Consultant Code of Conduct

• Consultants must treat all clients equitably and cannot discriminate in providing service.
• Consultants are expected to conduct themselves in a professional, courteous and appropriate manner.
• Consultants are not permitted to borrow or to make use of company funds or other assets (property) for their own personal gain or benefit.
• Consultants are expected to comply with all laws applicable to the business of the SMSCS.  If a consultant is in doubt as to whether or not a particular course of action would infringe applicable law, he or she should discuss the proposed activity with the Executive Director who in turn should seek the guidance of appropriate company legal counsel if necessary.
• The SMSCS name, property and goodwill must not be used by consultants for their personal advantage.
• Consultants shall not use confidential information gained by virtue of their association with the SMSCS for their own personal gain, nor shall they disclose such information for the use of others.
• No information may be released without the expressed advance permission of the Executive Director of the SMSCS. 
• Consultants have a responsibility to maintain and enhance the dignity and reputation of the SMSCS by:
  • Demonstrating respect to individuals regardless of body type, physical characteristics, athletic ability, age, ancestry, color, race, citizenship, ethnic origin, place of origin, creed, disability, family status, marital status, gender identity, gender expression, sex, and sexual orientation.
  • Focusing comments or criticism appropriately and avoiding public criticism of individuals or the SMSCS.
  • Consistently demonstrating the spirit of sportsmanship, sport leadership, and ethical conduct.
  • Acting, when appropriate, to correct or prevent practices that are unjustly discriminatory.
  • Consistently treating individuals fairly and reasonably.
  • Ensuring adherence to the rules of the sport and the spirit of those rules.

• Consultants have a responsibility to refrain from any behaviour that constitutes harassment. Types of behaviour that constitute harassment include, but are not limited to:
  • Written or verbal abuse, threats, or outbursts.
  • The display of visual material which is offensive or which one ought to know is offensive.
  • Unwelcome remarks, jokes, comments, innuendo, or taunts.
  • Leering or other suggestive or obscene gestures.
  • Condescending or patronizing behaviour which is intended to undermine self-esteem, diminish performance or adversely affect working conditions.
  • Practical jokes which cause awkwardness or embarrassment, endanger a person’s safety, or negatively affect performance.
  • Any form of hazing.
  • Unwanted physical contact including, but not limited to, touching, petting, pinching, or kissing.
  • Unwelcome sexual flirtations, advances, requests, or invitations.
  • Physical or sexual assault.
  • Behaviours such as those described above that are not directed towards a specific individual or group but have the same effect of creating a negative or hostile environment.
  • Retaliation or threats of retaliation against an individual who reports harassment.

Other Examples of Harassment

• Bullying
  • Repeated offensive or intimidating phone calls or emails
  • Inappropriate touching, advances, suggestions or requests
  • Displaying or circulating offensive pictures, photographs or materials
  • Psychological abuse
  • Discrimination
  • Intimidating words or conduct (offensive jokes or innuendos)
  • Words or actions which are known or should reasonably be known to be offensive, embarrassing, humiliating, or demeaning

• Consultants have a responsibility to refrain from any behaviour that constitutes violence. Types of behaviour that constitute violence include, but are not limited to:
  • Verbal threats to attack someone.
  • Sending to or leaving threatening notes or emails.
  • Making threatening physical gestures.
  • Wielding a weapon.
  • Hitting, pinching or unwanted touching which is not accidental.
  • Blocking normal movement or physical interference, with or without the use of equipment.
  • Sexual violence.
  • Any attempt to engage in the type of conduct outlined above.

• Consultants have a responsibility to refrain from any behaviour that constitutes sexual harassment, where sexual harassment is defined as unwelcome sexual comments and sexual advances, requests for sexual favours, or conduct of a sexual nature. Types of behaviour that constitute sexual harassment include, but are not limited to:
  • Sexist jokes.
  • Display of sexually offensive material.
  • Sexually degrading words used to describe a person.
  • Inquiries or comments about a person’s sex life.
  • Unwelcome sexual flirtations, advances, or propositions.
  • Persistent unwanted contact.

• Consultants should abstain from the non-medical use of drugs or the use of performance-enhancing drugs or methods. More specifically, the SMSCS adopts and adheres to the Canadian Anti-Doping Program. The SMSCS will respect any penalty enacted pursuant to a breach of the Canadian Anti-Doping Program, whether imposed by the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport or any other sport association.

