Consultation and policy development

The Holland Bloorview Concussion Centre provides consultation to community organizations focused on the development, implementation and evaluation of evidence-informed concussion policies and protocols.

In 2018, the Ontario government is expected to pass legislation, known as Rowan’s Law, that would protect amateur athletes by improving concussion safety in sports and at school. The Rowan’s Law Advisory Committee’s report made 21 recommendations directed at all organized amateur sports, both school-based and non-school-based, in Ontario. If passed, the proposed legislation would make mandatory requirements for:

• Concussion awareness resources that athletes, coaches, educators, and parents would be required to review before registering in a sport
• Protocols for removal-from-sport and return-to-sport, to ensure that an athlete is immediately removed from play if they are suspected to have a concussion and to give them the time required to heal properly
• A concussion code of conduct that would include rules of behaviour to minimize concussions while playing sport.

We work with many schools and sports organizations to help them develop and implement evidence-informed concussion policies and return-to-school and return-to-play guidelines. We have experience supporting organizations in building the foundation to implement a concussion policy, and continue to partner with these organizations to support training, surveillance, compliance and evaluation of their concussion policy and protocol.

Greater Toronto Hockey League (GTHL) Concussion Policy

Toronto Soccer Association (TSA) Concussion Policy

See more information about Rowan’s Law.

For more information or questions about consultation and policy development with the Concussion Centre, please contact: concussion@hollandbloorview.ca