Football NSW Child Protection Training Requirements

Football NSW is committed to the safety and welfare of all children and young people in football.

To meet Football NSW child protection training requirements, all registered team officials in the competitions as listed are required to complete the following online training courses with Sport Integrity Australia (SIA):

  1. SIA – Safeguarding Children & Young People in Sport Induction course, and
  2. SIA – PBTR Harassment & Discrimination course.

These courses are mandatory. There are no exemptions or recognition of prior learning.

APPLICABLE COMPETITIONS

The FNSW child protection training requirements apply to all Coaches, Assistant Coaches and Managers registering for the following competitions:

  • NPL Men’s NSW
  • FNSW League One Men’s
  • FNSW League Two Men’s
  • FNSW Boys Youth League One
  • FNSW Boys Youth League Two
  • FNSW Boys Youth League Three
  • NPL Women’s NSW
  • FNSW League One Women’s
  • FNSW Girls Youth League One
  • FNSW Girls Youth League Two
  • FNSW Association Youth League
  • FNSW Skill Acquisition Program (SAP)
  • FNSW Girl’s Skill Acquisition Program (Girl’s SAP)
  • FNSW Futsal Premier League
  • FNSW Futsal Premier League 2
  • FNSW AWD Futsal League

These training requirements are also strongly recommended for all Technical Directors, trainers, physiotherapists, team Doctors and any other team official working or volunteering with children.

These requirements do not apply to NSW Ambulance Officers, NSW Fire Brigade, NSW Police, SES or other emergency service personnel in the course of performing their duties.

If you have completed the required courses previously

What are you required to provide?

You are required to provide a SIA ELearning Certificate with badges for each online course as outlined above, or if you have saved current PBTR course certificates to your computer, you can provide these, or a combination of your current PBTR Certificate and SIA ELearning certificate.

For 2024 registrations only, a current (Play by The Rules) PBTR Child Protection & Safeguarding course certificate can be provided in lieu of the SIA – Safeguarding Children & Young People in Sport Induction course badge.

Note that the PBTR Child Protection & Safeguarding course is being phased out and any certificates or badges for this course will be accepted for 2024 registrations only.

For Season 2025 registrations, a SIA Course Certificate showing a badge for the Safeguarding Children & Young People in Sport Induction course and a badge for the SIA-PBTR Harassment & Discrimination course will be required.

To check and print your Current Certifications

  1. Log into the Sport Integrity Australia (SIA) e-learning website
  2. Go to LOGIN using your old PBTR username & password.  If your old username and password does not work you will need to create a new account, or contact SIA.  See links listed in the sidebar.
    Note: If you create a new account it will not show your current training certificate and badges and you will need to complete both courses under your new account.
  3. Once logged in select Print Certificate, then select Download Certificate. Your ELearning certificate will then display showing an individual badge on the certificate for each current training course completed.
  4. Save the Certificate (right click your mouse and select Save As) to your computer.

If your certificate or a course you completed does not appear, select the “Print Certificate” tab at the top, then tick the “Show expired badges” box, then select “View My Badges”. This will show all of the PBTR & SIA courses you have completed including any expired courses.

UPLOAD YOUR CERTIFICATES TO FOOTBALL NSW HERE

If your certificates are not current or if you have not completed the required courses you will need to complete them again.

How to Complete the required training courses

All of the required child protection training courses are now provided by Sport Integrity Australia.

The courses are free and each course takes approx. 20-30 minutes to complete.

  1. Log into the Sport Integrity Australia e-learning website
  2. Go to LOGIN or REGISTER for Sport Integrity Australia using either your SIA or your old PBTR username & password or create a new SIA account.  Eventually everyone will need an SIA account.
    (Note: If you create a new account it will not show your old Play By The Rules certificates.)
  3. Log in, then select the Find Courses tab at the top of the page, scroll down to find the Course you need to complete and select “enrol” or if you have started the course previously select “Go to Course”.
  4. Select “COURSE” and follow the steps to complete the training.
    Required courses:

    1. Safeguarding Children and Young People in Sport Induction, and
    2. Harassment & Discrimination
  5. Once the course is completed, return to “Home” tab and then the “Download Certificate” tab.  Select “View my Badges” to ensure your course badge is listed, then select “Download Certificate” and your E-Learning certificate will then display showing a badge on the certificate for each training course that you have completed.  Save the Certificate to your computer. (right click your mouse and select Save As) and then upload your SIA Certificate to Football NSW.

UPLOAD YOUR CERTIFICATE TO FOOTBALL NSW HERE

ID Cards

  1. Football NSW will only issue your ID card when badges for both courses have been received and coaching qualifications have been checked (if applicable) and you have correctly registered in “Play Football” (the national registration database)
  2. Your club will be notified when ID cards have been processed and are ready for supply or collection by an authorised club official.
  3. A Team Official is not permitted in the Technical Area of a match without a FNSW ID card.  Any team official found in the teachnical area without a FNSW ID Card can be reported to FNSW and the subject of disciplinary action by FNSW.
  4. If you have not received your ID card,  contact your club and ask them to follow up with our office.

