting everything in writing! (Who, Where, What, When, Why, How) are good starting points at documenting any situation that may arise.

 

(4)  What To Do – The 24 Hour Rule

A carefully thought-out policy is explained to parents each year, dubbed "The 24-Hour Rule". This rule has several purposes:

1) Allows each party involved during an issue to step back and clear the initial emotional elements

2) Provides a clear and concise process for problem resolution

3) Provides a clear understanding of what is expected from all parties involved

4) Promotes direct communication

5) Provides an avenue of fairness and opportunity to every parent, player and coach

 

The 24-Hour Rule:

 

When an issue occurs and a party has a resulting complaint to make or issue to be resolved, they are asked to wait 24 hours, then put the issue in writing and submit it to the appropriate party. Whether this issue is labelled as coaching error, teammate interference, parent conflict or any other of a number of possible situations, it is very important that all parties involved take the full 24 hours to remove or decrease the emotional element so that the actual issue can be resolved quickly, in a civilized manner, and to everyone's satisfaction.

We at Greater Kingston Hockey Association realize that from time to time, an issue may occur, which is why the time was taken to develop this policy and provide that avenue to all of our members. The GKHA prides itself on its family-like atmosphere and its ability to communicate directly with all members by not losing sight of what is most important - all players having fun playing competitive hockey.

 

(5)  Parent Concern & Complaint Process

This process is designed to formalize the steps that all parties are required to take when dealing with an issue. To ensure consistency and fairness, deviations from this process will not be accepted.

 

                A Parent/Player that wishes to log a complaint about a coach or other person should observe the following:

Ø  The person with the complaint should clearly document the specific details surrounding the issue including dates, names, location, bystanders, and actions.

Ø  The complainant is expected to first raise the issue with the established Parent Rep for the team

Ø  All parties should wait 24 hours after the incident takes place but, if they feel strongly, they are permitted to contact the Parent Rep at any time.  The Parent Rep will use their discretion in terms of how to proceed.

Ø  Once the form is submitted, it will be forwarded to the Director of Risk Management. An incomplete form, for example, lack of specific details regarding an incident, will cause the complaint to be returned without action until further details are provided.

Ø  If resolution is not readily available, a meeting may be called by the Dir. of Risk Management at his/her discretion. If warranted, the Director will escalate the complaint to the Disciplinary Committee.  This final escalation is a serious step.  Once escalated to the Disciplinary Committee, they are granted full discretion and authority to deal with the matter as they feel appropriate and they are empowered to take whatever steps are necessary to come to an appropriate resolution. In the absence of mitigating circumstances, GKHA will normally accept their recommendation as final.

Ø  If the final resolution determined by the Disciplinary Committee is not satisfactory to any of the parties involved, that party may formally appeal to the Board of Directors.  Note - that unless there are unknown, material facts or mistakes, an appeal is unlikely to be successful.

Ø  In the extreme event whereby a very serious problem directly or immediately threatens the ongoing safety of a player or the continued viability of the Association then the President of GKHA will be notified and he/she has the unilateral authority to take immediate action to nullify that threat regardless of this process.

 

Issues that will NOT be considered under this Process:

This process is meant for serious complaints such as negligent endangerment, player safety, harassment or other egregious behaviour that serious enough to bring question as to the ability of an individual to continue to be a part of the team.  Below is a list of some of the complaints that may be referred back to the team and will not receive further action from the Board.

Ø  Parental Ice Time frustrations do not warrant a Formal Complaint and any parental submissions that relate fundamentally to ice time will be dismissed without action. When a parent has an issue with the ice time their child is receiving then they are to contact the Parent Rep for discussion and resolution. If the Parent Rep feels that the coach is contravening the ice time policies of GKHA then they may lodge a complaint against the coach in that circumstance. 

Ø  The GKHA Formal Complaint Form is NOT meant for simple disagreements or personal conflicts between individuals. Baseless complaints filed with the sheer intent of besmirching a coach or other individual may result in sanctions against the complainant.

Ø  Submissions that lack specific details about an alleged incident will not be actioned until all details from both sides are assembled. 

Ø  Complaints will only be accepted using a fully completed GKHA Formal Complaint Form obtained from the GKHA website.  Unsolicited emails or other contacts to Board members will be summarily dismissed.  Forms lacking details will not be actioned.

Ø  Anonymous complaint forms will be immediately disregarded.

Ø  Complaints against referees using the GKHA Formal Complaint Form will be rejected.

(6)  Code of Conduct

The Code of Conduct for GKHA is a living document and is subject to change. The Director of Risk Management is responsible for distributing this to all GKHA members at the beginning of each season. Parents sign off that they have read and understand this policy during the registration process on HCR3.0 Web Portal. The Board will make changes to this document as needed and will make sure the most up to date copy exists on our website. It can be found here at the following location: 

https://greaterkingstonhockey.com/Libraries/1125/GKHA_Policies/