Purpose
The Canberra Bushwalking Club recognises a duty of care to those participating in club activities.
As part of this duty of care, the club requires all leaders of club trips to be registered. The aim of registration is to ensure that leaders have the competence to manage the trips they put on the program.
For many years the club has had an informal registration system, whereby the Walks Secretary has judged whether new leaders were suitable persons to lead before accepting their activities. The committee has decided to document the procedures to be taken into account in the registration procedure, to:
- meet the recommendation of Bushwalking NSW (of which the Canberra Bushwalking Club is a member body) that such a procedure be documented, and
- provide participants and prospective leaders with a clear and transparent statement of the leadership standards expected.
Principles
In setting out standards for leaders, it needs to be made clear that club leaders are not expected to assume total responsibility for the safety of all participants and for the successful completion of the objectives of all trips. All participants in club activities are expected to accept an appropriate share of responsibility, as set out in the Guidelines for Participants. Furthermore, bushwalking and related activities involve inherent risks and, whilst a leader can to some extent anticipate these risks and take action to minimise them, incidents may occur on even the best-led walks. For these reasons all participants are required to acknowledge their acceptance of risks and obligations by signing a form at the commencement of each activity. Leaders and participants on club trips alike are volunteers and there is not the same relationship between them as between a guide and a paying client on a commercial trip.
Responsibility for assessment of leadership capability
It is the responsibility of the Walks Secretary to assess whether a club member has the skills and personal qualities to be able to lead a club activity. In making this judgement, the Walks Secretary may choose to consult with other members of the committee, current club leaders, members who have walked with the prospective leaders, or members of other clubs and organisations.
Requirements for acceptance as a leader
(a) Club membership
A leader of a Canberra Bushwalking Club trip must be a member of the club.
(b) Understanding of club practices
Leaders are to have read the Guidelines for Leaders so that they understand what is expected of them in terms of responsibilities and procedures.
(c) Skills
A leader should have a measure of navigation skills appropriate to the type of activity they lead. Where an activity is off-track, the leader should have at least a basic competency in the use of map and compass. Where the activity is in a remote area this competency should be at a high level. It is also desirable for a leader going off track to have some GPS competence, especially being able to locate their position on a map and being able to set and navigate to a waypoint. Leaders should have an awareness of the participant abilities and gear needed for the activity they are leading and should be able to screen and provide appropriate advice to prospective participants. They should have an understanding of potential hazards and be able to help participants to manage these.
(d) First aid
A current first aid certificate is not required but is desirable.
(e) Personal qualities
A leader should have suitable personal qualities: understanding of people, an ability to handle a crisis, flexibility, and good judgement. These may be particularly difficult to judge in the absence of a situation in which they are tested. However, if the Walks Secretary is aware of reports calling these qualities into question, they may wish to exercise caution in allowing the person to lead club activities.
Co-leading
Where a prospective leader seems to possess appropriate skills and qualities to lead an activity, the Walks Secretary should normally arrange for that person to commence as co-leader along with a person who has more leadership experience. This arrangement
- allows the more experienced leader to provide guidance where appropriate, or to take over in an emergency
- reduces pressure on leaders who are not yet fully confident
- re-assures participants
- allows the Walks Secretary to receive further relevant information about the new leader’s capabilities.
The co-leading arrangement may endure for one or more activities, until the Walks Secretary and the new leader are both confident that the new leader is ready to lead alone. Co-leading may be waived for persons who have had extensive experience as a leader for other clubs.
Maintenance of register
The Walks Secretary is to maintain a list of registered leaders. Once on the register a leader is not required to renew or re-apply for registration.
Acceptance of activity offers from registered leaders
Once a leader is registered, the Walks Secretary would normally accept activity offers submitted by the leader for the program. However, the Walks Secretary may at their discretion query the appropriateness of a proposed activity with the leader, or decline to accept the activity from the leader, if:
- the leader has not led for a considerable time and there is reasonable doubt concerning the leader’s fitness or continuing competence to lead the trip;
- the difficulty of the offered activity is more difficult than the activities on the basis of which the person was accepted as a leader; or
- incidents have arisen on previous trips which call into doubt the leader’s competence or personal suitability.
The Walks Secretary may consult with other members of the committee, or other Club members on a confidential basis if considering refusing to accept an offered activity from a leader.
Removal from register
A leader will be removed from the register:
- at the request of the leader
- if the leader creases to be a member of the club, or
- if incidents have arisen that call into question the leader’s competence or personal suitability and the Committee believes the person should not be permitted to lead any club walk in future.
As with all other decisions of a club officer or the committee, a decision to remove a leader from the register may be referred to a general meeting for a final decision.
Approved by the Canberra Bushwalking Club Committee, June 2010, updated Aug 2013
by John Evans