• Consultants must refrain from associating with any person for the purpose of coaching, training, competition, instruction, administration, management, athletic development, or supervision, who has incurred an anti-doping rule violation and is serving a sanction involving a period of ineligibility imposed pursuant to the Canadian Anti-Doping Program and/or the World Anti-Doping Code and recognized by the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport (CCES).
• Consultants must refrain from the use of power or authority in an attempt to coerce another person to engage in inappropriate activities.
• Consultants must refrain from consuming alcohol, tobacco products, or recreational drugs while participating in SMSCS programs, activities, competitions, or events.  In the case of adults, avoid consuming alcohol in situations where minors are present and take reasonable steps to manage the responsible consumption of alcohol in adult-oriented social situations associated with the SMSCS’s events.
• Consultants must respect the property of others and not willfully cause damage.
• Consultants must adhere to all federal, provincial and municipal laws.
• Consultants must comply, at all times, with the SMSCS’s bylaws, policies, procedures, and rules and regulations, as adopted and amended from time to time.

Consultant General Responsibilities and Expectations

• Consultants must promote the Council and its programs and services and recognize the Council as co-presenter of all sessions/presentations.
• Consultants are responsible to make the initial contact with the client once the request has been set up through the Council.
• Consultants must ensure that individual consults take place in an environment that is suitable and comfortable for the athlete.
• Consultants are responsible to ensure the privacy and confidentiality of all clients personal and service/treatment related information. Consultants will obtain written consent if I plan on sharing clients personal or service/treatment information with any other consultant, service provider or practitioner. Consultants will also ensure that they are compliant with any other privacy and confidentiality policies and procedures imposed by law or governing my profession.
• Consultants must abide by the policies and procedures set out in the Programs and Services Manual where it pertains to them.
• Consultants are expected to provide input and/or feedback on the Council’s policies and procedures when requested to do so.

Consultant & Athlete Relationship – Code of Conduct, Responsibilities & Expectations

In addition to above, consultants have many additional responsibilities. The consultant-athlete relationship is a privileged one and plays a critical role in the personal, sport, and athletic development of the athlete. Consultants must understand and respect the inherent power imbalance that exists in this relationship and must be extremely careful not to abuse it, consciously or unconsciously. Consultants will:

• Have a “Duty to Report” – A duty to report (to authorities) is initiated when you have reasonable grounds to suspect that a child is or may be in need of protection. Abuse or neglect may include; a child is hurt intentionally or a parent or caregiver does not adequately care for or protect the child or protect the child from others. “Duty to Report” applies to all children under the age of 16. Suspected sexual abuse or sexual exploitation must also be reported for any youth under the age of 18.
• Ensure a safe environment by selecting and establishing controls that are suitable for the age, experience, ability, and fitness level of the involved athletes.
• Prepare athletes systematically and progressively, using appropriate time frames and monitoring physical and psychological adjustments while refraining from using training methods or techniques that may harm athletes.
• Avoid compromising the present and future health of athletes by communicating and cooperating with other health professionals in the diagnosis, treatment, and management of athletes’ medical and psychological conditions.
• Accept and promote athletes’ personal goals and refer athletes to other consultants and sports specialists as appropriate.
• Support the coaching staff of a training camp, provincial team, or national team; should an athlete qualify for participation with one of these programs.
• Provide athletes (and the parents/guardians of minor athletes) with the information necessary to be involved in the decisions that affect the athlete.
• Act in the best interest of the athlete’s development as a whole person.
• Under no circumstances provide, promote, or condone the use of drugs (other than properly prescribed medications) or performance-enhancing substances and, in the case of minors, alcohol and/or tobacco.
• Respect athletes working with other consultants and, in dealings with them, not encroach upon topics or actions which are deemed to be within the realm of “other consultants”, unless after first receiving approval from the consultant(s) who are responsible for the athletes.
• Dress professionally, neatly, and inoffensively.
• Use inoffensive language, taking into account the audience being addressed.
• Recognize the power inherent in the position of consultant and respect and promote the rights of all participants in sport. This is accomplished by establishing and following procedures for confidentiality (right to privacy), informed participation, and fair and reasonable treatment.
• Have a special responsibility to respect and promote the rights of participants who are in a vulnerable or dependent position and less able to protect their own rights.
• Not engage in a sexual relationship with an athlete under 18 years old or an intimate or sexual relationship with an athlete over the age of 18 if the consultant is in a position of power, trust, or authority over the athlete.
• Refrain from using their power or authority to coerce another person to engage in or tolerate sexual or harmful activities.
• Refrain from conduct that causes physical or emotional harm to Individuals.
• Prevent the use of power or authority in an attempt, successful or not, to coerce another person to engage in or tolerate sexual activity. 

            Note: Where the Council’s code of conduct contravenes our professional member/consultants association’s code of conduct the latter’s code of conduct will take precedence.

Note: Circumstances may arise which may cause consultants to question whether or not a particular activity falls within acceptable behavior, and which are not covered by these guidelines.  In these circumstances, consultants should discuss their proposed course of conduct with the Executive Director.