Safeguarding Children in Sport

Following recent events which have been reported in the press, we know that children and young people may face risks when undertaking sporting activities.

Safeguarding children in sport is vital to ensuring that children and young people have a safe and enjoyable experience. This then ensures that they gain the maximum opportunities and benefits afforded to them through their involvement , which will encourage them to remain involved in sport throughout their lives.

Everyone involved in sport, whether as a young person, parent, coach, or member of the management committee, has a part to play in ensuring everyone is safe.

Information for Parents and Young People

The NSPCC Child Protection in Sport Unit offers guidance to help you choose the right sport club or activity for your child. Their what to look for in a sports club page suggests questions to ask of providers so you feel confident that they have proper safeguarding measures in place.  

Keeping Children Safe in Out of School Settings

Most organisations providing activities for children don’t have to be registered or regulated by a statutory organisation; any person can work or volunteer at an out of school setting and private tutors don’t have to be a qualified teacher.

Have you checked how the tutor, activity group, sports club or setting your child attends is keeping your child safe?

The Department for Education have published guidance to help parents choose a safe setting for their child: Guidance for Parents and Carers on Choosing Safe Out of-School Settings (PDF, 440KB) and Questions to help parents and carers choose out-of-school settings (PDF, 523KB)

Information for Sports Clubs 

Working Together to Safeguard Children guidance places a statutory responsibility on all organisations providing services to children, including sports bodies.

The NSPCC Child Protection in Sport Unit also has a wealth of useful resources to support sports clubs and offers a Self Assessment Tool to help assess your organisation’s safeguarding practices and to assist in developing and implementing robust Safeguarding Policies and Procedures.

The  DfE have published guidance for out of school setting providers on how to keep children safe in out of school settings.