Working with Children Check

The WWCC is a requirement applicable to all workers and volunteers who are working or volunteering with children under 18 years of age. Refer to the FNSW WWC Policy and FNSW WWCC webpage for further information.

Frequently Asked Questions

To meet Football NSW child protection training requirements:

  1. Log into the Sport Integrity Australia e-learning website
  2. Go to LOGIN or REGISTER for Sport Integrity Australia using either your SIA or your old PBTR username & password or create a new SIA account.  Eventually everyone will need an SIA account.
    (Note: If you create a new account it will not show your old Play By The Rules certificates.)
  3. Log in, then select the Find Courses tab at the top of the page, scroll down to find the Course you need to complete and select “enrol” or if you have started the course previously select “Go to Course”.
  4. Select “COURSE” and follow the steps to complete the training.    The courses are free and each course takes approx. 20-30 minutes to complete.
  5. Required courses:
    1. Safeguarding Children and Young People in Sport Induction, and
    2. PBTR-Harassment & Discrimination
  6. Once the course is finished, return to “Home” tab and then the “Download Certificate” tab.  Select “View my Badges” to ensure your course badge is listed, then select “Download Certificate” and your E-Learning certificate will then display showing a badge on the certificate for each training course that you have completed.  Save the Certificate to your computer. (right click your mouse and select Save As) and then upload your SIA Certificate to Football NSW.

UPLOAD YOUR CERTIFICATE TO FOOTBALL NSW HERE

The completion of these courses is mandatory for officials registering for the FNSW competitions as listed. There are no exemptions or recognition of prior learning.

Under these requirements, the term ‘team official’ includes but is not limited to coach, manager, trainer, physiotherapist, Doctor or any other official required to be registered and hold a FNSW ID Card to be able to enter the technical area or playing pitch.

These requirements do not apply to NSW Ambulance officers, NSW Fire Brigade, NSW Police, SES or other emergency service personnel in the course of performing their duties.

SIA training course badges are now listed on your SIA ELearning Certificate.

Click here to upload your SIA ELearning Certificate to FNSW

Go to the SIA ELearning website and login. Select the “Download Certificate” tab and then select either “View my Badges” to see your completed courses, or select “Download Certificate” to view and save your SIA ELearning Ceritificate which shows all of your course badges.

Your SIA ELearning Certificate will show a badge for each course completed and the date that you completed the course.  If your course badge has an expiry, it will also show how long the certification is valid for.   For example the PBTR Harassment & Discrimination course expires 2 years from issue date.

No, the on-line Child Protection training course requirements pf FNSW are not part of the Working with Children Check (WWCC).  Completing the SIA online training courses is required by FNSW to help educate coaches, managers and people who work with children about what they need to know when working and volunteering with children and young people aged under 18 years of age.

The WWCC is not a training course.  The WWCC is a legal requirement of the NSW State Government which involves applying for a WWCC, the Government then background checks the applicant, and then once cleared issues the applicant with a WWC Number.  The applicant then provides their WWC Number to their club and the club verifies the WWC Number in the NSW Office of the Children’s Guardian (OCG) Employer Portal.   Every club and association must be registered with the NSW OCG.

For further information about the WWCC click here

The WWCC is a mandatory Government requirement which checks the background of people who are intending to work or volunteer with children. If you complete a WWCC application and are cleared to work with children, you will receive a WWC Number supplied by NSW Office of the Children’s Guardian.

The applicant then provides their WWC Number to their club and the club verifies the WWC Number in the NSW Office of the Children’s Guardian (OCG) Employer Portal.

Every club and association within Football NSW with players aged under 18 years must be registered with the NSW OCG for the Working with Children Check.

For further information about the WWCC click here

Yes. Every person within FNSW working in a paid or volunteer role with children under 18 years of age is required to have a Working with Children Check. (except for people who are under 18 years of age themselves).

Everyone in the competitions listed also has to complete the online training courses as outlined.

You must provide your WWC Number to your club. You must also keep your WWC on file as it will be required whenever you apply to work or volunteer with children.

The club then verifies the WWC Number in the NSW Office of the Children’s Guardian (OCG) Employer Portal.   Every club and association must be registered with the NSW OCG.

For further information about the WWCC click here

Football NSW requires the following persons aged over 18 years to obtain a WWC Number and provide it the club, association, branch or referee’s branch they are applying to work or volunteer with:

  • All persons who are in a role working or volunteering with children under 18 years.
  • All coaches and managers working or volunteering with children under 18 years.
  • All technical directors working or volunteering with children under 18 years.
  • All referees, referee coaches and referee mentors (except those U18 years of age).
  • All administrators working or volunteering in a club that has participants U18 years.
  • All persons working or volunteering in a club who has access to the Registration Details or Database or personal details of participants or members U18 years.
  • All Directors and Committee Members of clubs etc. with participants aged U18 yrs.
  • All Member Protection Information Officers (MPIOs).
  • All persons working or volunteering at a camp, tour or event which involves an overnight stay or overnight accommodation (of one night or more) with children under 18 years.  Includes overnight accommodation in motels, hotels, cabins, camping, group accommodation or overnight air travel, train travel or bus travel.
  • All persons in any other child related roles in football working or volunteering with children U18 years.