The following safeguarding legislation and statutory guidance exists to protect children and young people from harm. This page outlines the relevant legislation and statutory guidance which applies to professionals working with children and young people, including through sport and physical activity.
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Relevant legislation and statutory guidance
England
Working Together to Safeguard Children 2023 - Statutory guidance outlining how all those working with children should be working together, including multi-agency working to safeguard and promote the welfare of children.
Data Protection Act 2018 - UK-wide update of data protection laws, bringing in the general data protection regulation (GDPR) which governs your personal data rights, and the way organisations handle your data. It defines what personal data is and that it shall be processed fairly and lawfully.
Children and Social Work Act 2017 - Provides additional support for looked after children and care leavers to promote the welfare and safeguarding of children and make provisions about the regulation of social workers. It creates new duties for police, health and the local authority to work together to protect and help children in their area. Part 3 extends and applies to England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Protection of Freedoms Act 2012 - This Act covers various topics related to freedom of information, biometric data, surveillance, vehicles, criminal records, and human trafficking as well as the establishment of the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS).
Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006 - This act established the legal basis for the Independent Safeguarding Authority who managed the lists of people barred from working with children and vulnerable adults. It also places a statutory duty on all those working with vulnerable groups to register and undergo an advanced vetting process with criminal sanctions for non-compliance.
Children Act 2004 - A development from the 1989 Act, it reinforces that all people and organisations working with children have a responsibility to help safeguard children and promote the safety and welfare of children across the UK.
Sexual Offences Act 2003 - Defines and regulates sexual offences, including the protection of children from harm from sexual acts and from those in positions of trust.
Human Rights Act 1998 - The Human Rights act sets out the fundamental rights and freedoms that everyone in the UK is entitled to.
Children Act 1989 - Safeguards and promotes the welfare of children. It gives duties and responsibilities to local authorities, courts, parents, and other agencies to protect children from harm and to meet their developmental needs.
Rehabilitation of Offender’s Act (England) 1974 - Explains the difference between spent and unspent convictions, outlines which convictions must be declared when applying for jobs and any exceptions. This has been updated following changes to rehabilitation periods in the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022.
Wales
Working together to safeguard people: code of safeguarding practice 2022 - This is the Welsh Government's expectations in relation to safeguarding arrangements.
Children (Abolition of Defence of Reasonable Punishment) (Wales) Act 2020 - Protects children’s rights by prohibiting the physical punishment of children. This means physically punishing children is no longer acceptable in Wales for parents, carers and anyone acting in loco parentis in any setting in Wales.
Wales Safeguarding Procedures and Practice Guides 2019 - This details the essential roles and responsibilities for practitioners to ensure that they safeguard children and adults who are at risk of abuse and neglect.
Data Protection Act 2018 - UK-wide update of data protection laws, bringing in the general data protection regulation (GDPR) which governs your personal data rights, and the way organisations handle your data. It defines what personal data is and that it shall be processed fairly and lawfully.
Children and Social Work Act 2017 - Provides additional support for looked after children and care leavers to promote the welfare and safeguarding of children and make provisions about the regulation of social workers. It creates new duties for police, health and the local authority to work together to protect and help children in their area. Part 3 extends and applies to England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014 - Provides the legal framework for improving the well-being of people who need care and support, carers who need support, and for transforming social services in Wales.
Rights of Children and Young Persons (Wales) Measure 2011 - This measure underlines Wales' commitment to children’s rights and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). The measure places a duty on Ministers to have due regard to the UNCRC when developing or reviewing legislation and policy.
Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006 - This act established the legal basis for the Independent Safeguarding Authority who managed the lists of people barred from working with children and vulnerable adults. It also places a statutory duty on all those working with vulnerable groups to register and undergo an advanced vetting process with criminal sanctions for non-compliance.
Children Act 2004 - A development from the 1989 Act, it reinforces that all people and organisations working with children have a responsibility to help safeguard children and promote the safety and welfare of children across the UK.
Human Rights Act 1998 - The Human Rights act sets out the fundamental rights and freedoms that everyone in the UK is entitled to.
Children Act 1989 - Safeguards and promotes the welfare of children. It gives duties and responsibilities to local authorities, courts, parents, and other agencies to protect children from harm and to meet their developmental needs.
Northern Ireland
Cooperating to Safeguard Children and Young People 2024 (Northern Ireland) - Replaces the Cooperating to Safeguard Children guidance (2003). It provides an overarching policy framework for safeguarding children and young people in the statutory, private, independent, community, voluntary and faith sectors.
Justice (Sexual Offences and Trafficking Victims) Act (Northern Ireland) 2022 - Includes new sexual offences, including upskirting, down-blousing and cyber-flashing, according to the Department of Justice, to address specific intrusive behaviours and strengthen existing laws related to sexual offending. It extends the abuse of trust legislation to include sports coaches.
Domestic Abuse and Civil Proceedings Act (Northern Ireland) 2021 - Made patterns of non-physical, psychological abuse and abusive behaviour against the law. Coercive and controlling behaviour are now both criminal offences.
Data Protection Act 2018 - UK-wide update of data protection laws, bringing in the general data protection regulation (GDPR) which governs your personal data rights, and the way organisations handle your data. It defines what personal data is and that it shall be processed fairly and lawfully.
