Having the right safeguards in place will help your club or activity to respond appropriately to any concerns that may arise, as well as make it a safer place for young people.
Safeguarding children in sport and activities is vital to ensuring that they have a safe and positive experience. This, in turn, will contribute to children choosing to remain involved in sport throughout their lives.
Children and young people are the foundations and future of sport, the next generation of club competitors, officials and administrators. They are potentially the sport stars or Olympic medallists of the future.
Children and young people face risks in all aspects of their life – and sport is no different.
So whatever your role in sport, as a parent, coach, volunteer or young person, you should be familiar with your club or governing body's safeguarding policies and procedures. In particular, you should know how to respond to concerns around abuse or lower-level concerns.
Benefits of having safeguards in place
Having the right safeguards in place will help you to:
- respond appropriately, with the knowledge and confidence to recruit responsibly, manage bullying and harassment, report concerns and much more
- protect your organisation’s reputation and help make your sport attractive to sponsors
- keep sport safe and fun for children and young people