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MEMBER PROTECTION OFFICER (MPO) & MEMBER PROTECTION MEDIATOR (MPM)
MPO Role: Provide assistance to members to resolve matters of harassment or discrimination. This assistance will consist of:
- Listening
- Clarifying situation
- Explain the options available
- Provide information in relation to those options
- Clarify any decision that the member makes
- Support the member with any decision they may make
The MPO will not decide what course of action to take nor try to ?fix up' the problem for the member. The member remains in control.
MPM Role: To assist two or more parties to come together in a neutral environment to discuss issues of concern and assist the parties to reach an agreement or obtain a result (or NOT).
Although, it is part of the mediator's role to recognize an imbalance in ?power' between the parties and to try and neutralize that effect, the Mediator is required to be impartial and unbiased throughout the whole mediation.
DISCUSSIONS with MPO & MPM are CONFIDENTIAL (Exception: State & Federal Legislation)
DISCRIMINATION & HARASSMENT
DISCRIMINATION (General)
Treating persons or people in an unfair and unsporting manner and which unreasonably excludes or treats those persons or people less favourably, especially on the basis of a particular characteristic of that person or people.
(Specific)
People are generally aware of serious discrimination, such as treating people of different cultures unfairly, etc, which are mostly unlawful, however, the following examples also fall into the category of discrimination:
Nepotism - eg. officials' children selected over other children of greater ability/achievements
Favouritism - eg. Coach selects children based upon preference rather than ability/achievements
Exclusion - eg. Not notifying certain parents, members, officials of meetings; not including a child in special coaching sessions or team selection, etc;
Discrimination can be somewhat subtle and not appear to be offensive other than to those persons to whom it is being directed against. However, it can have devastating consequences for both the individual and the Club as a whole.
HARASSMENT (General)
Consists of offensive, abusive, belittling or threatening behaviour directed at a person or people, especially on the basis of a particular characteristic of that person or people (including the person or peoples' level of empowerment relative to the alleged harasser). Harassment is behaviour that is uninvited and the sort of behaviour a reasonable person would recognise as unwelcome.
(Specific)
Examples of serious or unlawful harassment issues: sexual, racial and physical abuse. Other aspects of harassment may not be unlawful but ALL forms of harassment are undesirable and will almost certainly breach organisational policies and codes of conduct. Some examples are:
Physical - overfamiliar touching which is not wanted, asked for, or returned, eg. Coach placing hand on mounted riders knee/leg or helping a rider from the horse and subjecting rider to excessive physical contact.
Abusive behaviour - eg. yelling and/or belittling someone at a committee meeting or during a coaching session or sending letters/emails that are abusive or belittling.
Offensive behaviour - eg. Making snide remarks or jokes about a person or using profanities.
Emotional abuse - eg. A chronic behavioural pattern that undermines a person's self esteem or impairs a person's wellbeing or development and may include constant criticism, rejection, withholding praise, threats or unreasonable demands. This form of abuse may be directed at coaches, parents, committee members, or volunteers, etc, as well as riders.
HARASSMENT is a tool used to intimidate, belittle and threaten. It has no place in a sporting association and certainly no place in a Pony Club. Harassment can be easily separated from normal disagreements between personalities
Harassment must not be confused with poor coaching, bad management or inadequate communication. Focus should be on the impression of the person harassed and whether or not the behaviour could reasonably have been expected to harass and not on the intention of the alleged harasser.
Discrimination & Harassment cause anger, resentment, frustration, depression, loss of confidence, loss of performance; and loss of participation which is dysfunctional and in direct conflict with the aims and objectives of the Pony Club Association.
Essentially, Pony Club is about acceptance; fairness and equality; respect; and taking responsibility for one's actions and being a positive role model at all times. These aspirations apply to riders, coaches, officials, committee members, parents and volunteers, etc.
DEALING WITH HARASSMENT AND DISCRIMINATION AT THE CLUB LEVEL
- FIRSTLY, ALL PONY CLUBS SHOULD ENSURE THAT THEY HAVE AN OPEN AND ACCOUNTABLE ADMINISTRATIVE AND MANAGEMENT PROCESS.
- SECONDLY, HARASSMENT AND DISCRIMINATION SHOULD BE OPENLY DISCUSSED AS BEING UNACCEPTABLE AND ALL PERSONS ASSOCIATED WITH THE PONY CLUB, MADE AWARE THAT SUCH BEHAVIOUR WILL NOT BE TOLERATED.
- THIRDLY, THE CLUB SHOULD DESIGNATE ONE OR MORE PERSONS TO ACT AS A CONTACTPOINTFOR ANYONE WHO CONSIDERS THAT THEY HAVE BEEN SUBJECT TO DISCRIMINATION. WHERE POSSIBLE, THOSE PERSONS SHOULD ATTEND MPO COURSES WHICH ARE RUN REGULARLY BY THE AUSTRALIAN SPORTS COMMISSION. THOSE DESIGNATED SHOULD ENSURE THAT DISCUSSIONS REMAIN CONFIDENTIAL AND THAT THOSE CONFIDING INFORMATION TO THEM, ARE TREATED WITH RESPECT AND THEIR CONCERNS ARE DEALT WITH IN A FAIR AND UNBIASED MANNER. THE PCAWA MPO IS AVAILABLE TO GIVE ADVICE AND TO ASSIST ANYONE THAT REPRESENTS THE CLUB AS AN MPO.
- FINALLY, IF THE MATTER CAN NOT BE DEALT WITH IN HOUSE, THEN THERE ARE OTHER OPTIONS AVAILABLE SUCH AS THE FOLLOWING:
- ZONE COMMITTEE
- PCAWA MPO
- PCAWA MEDIATION
- PCAWA EXECUTIVE
- EXTERNAL TO PCAWA PROCESS
- LEGAL PROCESS
CLUBS HAVE AN OBLIGATION TO ENSURE THAT ALL PARTICIPANTS (riders, coaches, parents, committee, etc) ARE PROTECTED AND THAT APPROPRIATE STEPS ARE TAKEN TO ENSURE THAT DISCRIMINATION AND HARASSMENT ARE NOT PART OF THE PONY CLUB ENVIRONMENT.
CLUBS WHO DO NOT TAKE STEPS TO PROTECT PONY CLUB PARTICIPANTS FROM DISCRIMINATION AND HARASSMENT COULD BE IN BREACH OF PCAWA REGULATIONS AND THEREBY BE DISASSOCIATED FROM PCAWA. | 
