Membership for Volunteers

Membership for Volunteers

Our regattas, and your club's operations, rely heavily on the support of volunteers to safely and efficiently operate. Often these volunteers are family or friends of paddlers who are not paddling members of a Dragon Boat club. 

As well as looking after them because we value their contribution, they are part of our “workforce” from a risk, regulatory and compliance perspective.

Therefore, it’s essential that we support and manage them properly, and this involves an onboarding process that includes:

• Assessing their suitability for the positions available and assigning them to appropriate roles.
• If they will have direct contact (apart from incidental contact), assessing their suitability to work with children as a part of their duties*.
• Having them agree to come under the Dragon Boat sport framework including abiding by our Rules, Policies and Procedures and supporting them with our personal accident insurance.
• Completing a safety induction, explaining their role, risk controls and possible hazards, how to get help and first aid, as well as how they support everyone while volunteering safety.
• Providing an overview of the activity they are working in, what their specific role is and explaining the housekeeping aspects while volunteering.

To bring this all together most clubs register them as a member in Revsport with a membership category (payment class) that does not require any (capitation) fees to be paid to AusDBF or DBV. Based on their activity and privileges, the club may or may not charge this person a club membership fee.

Where a club does not have such a membership category, volunteers will be registered with a volunteer membership directly under DBV to ensure that everyone has the protection they deserve. Contact regattas@dragonboatvictoria.com.au to find out more.

*Many roles do not involve child related work, for example working in a team based in a race tower where paddlers would not attend.
Assessing suitability incudes screening a person’s background, checking they have a current Working with Childrens Check (WWCC), or having them apply for one within 30 days, and ensuring they have registered their volunteer work with WWCC Victoria.
Note that certain classes of people (such as teachers) do not need a WWCC, but must still register their child-related paid or volunteer work with WWCC Victoria