Children and Social Work Act 2017 - Additional support for looked after children and care leavers to promote the welfare and safeguarding of children and make provisions about how social workers are regulated. It creates new duties for police, health and the local authorities to work together to protect and help children in their area.
Children's Services Co-operation Act (Northern Ireland) 2015 - Improves collaboration between different agencies involved in children's services, with the goal of enhancing the wellbeing of children and young people. The Northern Ireland Executive must develop a strategy to outline priority outcomes for children's wellbeing, and it allows departments and agencies to share and pool resources to deliver services.
Protection of Freedoms Act 2012 - Limits who can have an enhanced barred list check for vetting purposes and introduces the concept of further restrictions based on supervision.
Sexual Offences (Northern Ireland) Order 2008 - Brings Northern Ireland in line with legislation in England and Wales and establishes the age of consent for Northern Ireland as 16 in line with the rest of the UK. Some offences created and increased tariffs for those who harm children. Part 2 focuses on convicted individuals how they should be managed.
The Criminal Justice (Northern Ireland) Order 2008 - Changed the sentencing framework in Northern Ireland with a focus on public protection. It removed the right to automatic 50% remission on prison sentences - offenders have to satisfy new parole commissioners that their risk of causing serious harm has been reduced before they are released. It allowed courts to use electronic tagging for offenders.
Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups (Northern Ireland) Order 2007- Makes provision for checking individuals seeking work (paid employment or voluntary) with children or vulnerable adults and for barring those considered unsuitable.
The Sexual Offences Act 2003 - People who have been cautioned or convicted or released from prison for sexual offences since September 1997 must sign the sex offender’s register, by notifying the police of certain details, including their name, address, date of birth, national insurance number.
Human Rights Act 1998 - The fundamental rights and freedoms that everyone in the UK is entitled to.
Police Act (Introduced Part 5 of the Police Act) 1996 - Enables the police service Northern Ireland to disclose ‘soft intelligence’ (such as non-conviction information) when they deem it appropriate. This coincided with the establishment of Access NI, the equivalent to the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) in England and Wales.
Children (Northern Ireland) Order 1995 - A development from the 1989 Act, it reinforces that all people and organisations working with children have a responsibility to help safeguard children and promote the safety and welfare of children across Northern Ireland.
Children Act 1989 - Safeguards and promotes the welfare of children, giving duties and responsibilities to local authorities, courts, parents, and other agencies to protect children from harm and to meet their developmental needs.
Rehabilitation of Offenders (Exceptions) Order (Northern Ireland) 1979 - An employer is entitled only to request an individual’s unspent record. There are exceptions and a list of circumstances in which an employer can apply for a full criminal record disclosure.
Criminal Law Act (Northern Ireland) 1967 - Anyone with direct knowledge or information about an arrestable offence must inform the police within a reasonable time.
Scotland
Data Protection Act 2018 - UK-wide update of data protection laws, bringing in the general data protection regulation (GDPR) which governs your personal data rights, and the way organisations handle your data. It defines what personal data is and that it shall be processed fairly and lawfully.
Children and Social Work Act 2017 - This law provides additional support for looked after children and care leavers to promote the welfare and safeguarding of children and make provisions about the regulation of social workers. It creates new duties for police, health and the local authority to work together to protect and help children in their area. Part 3 extends and applies to England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Children Act 2004 - A development from the 1989 Act, it reinforces that all people and organisations working with children have a responsibility to help safeguard children and promote the safety and welfare of children across the UK.
Human Rights Act 1998 - The Human Rights act sets out the fundamental rights and freedoms that everyone in the UK is entitled to.
Children Act 1989 - Safeguards and promotes the welfare of children. It gives duties and responsibilities to local authorities, courts, parents, and other agencies to protect children from harm and to meet their developmental needs.
Relevant guidance and reports
This guidance outlines the relevant reviews and reports for professionals working with children and young people in sport. Alongside these reviews, recommendation have been developed to support the work to make organisations as safe as possible for children and young people.
Independent review of the Disclosure and Barring Regime 2023 - An independent review which makes some important recommendations to improve and strengthen the disclosure and barring regime.
The Whyte Review 2022 - Sport England and UK Sport, co-commissioned a fully independent review into allegations of abuse in gymnastics. The Review was led by Anne Whyte QC and it heard from individual gymnasts, parents and carers as well as coaches, British Gymnastics staff, former staff and any other organisations and individuals who wanted to provide information. For further information see our guidance on The key themes, learning and recommendations from the review.
Sheldon report 2021 - The FA commissioned an independent report into the allegations of non-recent child sexual abuse allegations in football. The report was led by Clive Sheldon QC. For a summary and the learning from this report, see our Sheldon report guidance.
UK Athletics independent safeguarding review 2021 – An independent review of historical safeguarding cases involving sexual activity or grooming with a child or adult at risk, where this did not result in a permanent ban for UK Athletics. The independent review of previous cases was commissioned by former UKA chief executive Joanna Coates and conducted by Christopher Quinlan QC.
Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse 2020 - The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) has published a report looking at the research findings in relation to experiences of child sexual abuse in sport between the 1950s and 2010s. For a summary of this report, see our Report in to child sexual abuse in sport.
Duty of care in sport review 2017 - This report, published in April 2017, followed a review of the Duty of Care that sport has towards participants. The review was led by Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson. For a summary of this review, see our Duty of care in sport review.